Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this? -- Isaiah 53, The message
This week I've been listening to Beth Moore's study, "Breaking Free" on my way to and from work. I just really need to revisit the study and remind myself of the truths within, so I've been listening to my cds of it. One morning Beth pointed out that before we can get to Isaiah 61 -- the theme for the study -- Isaiah 53 has to happen. 61 just isn't possible otherwise. Jesus has to go through
the pain, the scorn, the torture and death -- and resurrection -- before we can have freedom,
healing, and beauty in exchange for our chains, puss-filled wounds, and ashes. I've somewhat camped in Isaiah 53 the rest of this week. Listen to this:
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew
pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down
on him, thought he was scum.
Jesus was completely unattractive, even looked down upon by people. For some reason I'd forgotten about that. What an amazing thing this is. Jesus can truly identify with all of us who've felt... ugly, for lack of a better word; those of us who know we don't measure up to the high standard of beauty in our culture (or perhaps any culture) because He himself was considered unattractive, even ugly by society. He is truly a Redeemer for all us little guys!
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed.
I just want to wrap myself up in this and stay here the rest of my life. All the the things wrong with me, all of them, Jesus carried to the cross, on the the cross, and then left them there. I know I've made this point before, recently even, but every time I come up against it these days I can't help but sit in stunned silent awe. How can this be?? Everything in my life, everything is covered and redeemable. Do you really get the significance of that?
Listen, there are secret sins we all carry -- bury; you have done this, I most certainly have; we all do this, or have done it at some point. We bury this one (or several) sin in the the deepest crevasse we can find in our heart and pretend it doesn't exist, no matter how many times it revisits us or we revisit it, because it is just too awful; we cannot believe God will forgive us for it. Haven't you ever wondered how Ted Haggard survived his double life, or Larry Craig either? They hid it from even themselves, down in that deep crevasse. Yet Jesus is Redeemer of even that. Even those dark, "horrible" secret sins we do not even dream of talking about nonetheless confessing, even those are covered by His blood. Forgiven. Gone. Over. Forever! When we truly grasp that reality, we start finding freedom; real honest to God freedom.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost. We've all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.
Isn't this good! Isn't this amazing!
He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word. Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence.
Little rabbit chasing here... This is odd to me now that I've heard lambs/sheep/goats being carried off to be slaughtered. They don't go quietly. They make a whole lotta noise (it often sounds like babies or children crying, if you want to know the truth; pitiful and disturbing, really) and a whole lotta fuss. You have to hold them by their legs and carry them across your shoulders. Otherwise they'll do their best to skitter off. ---- It's just an odd analogy to me now, to compare Jesus to a noisy lamb, bound and held, being carried off to its death. Especially since it says "he took it all in silence." Can anyone explain this part?
Justice miscarried, and he was led off— and did anyone really know what was happening? He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people. They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave with a rich man, even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.
Still, it's what God had in mind all along, to crush him with pain. The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life. And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.
Out of that terrible travail of soul, he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it. Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant, will make many "righteous ones," as he himself carries the burden of their sins. Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly— the best of everything, the highest honors— because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch, because he embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep. ---- Isaiah 53, The Message
He took up the cause of all the back sheep. That's me! I'm am so a black sheep. Oh, thank God I have such a champion!
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. --- Isaiah 61:1-4
The ugly girl with nothing but ashes for a life gets the ultimate beauty pageant crown. Now that's a real Hollywood ending.
Then [Jesus] rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat
down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." -- Luke 4:20-21
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! -- 2 Cor 9:15
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