Jesus didn't look like anyone expected. Most religious people rejected Him. Despite their enmity, He carried their sins (my sin, our sin) to the cross. Everything He suffered was for us, for me. Because of His sacrifice, we are justified. I am justified.
He prayed for us as He was dying. He prays for us still.
Isaiah 53 might be my favorite chapter in the Bible. I know that Luke 2 is the passage most people read on Christmas, but this chapter is always part of my personal Christmas reading. Pure prophecy. Every word fulfilled in Jesus the Christ. It's so beautiful that I'm including it, in the NASB version that I prefer, in its entirety. Nothing more. Rejoice today in the One who carried our sin and set us free.
Who has believe our message?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face,
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living,
For the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:1-12 nasb
Merry Christmas, all, as we celebrate the One who came for us.
~~~~~~~
In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: Finding Christmas: Ongoing Surrender, Finding Christmas: Hidden Paths, and Finding Christmas: Not Forgotten, Finding Christmas: Sustenance for the Weary, Finding Christmas: Remembering the Stripes, Finding Christmas: Look to the Rock, Finding Christmas: The Rear Guard, and Finding Christmas: Prosperity and Success.
The most read post of the last week: Finding Christmas: Separating Truth and Fiction.
~~~~~~~~~~
#Advent #keepChristinChristmas #MerryChristmas #JesusChrist #disciple #SufferingServant #allaboutthecross
