And by His Stripes We Are Healed

In this Lenten season, my pastor has been preaching a series of how we are healed by the specific wounds of the suffering Christ. So far she has covered our wounded self image and negative thoughts, taking on the weight of the world, and relational brokenness. The scriptural base for the sermons is Isaiah 53.

After the very first sermon I felt a desire to read the Isaiah chapter daily. I am already going through the New Testament one chapter a day along with one Psalm. I just added it  to my morning routine, but it has been anything but routine. I find it a difficult read some mornings. Isaiah painted a very graphic prophecy of Jesus' suffering on the cross at our expense, at my expense. I cannot help but take it personally, as I feel it ought to be. Yes, it does say people, but I am a member of humanity for which he suffered in order to secure my salvation, our salvation.

As I read, I keep finding myself emphasizing the words "his wounds", "his bruises", "he was oppressed", "he was afflicted", "he was despised", "he was rejected." And instead of just reading through to better understand the sermons, I am being pulled into a place of deep awareness of how much the Father laid on our Lord because of my transgressions. In this place I have felt an emotional response; a feeling of how  high a price was paid. Two verses stand out: (5a) But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole..." (10) "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain."

Crushed. The word is so heavy-handed, and it tears at my  heart to know God the Father had to do that to a willing Son in order to pay the just penalty for sin. "It was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain." I cannot read that verse some mornings without tears. How terrible his suffering must have been. I cannot begin to imagine.

It would overwhelm me if God did not include a verse to bring hope. (11) "After he has suffered, he  will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify  many, and he will bear their iniquities." Jesus was not left to suffer endlessly on the cross. It was declared finished after a period of time had passed. He was not left to the rotted state of a mortal body in the  tomb. He saw the light of life on the third day when he was resurrected from the dead. He bore our iniquities, he who knew no sin, suffering the ultimate price on our behalf. He is righteous, and now that righteousness has been endued in us. We have been justified. No longer are we outcasts. We have been drawn into the presence of God our creator and  there we no longer have to cringe and crawl. We can stand confident of our acceptance.

If you have time in your schedule, or rather, make time in your schedule to prayerfully read Isaiah 53 daily between now and Easter. Get up ten minutes earlier if you have to or go to bed a little earlier and spend that time with the Lord reading. Expect the Lord to show up as you seek him in your reading of  the word. He's been waiting patiently for you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.