Jesus our Sin Bearer
Scripture reading for July 14: Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned –everyone–to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit about seven hundred years before Jesus Christ, pours out the prophetic account of God’s plan to send His Messiah to earth on a mission. That mission was to save lost people from the consequence and penalty of their sins through substitutionary sacrifice. He has asked God’s people if they believed the report from God that he was delivering. This understanding would come by revelation from believing God’s Word.
Isaiah described the Messiah as One Who bore our grief and carried our sorrows. He would experience the life of fallen humans in a sin-cursed world full of sickness, disease, and sorrows of death. But those observing Him would think that God was punishing Him for His own sins. But the very opposite was what this Messiah would do. He would willingly be pierced for sinners’ transgressions, He would suffer crushing punishment for our own sinning. The beating that He would endure was for our own peace and the wounds He suffered would bring lost people healing.
Isaiah then noted that all of mankind were like sheep who had gone astray. Each person had turned away from God’s way to his own way of sin and self-will. Truly, all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. (Romans 3:23-24) But God’s plan through His Son, Jesus Christ was that our iniquity would be laid on Him. He would suffer the penalty of sin–death–on our behalf. Through Him we would be justified by faith in God’s Good News.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your amazing plan of redemption for all of us who have turned to our own way! Thank You for bringing healing and forgiveness and restoration of eternal life through the willing obedience of Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. By His wounds, I am healed! Amen!
0 thoughts on “Jesus our Sin Bearer”