He Took Our Pain
"He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:2-5
I found this passage reading through Matthew and about all the prophecies that Jesus was confirming with His life. It hit me really hard for the first time ever: Jesus didn't just heal our wounds, he took them on himself. He wasn't this charming, lovable character we see so many times presented in movies or other depictions. In fact, there was nothing attractive about him; that is straight from the Bible. He was familiar with pain. He wasn't just the Son of God incarnate here to awe us with His perfection; he hurt like we hurt. He hurt for all of us. Think about it: all the heartbreak you have felt, all the aking loneliness, the mourning of loss, the broken bones, all of it. He didn't just heal that to make us feel better, he took those pains onto his heart and his body. He suffered right alongside us. This passage in Isaiah has portrayed Christ in a way I have never thought of before, perhaps it never hit me quite this hard. Every tear that I've shed in His presence, every heavy-hearted confession, every illness I have prayed for He took on in my place. Every sin I have ever committed was placed on Him, and He brought me peace with His wounds. That is the God I serve.
Let's thank Him for this today.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you. Although this will never be enough to repay you for taking on my hurts right alongside me, I want to thank you. I know I don't thank you nearly enough, and that I forget the price of my sins that was placed on your heart and body, thank you. Thank you for the love you showed me on that cross that day. Thank you for taking on my suffering, my sins. I don't deserve it, but You don't give me what I deserve. You gave me and continue to give me mercy every single day. Your love surpasses anything I could ever imagine. You truly do deserve all the praise, all the love, and all the admiration. I am truly so blessed to have Someone who loves me enough to take my place on the cross. Forgive me for forgetting what it means to have been forgiven. I love you, Jesus. Thank you.
Amen