Despised…For Us

Today I was working on some loose ends preparing for my trip to Atlanta. I started the packing process and was interrupted by a phone call from my daughter Stephanie. When I finished the call and turned around to put more clothes in my suitcase I notice our dog had jumped in  and made himself at home. I’m not sure if he really understood that I would be leaving or it just looked like a comfortable nest.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved.” Isaiah 53:6 (GNT)

This afternoon I went with Pastor Steve from Timberline Church to visit Phyllis and Gwen Kovac. Phyllis is 94 and growing weaker so we went to share communion and have prayer. During our visit, I read from Isaiah 53. This prophecy about suffering savior arrested my attention. What stood out to me was how the death of Christ was view, in contrast to what we truly happening.

First of all it is clear that Christ came to identify with us. We see the words, “despised, rejected, a man of sorrow, acquainted with grief.” What you experience Christ can related to and that should allow you to draw close to Him in our time of need.

Next I notice how the suffering of Christ was viewed by people. “We despised him and rejected him…No one would even look at him—we ignored him as if he were nothing….we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God.” (Isa. 56:3,4)

Then we see the contrast on what was really happening. “…he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne….because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did…the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved.” (Isa. 53:4-6)

But Christ was more than just a martyr; more than someone who suffered unjustly for the wrongs of others. What was the result of His agony and death?  “We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received.” (Isa. 56:5) Out of Christ’s suffering comes our wholeness our healing from sin and despair.

Finally, I am struck by the contrast between human understanding and divine plan. Isaiah 53 clearly shows human understanding and perception will “get it wrong.” We need the Lord’s wisdom and provision to help us entered into the divine plan of God that is being worked out in way that is contrary to our view and perception.

When challenges come our way, when the bad news comes, when the road of life gets rocky, it is easy to make a quick assessment from a human perspective. But in the midst of it all the One who knows sorrow, grief and rejection is with us to work out His plan and purpose for our life. Trust the Lord for that work of faith in your life.