The Suffering Savior
“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 53:5
Several years ago our family went to see the movie The Passion of the Christ. It was controversial because of its extreme violence and some apparent contradictions with the Bible. Some church leaders warned their members not to watch it.
Taking these matters into account, we still found the movie worthwhile and deeply moving. We walked out afterward in total silence because there was nothing to say. Several questions came to mind, though: Did Jesus really suffer all of that; were
his beatings and crucifixion really as horrendous as the film
portrayed them to be? And how could God the Father allow
human hands to treat his only Son the way they did? If you’ve not and awe for seen the movie, you may want to watch it sometime during this Lenten season. It may cause you to reflect on similar questions about Christ’s suffering.
Some 700 hundred years before the crucifixion, the prophet Isaiah predicted and described Jesus’ suffering on the cross. According to Isaiah 53 this event was carefully planned by God himself. It is beyond human comprehension that the Son of God should willingly allow and accept such humiliation.
And he did it all for us: “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” Knowing what he suffered for our sake can cause us, in the words of a well-known hymn, to “tremble, tremble, tremble.”
Take time today to read Isaiah 53. If possible, read it with your family. As you do, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand all that Jesus bore for your sake, for your salvation.
—WRITTEN BY ART SCHOONVELD
TODAY Lenten Devotional, 2021
