Lenten Devotional - Wednesday, Mar. 31

Day 37 - Wednesday 

March 31

Surely he has borne our infirmities

    and carried our diseases;

yet we accounted him stricken,

    struck down by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions,

    crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

    and by his bruises we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have all turned to our own way,

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.  Isaiah 53:4-6

Writing six hundred years before the time of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah foretold that one would come who would save Israel by taking upon himself the sins and suffering of the people. This "Suffering Servant" would represent all of the people, and by his own suffering and death he would bring healing and new life to them. It is nearly impossible to read these ancient passages without seeing a prediction of Jesus and his suffering. There is a great mystery here - the scriptures don't tell us exactly how this works, how one person can represent all of the people and by his own suffering and death can make us whole. But what is clear is that on our own we were lost, and God provided the one that we needed, the Savior who would take all of our sin and its consequences and the resultant suffering onto himself so that we could be relieved of this burden. The Servant suffers for us, and by his bruises we are healed. 

To Do

Pick up something heavy and hold it for as long as you can. Imagine the weight as the burden of all your sins. When you can't hold it up any longer, release it; as you do, imagine the weight of your sins being lifted from you and placed upon Jesus.