Celebrating the Resurrection is set against the sorrowful reality of the Cross. The depth of sorrow on Friday is a rich background for the skyrocketing joy of Sunday.

I suggest that we stand at the foot of the Cross today as we prepare for Easter. Isaiah 53 is the most-quoted portion of the Old Testament in the New Testament. Today, we will reflect on Isaiah 53:3-6.

First, consider our Lord, fully God and fully man.

He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

He was dismissed. No one thought He held any significance for them.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.

He was a man of sorrows but not because of what He had done. His sufferings were not His fault. He chose to be our Substitute when it came to affliction.

Not only would He be afflicted, but He would also suffer injury on our behalf.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.

Our Lord bore our sins that we could experience shalom when everything is as it should be. This passage deals with redemption from sin specifically. Poor health is an effect of sin in a fallen world. Some people are healed now. All will be healed when we see our Lord face to face.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us al
To fall on Him.

Jesus suffered with us. More importantly, He suffered for us. Here is the Good Shepherd dying for His sheep. We are the sinful, self-centered sheep for whom our sinless, sacrificial Lamb was sacrificed, paying the penalty for sin.

Meditating on the sacrifice of our Lord in death for us causes us to consider the cost of our sin. Reflecting on the sacrifice of our Lord overwhelms our hearts with the love of Jesus for us.

May the Spirit move your heart toward love and worship by the experience of meditating on God’s Word. These eternal truths are at the heart of our salvation.

For His glory,
Dave