Bible Passage: “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. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:1-12
Once again, we find ourselves faced with a passage that must be addressed.
Written centuries before the time of Christ, this chapter explores the theological and physical reality of the crucifixion in a way that cannot be ignored.
And yet, it does speak to us as men in deeply experiential ways.
This chapter is built around the idea of substitution. What Christ endured, He did on our behalf.
Why?
Because we could not do so for ourselves.
Isaiah 53 dismantles the all-too-familiar idea that we men are the masters of our own fate. That we can handle life in all its challenges and opportunities. That our way is fine and good enough. That true strength is seen in the man who needs “nothin’ from nobody.”
Read the passage again; all that He did, He did for us.
What He endured was so that we could benefit. Our transgressions, our sins, were why He was pierced. Our failures to meet God’s standards formed the weight that crushed Him. Our peace was provided through His punishment. The cuts, bruises, gashes, and wounds that riddled His body are what paradoxically brought healing to us.
Men must not buy the myth that masculine means autonomous control. We must not allow ourselves to believe that an island existence is both good and right. The end of that through-trail is a catastrophic fall, one we will not survive.
And lest we think that perhaps we are not a part of the needy masses who cannot do for themselves what the servant needed to, we are told that we have all gone our own way.
It is, in fact, our rabid pursuit of independence that is at the root of our need. Because we have turned to our own ways, we need the wounds of the Savior to coat us with a healing salve.
It was Him for us, because we could not, cannot do for ourselves.
Prayer: Thank You for Your sacrifice for me, Jesus. Thank You for enduring what I deserved and yet could not endure myself. Thank You for Your sacrifice that brings me peace and healing. Amen.
Reflection: Have you accepted the healing wounds of the Savior on your behalf? Take time to give thanks today!
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