Easter Weekend

Last night, Zach and I attended our church's Good Friday service.  It was a great time to reflect on the most important aspect of our faith in Jesus Christ.  If Jesus had not died for our sins, he would have been just a moral teacher ( and, honestly, a nut job since he claimed to be God!) We could not have the joy of Easter faith without the sorrow of Good Friday.  We all together read the prophesy reading in Isaiah 53:2-12 written hundreds of years before Jesus' birth.  It is pretty remarkable.  God had this planned all along.  Since the fall of man, God began His work to redeem us!  This reading is quite beautiful.

Isaiah 53:2-12


He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.   He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  By oppression and judgement he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants?  For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.  He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.   Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.  After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied, by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.  For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  


One part in there especially struck me, v. 10 says, "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer" How have you suffered this year?  Reason tells us, "Isn't God loving??" so why would He want us to suffer? We all have it in us, a yearning for an Eden-like world.  I know, I have family members who I see especially have a desire for the ideal world.  Truth is, God made us that way, and we DID have Eden, but we sinned.  We believed the lie that we can be "good without God" we gave into pride, and so suffering and death is the penalty.  But God, being all loving, has mercy, He came here to earth Himself through Jesus and suffered and died so that we might be saved.

Ok, so I have accepted Jesus as the "intercession" for my sins.  So, why do I still suffer? Paul says in Romans to rejoice in suffering.  For suffering produces perseverance, character and hope.  While we are here we remember that God never wastes our suffering experiences, but uses it, if we allow Him.  We also need to remember that God cares deeply, and has compassion for us (Matthew 14:14).  The story doesn't end here.  In verse 11, it says "after the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life." It was true for Jesus, and it is true for all of us who believe in Him!

Revelation 21:1,4 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth...there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."