The Offense Of The Cross
This is one of the most powerful passages in the Old Testament. It draws an incredible picture of what Christ suffered for us on the cross. Sometimes the world tries to avoid this reality and explain away the death of Jesus.
Why? Because the cross of Jesus judges the pride, hate, lust, greed, and self-indulgence of humanity. The cross also sets out a way of life that is characterised by self-denial. A way of life that is not meant to please the self but to please God.
The cross sets us on edge. We don’t like the restraint that it puts on our desires. The offence of the cross turns into the appeal of the cross when we surrender to the love of the One who carried away our ultimate punishment for sin.
What God’s Servant Did For Us
Isaiah 53: 1-6
Has anyone believed us or seen the mighty power of the LORD in action? Like a young plant or a root that sprouts in dry ground, the servant grew up obeying the LORD. He wasn’t some handsome king. Nothing about the way he looked made him attractive to us. He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, “He is a nobody!”
He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was a punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the LORD gave him the punishment we deserved.
