Isaiah 53:1-6

What is the main point of this passage? This is a powerful prophecy about Jesus Christ. Isaiah is shockingly clear about the way that God came to earth in the flesh. He set His infinite power and glory aside and became a man. Not a man who was beautiful, powerful, eloquent...but a man who understood what it meant to be rejected and judged harshly by peers. This is astounding! Not only does God become one of the oppressed...one of the people on the margins of society...He also accepts unjust punishment - our punishment - so that we would be able to be found righteous (Like the passage from Romans 3 we looked at yesterday describes).

What part of the passage spoke most deeply to you? The fact that God understands...He fully understands what it means to be hurt. He understands what it means to be rejected. He understands what it means to be despised...to be judged...to be an outcast...to receive unfair treatment...to experience the garbage that comes from other peoples' sinful decisions. Isn't that amazing to think about? He gets us...He knows what we are going through! Have you ever experienced any of those things? Have you ever shouted to God about the cruelty of life on earth? He understands...He knows...He hurts alongside us. I just don't think our relationship with God would be the same if He had come to earth as the most beautiful, powerful human to ever exist...if He had forced the world to bow at His feet through the sheer power of His presence. See, somebody had to pay the price for the sinfulness that had perverted the entire world...and no single human or even the entire human race could offered the kind of payment God demanded. So He stepped into our shoes...He became on of us...He hurt like one of us...He went through the brutality of this fallen world lie one of us, and He was true to His nature - He never sinned. So out of His moral perfection, He could offer Himself as the sacrifice that He demanded for the sins of this broken world. That is what love looks like...that is the depth of God's love for you.

What do these verses challenge you to do and what steps do you need to take to meet that challenge in your life right now? I am challenged by this passage to be a more empathetic person. One of the key ingredients to the love of God, is that He was willing to get dirty...He was willing to step into our shoes and experience the brokenness of this world first hand. He knows what we have gone through...He has walked the path of humanity with perfection and shown us what to do to bring redemption to our screwed up lives. This passage challenges me to do the same with the people I come in contact with on a daily basis - my family, my friends, my youth group kids, and the rest of the people I meet in this crazy world. Before I judge people...before I write them off as "idiots" or "sinners" or whatever...I have to make sure that I step into their shoes, listen to their story, and try to understand where they are coming from. Every one of us has sin issues in our lives that have a lot to do with the experiences we have had on earth, and if we are willing to walk alongside another person before we write them of as "hopeless"...I believe that we can treat people with mercy and hopefully guide them towards the foot of the cross (The place that every one of us needs to be).