Isaiah 53:1-6 (ESV)
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Explanation:
This passage is a prophecy pointing to the coming Messiah, who we now know to be Jesus. The people during this time were waiting for their Savior to come and rescue them. But I imagine the words Isaiah spoke and the imagery he gave were not what they were hoping for or expecting. They were looking for a mighty warrior, big in stature, ready to come in to fight and save the day. Yet we know that Jesus was completely different. He was not a “mighty warrior”, but instead a meek and humble King. He was full of compassion, love, grace, and kindness. He came to seek out the broken, to save the lost, and redeem people. He spoke truth always with love. He didn’t fight in the physical, but instead took our sins, shame, and punishment. He fought and won for us in the spiritual, which was exactly what we all needed. His punishment brought us peace and healing. He was not the Messiah they were looking for: He was so much better.
We get the best-case scenario for living in the time that we do. We can read the stories of the way God the Father was faithful in the Old Testament. How He always did what was necessary to bring His people back to Him. We see how His hand was moving and working. We have the ability to learn more about who Jesus was. We get to read the accounts of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. We are able to look to Him as our example.
And God could have stopped there, but He didn’t. We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit leads, guides, and directs us. Our goal is becoming more like Jesus, and we have the Holy Spirit to help us accomplish that.
Application:
Why do you think the Holy Spirit is always pointing us back to Jesus?
In what ways do you want/need to become more like Jesus?
Take time every day this week to seek and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you in those areas. Journal the ways in which you see the Holy Spirit helping you.
Prayer:
God, I am so thankful that we live in a time where we have the example of Jesus in our lives. It is our greatest desire to be more and more like Him every day. We know this is only possible with the power of the Holy Spirit moving and working in our lives. Help us to seek You and to be open to allowing the Spirit to change us. May we continue to look to You to lead, guide, and direct every step of our lives. Thank you so much for gifting us with Your Spirit. Amen.