“He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:3-5
All over the world today Christians are remembering with somber hearts the one event that forever changed mankind’s relationship with God.
On a lonely day–abandoned, denied, betrayed, and forsaken–the Savior of the world carried His instrument of torture, of terror, of death, and of satisfaction to a desolate hill alongside two ignominious outlaws. His via dolorosa was set in motion before the creation of the world. Nevertheless, the outworking of God’s foreordination could not sway Christ’s condescension.
This cup…
Let is pass…
YET
Not as I will…
BUT
As Thy will…
Without this day…this day of being despised and forsaken…mankind would have no hope that their sins would be forgiven.
A spotless Lamb must be slain…blood must be spilled…otherwise God is not just (“And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” – Hebrews 9:22).
A divine Substitute must step in the place of man…so that man would have the hope of his sin being transferred from himself to God…in order that he might have the righteousness of God (“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21).
A satisfactory Sacrifice must be offered…so that the love of God might be experienced (“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10).
- He was despised, so that we would be…adored
- He was forsaken, so that we would be…kept
- He was a man of sorrows, so that we would be…a people of joy
- He was acquainted with grief, so that we would be…a people of delight
- He was like one from whom men hide their face, so that we would…a people from whom men find hope
- He was despised, so that we would be…cherished
- He was not esteemed, so that we would be…favored
- He bore our griefs, so that we would be…full of happiness
- He carried our sorrows, so that we would…walk with freedom
- He was smitten of God, so that we would be…enamored by God
- He was afflicted, so that we would be…comforted
- He was pierced through for our transgressions, so that we would be…forgiven of our transgressions
- He was crushed for our iniquities, so that we would be…supported by His sacrifice
- The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, so that…
- By His scourging…
- WE ARE HEALED!
Healed of shame…of sorrow…of worry…of fear…of doubt…of SIN!
Glory, because of Good Friday, mankind can be healed of eternal seperation.