Hello my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
The last two days I’ve invited you to join me in walking alongside Jesus and His disciples as they were on their way to Jerusalem for the weekend which changed the world… Passover/Easter.
The disciples were quite anxious, I’m sure, because Jesus had predicted something they could not imagine when He said to them: “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock Him, insult Him, spit on Him, flog Him and kill Him. On the third day He will rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33)
Even though they could still not explain what they had seen when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, even though he’d been dead at least five days, they could not understand nor imagine what Jesus was predicting would happen to Him in Jerusalem. Of course, I assume they felt their lives would be in danger too and thus the closer the road from Jericho took them to Jerusalem, the greater their anxiety.
I wonder if about that time a flock of sheep and their shepherd crossed the road in front of Jesus and His disciples, causing them to pause their trip toward Jerusalem? If so, did Jesus remember these words written by one of Israel’s great prophets, Isaiah, in describing what would happen to the Jewish Messiah? “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (Messiah) 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.” (Is. 53:6,7)
For the disciples, they were only bleating sheep crossing the road, but for Jesus, they were a jarring visual reminder of who He was and what awaited Him in only a few days, if He was going to accomplish the Redemption mission for which God the Father sent Jesus to earth. What emotions welled up in Jesus? What spiritual battle raged as undoubtedly Satan whispered in His ear that humanity was certainly not worth Jesus’ atonement death.
But in response, Jesus, God the Son, Immanuel would have also remembered the next thing Isaiah had written 600 years before about the Messiah: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer…” (Is. 53:10) Jesus knew that God’s justice demands that the wrath of God must be poured out on sinful rebellion against God.
The judgment is DEATH and PERISH! Death, meaning the end of the human journey on earth. Perish, meaning eternity separated from the God against whom a person rebels during their lifetime. This dual wrath of God must be poured out on sinless Jesus IF Jesus would become the atonement sacrifice for any and all repentant humans. Jesus understood that, and He knew He would experience every horrific part of this horrible statement during Passover/Easter weekend. It was the only way humanity could be redeemed from our sin bondage & sin condemnation.
But Jesus also held tightly to the promise of His heavenly Father. What promise? The promise of His resurrection, which He had predicted to His disciples: “On the third day He will rise again.” (Luke 18:33) Jesus knew He would experience, by the power of Almighty God, what Lazarus had experienced when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 11:38-44) Therefore, as Jesus walked along with His disciples, reflecting on Isaiah 53, the next words Isaiah had written were very important to Jesus: “…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…” (Is. 53:10,11)
Yes, both before arriving in Jerusalem, all through that dramatic week between Palm Sunday and crucifixion Friday, Jesus held tightly to the promise of His Father, Almighty God, that His agony would be payment in full for the sins of humanity, and that after His resurrection Jesus would live victoriously reigning in heaven as Sovereign over a huge kingdom of God’s people…those redeemed by His blood from every tribe and tongue in the world! (Rev. 7:9)
I think Jesus held very tightly to these next words of specific promise the prophet Isaiah was led by the Holy Spirit to write: “…by knowledge of Him My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11) It means that Jesus Christ bore our sin, our iniquities when He was crucified and received the wrath of God’s justice upon Him. It also means that you and I and any human being can be declared JUSTIFIED by Almighty God through our understanding of what Jesus accomplished for us through His death, and our full faith in God to accomplish His Redemption Plan in us, when He applies Jesus’ death payment to our sin. (Romans 5)
Now friends, I’ve often wondered if Jesus had both the feelings of extreme agony, as He reflected on Isaiah 53 details of the wrath of God to be poured out upon Him; but also feelings of great joy as He anticipated billions of people, from all over the world, in all generations, rescued from their sin Satan bondage, their sin condemnation, and transformed by the powerful work of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit would regenerate them, and then live within them?
Oh, the joy Jesus must have felt when He looked forward in time to see Jesus loving, God honoring families all around the world raising children to know and love Jesus who would then do the same when they got old enough to marry and build a family. And God honoring businesses staffed by Jesus redeemed people. And God honoring schools raising up well educated students of all ages because the faculty and staff were Jesus redeemed people. And God honoring clinics and hospitals because the doctors and nurses were Jesus redeemed people! Oh, my friends, are you celebrating today the difference Jesus makes in your life, your family, your city, your future?
As Jesus and the disciples walked along, soon they came over the hill and saw the glorious Temple gleaming in the Jerusalem sunlight. They were arriving on the outskirts of Jerusalem and tomorrow we’ll join them there. For today, here’s a glorious song of thanksgiving to Jesus for all He accomplished as He fulfilled Isaiah 53 for you and me.
Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 53:6-11.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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