Agony At the Cross
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. Isa 53:5
I pray that you had a wonderful day of worship as you gathered at your local church on the Lord’s Day. This week, Christians all over will reflect, remember, and meditate on the events leading into Easter Sunday, Resurrection Day. I pray that you will pause throughout this week and give thought to the final works prophesied many years prior to the completion of God’s plan to save the world from sin. We all should reflect on how Jesus hung on Calvary’s Cross and suffered, fulfilling all the prophecies that had been spoken for hundreds and hundreds of years and becoming the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. The prophet Isaiah said, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa 53:6). Jesus agonized and suffered the Cross for the sin of the world. The agony that Jesus endured on the Cross was not so much the nails that pierced His hands and feet, the crown of thorns that pressed upon His brow, the stripes that laid open His back, nor the spear that pierced His side, but the punishment for all the sin of the world. The scripture passage reminds us that the agony of the Cross was that “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” As Jesus hung on the cross, God the Father punished Him for the sin of the world, a substitute for the punishment of you and I. “The wages of is death” (Rom 3:23) and Jesus died for your sin and mine. The sins of the world were laid upon Him, and the Father struck Him and punished Him for all our sins so that we would never suffer the punishment that we so deserved. He became a curse so that we could be blessed. And though He had never sinned, He was pronounced guilty, so that we could be pronounced innocent (2 Cor 5:21). My friend, reflect on the agony of the Cross, remember the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and meditate on His obedience to suffer in our place, “with His stripes we are healed.” By His suffering, all who believe in Him are freed from the penalty of sin and shall also live with Him (Rom 6:7). Dear friend, remember our Lord’s sacrifice and thank Him for so great a salvation. Father thank You for Your love and the great salvation that is by and through the suffering of Jesus Christ. I give You all my praise for such a wonderful and great salvation. In the blessed Name of Jesus. Amen.