A man who understands our suffering

‘But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.’ Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah 53 is a scripture written 700 years before Jesus, yet He is so easily recognised in these beautiful verses. What incredible grace that He should be willing to die for us, to make us right with the Father. What wonderful compassion He demonstrated that we might be made whole. Thank you God for the forgiveness of sins!

However, these days so much of what I see in the Word is often through the lens of how God feels about the poor and marginalised.

Take these two verses, ‘He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.’(53: 3) and ‘He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth’ (53:7). These show us a picture of Jesus identifying with what it means to live in the effects of poverty right there, even to the point of having no voice to speak up. He knows and understands.

But, the sentence that jumped out at me that I’ve never seen before is, ‘By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?’ (Isaiah 53:8)

Can you imagine how alone the Lord Jesus must have felt? All had forsaken him or were keeping a very low profile! Today, millions will know the reality of injustice through hunger, unclean water, oppression, violence, slavery, abuse, death and there is no one speaking up for them!          

May the hope of resurrection life always inspire us to ‘protest’ in our generation and be a voice that speaks up!

May I never turn away from a Jesus who is found in the poor and needy from whom, ‘people hide their faces’ (53:3). The victorious news is, ‘He will see His offspring, He will see the light of life, He will justify many and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand!’ (53:10-11)

Prayer:

Dear Lord Jesus, speak to me today that I might speak up for you and speak out for others. Amen.

Written by Tim, Compassion UK