Isaiah 52:13-53:12

“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.” (Isaiah 53:6, NKJV)

In my opinion, Isaiah 53 is the greatest chapter in the Old Testament. It is the clearest portrayal of the passion of Christ and our need for it. It is the best proof that Jesus is the Christ who takes away our sins.

It also reveals the truth about our own waywardness. We all have sinned because we are all sinners. As sheep wander away from their shepherd and get into trouble, so we have wandered away from our Good Shepherd to do our own thing. And yet rather than God despising or condemning us, He has gathered all our sins and placed them on His Son. He judged sin on the cross so that we could be delivered from our sins.

Each time we partake of communion we celebrate what Christ has done for us as the sin-bearing Servant of the LORD. By His stripes we are healed. By His shed blood we are forgiven. What could we ever give in exchange for the redemption of our eternal souls?

In some churches the Lord’s Supper (communion) is called the Eucharist. This comes from the Greek word eucharistia which means “thanksgiving”. We ought to be filled with gratitude each time we eat the sacred bread and drink from cup. Jesus took our shame, blame and pain to the cross and died in our place. He drank the cup of suffering (including the dregs) so that we could drink the cup of joy in our Father’s kingdom.

Let us pause to give Him thanks for His great love for us!