A Worthy Lamb
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
No one has experienced pain quite like Jesus.
The very people he came to save rejected him. Some of his closest friends betrayed and denied him. Yet still, he willingly chose to bear the eternal weight of sin on the cross – walking in obedience to His Father. The wrath of God was poured out, no longer on the deserved, but on the innocent Lamb who was the perfect sacrifice.
THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
I think it’s worth taking a few minutes to reflect on how Jesus responded to the pain and injustice He was facing. What was His demeanor? Where was His heart?
There were a lot of important events surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus, and this isn’t an exhaustive list, but hopefully it can be a valuable picture.
First, Jesus prayed.
In the moments leading up to His arrest, Jesus prayed, and He asked his closest friends to pray for him as well. When He was in the most agony, the most distress – he prayed. It was an honest, heartfelt prayer asking above all, that God’s will be accomplished in Him and through Him. Even if it looked different than He wanted it to.
He displayed a humble obedience that was birthed from an intimate relationship with His Father.
Jesus didn’t fight back.
He was quiet and submissive and required the same from his disciples – even healing the soldier whose ear was cut off at the sword of a defensive friend. Peter wanted to fight and protect. Jesus wanted God’s glory to shine. Jesus was given opportunity to speak, but He knew the hearts of His adversaries were deaf to hear. So the Lord spoke few words, but they held great meaning.
Jesus showed grace and compassion.
While hanging on the cross, the innocent Lamb spoke of his aggressors saying this,
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
What love is this? A love that shows such grace! A love that seeks healing before it demands justice. An unconditional, undeniable love that the world had never seen before and will only see now through the heart of His Spirit within the believer, until He comes again.
Jesus comforted others
While hanging on the cross, the dying Lamb was still in tune with the needs of others. The thief on the cross beside told Jesus to remember him when He went into His kingdom. A humble profession of faith. Jesus assured him he would surely be with Him that day in Paradise. (Luke 23:43)
He also comforted His mother, Mary. Assuring her that his beloved friend, John, will be like a son to her in His absence. (John 19:26)
While hanging on the cross, the Good Shepard continued offering hope and salvation.
Jesus worshipped through lament
While hanging on the cross, the broken Son cried out to His Father,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
He wasn’t complaining, but rather, worshipping God through lament. To lament is to cry out to God in desperation, wanting to hear from Him. It is pain poured out to a trusted Healer. We worship when we shift our focus to God and declare His truth through the authority of His Word.
While hanging on the cross, Jesus was quoting a prophetic scripture from Psalm 22 that is a lamentation fully alive with expectant hope:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
And by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are holy.
Enthroned on the praises of Isreal.
In you our fathers trusted;
They trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
In you they trusted and were not put to shame.”
- Psalm 22:1-5
Miraculous Provision
Jesus died on the cross as the most humble and perfect sacrifice to provide forgiveness for sin. Our sin. My sin.
Jesus was fully submissive and obedient to the Father, even unto death. When He died, Jesus surrendered Himself - completely helpless, completely empty. And God provided miraculous provision.
Injustice couldn’t thwart the hand of God.
Death couldn’t stop the sovereign plan of God.
Jesus rose from the grave and He lives!
And because He lives, we have an eternal hope of glory that far outweighs any present suffering. By grace, through faith in Jesus, we can have our sins forgiven and enter into the holy presence of God.
Because he lives we now have an expectant hope for our own miraculous provision.
If you are wondering how a good God can allow so much pain and suffering, I understand. The injustice of our circumstances can feel overwhelming and confusing to say the least. I may not have the answers you’re hoping to find, but I want to point you to the cross. I hope you will lean in extra close to this familiar story and examine the love and character of Jesus. I believe He is worthy of your trust. He is worthy of your worship. He is worthy of your heart.
Jesus is worthy.
Worthy is the Lamb.
