The Suffering Servant

29 Mar

He was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.  (Is 53:5)

One of the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ is that of “Suffering Servant”.

This is a title that hearkens back to the suffering servant songs in the book of the prophet Isaiah.  We accord that title to Jesus because of the suffering — the intense suffering — that He endured.

God loved the world so much that He promised to send a savior.  He sent His Son.

Jesus loved the world so much that He died for us that we might have the opportunity to rise to eternal life.

Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross and willingly endured the ignominy of crucifixion because of His intense love for us.

On this Good Friday, we are asked to reflect upon the passion and death of the Lord.

Thank God we have the retrospect of history so that we know there is a happy ending, a resurrection.  For the Lord’s followers, this day brought nothing but intense suffering and death.

Knowing that there is an opportunity to rise at the end of our days on earth, we are called to follow the Lord’s footsteps even if they lead to pain and suffering.

FAITH ACTION:  Take up your cross and follow the Lord.

GOOD FRIDAY IS A DAY OF FAST
AS WELL AS A DAY OF ABSTINENCE