By His Stripes We Are Healed

There is a passage I read every Sunday morning during the Lord's Supper in order to prepare my mind and keep my focus on what it's about. Isaiah 53 tells the prophecy about the sacrifice and sufferings Jesus was going to go through for the world, for us. Here are the first nine verses:


1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrow; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

6 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. 

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgement, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9 And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.


Verses four and five are what really grab my attention. If you put "me"/"I" in the places where it says "we"/"our," it becomes more personal:
     Surely He has borne MY griefs and carried MY sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for MY transgressions, He was bruised for MY iniquities; the chastisement for MY peace was upon Him, and by His wounds I am healed!

His love for us is amazing! There is no greater love than that.  

Because He died, I don't have to; because He lives, I can!

"My chains are gone, I've been set free! My God, my Savior, has ransomed me; and like a flood His mercy rains unending love, amazing grace!"

"He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our sins; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him. And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed."

I hope you have a blessed rest of the week!

~Courtney