The suffering servant

God exhibited His power through weakness. Paul wrote, “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you” (2 Corinthians 13:4). The picture of Jesus in Isaiah 53 is not flashy, eloquent, or flamboyant -- it is weak according to man’s standards. However, it shows why He is the perfect sacrifice for your sins.

The world acted negatively to Jesus. Religious experts abhorred Him. But Christ did not want to see you punished for your sins, so He laid down His life: “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15).

When the Ethiopian eunuch heard Isaiah’s great message of salvation, he promptly obeyed (Acts 8:26-39). You need to swallow your pride and obey. The cross represented a tremendous humiliation, and you have to show similar humility to be obedient. You also need to be thankful for what Christ has done for you. You need to show Christ in you and display it to others. Most of the world is in love with the baby Jesus, but the Christian is in love with the Jesus who was mocked and rejected, beaten and afflicted (1 Peter 2:22-24).

Kyle Campbell