Crushed
Isaiah 53:3–6
By Jeff Olds
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.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.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 is a powerful passage! It outlines the incredible suffering Christ would endure on the cross for humanity. Verses 3-6 clearly lay out Christ’s suffering for our sin and God’s plan for our redemption. Then, Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.”
This is an incredible verse! It was God’s will to crush His only Son so that our relationship with the Father could be restored. But why would God “crush” His only Son? Because He loved humanity and wanted to restore the broken relationship. John 3:16 reminds us, “‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.’”
So, during this Advent season, remember God willingly “crushed” His Son so that we might have eternal life.
Father, thank You for Your willingness to send Your only begotten Son and to “crush” Him that we might have life. In Jesus’s Name.