Good Friday

   Today is Good Friday; the day that Jesus died on the cross. Every time I read about this in my Bible or hear it discussed in Church, I get something new out of it. I would like to share with you this beautiful passage from Isaiah:

"Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured, while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted. But 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. We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; but the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all."

   We have all failed God's standard and ALL of us deserve to burn in hell forever. However, by the unimaginable grace of God, He sent us His only Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins. Jesus was beaten, spat on, pierced with a crown of thorns, bloodied, bruised, crushed, and shamed all for us. All for sinful, sinful, us. Why did Jesus do this? Why the cross? Why couldn't He have just come down to Earth, lived a perfect life, then died naturally? Wouldn't that have been enough?
   The price for our sin was so shockingly high, that living a perfect life was not enough. There had to be payment, there had to be justice, there had to be suffering. Jesus, the Lamb of God, chose to bear the immense pain, the humiliating shame, and the sin of the entire world just so we could go to Heaven to be with the Father. All the sins of the world were taken upon Him, so He could provide a chance for us to receive salvation.

"Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth; like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers, he was silent and opened not his mouth. Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, a grave was assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood."

   In all the beating, blood, and suffering, He did not utter a single word. I find this incredible; here, the King of Kings who controls all of the angles in Heaven, who is Master of the wind and waves, and who could destroy the entire Earth with fire and brimstone with just one word, was silent. Jesus' love for us was so great, that He refrained from using His divine power and let the Roman soldiers lead him to the cross. Amazing.
   I ask that you meditate on these verses from Isaiah today. Ask the Lord to open your heart and reveal things to you about Himself as you celebrate Good Friday :) God bless you, my dear readers!!