Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV
Wounded and Crushed
A Canadian veteran badly wounded last summer while serving with the Ukrainian armed forces returned to Canada after being evacuated from the war zone. The retired member of the Canadian military told Global News he was taking part in an operation with Ukraine’s international legion when he hit a Russian anti-tank mine. In an exclusive interview, he said he didn’t know how he survived the explosion, which left him with a broken neck, fractured ribs, burns, a concussion and nerve damage.
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I have a friend who grew up in a Jewish family. At university he met some Christians and became friends with them. One day, one of his friends, showed him a passage of Scripture and asked him if he thought it was in the Hebrew Scriptures – the Old Testament – or the Christian Scriptures – the New Testament. He read the passage and said “it is obviously from the New Testament – it is talking about Jesus.” The Christian then turned to Isaiah 53:4-6, in the Old Testament to show him that it is a prophecy about Jesus written centuries before Jesus came to earth: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” This is Jesus – the promised One, who has come and has borne our iniquities. Your iniquities. Have you experienced this?
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley