Behold, My Servant prospers. He’ll be high and lifted up. Greatly exalted and praised, But made low by His Father’s cup. Just as men were astonished, His appearance marred and maimed. More than all the sons of men, For He was beaten and shamed. He shall sprinkle on nations, His offering given to all. Kings are silent before Him. Amazed, on their knees they fall. They will hear from Him new truths. They will see with faithful eyes. Considering everything, His redemption, recognize. Who has believed this report? To whom has the Lord made known? For He will thrive and become As a tender plant that’s grown. Taking root out of dry ground, The will of the Lord was grim. No beauty or comeliness, We took no notice of Him. He is despised, rejected, By men both then and today; A Man of many sorrows And grieved in every way. From Him we hid our faces. Ignored and never esteemed, Yet He has born our suffering And our sin He has redeemed. He bore all our grief and sorrow We thought God had struck Him down. Smitten, hurt, and afflicted, We misunderstood His crown. Wounded for our transgressions And bruised for our sin, revealed. His punishment brought us peace, And by His stripes, we are healed. (Based on Isaiah 53)
When we think about Easter, we may envision bunnies, candy eggs, baskets full of toys and treats, children hunting eggs and families getting together. We all have family traditions, but Good Friday and Easter are much more than traditions. They are a celebration of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice of His life on a cruel cross. But that is only the beginning. His death, burial, and resurrection is a celebration of what is to come. Jesus came into the world to carry the message of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness. Jesus came into the world to carry the message of salvation. Believe, trust, pray, read His Word, and see His message of hope.
Good Friday is a crucial day of the year because it celebrates what we believe to be the most pivotal day in the history of the world. On Good Friday, Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
"For Christ, also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit." 1 Peter 3:18
