Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
I BELIEVE HE SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE
During the season of Lent we direct our focus on the suffering and death of our Savior Jesus. In the Gospel readings we are reminded of all that He suffered on Thursday night and Friday morning of Holy Week. There we see Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, the mocking and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of the Jewish guard who held Jesus in custody, as well as His mocking by the soldiers of Herod. But what usually comes to mind with the suffering of Jesus is that which He suffered by at the hand the Roman soldiers under the authority of the governor Pilate - the crown of thorns, the mocking and the horrible scourging which Pilate permitted and ordered. The evangelist tells us: "So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified" (Mark 15:15).
More than 700 years before, Isaiah foretold Jesus' suffering. But he reminds us that Jesus' pain, suffering and death is our peace, healing and life! This is the miracle of salvation at work in the person of Jesus Christ. When we are reminded of the suffering of Jesus, we should feel sorrow in realizing that is was because of us that He endured it all. But at the same time we should be glad that He came to suffer all that for us, in order to redeem us from all our sins.
Our lives are full of pain and suffering -- every day. One kind of pain today, and a different kind of pain tomorrow. That pain and sorrow is part of our lives because of our sin. But Jesus has borne the same pain and the same suffering. He took our burden of sin and grief upon Himself and carried it for us to the final destination of the cross. Through His sufferings He secured our eternal peace!
