Friday, March 4, 2005
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
OUR WILLING SACRIFICE
We all know how hard it is to hold our tongue when something is said about us that isn't quite true. We want to point the finger and put the blame on someone else. We aren't willing to suffer unjustly -- and especially not for someone else! Even though we are unwilling, Jesus our Savior was willing. This Servant was different. Our Savior was not selfish. His first concern was not for Himself but for us and for the will of His Heavenly Father. He willingly went through all that oppression and affliction for us.
How did Jesus react when He was mistreated? He opened not His mouth. He didn't complain about how hard He was being whipped, or how often He was slapped. He didn't grumble about doing this for someone else. Isaiah tells us He was oppressed and He was afflicted, "Yet He opened not His mouth." He was willing to do it! He was willing to be led away by the Jewish mob; willing to quietly endure the false witnesses brought in by the Jewish court, and the false accusations of the Jewish leaders before Pilate.
Through all of these lies and false accusations Matthew tells us that Jesus "kept silent" (Matthew 26:63; 27:12). Jesus had done nothing wrong, He had said nothing unjustly; He was completely innocent. He could have complained or retaliated because of the injustice that was being done. But He was the Lamb of God that John the Baptist and all the prophets had spoken about. He was the Servant of the LORD who was sent to deliver His people from their sins. He was not willing that any should perish and that is why He was willing to endure all those things to accomplish the Father's plan of salvation and to deliver us from the weight of our sins.
Thanks be to Jesus for His willingness to suffer and die for us! 