Scripture to Meditate on This Week

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ​But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

This familiar Scripture is about Jesus' death on the Cross. And in it we see a clear statement about what happened there. The penalty for our sins was placed on Him. Take a moment to consider the words used to describe what He experienced: stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed. All of this because of our sin. It is too easy for us to forget the justice that we deserve from a holy God. As a result, we become dulled to the enormity of what happened at the Cross. This bit of Scripture helps us to avoid falling prey to that evil.