The Burden Jesus Carried

THE Burden JESUS CARRIED A PIERCING THORN

TODAY’S READING: ISAIAH 53:1–6

The thorn pricked my index finger, drawing blood. I hollered and then groaned, drawing back my hand instinctively. But I shouldn’t have been surprised: trying to prune a thorny bush without gardening gloves was a recipe for exactly what just happened.

The pain throbbing in my finger— and the blood flowing from it—demanded attention. And as I searched for a bandage, I found myself unexpectedly thinking about my Saviour. After all, soldiers forced Jesus to don an entire crown of thorns (JOHN 19:1–3). If one thorn hurt this much, I thought, how much agony would an entire crown of them inflict? And that’s just a small portion of the physical pain He suffered. A whip flogged His back. Nails penetrated His wrists and ankles. A spear pierced His side.

But Jesus endured spiritual pain too. Verse 5 of Isaiah 53 tells us, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him”. The “peace” Isaiah talks about here is another way of talking about forgiveness. Jesus allowed Himself to be pierced—by a sword, by nails, by a crown of thorns—to bring us spiritual peace with God. His sacrifice, His willingness to die on our behalf, paved the way to make a relationship with the Father possible. And He did it, Scripture tells us, for me, for you. o ADAM HOLZ

BUT HE WAS PIERCED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS . . . AND BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED.

ISAIAH 53:5

Are you tempted to take your peace with God for granted? How does Isaiah 53:5 help you understand the cost of this peace?

Father, I can’t imagine the pain Your Son endured to wash away my sin. Thank You for sending Him for me, to be pierced for my sins that I might have a relationship with You.

HE CARRIED OUR BURDEN

TODAY’S READING: 1 PETER 1:18–25

It’s not unusual for utility bills to be surprisingly high. But Kieran received a water bill that would make your heart stop. The notification said that he owed £70,000! Confident he hadn’t used that much water the previous month, he jokingly asked if he could pay the bill in instalments.

Owing a debt that big would be an overwhelming burden, but it pales in comparison to the real—and immeasurable—burden sin causes us to carry. Attempting to carry the burden and consequences of our own sins ultimately leaves us feeling tired and riddled with guilt and shame. The truth is we are incapable of carrying this load.

And we were never meant to. As Peter reminded believers, only Jesus, the sinless Son of God, could carry the heavy burden of our sin and its weighty consequences (1 PETER 2:24). In His death on the cross, Jesus took all our wrongdoing on Himself and offered us His forgiveness. Because He carried our burden, we don’t have to suffer the punishment we deserve.

Instead of living in fear or guilt—the “empty way of life handed down to” us (1:18)—we can enjoy a new life of love and freedom (VV. 22–23). o

“HE HIMSELF BORE OUR SINS” IN HIS BODY ON THE CROSS.

1 PETER 2:24

MARVIN WILLIAMS

What burden of guilt and shame are you carrying at the moment? How do these words in 1 Peter reassure you that Jesus can lift it from you?

Lord, sometimes my guilt and shame can feel so heavy. Help me to release my past and its pain to You and experience Your peace, knowing You have carried it all and have set me free.

THE SCAPEGOAT

TODAY’S READING: LEVITICUS 16:1-10, 20-22

The company was losing money. The price of its stock was sliding, and the corporate board was grumbling. So the president, desperate to do something, fired the vice-president in charge of sales.

In a similar situation, a football team was stuck in a losing streak after six consecutive successful years. Attendance was down and the fans were howling. So the club fired the manager.

In both cases, good people were released because the organisation needed a scapegoat. They focused the blame on one person, even though in reality many were at fault.

That’s what happened to Jesus. The high priest Caiaphas, without knowing the full truth of his words, said it would be best to sacrifice one man, Jesus. He thought it would save the nation from the oppressive Romans (JOHN 11:47-50). What he didn’t realise was that Jesus was bearing the guilt and penalty for the sins of the world in fulfilment of the Old Testament picture of the two goats (LEVITICUS 16). One goat was a sacrifice for the people’s sin to pay for it, the other became a scapegoat which symbolically carried their sins away. Jesus takes on both roles for us: He pays for our sin and He takes all the blame.

We deserve eternal death. How grateful we can be that God made Jesus our scapegoat. o DAVID C. EGNER

IT IS BETTER FOR YOU THAT ONE MAN DIE FOR THE PEOPLE THAN THAT THE WHOLE NATION PERISH.

JOHN 11:5

How does it encourage you to see the sacrifice of Jesus planned out in God’s Word thousands of years before it took place? What is your response to Jesus taking the blame for your sin?

Thank You, Jesus, not just for paying for my sin but for taking the blame for it as well.