Hidden Treasure: The cost of our rescue—Part 2

Isaiah 53:5-11 | But he was pierced for our rebellion crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave. But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

• Isaiah 53 foretells the suffering Jesus faced in the New Testament. How did Jesus suffer? Did Jesus deserve this treatment? Why or why not?

• Why did Jesus suffer through terrible mistreatment all the way to death?

• Do you think much about Jesus’ suffering? Why or why not?

• How can remembering Jesus’ suffering change the way we live and the choices we make? [Live this out in your own life!]