Our text for today is from Isaiah chapter 53; “4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But 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 is our text.
Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Last week we looked at the where, when, who and what of Jesus ministry. Today we look at Jesus’ vicarious atonement for us. So, we begin by defining vicarious atonement. Vicarious means in the place of and atonement means to cover and in particular in this case to cover the cost. Jesus’ vicarious atonement means that He covered the cost of our sins for us. In order for Jesus to be our vicarious atonement He had to be truly human and truly God, and He was.
Jesus was and is truly God. As we confess in our creeds, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit thus He was truly God. As true God He was prefect and holy. If Jesus had been conceived as a mere human then He would be like us, conceived and born in sin. But because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit He was not conceived in sin, but in holy perfection.
Because Jesus was conceived and born in perfection He could and He did perfectly obey all God’s Laws. As you may recall, God’s command to and demand of Adam and Eve was to not eat from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden. God’s command to and demand to all people is to be perfect as He is perfect. Since we are conceived and born in sin we cannot be perfect. Thus, Jesus was conceived and born in perfection so that He might be perfect. So that He might perfectly obey all God’s laws and commands for us in our place.
Not only did Jesus live perfectly for us, in our place, as our substitute, He also fulfilled all the prophecies concerning the coming Savior. As we have said before, the odds for one person to fulfill two or more of the prophecies concerning the Savior would be great, so the odds of one person fulfilling all the prophecies would be even greater. Thus, as Jesus did fulfill all the prophecies concerning the Savior this complete fulfillment shows Him to truly be the Savior.
Jesus was true God and He had to be true God, yet He was and is also truly human. Again, as we confess in the creeds, Jesus was born of a woman, the virgin Mary, making Him truly a human man. Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit. After the usual nine months of gestation Jesus was born in the way in which we are all born.
Just as Jesus had to be truly God in order to be born in perfection so He had to be truly human in order to be our substitute. The price for sin set in the Garden of Eden was death, human death. Human death for human sin. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were a reminder that the price for sin was death, that blood had to be shed. The problem with all the Old Testament sacrifices is that they were animal sacrifices, not human sacrifices so those sacrifice did nothing to pay the ultimate price for human sin. Jesus was the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, even and especially our sins. Jesus was truly human and offered Himself for us. He came to live, suffer, die, rise and trade His life for ours.
Jesus fulfilled all righteousness for us. Adam and Eve could not do what God commanded. The whole nation of Israel could not do what God commanded. We cannot live as God commands. Jesus came to do for Adam and Eve, all Israel and us what we cannot do. Jesus came to fulfill all righteousness, to live perfectly and to sacrifice Himself, giving His life for us.
Isaiah describes Jesus’ work as he writes, “4Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But 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). Jesus bore our griefs and sorrows, He lived in the sin filled world of grief and sorrow and yet, while He lived in this world He showed Himself to be truly God by healing and raising from the dead, by the signs, wonders and miracles He performed.
As opposition grew against Jesus, especially by those who were seeking not a spiritual sin forgiving Savior, but a social/political savior, those who sought earthly power began to oppose Him and seek ways to be rid of Him. As the opportunity arose Jesus was arrested, He was put on trial, stricken, smitten, beat, spat upon. Even though He was truly God and could have defeated those earthly enemies He passively allowed Himself to be punished for us, as our substitute, in our stead.
After He died on the cross and before His body was taken down, to make sure that He was dead the soldier pierced His side with his sword and out came blood and water, a sign that He had died. As we know the history, because He was already dead, none of His bone were broken as were the bones of the other two prisoners who may not have yet been dead.
Going back to the first promise in Genesis, His heel was crush, that is He suffered physical death, yet at the crushing of His heel so He crushed Satan’s head, that is in the process of His dying He complete destroyed Satan and his power.
It was His punishment that brought us peace. Indeed, when we think about peace very often we think of some bit of calm and serenity in this world. Yet, that bit of calm and serenity in this world very often evaporates as life goes on. The peace, the true peace about which Isaiah is speaking is the peace of having our sins forgiven. Indeed, the greatest peace we have is knowing that our sins are forgiven because with forgiveness is life and salvation, indeed, eternal life in heaven. Thus, the greatest words we hear every Sunday morning are the words that follow our confession, the words of absolution, your sins are forgiven.
The price for sin is death, physical death. Apart from faith in Jesus the price for sin would also be eternal spiritual death. Thus, by His wounds we are healed. Jesus’ death brings us healing, spiritual, forgiveness healing. When He took our punishment He gave us His reward.
What does this mean? This means that I am continually reminded that I cannot do it. I cannot be the person God wants me to be. I cannot be the champion God wants me to be. I cannot be obedient as God wants me to be. I cannot choose to do the right things and resist doing the wrong things. I am conceived and born in sin so that my very beginning is that I am a sinner and an enemy of God. Every inclination of my being is to do evil. As Paul so eloquently states the good that I desire to do I do not do, but the evil that I do not want to do that is what I do, wretched man that I am, help me Lord. When we look inside ourselves all we see is a sinful human being fighting against God.
Thus, we look outside ourselves. We look to Jesus who did everything for us. As you hear me say continually, we get it right when we point to Jesus. Jesus was born in perfection. Jesus lived perfectly for us. Jesus was perfectly obedient for us. Jesus chose to do what was good and right. Jesus rejected doing anything bad and wrong. Jesus obeyed all God’s laws and commands perfectly. Jesus took our sins and suffered and paid the price for our sins. Jesus died for us. Yet, we know the history, death and the grave had no power over Him as He rose victorious over sin, death and the devil. Thanks be to God.
And Jesus gives it to us. As Dr. Luther said, we are beggars it is true. And yet we truly do not need to beg as Jesus willingly and lovingly desires to pour out on us all His good gifts and blessings. Forgiveness has been won and paid for, all we can do us to refuse and reject forgiveness which we do when we deny our sin and when we fail to confess. Jesus loves us so much that He continually offers to pour out on us blessing upon blessing. He offers opportunity after opportunity to pour out on us blessings upon blessings. Each and every Sunday as well as Wednesday during mid-week services we have opportunities to come and be given the gifts God has to give. Jesus’ desire is for us to be given His gifts.
As we continue in this Lenten Season we rejoice in the gifts and blessings Jesus has to give. We rejoice in Jesus’ nature as God and man, that He was conceived and born in perfection and that He was active in His obedience to all God’s commands for us, in our place. And we rejoice in His passive obedience of allowing Himself to bear our griefs, carry our sorrows, be stricken, smitten and afflicted, to be crushed and take our chastisement upon Himself. We rejoice that the forgiveness He won, earned and paid for brings us peace as it is freely offered to us through His means of grace. And we rejoice and say, to Him be the glory for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.