Suffering Servant Song IV-Part 3-Vicarious Death

"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our trangressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5. ESV) [Read Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12]

Continuing thoughts on the Suffering Servant Song IV from Isaiah, we concentrate today on the Messiah's vicarious death on the cross. Vicarious means "in the place of another." Isaiah begins with a strong adverb, "surely"-introducting a new thought. His death is to bear our griefs, to carry our sorrows. What does this mean? That we ourselves suffer, and He bears our suffering? In the context of sacrifice for sin, this refers back to the curse that came to all mankind in the Garden of Eden when Eve and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit and the fall of man occurred. "I will greatly multiply your sorrow, " (Genesis 3:16) and "Cursed is the ground for your sake..." (Genesis 3:17). Yes, griefs and sorrows have been the lot of mankind, rebellion and rejection of God the sum of man's transgressions. And our peace and forgiveness are justified only by His chastisement and His stripes. Vicariously-for us- Jesus, the Perfect Son of God-suffered. His vicarious death was the bridge that crossed the chasm between man and God.

Important emphases in these verses hinge on the pronouns "He" and "our". He bour our griefs; He carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions and He was punished for our guilt. Our peace and restoration result from the sacrifice He made. We owe our reconciliation to God completely to Jesus. He is the only way to God. Despite the "New Age" doctrines that multiple paths lead to God, the truth is that His vicarious death is the only way. "Jesus said to him [to Thomas, known as the 'doubting' disciple], I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

In witnessing to persons, I like to ask, "Is there a time in your life when you asked Jesus to come into your heart?" If the person can answer yes, I ask him/her to share his salvation experience. If the answer is no, I seek to gently lead the person to see Jesus as the only way to forgiveness, restoration and salvation through faith.

Recently, I had the happy privilege of sharing this wonderful news of Jesus' sacrifice with an elderly man who is very ill and facing death. He did not seem to have the assurance of his salvation. It was my joy to lead him through the steps of confession and assurance. His response was, "No one has ever explained it to me like this before!" God, grant us opportunities to present Jesus in a positive way to others!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, September 26, 2010