Devotion – Wednesday 7 April
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 53 verse 12, “He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors,” (NRSVB). The prophet Isaiah started his ministry around 740 BC. He foretold of the destruction of the temple and the Babylonian Captivity and towards the end of the collection of prophetic writings, the coming of Christ the Messiah is described in vivid language. Isaiah prophesied the death of Jesus, his burial and his resurrection. He foretold of the effect of the death of Jesus on the House of Israel and Judah and on the gentile nations: He would justify many and make them righteous before God. “He shall bear their iniquities and their guilt with the consequences, says the Lord,” (Isaiah 53 verse 11). The consequences of our misdeeds have been taken up by Jesus; we cannot rectify the consequences of our deeds. Because we cannot rectify the consequences of our deeds, our guilt becomes too much for us to carry. Jesus came to carry our wrongs, and suffer the punishment of death and condemnation, on our behalf. He is the only one who can rectify what we have done wrong. He is the only one that can give us absolution from our guilt. Jesus came to give his life in exchange for people who did not care about his death, his message or his call to repentance. Despite this rejection, Jesus suffered for those around him, so much so, that he died at a young age, only three years into his ministry. He bore their sin, rejection and mockery, and never rejected them. He interceded for them, praying to God to bring them to salvation, recognizing who the Son of Man is. One such a person was Paul, who initially rejected the Word and Work of Christ on the Cross, and persecuted Christ’s followers. When Paul was moved by the Spirit of God and the forgiveness of Christ in his Damascus Road encounter with Jesus, Paul could never stop preaching this love of Christ Who suffered on the Cross for those who rejected him.
We read that when Jesus chose his disciples he called the twelve by a special name, namely Apostles, special messengers of the Good News. He taught the crowd around him, who eagerly heard his teachings and received healing, for he came to heal the sick and bind their wounds. Jesus warned and said one is blessed when outwardly one is poor and mourning, and when people despise one for adhering to Christ’s teachings, for the blessings of God are not outwardly perceived. In Luke 6 verse 28, “Jesus said: Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you,” (NRSVB). This was a radical new teaching, for it was lawful to curse those who cursed you, and bless those who blessed you. However, Jesus teaches that if one blesses those who will and can bless you, you have little or nothing to lose, but if you bless those who curse you, they will more than likely not return the blessing, but treat you poorly, even abuse you. This is in the economy of the Kingdom of Jesus; it does not pay the dividends that one should receive. It repays unkindness with kindness and lovelessness with the greatest love of all, the love to die, to save enemies. Humans cannot love with the unconditional love of Christ, for humans in essence are conditional beings, and change their minds and allegiance easily acting on feelings and emotions. Christ knew that he came to serve and save those who would reject him and condemn him to die on the Cross. As he was hammered to the Cross, “He made intercession for the transgressors, and said: Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing,” (Luke 23 verse 34). Despite the great amount of knowledge, expertise and technology of the 21st century humans, they still need the Saviour who forgives them, for they still do not know what they are doing.
Father, we thank you that you promise that you will never leave us, nor forsake us, Amen.
