Who is This Jesus?
By Westin Lennox
He came into the world He created, born in a manger on a night in Bethlehem. He came quietly, but his coming was the moment the tide began to turn. The world had long ago rejected its maker, it would soon reject Him too, as it was written.
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
He who alone is worthy of all honor and glory and praise we instead heaped with scorn, coals, hate, and death. He walked the same Earth we do, but He walked it perfectly. His way was pure; His life was sinless. He lived like us, and experienced all that it means to be human.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
On the very night He was to be betrayed, he broke bread with the one who was to betray Him, knowing what was to happen, but holding love in his heart for His enemy. He entered the garden and pleaded with his Father to spare Him this pain, all the while knowing what He was going to do and willing to do it, all because of His indescribable love for you.
But 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.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
He was led to the cross, and there was crucified. He was tormented physically and spirituallty, not for anything He did, but as a ransom for each and every one of us. As it is written, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). He watched as his Father - the God who He had been in fellowship with for all of the vastness of eternity - turned his face away from Him.
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
As he cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”, He chose to endure the breaking of this eternal fellowship because he loves you and wants to include you in fellowship with He and the Father for all eternity. He breathed His last breath on the cross, knowing he did so to save you.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
And yet, on the third day, a plan God set into place the moment Adam sinned came to its fullness. As was written and prophesied for generations, on that third day, the Messiah again took breath, and was resurrected to ascend once more to his rightful place at the right hand of the Father, not in shame, but in triumph!
He died and was raised again so that you can live! You are healed by the very wounds he endured that day outside of Jerusalem, when He sacrificed his very life on your behalf! Who is this Jesus? He is your savior, he is your master, he is your Lord!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Corinthians 1:3-9)
He did this for you. Do you know Him?
If you don’t, he is standing at the door, knocking. Let Him in!
If you do, join me in worshipping and adoring Him as we celebrate his resurrection.
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)
[Verses from Isaiah 53 unless otherwise noted]
Reflection
What is an area of your life that you haven’t surrendered to Jesus? Write it down, share it with a friend, and surrender that thing to the Lord.
As you prepare to celebrate Easter this weekend, is there any sin struggle that you haven’t confessed to God and to your community? Be honest with yourself & go to the Lord. Don’t stop there, go to a trusted friend or leader and share with them.