"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"
{Isaiah 53:1} (NIV)
The Jews who lived in the days of our Lord Jesus, could not believe the message of Isaiah. They refused to believe that the servant of God who would proclaim peace and salvation to God’s people, would be someone who would suffer and die.
The apostle Paul, who knew the Jews better than anyone else, states in 1 Corinthians that the message of the Messiah being crucified, was a stumbling block to the Jews. Moses came in great power and was used by God to humble and destroy the Egyptians. Israel as a nation was used to humble and destroy the Canaanite nations. David was used to humble and destroy the Philistines. They believed that the Messiah would come and humble and destroy the Romans. Instead, the Messiah came humbly and was destroyed by the Romans.
Isaiah knew that many people would not believe the message of the suffering servant, and refuse to accept that the Messiah who died was the strong arm of God working salvation. Is it any different today? I read about Christians all over the world who are suffering and dying. Do we see them as victorious? Or do we see them as weak victims? Our culture equates suffering with weakness, and with God’s disapproval, but God’s plan of peace and salvation has in its centre the suffering of the One who had God’s approval.
Who will believe the message of the cross? Will we believe it? Will we take up our cross this day and follow Him?
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