9 July | EVERYONE
“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 transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53: 4,5
Six centuries before Jesus came into the world, Isaiah prophesied that the Savior's mission would be to die the death that human beings felt they deserved. To make the love of the Father known, Jesus came to occupy the sinner’s place on the cross of Calvary.
Being true that Jesus taught, healed, and did other things to achieve the goals of His ministry, He knew that He must die, if necessary, in order to make known the Father’s character. Dying by being “wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.” He came to this world to die. He was born to die. He lived to die. And finally, He died without complaint. Like a sheep, He was led to the slaughter and did not open His mouth. How could He complain if He had voluntarily accepted death?
The mystery of divine love is manifested in abundance on the cross of Calvary. Jesus died on the cross because He wanted to. Nobody forced Him. He had no duty to save man. He saved him out of love. If God had the obligation to save the human being, then the sinner would deserve salvation. But our conscience dictates that we do not deserve anything except death.
There was no other way to save us. If Jesus had wanted, He could have returned to Heaven and humanity would be eternally lost. But He loved you so much that, despite not liking death, He offered His life to save you. Do you know what this means? That you are worth a lot. That He cares about you; that you are the most precious thing He has.
Take Action
Proclaim to the world, step by step, the love of God. Let each of your loved ones know that he or she is also the most precious thing the Lord has (remember: all of God’s love is available to everyone). But proclaim it, above all, through your character that is transformed into the image of Jesus. Sing “By His Stripes” (if possible, with your family).