Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; He has put him to grief.
If he made himself as an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days,
and the good pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand – Isaiah 53:10
Whenever I watch the scenes of Jesus getting beaten, mocked and nailed to the cross, I cry. It hurts to see the suffering and humiliation He went through. Yet, it says that it pleased the Father to crush Him and make Him suffer. Why? It was the Father’s will that His Son would carry out the plan of salvation. It pleased God that His Son willingly offered Himself. Jesus explained why the plan of salvation was so important to the Father. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). God bestowed His Son as a Gift. He didn’t send Him into the world to condemn us but to save us and to give us life. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11).
When God gave us His Son, He gave us much more than we could even imagine or deserve. Paul said, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Can you imagine, instead of facing death for your sins, you receive the gift of life instead? Instead of facing God’s wrath, you receive His grace? This is why it pleased God to offer up His Son. When Jesus laid down His life, He provided a way for us to be reconciled to the Father. Sin had separated us from Him. We were God’s enemies yet, He showed His love for us when He sent His Son to die in our place (Romans 5:8). God wanted to reconcile with us but that could only happen through Jesus’ death. Without the shedding of blood, there could be no forgiveness or pardon from sin (Hebrews 9:22). It pleased God to send His Son, “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).
God’s love for us is so profound that He went to great lengths to save us. How many of us would have made such a supreme sacrifice? Yes, the plan of salvation brought great suffering to Jesus but the reward is that those who believe in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life. Yes, it pleased God to set us free from sin and this freedom can only be found in His beloved Son. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your precious Son to suffer and die in our place. He died so that we could live. He bore and died for our sins so that we could be reconciled to You. Thank You for Your grace and unfailing love and mercy. Thank You for the gift of salvation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Notes to Women 