Ah, sinful nation, people laden with iniquity, offspring who do evil, children who deal corruptly, who have forsaken the Lord… Why do you seek further beatings? Why do you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the soul of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and bleeding wounds; they have not been drained, or bound up, or softened with oil.
Isaiah 1:4-6 NRSV
Our sins have left our souls bloodied… bruised… wounded… desperately dis-eased…
You… O God… came to take our place… make the Way… for our healing through Your sacrifice…
…the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1Corinthians 11:23-25 ESV
It’s the eve of the Friday Believers call “good”…
The night He taught His disciples about Communion… through their long tradition of Passover… the remembrance of God freeing His people… from slavery in Egypt…
He spelled it out… before they could understand…
Freedom from the slavery of sin and death… through His body broken… and blood poured out…
We have all rebelled against Him through sin… all our souls a bloody mess… apart from Him…
Only His blood has the power to heal… restore… revive… our dead spirits…
With the breaking of bread… we remember His brokenness…
In drinking the wine… we remember His blood poured out… for our forgiveness…
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 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.
Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV
O Lord… may each of us see our need for You…
[Photo by Denny Müller on Unsplash]
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