OCTOBER 19, 2024
Topic: “ALL FOR LOVE”
Text: ISAIAH 53:1-12
Memory Verse: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth” – Isa 53:7.
Let us spend another day on this very important prophecy of Isaiah where he paints the picture of God’s sacrificial love in the person of the Suffering Servant. This time, we want to look at the attitude the Messiah put up with respect to the people who mistreated him for the sake of His mission. This is to help us learn the right way to relate with people that we consider our enemies as we seek to deliver on God’s assignment for our lives.
Although, the Messiah is God the all-powerful and Almighty, we see him in this text as a weakling needing help. Certainly, those who oppressed and afflicted Him could not withstand his strength if he were to show it; rather, He chose to look foolish, vulnerable, powerless, helpless and at their mercy. He put forth the posture of a lamb – defenseless and feeble, unable even to speak for himself.
This posture of the lamb however qualified him to take away the sins of the world – see John 1:29, Rev. 5:6-14. Paul in 1 Cor. 13:7 tells us that love bears all things (KJV), and in love the Messiah bore all the oppression, all the affliction and all the shame without an attempt to fight back. Peter reports that when the Messiah was insulted, he did not retaliate, when he suffered, he did not threaten, instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. All these were for the sake of the love he had for humanity.
Love should make you willing to set aside your strength, prestige, position, achievements, financial status and anything else just like Jesus did, and like Paul did – see Phil. 3:8.
PRAYER: Lord, make me willing to give up all for the sake of my love for you even as you did for me, Amen.