DAY FOURTEEN

 But He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His wounds we were healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

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 dumb,

so He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

And who can speak of His descendants?

for He was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people He was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in His death,

though He had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Isaiah 53:5-9

These verses speak eloquently of a substitute.  Everything Jesus endured was not for Himself but for us.  What is amazing is that He was never a victim.  This is what He chose to do and He did it without flinching or pulling out when the suffering became too much.   He endured the cross because He loved the Father enough to do the Father’s will.  It was the Father who gave His Son and the Son who willingly obeyed the Father to rescue you and me.