This morning my heart and mind have been transfixed on Isaiah 52 and 53, John 12:27-43 and Isaiah chapter 6. If you are able to gaze upon these passages without your heart exploding with delight, wonder, awe and then falling prostrate to worship...you are either lost or in a horrible spiritual condition!
How can you see that "it please the LORD to crush him," "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities...with his stripes we are healed." Is it possible to behold the Son of God crushed with your iniquity and my iniquity and not be consumed? Only if you do not have eyes to see and ears to hear! Is it really possible to behold Jesus Christ crucified, pouring out his soul to the death, to bear the sins of many and not be moved? It is not possible! Only those that are spiritually dead in their sins and trespasses will be unmoved...they are dead!
Mark, I hear the words of Isaiah 52-53 sprinkled in above, but what does this have to do with the passage in John and Isaiah 6? I'm glad you asked:) In this passage in John Jesus quotes Isaiah and then pointed out that Isaiah said these things because he saw HIM! I find this amazing...about 600 years before the second person of the Trinity comes in human flesh, Immanuel, God with us...Isaiah tells of HIS coming and sacrificial death. Then Jesus quotes these Words, HIS Words and proceeds to tells us that Isaiah said these things because he saw HIS glory. I believe that Jesus is referring to Isaiah 6 where Isaiah saw Jesus high and lifted up!
Jn 12:27-43 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die...While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” WORSHIP KING JESUS, WORSHIP KING JESUS...FOR HIS GLORY AND YOUR JOY IN HIM!
When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
Father in heaven,
In YOUR great mercy, love and grace...grant us eyes to see and ears to hear YOU, to behold you and be conformed to YOUR image...for YOUR glory and our JOY in YOU. Restore unto me the joy of YOUR salvation, enable me to love and delight in YOUR glory and be repulsed by the glory that comes from man...it is no glory. In the year King Uzziah died, in the year of financial ruin, enable us, enable me to see King Jesus high and lifted up...set my heart on fire, consumed with YOU and YOU alone!
love,
m