Daily devotion – The suffering Servant who is our Saviour!
Isaiah 53 paints for us one of the most profound and sobering pictures of our Lord—the suffering Saviour. It is a passage that reaches into the heart of God’s redemptive plan and reveals the cost of our salvation.
The world cannot seem to digest or fathom that salvation could be accomplished through suffering—that sins could be removed through the crucifixion of Jesus, the Son of God. To many, the Cross appears as weakness, defeat, and tragedy.
Yet Isaiah shows us something far deeper.
Consider from the very beginning the humility and humiliation of our Lord’s life (v1–3). He entered this world not in splendour, but in lowliness. He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. For 33 years, He lived among sinners, misunderstood and unappreciated.
Then came the suffering—His trial, His scourging, and His death. He was treated not as a King, but as a common criminal. The sinless One stood in the place of the guilty.
But for those who are His, we are not left looking only at the trauma—we are given eyes to see the triumph.
Isaiah reminds us that “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (v10)—not because the Father delighted in the suffering of His Son, but because through that sacrifice, eternal salvation would be accomplished. God’s justice was fully satisfied. Sin was paid for. Redemption was secured.
“And by His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify many” (v11).
This truth is echoed in Romans 3:21–31—where we see that we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
So as we approach Easter, consider the four pictures of our Saviour revealed in this passage:
He was the beaten Servant (Isaiah 52:13–14)
He was the innocent Lamb of God (v7)
He was the offering for sin—our sin (v10)
He is the victorious King, dividing the spoil (v12)
Hallelujah—what a Saviour He is!
Yet even today, many still do not believe (v1). They despise and reject Him (v2), and the message of the Cross remains foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18–25).
But heaven tells a different story. In Revelation 5, the Lamb is worshipped. And on earth, His people glory in His Cross (Galatians 6:14).
This Easter, let us examine our own hearts.
Do we truly see Him as Isaiah did?
Do we cherish the Cross, not as a symbol, but as our only hope?
Let us be among those who believe, who worship, and who glory in the Lamb of God.
Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
Remember to join us Wednesday evening in our own Church olive garden as we take a trip back in time to the Garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus collapsed under the weight of the cup He was about to drink from. Starting at 7:00pm, bring warm clothes and join us outside for our night at Gethsemane!