Palm Sunday
Isaiah 52
13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 53
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. He wept over Jerusalem, because they did not recognise the time when God visited them. They despised and rejected Him, ushering Him in with Hosannas and palm branches, but shortly afterwards they cried for His death. Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be besieged and destroyed, which also happened 70years later when the Romans raised it to the ground.
In our text we read of Jesus’ intense suffering. His face was marred more than any man’s. His back was plowed like a field with the scourge. He was despised and rejected of men. They counted Him as forsaken and smitten by God because of His own iniquity.
God did smite Jesus, but it was because of our iniquity. It was because of our lies, immorality, disrespect, bitterness, hatred, murder. But He suffered not only physically but even more in His Spirit – even to the point where God forsook Him and He cried, “My God My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Isaiah’s description of Jesus’ passion is very vivid. It is as if he stood at the cross and witnessed the whole crucifixion, although he lived nearly 600years before it happened. It is impossible to enjoy sin once you had a vision of Him as Isaiah had. Once you see the awfulness of sin and what it did to the Lord Jesus you cannot continue in it.
Only a heart of stone cannot be touched and moved when they see the suffering of Jesus on the cross because of your and my sin. Jesus should be precious to us, even more than father, mother, brother, sister, wife of children.
He carried even our sicknesses upon the tree, but sin is worse than the worst disease. Disease destroys your body, but sin destroys your soul for all eternity.
Only fools would imagine that secret sin can remain hidden and will not destroy their souls. Unless you part with sin quickly it will certainly destroy your soul. The flames of hell will lick you even while you’re still alive. When the women wept for Jesus because of His suffering, He answered them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” Sin destroys not only your own soul but even your children’s and unless you part from sin, both you and your children will end in hell. They will accuse you for all eternity.
When Jesus died on the cross, His enemies rejoiced and celebrated. Hell thought it had conquered Him. But it was to be their greatest defeat, their utter defeat. In the midst of their celebrations, the Hero of heroes arose from the dead. He had conquered death and destroyed the works of the devil.
We read:
Isaiah 53
11 He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Test yourself whether this is true of your life.
May Jesus be revealed to you as He was revealed to Isaiah, that your life may never be the same again.
Palm Sunday
Isaiah 52
13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonished at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 53
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. He wept over Jerusalem, because they did not recognise the time when God visited them. They despised and rejected Him, ushering Him in with Hosannas and palm branches, but shortly afterwards they cried for His death. Jesus prophesied that Jerusalem would be besieged and destroyed, which also happened 70years later when the Romans raised it to the ground.
In our text we read of Jesus’ intense suffering. His face was marred more than any man’s. His back was plowed like a field with the scourge. He was despised and rejected of men. They counted Him as forsaken and smitten by God because of His own iniquity.
God did smite Jesus, but it was because of our iniquity. It was because of our lies, immorality, disrespect, bitterness, hatred, murder. But He suffered not only physically but even more in His Spirit – even to the point where God forsook Him and He cried, “My God My God why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Isaiah’s description of Jesus’ passion is very vivid. It is as if he stood at the cross and witnessed the whole crucifixion, although he lived nearly 600years before it happened. It is impossible to enjoy sin once you had a vision of Him as Isaiah had. Once you see the awfulness of sin and what it did to the Lord Jesus you cannot continue in it.
Only a heart of stone cannot be touched and moved when they see the suffering of Jesus on the cross because of your and my sin. Jesus should be precious to us, even more than father, mother, brother, sister, wife of children.
He carried even our sicknesses upon the tree, but sin is worse than the worst disease. Disease destroys your body, but sin destroys your soul for all eternity.
Only fools would imagine that secret sin can remain hidden and will not destroy their souls. Unless you part with sin quickly it will certainly destroy your soul. The flames of hell will lick you even while you’re still alive. When the women wept for Jesus because of His suffering, He answered them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.” Sin destroys not only your own soul but even your children’s and unless you part from sin, both you and your children will end in hell. They will accuse you for all eternity.
When Jesus died on the cross, His enemies rejoiced and celebrated. Hell thought it had conquered Him. But it was to be their greatest defeat, their utter defeat. In the midst of their celebrations, the Hero of heroes arose from the dead. He had conquered death and destroyed the works of the devil.
We read:
Isaiah 53
11 He shall see the labour of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Test yourself whether this is true of your life.
May Jesus be revealed to you as He was revealed to Isaiah, that your life may never be the same again.