29 March 2024 Good Friday

Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.

From Isaiah 52:13-53:12 NRSV

Today we hear a long and very poignant extract from the “Song of the Suffering Servant”. Whether or not Isaiah was speaking of the Messiah who was to come, the person who most fulfilled the description he gives was Jesus. Isaiah speaks of a servant who suffered on behalf of the people to redeem them from their sins. The innocent servant bore the suffering willingly and in silence. It is a hard passage to listen to since it makes clear that the physical punishment endured by the servant was so extreme that he was disfigured to the point that he no longer seemed human. It is also difficult to accept that such pain and suffering should be inflicted on one who was innocent of any sin. Yet hope does triumph over the horror of the servant’s pain and humiliation. There is promise that he will prosper and be exalted and that his suffering will accomplish the forgiveness and healing of all sin and suffering.