Today’s Reading: Isaiah 53
Today’s Reference: 1 Corinthians 1:23, 25 “Be we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles…For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
When He said those words, Jesus didn’t look much like He could fulfill them. Isaiah 53 paints a graphic picture: crushed, stricken, with no beauty or majesty in His physical form. We can only imagine the blood matted into His hair, the raw flesh, the struggles for breath. He was “numbered with the transgressors,” and the crowd thought He deserved it.
No wonder the Cross is “a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.” Who would expect—or respect—a Messiah like that? But the repentant thief cried out to Him right in front of that mocking crowd.
Our world would like us to believe the story of Christ’s death and resurrection is silly, only for the ignorant. They’d like us to be ashamed of Him. And it would be a strange story, if we had only the wisdom of Man. Thank God we have His wisdom through the Holy Spirit, to see how far His grace outstrips all understanding!
Prayer:
Father, I never want to be ashamed of Jesus’ name. Help me to be bold in claiming Him as my Savior, no matter what the doubting world may say.
In Jesus’ precious name, amen.