Pause
Jesus was flogged by the soldiers, a brutal form of torture. He was forced to carry the heavy weight of his cross through the city. On the cross his side was pierced with a spear. Isaiah’s reflection on the image of a suffering servant can help us to make sense of the suffering of Jesus.
Ponder
Surely he has borne our infirmities
Isaiah 53:4-6
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Pray
Jesus receives the violence of the world.
Allow God to see your bruises.
Lord, help us to open our eyes to the wounds of others. Bring your healing to us and all who are broken.