AUGUST 12, 2015
A Portrait of
Jesus
We
have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all. — Isaiah 53:6
Read:
Isaiah
53:4-12
In Portraits of Famous American Women, Robert
Henkes writes, “A portrait is not a photograph, nor is it a mirror image.” A
portrait goes beyond the outer appearance to probe the emotional depth of the
human soul. In a portrait, a true artist tries “to capture what the person is
really about.”
Over the centuries,
many portraits have been painted of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve seen them in a church
or museum of art or even have one in your home. Not one of these is a true
portrait, of course, because we have no photograph or mirror image of our
Lord’s physical appearance. We do, however, have a magnificent word portrait of
Him in Isaiah 53. This God-inspired description captures in vivid detail what
He is all about: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering . . . . But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; . . .
and by his wounds we are healed” (vv. 4-5 niv).
This passage enables us to see love and sorrow, anguish and pain on
Jesus’ face. But His lips do not accuse or condemn. He has no sins of His own
to grieve; only ours to bear. And deep inside, He knows that “He shall see the
labor of His soul, and be satisfied” (v. 11).
What a portrait of our Savior!
What amazing love You have for us, Jesus! As I
think of how awesome You are, I bow in silence before You.
Love was when God became a man.
INSIGHT:
Isaiah 53 is the last of four prophecies of
Isaiah (42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13–53:12) known as the “Servant Songs”
because they speak of the “Servant” (42:1; 49:3; 50:10; 52:13). These Songs
prophetically identify Jesus the Messiah as the Servant. Sim Kay Tee
Source: Our Daily Bread 2015
