Devotional

Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.'
- Isaiah 53:4-10 (ESV)

The prophet Isaiah declared these words to the people of Israel hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. While he never was able to see this prophecy come to fruition on earth, we know that his prophecy was indeed fulfilled by life and death of Jesus Christ.

In this Christmas season, we remember more than His birth; we remember that God Himself lived a life just as we do, amongst temptation and all the things of this world. He was born unto a scared teenager and a man who knew the baby was not his own. When threatened with danger, they traveled to Egypt to protect their child. When falsely accused of crimes, Jesus bore the punishment. Jesus, the perfect savior, lived a life of trials and tribulations. 

God sent an infant to his people, so that he would grow, and live a life full of trials, and ultimately accept death on a cross, to save sinners, just like the very people that put him there. So with Christmas we rejoice in the birth of a child whose life and death has granted our rebirths as children of an eternal God.

Prayer:

Father God, thank you. Thank you for the life of your Son. I pray that this Christmas season, we remember not just the birth of Jesus, but the life that He led, and how that life saved us from all of our sins. Thank you for your constant grace, forgiveness, and love. It is in Jesus’ precious and powerful name we pray. Amen.

Written by Kaitlyn McHenry. Kaitlyn is a senior at Christopher Newport University, where she is part of the leadership team for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.