Ripped
It's Good Friday and I read this today: "The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling, a scrubby plant in a parched field. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him and people turned away. We looked down on him, thought he was scum. But the fact is, it was our pains he carried— our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us. We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures. But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins! He took the punishment, and that made us whole. Through his bruises we get healed. We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost. We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way. And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong, on him, on him." - Isaiah 53 (The Message)
Some key words that stand out to me describing Jesus: -Scrawny, Scrubby, Not-attractive, Scum
Key words that hit me about what MY sin did to Him today, Holy Friday, the day we remember Jesus died: -Ripped, Tore, Crushed, Bruised, Piled upon Him
Words that describe what His suffering did for us: -Made us whole, Healed us
Ripped. Usually I see that word and think about paper or something flimsy that it easily torn. But we are talking about a person. To think about a human being ripped and torn - about your mom or your dear friend or your child being ripped - that's vivid and horrifying. People aren't like paper; they have bones and flesh and souls and dreams and abilities and hopes and laughter. And He wasn't just a person - He was fully a person AND fully God - God-King.
God was shredded. That's what happened today on Good Friday.
Robby asked as I was writing this: Why is it called Good Friday when it's when Jesus was crucified, mom?
My first thought: He was crushed and killed for our good, bud. It was horrible...for our good. So we could be made whole and healed.
Which of these words hit you today, on Good Friday?