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| Man of Sorrows, by Aelbrecht Bouts, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard. |
Is this powerful message believed?
Like a vulnerable shoot, the servant grew in the creator’s presence.
He was completely ordinary, not attractive.
His life was hard. He was despised and faced discrimination.
We assumed that he brought this all on himself.
But this was incorrect. He suffered because of his love for us.
His body was assaulted and beaten so that we could be whole.
We are all fickle like sheep, oblivious in our ignorance.
Even so he is blamed, and we go free.
Like a lamb, he was taken to the slaughter.
In the face of unjust condemnation he just kept silent.
A young life struck down, a criminal placed in a rich man’s grave.
This was to fulfil the plan of the creator.
His life, given up, repaying the wrongs of many.
And he will prosper, and his life will be long.
The anguish suffered is not in vain.
He bore the suffering due to others, and intercedes for the rebellious.
Isaiah 53
Why is nothing straightforward in the bible. The books are full of paradox and oxymoron.
The Crown of Thorns, The Servant King. Almighty power, but not used in the way we imagine it should be used. Very strange and perturbing.
The Saint Paul, that great communicator, is taken from an obscure province in the Roman empire called Judah, and place at the very heart of things. Place right at the epicentre, but not in a luxurious palace. No that would be too comfortable. He is placed in chains in Caesar's gaol. Perhaps even under the royal palace, who knows?
PRAYER: I choose this strange life. I will follow where you have lead. Give me the strength to do so.
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