Surely

Isaiah 53:4-6 NiV

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, 

smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; 

the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, 

and by his wounds we are healed.”

Go back and reread this. See the power between the affirmation and the end. Surely is an adverb which modifies verbs. Infirmities - our pain. Sorrows - our suffering. He took up our pain and carried our suffering. 

He was wounded for our transgressions - violations of law, command, sins. He was crushed for our iniquities - gross injustices or wickedness, violations of a right or duty, sins. 

In the “Lion, Witch, Wardrobe,” the white witch (the personification of Satan) demanded hardheaded Edward’s life, the one she had enticed to follow her. Aslan the lion (personification of Jesus) said, “No, I will go.” He volunteered to take the Edward’s place in dying. That was all the white witch wanted, as she was forever trying to set Aslan up, and she had finally succeeded (or so she thought). Edward was no longer important to her. 

Aslan allowed himself to be bound, sacrificed, and placed on the altar to die. Ahhh but . . . love. 

The very thing that allowed Aslan to be sacrificed was the thing that kept him. The one thing the white witch could not understand was love. And so the ropes that had bound Aslan were broken. Love, the one thing that Satan just cannot understand. Love. 

Hear the verbs in Isaiah, Carried, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed. Jesus did that for our nouns, our sins. They are all past tense, it’s already done. We are already released from things that bind us because of God’s love for us. 

We have hope today because of the verbs between the affirmation and the end

Surely . . . We are healed. And we celebrate his birth because of God’s love for us. enough for now