Isaiah 53 teaches us that Jesus would:
be wounded for our transgressions
be bruised for our iniquities
carry our sorrows
be led quietly to death as a lamb led to the slaughter
pour out His soul unto death while bearing the sins of many
make intercession for the transgressors.
The context of Isaiah 53 tells us that Isaiah 53:12 is not referring to Jesus' present ministry in Heaven where He "ever lives to intercede for us" (Hebrews 7:25), but to the time of His death and His prayer for those who crucified Him. Jesus pleaded for His crucifiers and interceded for His assassins. What shocking grace!
So, the prophecy was for Jesus to "make intercession for the transgressors," and on the cross, Jesus fulfilled it, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Next, we see that Jesus' prayer of forgiveness gives us an unforgettable example of what He taught in life regarding the godly response of a believer to their enemies. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples, "But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Question 3. According to Luke 6:27-28, please list the four actions that Christians are to take when they are wronged.
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Question 4. How did Jesus love His enemies, do good to those who hated Him, bless those who cursed Him, and pray for those who mistreated Him as He died on the cross?
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Jesus practiced what He preached. On the cross, Jesus loved His enemies, sacrificing Himself for those who cursed Him, doing good to and blessing those who hated Him while praying for those who despitefully used and persecuted Him. Our Lord loved perfectly, as Love "suffers long and is kind...bears all things...endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13).
The fact that Jesus' first words from the cross were about forgiveness is so fitting because our forgiveness is what He was securing for us through His death on the cross.
Down through time, doctors have prioritized various things as essential to life - food, clothing, shelter, etc., but such things are temporary. Our primary and eternal need is God’s forgiveness because we have all sinned against God and one another.
The world has no real answers as to why people do wrong things. If we were to ask a prison psychiatrist about why this man is a rapist or that woman is a killer, they would not have a precise answer. They might say that heredity and environment play a part, but since these factors are not universal or consistent, the world really does not know why people are the way they are. But God knows because He made us. After Adam sinned, all people were born sinners (Romans 3:23). We cannot fix ourselves (Jeremiah 13:23). So, before the foundations of the world were even laid, God made a way to save us by sending Jesus to die on the cross to secure forgiveness for us.
In ministering to those in habitual sin, my wife and I have discovered that there is a widespread worldly methodology, which teaches the "step method" of how to stop habitual sin or become "sober." Many churches have adopted this method, yet such programs are not sufficient or lasting. Steps toward recovery do not affect a permanent change in a person's nature because they do not deal first and foremost with sin, inherent guilt, or man's need for forgiveness. They leave the person with guilt on their soul, and guilt is like an undertow that drags people back into the ocean of sin. No wonder their catchphrase is "once an addict, always an addict," for their teaching misses the primary and essential truth that sets captives free. On the cross, Jesus begins where these step programs don't even go, with forgiveness of sin and the removal of guilt.
Even those who sin in ignorance are culpable, guilty of their sins, and in need of forgiveness. Ignorance is no excuse, and sins committed in ignorance still need forgiveness. We can see this truth taught in the Old Testament:
"But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the LORD has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the LORD has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD for their mistake.” Numbers 15:22-25
Question 5. Please list the words from Numbers 15:22-25 which speak of sinning in ignorance.
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Question 6. According to Numbers 15:25, what did the priest have to do for the people who sinned unintentionally or by mistake?
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