After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. (Isaiah 53:11a, NIV)
Some days it just takes a while for the game to kick in. Even with a proper warm-up, you never quite know what’s going to show up on the first tee. And if your first shot goes left and your next one goes right, you can be in for a pretty good guessing game. But with patience and relaxation, several holes in you’ll usually see a good run—the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
We have focused this week on the work of Jesus on the cross. We have seen the weight of our sins and the physical anguish of Jesus’ death.
But the soul of a man reaches far beyond his body alone. Those who inflict torture do so with this understanding in mind. They play on the psyche of their victims, pounding their emotions and resolve. It is truly the worst we can imagine.
Jesus suffered to this great degree. It was not just his body that met pain. The whole of him, his soul, was stretched out on the cross. He bore the punishment for our sin in his mind and his spirit. He bore it in himself, but he bore it for all humanity. The enemy threw every possible hurt in Jesus’ direction and the Father turned his face away, too. This was truly hell on earth, until that moment when our Savior declared, “It is finished,” and committed his spirit into God’s hands.
How could this be, that God could turn from Jesus but Jesus would turn to God? The answer is that God’s love was too great to look on the sin “Jesus became for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), but God’s promise to raise Jesus from the dead was too sure for Jesus to forget. In the administration of justice, God could not intervene; in the power of his miraculous hand, he could do whatever restoration was necessary. In this case, that restoration was resurrection—the light at the end of Jesus’ dark, dark tunnel.
So where did Jesus’ soul land after his sacrifice for us? It was satisfied. He had done what was necessary and the Father would apply Jesus’ atoning blood to the sins of all who call on his name. Oh, the story never gets old!
—
Jeff Hopper
September 6, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.