Who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living…? Isaiah 53:8
Isaiah is inviting us to consider the fact that our world has rejected Jesus: “He was cut off from the land of the living.” What does this mean?
A story from the Gospel of Mark will help illustrate this for us. Jesus went across the lake of Galilee to an area known as the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1). When He arrived, a man possessed by evil powers, who was a terror to his community, confronted Jesus. The people tried to bind him, but he always broke their chains. This powerful, evil man lived among the tombs, a haunting presence, bringing fear to the people.
But Jesus cast out the evil powers that bound this man. And when the people saw him, dressed and in his right mind, they were astonished. You would think they would have asked Jesus to stay: “Since You had the power to deliver this man from the evil that possessed him, we have many other problems we want You to help us with. Please, Jesus, stay with us longer.”
But that is not what they said. Rather, the people of the town, “began to beg Jesus to depart from their region” (5:17). And He did. Jesus did what they asked. He got into a boat and left. What will happen to a place when the One who has the power to subdue evil leaves? Evil will abound.
Here is a question that everyone, including those who do not yet believe, will ask: “Why is the world as it is? Why does evil abound?” Because Jesus, who has the power to subdue evil, was cut off from the land of the living. Our world said to Jesus, “We don’t want you here.” So, we crucified Him. When the light is put out, what can you expect but darkness?
What does a community lose when it rejects Jesus? What does a family lose? An individual?
