But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Jesus suffered for our transgressions. A transgression is a defiant, willful flouting of God’s law. We want to be our own God, deciding what is right and wrong for ourselves. We resist God’s right to rule over us: God owes us and exists to serve us with the lives we want. This is why it is so hard to live a holy life. “The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit” (Gal. 5:17).
Jesus suffered for our iniquities. The word iniquity means twisted. Have you ever said something hurtful and wondered where it came from? Why are there good things you cannot remember and bad things you cannot forget? Why do you do things you know you shouldn’t do, and then don’t do the things you know you should? Sin has twisted every human heart.
Jesus suffered chastisement. The word chastisement or punishment tells us that our transgressions and iniquities have consequences. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). We are all guilty before God. We have a sentence hanging over us. Death is the ultimate proof that we are all sinners. Sooner or later, we all get our wages; we all get what we have earned.
Jesus suffered wounds. Isaiah is talking about Jesus’ wounds, but people who need to be healed have been wounded too. Jesus told a story about a man who was stripped, beaten, and left half dead by robbers (Luke 10:30). This describes our spiritual condition—sin has robbed us, beaten us, and left us wounded. Sin’s assault has left us believing, loving, and desiring the wrong things. Beaten and bruised, we do not have the strength to get up and pursue the will of God.
In your own words, why did Jesus suffer?
