Ascension Lutheran Church

So far our Lenten texts have been from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah. This morning’s text from the end of chapter 52 begins by addressing Jesus directly (“Just as many were astonished at You…”), then changes to talking about Jesus (“…so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men”). With these words Isaiah describes Jesus’ physical appearance during His trials and especially when He was on the cross. This vision of our brutalized, disfigured Savior is hard for us to look at. It’s hard to hear about all the terrible things that were done to Jesus and what Jesus suffered on the cross. It’s hard to face our own sinfulness that caused our Savior to suffer so. Yet at the same time we rejoice in our Savior’s great love for us in putting Himself through it all, and we rejoice in what His suffering accomplished for us!