His Face - Isaiah 52:13-15

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup.

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Isaiah 52:13-15. Isaiah has much to say about the Lord's Servant, and in this passage of Scripture, he gives us a unique glimpse into the events of Jesus' day of crucifixion. Jesus did suffer for us, and we remember Him as we partake of the bread and drink from the cup. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "His Face." I read from Isaiah 52:13-15. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.

13 See, my servant will prosper;

      he will be highly exalted.

14 But many were amazed when they saw him.

      His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,

      and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.

15 And he will startle many nations.

      Kings will stand speechless in his presence.

For they will see what they had not been told;

      they will understand what they had not heard about.

This passage of Scripture causes me to shudder as I contemplate what happened to Jesus at the hands of Roman soldiers prior to His crucifixion. I am not alone. In 2004, I saw The Passion of the Christ, a film by Mel Gibson; it was a graphic portrayal of these events by a man who "wanted to tell His story." Despite Mel Gibson's realism, it did reach the proportion described by Isaiah the prophet. This prompted me to view famous paintings of the crucifixion of Jesus through the ages by classical artists like Rubens, Botticelli, Titian, and Rembrandt, and more modern artists like Chagall and Dali. None really depict the face of Jesus as so disfigured he seemed hardly human. I get that. We hold Jesus in such high esteem that we refuse to see Him that way. Sadly, we are not surprised what pain and suffering human beings are capable of doing to another human being. Jesus knew in advance how hard this would be, yet He volunteered to go to the cross for us. Imagine the restraint of God in permitting His Son to be treated this way, yet He knew it was necessary to save humankind. Nevertheless, as the Apostle Paul writes to the Christians in Philippi about Jesus (Philippians 2:9-11),

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

On that day, "He will startle many nations" and "Kings will stand speechless in His presence." They will see the one whom they killed and fought against through the ages as He now sits at the right hand of God Almighty. As we assemble around the table, we remember how much Jesus suffered for us—the bread and the wine literally represent His body and blood offered on the cross. God permitted Isaiah the prophet to see His face and describe it to us. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, we have difficulty contemplating the suffering Jesus endured for our redemption. We know it was painful and prolonged and ended in death. Despite knowing all of this would happen in advance, He still went to the cross for us. What's more, Abba, Father, we know this is the punishment we deserved. As we partake of the bread and drink from the cup, we remember Your Son, His sacrifice, and Your great love for us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!