Day 6: Would you like to exchange with Jesus?

This series of devotionals is designed to help you discover your spiritual heritage as an heir of God’s Kingdom. In that light, today’s Scripture is very important.

In Galatians 3:13-14, we see that Jesus has become a curse for us, for you, so you might enter into the blessing of God.

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERY ONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’- in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

This exchange that took place at the cross is more fully pictured in Isaiah 53. In this chapter, Isaiah the prophet speaks of a nameless servant - no name is given. However, all the writers of the New Testament unanimously identify this nameless servant as Jesus, the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. In verses 4-6, which is the very heart of this chapter and of this revelation, we read these words:

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, [more literally, our pain] yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.”

Isaiah says "we": We did esteem him stricken by God and smitten by God. But in the next two verses Isaiah goes on to point out why Jesus suffered. It was not for His sin, but for ours. This is what Isaiah says:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds, we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

There are two aspects to the exchange as it's here pictured by Isaiah. There's the spiritual aspect and the physical aspect. Jesus made provision for us both spiritually and physically. Spiritually He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. Transgressions and iniquities are spiritual. We could translate them acts of disobedience and acts of rebellion. Jesus bore the punishment due to our acts of disobedience and acts of rebellion that we in turn might be reconciled to God and so have peace.

On the physical side, Jesus took our infirmities, carried our pains with the result that we are healed, or more literally, healing has been obtained for us.

So, we see that there was a complete exchange, both in the spiritual and in the physical. Jesus took the evil due to us that you and I might receive the good due to Him. Let's praise Him for it today!