Messiah…God’s Servant
How did Jesus justify each person who receives (accepts) Him as their Savior?
How does God’s word describe this most important act?
(NASB) Isaiah 53:11b “By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus bore the ‘iniquities’ of people. Scriptures says so, but what are ‘iniquities’?
I know they are sins against God…but what kind of sins?
The dictionary I checked defined it in this way: iniquity (ities) 1. Moral turpitude, or sin; wickedness 2. A grossly immoral act; a sin.
Okay, what does ‘turpitude’ mean? Again, according to the same dictionary: 1. Baseness; depravity 2. A base act.
Can you imagine? Jesus took on Himself the depraved, base acts of people such as murderers, adulterers, drug dealers, despots who abuse and murder their own people for their own purposes…and you can probably add horrendous atrocities to this list.
This is the Servant God chose to justify the many who would turn and ask Jesus to save them from such base, depraved sins. He bore their iniquities.
You may think I have not done anything like that! But have you?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus equated anger against another the same as being a murderer. (See Matthew 5:21-25)
In that same Sermon Jesus said that you shall not commit adultery and then added that anyone who even looked at a woman with lust had committed adultery with her in his heart. (See Matthew 5:27-28)
Again, Jesus said anyone who divorces his wife has caused her to commit adultery…a sexual sin. (See Matthew 5:31-32)
A base act, one of depravity, is iniquity. Anger, lust, adultery are iniquity. No one can point their finger at others, for all are guilty.
(NASB) Isaiah 53:11b “By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus did bear your iniquities…He is the Righteous One, God’s Servant who has justified the many by His death on the cross.
Until we recognize our real need to be forgiven, we probably won’t think we need a Savior, the Servant of God.
When have you recognized your real need? And what have you done about it?
For whom do you need to pray to recognize their real need?