Have you ever had one word in Scripture transform your thinking? This week I was reading the familiar verses in Isaiah 50 that clearly prophecy the suffering of Christ. It describes, years before it ever took place, the beating and mocking that Christ would endure at the hands of the Roman soldiers. These verses are written in the first-person. Listen to Christ’s own words recorded by Isaiah about those events. “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

He offered His back to the cruel whips used to torture prisoners. He offered His cheeks to the ones who ripped out chunks of His beard. He didn’t turn His face away as they mocked Him and spat on Him. In those awful moments, He was not at their mercy, but was offering Himself to grant us mercy.

At every point in the path that led to Calvary Jesus could have resisted, but He offered Himself for us. I don’t know about you, but that brings me to my knees with a very inadequate, but heartfelt, “thank you!” It’s no wonder that the hymn-writer wrote, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

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