"But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed."
~ Isaiah 53:5
A man on a cross, covered in blood, writhing in pain and agony.
Tears in His eyes, face wrenched with pain, hurting body.
But more than that, on His shoulders lay the weight of sin.
For God's wrath in its fullness was laid upon Him.
I stood in the crowd, mocking Him, saying, "Save yourself!
"You saved so many others, why can't you do yourself justice?"
He seemed so weak, this man from Galilee.
I couldn't see it, why some treated Him so specially.
He offended us, our customs, our ways.
It seemed that He did something else wrong each and every day.
I mocked Him for His failure to do right things,
For making me feel like I didn't know anything.
To claim that He was God and to presume we would Him follow.
There was not a chance that to Him my heart would bow.
He offended us, our customs, our ways.
It seemed that He did something else wrong each and every day.
I mocked Him for His failure to do right things,
For making me feel like I didn't know anything.
To claim that He was God and to presume we would Him follow.
There was not a chance that to Him my heart would bow.
Pained, body and soul, suffering greatly,
He looked at us, even me, and said, so very lovingly,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
In the midst of His suffering He showed love anew.
I stood in utter shock as I heard His words.
My mouth was stopped as I lifted my eyes Him toward.
Who had I mocked, ridiculed, and derided?
Who was this man who would forgive those who Him hated?
Heart melting in my chest, tears burned on my cheeks.
This was Someone so far beyond weak.
His strength was divine, eternal, and complete.
The man on the cross was someone who it would be worth it to seek.
Wiping away the tears that I didn't understand,
I saw the man try to speak and as I listened I clasped my hands.
"It is finished" he cried, and the earth trembled.
A soldier nearby removed his hat with a look both full of awe and sadness.
"Truly this was the Son of God", he said.
I looked again at the man who was now dead.
Could it be that He was the One God promised He would send?
Had He really done such wrong things,
Or was it us who really didn't know, about God, anything?
Had He really done such wrong things,
Or was it us who really didn't know, about God, anything?
Was this the Messiah, the King of all Kings, who deserves renown?
I turned away from the cross and walked toward the town.
This man wasn't a weak carpenter with crazy ideas.
He was God in all of His greatness.
How could I have mocked Him and treated Him so badly?
This was God, deserving of my honor only.
Lying in bed at night, everything seemed so dark.
My sin against my God was to me so very stark.
Through the next days, things were sad.
I wondered if things would always be so bad.
But then, on the third day, I heard the news from His followers,
They told those who loved Him, "He has risen! He is dead no longer!"
It made my heart leap with joy, thinking, perhaps there would be hope for me.
It wasn't long before I heard that He had ascended to the heavenlies.
Could I ever receive the forgiveness He offered on the cross?
Would He accept me, when all I offered was loss?
One morning, the disciples were spread throughout the city.
Ringing through the crowds, their voices spoke so clearly.
I drew near so that I might hear what they were saying.
In my heart, so deeply, for answers I was longing.
Peter preached a sermon and I listened to what he said.
He spoke the truth about Jesus and the Spirit He had promised.
Then someone called from within the group of people,
"Brothers, what then should we do?"
Face full of the joy of the truth and the Spirit, Peter replied,
"Repent and be baptized
Everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ
For the forgiveness of your sins, and you'll receive the Holy Spirit."
There again was the word, "forgiveness" and my heart rejoiced.
Despite my sin, there was hope in my precious Messiah, the Christ.
Clasping my hands with ecstasy, joy flooding my soul.
I believed, I repented, I wanted to be made whole.
There was life in my Lord to be found, life anew, abundant and complete.
No longer would there be anything that my soul would need.
For all eternity, in my Savior would I be found.
How glorious and precious to know how much His love, for me, abounds.
Along with the other three thousand baptized that day,
I stood in the water and knew that I was really alive, in my Lord to stay.
Tears flooded my eyes as I was lifted from the water,
Raising my hands in victory, I cried, "What a great Savior!"
It wasn't long before I heard that He had ascended to the heavenlies.
Could I ever receive the forgiveness He offered on the cross?
Would He accept me, when all I offered was loss?
One morning, the disciples were spread throughout the city.
Ringing through the crowds, their voices spoke so clearly.
I drew near so that I might hear what they were saying.
In my heart, so deeply, for answers I was longing.
Peter preached a sermon and I listened to what he said.
He spoke the truth about Jesus and the Spirit He had promised.
Then someone called from within the group of people,
"Brothers, what then should we do?"
Face full of the joy of the truth and the Spirit, Peter replied,
"Repent and be baptized
Everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ
For the forgiveness of your sins, and you'll receive the Holy Spirit."
There again was the word, "forgiveness" and my heart rejoiced.
Despite my sin, there was hope in my precious Messiah, the Christ.
Clasping my hands with ecstasy, joy flooding my soul.
I believed, I repented, I wanted to be made whole.
There was life in my Lord to be found, life anew, abundant and complete.
No longer would there be anything that my soul would need.
For all eternity, in my Savior would I be found.
How glorious and precious to know how much His love, for me, abounds.
Along with the other three thousand baptized that day,
I stood in the water and knew that I was really alive, in my Lord to stay.
Tears flooded my eyes as I was lifted from the water,
Raising my hands in victory, I cried, "What a great Savior!"
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures."
~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures."
~ 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
