The Crushing of Christ

March 30, 2018 / By

In today’s Good Friday service, we investigate a particular portion of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant prophecy in Isaiah 53:5

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.

Notice the details of the sufferings of Jesus;

  • Pierced
  • Crushed
  • Chastised
  • Wounded

Let us consider the crushing of Christ.

Moses, in Genesis 3:15, quotes God,

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

It is clear that the rulers of this world, including Satan, did not understand God’s mysterious plan.

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit

The mystery includes the surprising fact that the crushing of His Son would be the crushing of sin, death, and the Devil.

Sin, death, and the Devil longed to even the score with God.  Banished and restricted to “this present dark world,” their bitterness ran deep.

“Was God crazy?” They must have questioned.  “God became human?  How easy is it to triumph over humans?  We’ve got this.  We’ll steal, kill, and destroy God once and for all.”  They thought.

Their hatred, bitterness, and vitriol were so pronounced they reveled in the thought of a slow, excruciating, and torturous death.

The more miserable, the better.

With every blow to our Savior’s head, with each cut in His precious side, and every curse in His sacred ears Satan was unwittingly crushing his own head.

Crushing of Christ

  1. He came unto his own and they received him not. John 1:11
  2. My soul is overwhelmed with sorry. Matthew 26:38-39
    1. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch[d]with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
  3. Sweat as it were great drops of blood. Luke 22:44
    1. 44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.[a]
  4. Betrayal of Judas. 30 pieces of silver.
  5. Denial of Peter. “I never knew him.”
  6. Insult of the crowd. Matthew 26:66-67
    1. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
  7. Give us Barabbas. Matthew 27:22-23
    1. 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
  8. Crown of thorns.
  9. Plucked beard.
  10. Unable to carry his cross. Simon Cyrene
  11. Taken outside the city.
  12. Nails in the arms and in the feet.
  13. Cross lifted into place.
  14. Mocking crowd.
  15. Spear in his side.

He was crushed for my iniquities.

My sin, iniquity, and rebellion against God empowered the one who hates God.  The God killer gained strength from my sin.

Each turn of the press crushing the Son of God was empowered, in part, by my iniquity.

The crushing continued until:

  • No beating of His Holy heart.
  • No blood in His vicarious veins.
  • No breath in His lofty lungs.
  • No life in Him who is Life.

The crushing of Christ was horrific beyond measure.  Isaiah 52:14

“his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,”

Sin, death, and the Devil did a good job on crushing Christ.

Against everything they had hoped and planned, sin, death, and the Devil’s crushing brought forth the:

  • Life giving blood of the Lamb
  • Juice of God’s victorious vine

The crushed grape became the Sweet Holy Wine.

In crushing Jesus, sin, death, and the Devil crushed themselves.