Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, 
yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  

But he was pierced for our transgressions, 
he was crushed for our iniquities; 
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, 
and by his wounds we are healed.  

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, 
each of us has turned to our own way; 
and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 

Isaiah 53:4-6 

This week may find us packing up the ceramic bunnies, storing the Easter baskets away until next year, and polishing off the last of the peanut butter eggs.  

But as we store away the Easter décor, I hope the reality of Easter stays fresh in our minds and in our hearts. Can we challenge one another to remember it was His punishment that provided our peace? 

Our way to peace was through the cross of Christ. Read through Isaiah’s graphic description above and note the verbs describing what Jesus experienced: 

• Stricken 
• Smitten 
• Afflicted 
• Pierced 
• Crushed 
• Punished 
• Wounded 

“…the punishment that brought us peace was upon him.” Isaiah 53:5 

He took our rap. 

He paid our bill. 

He received our beating. 

He died our death.  

And He did it because of love. This is a no-holds-barred, sacrificial love that we know we do not deserve. It’s a love that we receive from no other person. It’s a love that is illogical, unfathomable, and eternity-changing.  

It’s a love that deserves a response.  

We train our children in common courtesy. We teach them that a kind act warrants an appropriate response. If someone holds the door when our arms are filled, we say, “thank you.” We teach them to mail thank-you notes for gifts received. We know gift-givers watch the mailbox for the expected acknowledgement in the days after the wedding shower, or the cashing of the graduation check, so we want to be a mother of a bride (or graduate) who knows what’s what on the etiquette front.  

When your employer calls you in to acknowledge your effort on that last project and reward you with a raise, his pause is your cue to respond, “Thank you, sir.” 

A simple thank you is the most basic way to acknowledge the kindness of others and cultivate a heart of gratefulness in ourselves.  

(Since I became a Grammy, we now say “Tanks!” in honor of Julia Grace’s two-year-old pronunciation, even though she is now 4 and has mastered the “th” digraph.) 

If a held-open door, a graduation gift, or a financial reward prompt a verbal or written thank you, what is the appropriate response to the One who recused us from hell? How do you acknowledge the One who changed your destiny for eternity? How can I possibly and appropriately express gratefulness to the One who provides meaning and purpose to my otherwise pathetic, purposeless life?  

I think the answer is that we give Him our life.  

We choose to die to our old ways and to live His way. Paul says it well: 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, 
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 
holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 
Romans 12:1 

Because He died for us, we choose to live for Him. And when we do that, it’s an act of worship.  

It’s far from easy. Our flesh rises up and wants what it wants. But our daily choices to live free from the flesh and to live for Him bring a sweetness to life, a joyful satisfaction that nothing else can provide.  

What keeps us holding back or holding out? Why not let this be the year that we refuse to put Easter back in the box? The year that we choose to live all-in? Can we try—can we commit—to die to self and live for Him for one year? For one month? For even one week? Are you willing to give it a go? 

Can you and I choose—will we choose—to: 

• be inconvenienced 
• be imposed upon 
• be sacrificial 
• close our mouths 
• be generous 
• listen more and talk less 
• love as Jesus loved 

Can we choose each day to ask our precious Savior, “Jesus, who am I going to love on today and how am I going to do it?”

The question itself reminds us that we cannot fail when He is doing it with us.  

As we begin to see each person who crosses our path as one who bears the image of God, as a person in need of the peace that only Jesus can provide, I believe we will begin to truly live the reality of His peace.  

If I truly believe, “He Has Risen, Indeed!”—as my Easter décor proclaims—then it’s high time I rise up and behave like I believe. Indeed.  Watch for the next installment in our Write The Word series,
coming this Tuesday, April 30th!