The Story of Christmas, Day 12: Wednesday, December 7 – Isaiah 52:13-53:12 In the Shadow of the Cross

On the twelvth day of Christmas, my Bible said to me...Christmas' manger can only be seen most clearly in the shadow of the Cross. 

Today's Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;

    he shall be high and lifted up,

    and shall be exalted.

14 As many were astonished at you—

    his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

    and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations.

    Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,

for that which has not been told them they see,

    and that which they have not heard they understand.

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

    and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

    and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

    he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

    and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

    smitten by God, and afflicted.

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.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

    we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

    yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

    so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

    and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

    stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

    and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

    he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

    make many to be accounted righteous,

    and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

    and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Devotional Thoughts

Christmas is such a sweet holiday. It is built around a cute little baby who was laid in a manger with that special star shining on him. The animals gathered around to give praise to the Creator who had just been incarnated in the form of a baby and the shepherds gave honor and praise. Just as they were about to leave the Three Wise Men came in and gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrhh. Of course, befor they left they all stopped to pose for a picture so that artists could render Christmas cards and other Jesus junk through the years. Ahhhh! How sweet 

There's a little problem with that paragraph. Almost everything in it is Christmas myth (Christ-myth?) and has no touch with biblical reality. The star appeared the night Jesus was born - to the Magi (how many, we don't know) who then traveled from their homes to find a toddler living in a house in Bethlehem and paid homage to him. The animals? They probably just remained animals - smelly and stupid. 

But we still have not touched on the greatest failure in our celebration of Christmas - one that is prevalent in so many peoples' hearts and lives. We cannot celebrate Christmas without seeing that it was the beginning of a sequence of events that led inexorably to the Cross and the Empty Tomb. You cannot understand the manger unless you see it under the shadow of the cross. 

Our prophecy today is startling in its clarity - predicting the work of Christ in great detail. It speaks of the servant of God - the Messiah - who will be despised and rejected, bear the weight of the sins of the world and pay the price for them so that by his stripes we could be healed of all the horror our sins have caused. 

One might say, "Isaiah 52-53 is not about Christmas." Of course, there are no Magi or shepherds or any of the other elements we have come to expect from the holiday, but it is really the heart and soul of it. This is why Jesus came. Death. The conquering of sin and hell. Battling darkness. Saving sinners. 

The manger and the Cross - it's all one story. 

Thank you, Father, for the baby who came to live and die and rise and save sinners like me!

Think and Pray

Consider why people are so much more likely to celebrate the birth of Christ than his death. 
Give honor and praise to God for the death Jesus died. 

Carol of the Day

What child is this, who, laid to rest,

On Mary's lap is sleeping?

Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,

While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,

Whom shepherds guard and angels sing:

Haste, haste to bring Him laud,

The babe, the son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,

Where ox and donkeys are feeding?

Good Christians, fear, for sinners here

The silent Word is pleading.

Nails, spears shall pierce him through,

the cross he bore for me, for you.

Hail, hail the Word made flesh,

the Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh,

Come, peasant, king, to own him.

The King of kings salvation brings,

Let loving hearts enthrone him.

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby

Joy, joy for Christ is born,

The babe, the Son of Mary.