This blog begins a series of daily thoughts from my own personal reading in preparation for Easter. I hope that some of these impressions will bring all of us closer to understanding more clearly this moment from Jesus' life. I am not pretending to explain everything or even much of anything. My goal is simply to raise some thoughts for you.

Destined For Defeat - Isaiah 53
These words were written by a prophet named Isaiah. They were recorded about 800 years prior to Jesus' coming to earth. As I read the words, I thought about how they focus on loss, rejection and defeat. He spoke of Jesus as "no beauty . . . despised and rejected . . . stricken by GOD . . . pierced . . . crushed . . . oppressed." I think you get the idea.
In other words, these prophetic words tell us that Jesus was destined for defeat from the start. There was absolutely no way anyone would mistake Jesus for a successful person. His future was certain. He would definitely fail.
What a lesson. The Chosen One of GOD was destined for defeat. Of all the people to ever walk through the corridors of history, I would never think that the Son of GOD would be a loser. After all, how could GOD reject Him? His only Son?
And as I read the narratives of Jesus' life, what do they testify about GOD'S intervention in Jesus' life, especially His horrific death? GOD did nothing. He let Jesus go through the arrest, trial, beating and eventual execution and did not lift a finger to stop it. He let the prophecy of Isaiah happen.
In fact, we read in Luke 9 that Jesus "resolutely set out for Jerusalem" & GOD did not stop Him nor hinder Him. He was destined for defeat.
Perhaps the lesson in these words from Isaiah 53 is that defeat & loss may be the exact place that GOD wants us.