The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Isaiah 53:1-6, “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

In the course of my life, I have had the privilege to meet a number of famous persons. The big surprise was that none of them looked anything like I thought they would. They were ordinary people in every possible way. Jesus was just like that, too.

No dedicated and conscientious Jew could read that passage above without understanding it to be a reference to the Messiah. Everything in those verses speaks of Jesus. He was the “arm of the LORD.” He grew up from childhood to manhood with the normal appearance of any Jewish boy of His age.

Yet, Jesus was more –much more! He attracted the crowds with what He said, not with how he physically appeared. They had been taught of the Messiah; and He, they believed, was coming to throw off the yoke of their oppressors and usher in a holy kingdom. Well, it was something like that, only more –much more.

Jesus came to forgive the sins of all mankind! He was His Father’s human sacrifice –the sacrifice that satisfied the judgment of Almighty God. And for all who ask forgiveness and turn from their sins, Jesus gives Eternal Life. Sound simple? It is! The sadness is that many stumble over the very simplicity, thinking that it how they live or to what religion or church they adhere. Yet, the Scripture says, “the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall upon Him.”

Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? A simple, prayerful request for forgiveness is all that’s necessary; and “the LORD causes the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” Then, you will possess His Holy Spirit and your life will take on new meaning, and He will be glorified!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom