Thank You Lord, for Freeing Us

“…For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was numbered among the transgressors’…”
Luke 22:37

The full verse from Isaiah that Jesus quotes here reads, “Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12). So, Jesus is not just talking about the thieves who will be hung on either side of him at Calvary when he claims this prophesy.  He is talking about being numbered as one of us.  He came not simply to be a spectator to the lives of human beings; he came to be fully with us.  Isaiah’s prophesy of the suffering servant who would take on the sins of the world, will be fulfilled with Jesus own death.

We are the transgressors that Jesus is numbered amongst.  We could take this knowledge I decide to live lives of complete penance for our sins and Jesus’ suffering.  Or we could say with relief, well my sins have already been paid for, so I will do as I please.  Or maybe we can live in awe and wonder that God so loved us that God came and died for us.  We can live marveling at our freedom so dearly won and so freely given and walk this earth with gratitude and joy.

Let us pray…

Dearest Jesus we thank you for being counted as one of us.  Thank you for fully living our human life and giving yourself for our freedom.  Thank you for showing us what love can be and do.  Help us to live fully into the gift of freedom you have given us. Amen.