by Rev. Bob Martin, Senior Pastor
Isaiah 53:4-6: “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
In mirrors we see ourselves. But in mirrors made of glass and silver we never see the whole of ourself. We see the me we want to see, and we ignore the rest. Mirrors that hide nothing can hurt us. They reveal the ugliness we would rather deny. Yikes! Avoid these mirrors for sure.
Each one of us has a mirror. When we have sinned against them, our sin appears in the suffering on their face. Their tears reflect with terrible accuracy our selfishness. Many of us will be cowards as we will not want to see ourselves in this mirror. But when we refuse, we become a fool, for only when we have the courage to fully look, clearly know ourselves, even the evil of ourself, will we admit our need for healing.
The passion of Christ, His suffering and His death, is such a mirror. Are the tears of those we hurt hard to look at? Well, the pain in the face of Jesus is harder. It is our self in our extreme truth. This is what we see reflected in the mirror of Christ’s crucifixion: our own death. Our sin is just a consequence, nevertheless we cannot avoid the mirror.
Jesus’s mirror is not made of glass or silver, nor of fallen flesh. This mirror is made of righteous flesh and of divinity both—and this one loves us absolutely. Those we hurt do not choose to take our sin, but Jesus did choose—and by doing, shows grace and forgiveness.
Prayer:
Lord, I am a sinner in need of your grace. Like a mirror, may you reflect in me my true self and when I see how fallen I can become, may your reflection of hanging on the cross on my behalf remind me of the greater truth. May your love and grace reflect in me each day. Amen.
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