Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13-53:12 - By a Perversion of Justice He Was Taken Away

Isaiah 52:13-53:12^52:13 See, my servant shall prosper;he shall be exalted and lifted up,and shall be very high.¹⁴  Just as there were many who were astonished at him— so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,and his form beyond that of mortals —¹⁵  so he shall startle many nations;kings shall shut their mouths because of him;for that which had not been told them they shall see,and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.^53:1  Who has believed what we have heard?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,nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.³   He was despised and rejected by others;a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;and as one from whom others hide their faceshe was despised, and we held him of no account.⁴   Surely he has borne our infirmitiesand carried our diseases;yet we accounted him stricken,struck down by God, and afflicted.⁵   But he was wounded for our transgressions,crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the punishment that made us whole,and⁶   All we like sheep have gone astray;we have all turned to our own way,and the LORD has laid on himthe iniquity of us all.⁷   He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,yet he did not open his mouth;like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,so he did not open his mouth.⁸   By a perversion of justice he was taken away.Who could have imagined his future?For he was cut off from the land of the living,stricken for the transgression of my people.⁹   They made his grave with the wickedand his tomb with the rich,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 with pain.When you make his life an offering for sin,he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;through him the will of the LORD shall prosper.¹¹       Out of his anguish he shall see light;he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,and he shall bear their iniquities.¹²  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.

• Light a candle to remember Christ’s presence with you.
• Sit five to fifteen minutes in silence bringing your attention to the Breath.
• After his arrest, Jesus was beaten, bruised and bullied.
• He endured the pain and suffering for you and for me.
• Our temptation is to turn away from the beating, to look past the bruises and to ignore the bullies.
• Ignore the temptation to turn away.  Look at the pain and suffering of Jesus Christ.  Look at the sick and compassionless people who could beat him, rob him and leave him naked.
• He endured this first beating for you and me and for the world.
• And they did not stop there.  They condemned him to the most shameful death imaginable, death on a cross by the city wall for all to see.
• Embrace the pain and walk with Jesus through these next hours of his death.  In the midst of the pain, focus on the unconditional love of Christ.  Jesus knows the pain, and he will accompany you every step of the way.
• What is your message from God?
• Give thanks to God for this time in prayer and for any new insights you have received.
• Share as you feel led in the reply box below.

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Friday, April 10, 2020, Good Friday (Year a)Isaiah 52:13-53:12Psalm 22:1-31Hebrews 10:16-25John 18:1-19:42If you use these prayers in other groups, please give credit to author. Permission to use in not-for-profit settings.  (c) 2020 The Rev. Dr. Lil Smith, DASDRev. Dr. Lil Smith is a trained spiritual director, supervisor, and co-founder of Retreat House Spirituality Center in Richardson, TX.  Upon completion of her spiritual direction training, Lil began Praying the Lectionary in 2011 as a spiritual practice for her morning prayer time.  Instead of reading about someone else’s experience of God, it was important for her to create a prayer practice that would encourage felt sense experience of the Holy emerging from within.  It dawned on her others might enjoy the practice, as well.  So she began to share them on this site.As you experience the practice of Praying the Lectionary, adopt a loving, caring, and compassionate stance.  If the end of your prayer and meditation time is not pointing to love and hope, there is more work to do.  Keep wrestling.  God is faithful to your journey.  Love and hope will emerge.  Be gentle with yourself and befriend any judgment that arises in you.