"He will bear their iniquities"

For me, the cornerstone of the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus is this passage from Isaiah. Read it. Then read it again. Jesus knew what he would face at the end of his life on earth, and yet he came for us anyway. This season of Lent is about preparing our hearts for the walk to Calvary and the resurrection to come. Imagine walking in the shoes of Jesus, who, though he was God, was also fully human. He knew worry. He felt pain. And all of that was foretold by Isaiah. 

Isaiah 53:10-12 (The Message)

Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
    to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
    so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
    And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

 Out of that terrible travail of soul,
    he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
    will make many “righteous ones,”
    as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
    the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
    because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
    he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

"As he himself carries the burden of our sins." We are all black sheep and God loves so much he sent Jesus to take our burden. That is all we need to know about this season. He came to bring us sanctuary in the arms of a loving God. Remember.

Because of Jesus,