Isaiah 52:13-14 "Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men."

Truly we have no idea of what Jesus really suffered through between his trials and the cross. Do we really know what it means that "...His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.”?

To get a picture of what this meant look at what he had to go through to become marred. The most intense treatment He must have endured was the scourging. In an article from The Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986 it says regarding this:

"The usual instrument was a short whip (flagrum or flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Occasionally, staves also were used. For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions.

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross (1)."

This is pretty intense to say the least and for some maybe even too much to bear to even read. To see it in this light gives you a much deeper understanding for Hebrews chapter 12.

In verses 3 and 4 it says, "For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin."

No matter how badly we feel marred by life we do not have to loose heart. If we are getting beaten up by the world beyond recognition and feel like giving up because of the circumstances in our lives we can always know that Jesus Christ knows intimately well all that we go through.

Today if you made it this far into the devotional, be encouraged that Jesus Christ went through more than we can comprehend to bring us redemption and save us from our sins. He was high and lifted up and greatly exalted. He was raised from the dead so that you could be made alive with Him forever. What an awesome God we serve.

Only in Christ,
Adam

Notes:
[1] "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ", by William D. Edwards, MD; Wesley J. Gabel, MDiv; Floyd E Hosmer, MS, AMI, Quoted from JAMA - The Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 1986, Volume 256, Copyright 1986, American Medical Association.