Dear Christian friends:

Last Wednesday we saw from verse six that Jesus must suffer and die for our sins, that there was no other way. But God did not force Him to suffer. He volunteers to suffer. This is very clearly and beautifully shown in our text for tonight, Isaiah 53:7,

"He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth."

The text says that He suffers silently, without complaint, like a lamb brought to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb (silent) so He opens not His mouth. This means that He volunteers to suffer.

So tonight we shall consider that wonderful idea:


One day Jesus told the Jews, "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." (John 10:18)

God did not force Jesus to suffer and die. The Father asked Him and He agreed. In that beautiful hymn the choir just signed, "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth", in verse two the Father asks Him to go and suffer and die to free men from guilt and condemnation. Then Jesus answers in verse three:

"Yea, Father, yea, most willingly
I'll bear what Thou commandest;
My will conforms to Thy decree,
I do what Thou demandest."

So what Isaiah here prophesies about Jesus happened exactly. In Gethsemane when the soldiers came to get Him Jesus asked, "Whom seek ye?" They answered "Jesus of Nazareth." He said, "I am He." When He said that they all fell backwards on the ground, which clearly shows that Jesus could have escaped from them and that they could not arrest Him unless He let them.

When Peter drew his sword and cut off one ear of one of the soldiers, Jesus told him to put his sword back into the sheath and he asked Peter, "The cup which My Father has given Me-shall I not drink it?" Then He asked Peter, "Do you think that I can't now call to My Father to send Me more than seventy thousand angels to help Me? But if I do that how can the Bible be true when it says this must happen?" The Father was ready to send Him 70,000 angels to free Him if He wanted it.

This shows that the Father did not force Him He volunteers! He suffers silently without complaint, without resistance, "as a lamb to the slaughter."

Later when Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate He answered nothing to their lies and false witnesses. Pilate was very surprised because Jesus stood silent and answered nothing. Finally He said to Jesus, "Don't You know that I have power to crucify You or release You?" Jesus said to him, "You could have no power over Me except it were given you from above."

So here again Jesus already shows that He suffers voluntarily. Even Pilate could not kill Him unless God let him. This shows the wonderful love of God for us sinners. True love volunteers.

If someone does something because of force that is not love and that is not good. God shows His great love for us because He volunteers to suffer for our sins. In "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" hymn goes on in verse three:

O wondrous Love! what hast Thou done!
The Father offers up His Son,
The Son content descendeth!
O Love! O Love! how strong art Thou!
In shroud and grave Thou lay'st Him low
Whose word the mountains rendeth!

He Who by one Word or command makes mountains and destroys them, the almighty God volunteers to suffer and die for us sinners His enemies. Paul says, "Sometimes a man will die for his friend but God shows His great love to us because while we were still sinners (enemies) Christ died for us." (Romans 5:6-8)

Such wonderful love must touch our stubborn, cold hearts and make us agreeable with Him and warm in love to Him and to one another. If we believe that Jesus volunteered to die for us sinners and enemies to save us we ought to now volunteer gladly, not being forced to obey God. We should love our enemies, too, and be ready to risk our lives for them to help them see Jesus in us and through us.

Jesus says, "Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate you and pray for them that they may see you are God's children and know God's love through you." (Luke 6:27-31) That's how the first Christians won many new members for Jesus.

They not only preached, but they did many kind deeds to help the poor and the needy and to help one another. They helped also those who were not worthy. When the unbelievers saw their love and kindness to one another and to the poor and the needy they were very impressed and knew that they were truly the children of God. Many were won for Christ by that.

So Peter reminds us also in his letter, Peter 2:20-25.

But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. "He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." For "you were like sheep going astray," but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."

We have a hard time to suffer silently. We become red in the face and angry if someone wrongly blames us and we hate them and want to get revenge. Jesus did not do that. Our Father in heaven does not want us to do that. He wants us to love and do good even if we get trouble for it. All church workers must learn that lesson if they want to be successful.

May God help us.

Amen.