Crushed Grapes

Isaiah 53:5 - “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

In the pressure of the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ anguish was so great that His sweat was as great drops of blood.  Aware of the crushing weight of sin that would be upon Him, the pressure was so intense that what was in Him was literally squeezed out.  Like the crushing of grapes, His blood in the Garden as well as on the cross, was poured out like wine.  He was crushed, and what came forth from Him was the ultimate sweetness of forgiveness.

I look at this verse and I marvel at the work of the cross.  I see the sinless Son of God who allowed Himself to be insulted, spat upon, beaten, stripped, hanged on a cross and pierced for our transgressions.  The Word says of Jesus, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  For the joy set before Him.  It seems next to impossible for me to comprehend that Jesus went joyfully to the cross for us.  Yet He did.  Certainly He did not enjoy even a single second of the suffering, but the ultimate joys of sinless obedience to the Father and finishing the work of purchasing the debt of sin for mankind were joys that eclipsed the grief and pain he endured.  

Father, I lift Your child that is reading this.  They are much like me.  When we take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror and feel the pressure of crushing circumstances, it isn’t difficult to see that what pours from us in our crushing bears little resemblance to what came forth from Jesus.  Too often what seeps from our pores is anger, resentment and bitterness.  We desire to exact revenge at worst and repay another’s evil with humiliation at best.  Your Word says that “the heart of man is desperately wicked.” (Jer 17:9-10).  We may say lovely things in the light of day when life is running smoothly, but when the darkness falls, when we are afraid, angry or hurt, what is truly inside of us is what comes seeping out under pressure.  Father, remove the bitter grapes within us.  Transplant us with the heart of the Son.  Infuse us with new wine and generous forgiveness to pour out on others.  

Father, forgive us.  Help us to repay evil with good (1 Peter 3:9).  Show us how to deny our flesh, take up our cross and follow You (Matt 16:24-26).  Give us a new nature that readily blesses those who curse us and prays for those who hurl insults (Luke 6:28).  Prune and feed us so we might display the fruit of Your Spirit that will not only be a joy, but will frustrate and confound the enemy.  Help us, Lord.  This is very hard.  Change us for Your glory.  When all is said and done, may it be said of us, that but for the joy set before us - the joy of seeing You face to face and hearing You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” that we endured to the end.  Father, the pressure is intense.  Fill us with Your love, so that love is what we exude when we find ourselves crushed by life.  In Jesus Name ❤️

Dear friend, are you disappointed by what you see comes out of you when you are under pressure?  You are not alone!  The work of God to save us from our sins is immediate, but it is a daily processing of being saved from old habits, selfishness and “missing the mark” that requires submission to His will and dying to the ways of our old nature.  It is in the daily surrender to His skilled pruning shears that we begin to bear the sweet fruit of the Spirit.  Being pruned may not be pleasant, but the resulting sweet harvest is pure delight.  💡

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