March 30

Morning

Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. — Isa 53:12 BSB

Why did Jesus allow Himself to be counted among sinners? This astonishing act of humility can be understood through several profound reasons.

First, by taking on this identity, He became a better advocate for sinners. In some trials, the lawyer and the client are so closely identified that they are seen as one in the eyes of the law. So when the sinner is brought before God’s judgment, Jesus stands with them. He shows His wounds—His side, His hands, His feet—and challenges Justice to bring any charges against the sinners He represents. He pleads His blood and does so with such triumph, having been counted among them, that the Judge declares, “Let them go; deliver them from descending into the pit, for I have found a ransom!”

Jesus was also numbered with sinners so that we might be drawn to Him. Who could be afraid of someone who is listed alongside us? Surely we can approach Him with confidence, confessing our guilt, knowing that He, being counted with us, will not condemn us. He was placed on the list of transgressors so that we might be placed in the book of the saints. He was holy and numbered among the holy, while we were guilty and numbered among the guilty. But He took His name from the list of the holy and placed it among the guilty, and in turn, our names were taken from the list of the guilty and written among those accepted by God. There has been a complete exchange between Jesus and His people. He took all our sin and misery, and we receive everything He has—His righteousness, His blood, and His inheritance.

Rejoice, believer, in your union with the One who was numbered among transgressors. Show that you are truly saved by being counted among those who are new creatures in Him!

Evening

Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. — Lam 3:40 BSB

A wife who deeply loves her absent husband longs for his return; a long separation feels like a kind of death to her spirit. Just so, with souls who truly love the Savior—they long to see His face, and they can’t bear the thought of being distant from Him, separated by the mountains of division.

For loving children, a reproachful look or a raised finger is painful because they don’t want to displease their tender Father. Their happiness comes from His smile.

Beloved, it was once like that with you. A Bible verse, a warning, or a bit of suffering would send you to your Father’s feet, crying, “Show me why You are displeased with me!” Is it still like that now? Are you content to follow Jesus from a distance? Can you accept being out of communion with Him without feeling distressed? Can you bear it when your Beloved is walking contrary to you because you have walked contrary to Him? Have your sins come between you and God, and yet your heart remains at ease? Let me lovingly warn you—for it is a grievous thing when we can live without the present enjoyment of the Savior’s presence.

Let us take time to recognize what an evil thing it is to have little love for our dying Savior, little joy in Him, little fellowship with Him! Let your soul grieve over its coldness, but don’t stop there! Remember where you first found salvation. Go back to the cross! Only there can your heart be revived. No matter how hard, insensitive, or dead you may feel—go to the cross just as you are, with all your rags, poverty, and sin. Cling to the cross! Look into the eyes of your suffering Savior. Bathe in the fountain filled with His blood! Only there can you regain your first love. Only there can you restore the simplicity of your faith and the tenderness of your heart.