Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Today we join in communion--"fellowship"--with Jesus. The fundamental oneness between Him and ourselves calls to mind the communion service. While He was as human as we are, it remains true that He was divine and we are not. He came to this earth and took our nature that He could be identified with us, that He might save us. The Bible even tells us that "He came unto His own," and His own refused to receive Him, but that everyone who received Him became His own.

Today let's pause and reflect on this mighty thing: how having turned to our evil Jesus turns us again to Him; how, yet while we have turned away He consents to bear our sins and open the door for the salvation of every repentant soul. And something of how it was for Jesus Himself.

Our Scripture says, "All we like sheep have gone astray." That is, we all are drawn to what is wrong, to what is error. When sin entered our world, and death through sin, Jesus stepped forward and promised to die in man's place. He saw aforetime that we would be led away through the deceitfulness of sin, that our broken natures would trend downward. He saw that we would be drawn toward not only sin but error. And so as soon as there was sin, there was a Savior. How terrifying were the steps Christ must walk!

To be a Savior, He too must become sheep-like; He too must experience human needs, trends, the awkward moments of the limited finite being. To die for the flock, He had to be of the flock. To identify Himself with the flock, He must be one with them, among them, knowing their experience. To be the Lamb of God He must never go astray, but must be capable of it.

Have you ever considered this fascinating passage from the inspired pen of Ellen G. White?

Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Temptation is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action and, knowing that he can do it, resists, by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power. This was the ordeal through which Christ passed. He could not have been tempted in all points as man is tempted, had there been no possibility of His failing. He was a free agent, placed on probation, as was Adam, and as is every man. In His closing hours, while hanging upon the cross, He experienced to the fullest extent what man must experience when striving against sin. He realized how bad a man may become by yielding to sin. He realized the terrible consequences of the transgression of God's law; for the iniquity of the whole world was upon Him. (5 SDABC 1082).

Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Jesus became like the sheep. He could have gone astray. The possibility was there. We may be sure the temptation was there. Yet never did He go astray.

Did you notice what that quotation said? "He experienced to the fullest extent what man must experience when striving against sin." Now some will say that Jesus did not experience what we must experience, that instead He experienced an equivalent temptation, but one appropriate for a holy being. Well, here's what I know. I know that "He experienced to the fullest extent what man must experience when striving against sin." He did not experience to the "fullest equivalence what" man must experience, but to the "fullest extent what" we must experience. Solves it for me.

The Scripture reads, "We have turned every one to his own way." And it is true. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). We are members of a race bent upon self-destruction. Designed by the Creator as worshipping beings, we turn inward to satisfy the selfish pull of a bent nature, weakened and attracted to sin and death. We come short of God's glory by attempting to manufacture our own.

You know that the devil tried this one on Christ of course. "Show me who You are. Prove that you are the Son of God. Make these stones into bread." "Jump down off this precipice and call out the angels to catch You." Satan tried to get Jesus to exhibit His power, to rely upon that which man has not within himself at his command apart from God. It would have ruined the example of Jesus for us, and more. It is true of us, we have turned every one to his own way.

But who can say this of Christ? Bearing our nature brothers and sisters--being as human as we are, living in the same faulty human equipment as we--Jesus turned to God rather than to His own way. In the garden of Gethsemene He prayed, "Not My will, but Yours O Father." Nor was that a new prayer for Him. He must have prayed it many times, for He must have been tempted many times. "Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation." And He was tempted "in all points like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

He separated Himself from sinners by not sinning. He lived obedient to the Father. He did always the things that pleased Him. By strict adherence to righteousness He trained Himself to dwell upon what was good. While His nature would have Him focus inwardly and feed the self, He was "manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit" (1 Timothy 3:16). That is, He came in equipment as human, as fallen, as ours, but was "justified" in the Spirit--as the quotation said of temptation in speaking of Jesus' experience, "Temptation is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action and, knowing that he can do it, resists, by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power. This was the ordeal through which Christ passed." He was justified in the Spirit. By partaking of the power of the Holy Spirit, He, "with firm hold upon divine power" resisted by faith.

We don't claim here to answer all the questions about how Jesus lived victorious over fallen flesh in the same nature as ours. But surely these lines provide powerful hints. If Jesus truly is our example in all things, then His method of overcoming must be exactly applicable to us. Our problem is not to be the Savior of the world as was His, but our necessity is simply to let Him use us to the fullest extent that he can to make His case before the universe. That's why the last part of this verse is so crucial.

"And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

For those who had gone on their own way, who had "turned" while responsible for their actions, toward sin, a means of salvation was found. Jesus, for whom we wait from heaven, must take the sins away, out of the camp of humankind. He must reconcile. He must cleanse the heavenly sanctuary and then expunge the sin from the camp. He must offer a character as pure as God's law before the Father in sacrifice and pay our penalty. And so that's what Jesus did.

It's similar to the experience of Abraham and Isaac. God the Father commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son--so, so precious to him--up on the mountain. The son was a young man by that time, while Abraham drooped with age. Isaac could have resisted. But he did not. The Father bound the son and prepared to take his life, and the Son willingly complied. God stopped that sacrifice in its tracks; Abraham was tested but Isaac was not sacrificed. The true sacrifice yet to come at that time one day on the cross must not be diminished by or confused by its foreshadowing. But just as Abraham illustrated in symbol what was coming, likewise Jesus agreed with the Father to save man, knowing full well that many would despise His precious sacrifice. To save man sin must be dealt with. And so it was. And so it is.

How is it with you?

Is Jesus your Sin-bearer? Either you are carrying them or He is. And the one who carries must die.

He can be our Sin-bearer because He is one of us. He can be our Redeemer because His character is divine. Humanity starts afresh in Him. Incarnating in fallen humanity, just where Adam left us in the ditch, Jesus climbs up out of the ditch and overcomes. "And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The New Testament puts it this way: "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We watered our selfishness as a precious plant. Jesus saw that this selfishness was a fire that had to be put out by the water of the Word. His life was ever an infilling of the Word and of the Spirit. While He toiled as a carpenter in Joseph's shop, He thought on the Scripture, sang hymns with joy, and bent His mind to making the Word His life. Besides all this He was indeed God come in the flesh. His body was identical to ours, the value of His character sufficient to make atonement for everyone who would live. Upon Him were laid our sins, and the Just died for the unjust.

What does this mean to you and I? I agree in full with these lines by Donald K. Short: "The plan of salvation had to employ methods connected to reality! This eliminates a Savior who was exempt from anything. If Christ's victory was because He was separated from us in any way and did not partake fully of human nature, then His experience is one that we cannot share. His call to us to take up His cross is unfair. His declaration of conflict with His own will is meaningless and deceptive. (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42). Donald K. Short, Made Like Unto His Brethren, p. 49.

Jesus could bear our sins because He was God, but He could be our Savior only because He also was man. He became as human as we are so that we might become as obedient as He is. And He was obedient unto death--even the death of the cross. We can rejoice today brethren, for our Savior paid the ultimate penalty to buy us back--not on paper only--but to change the broken race. Because of His sacrifice we may be changed. When He comes we may see Him as He is, for we will be like Him.

Him we look to today. Jesus bore our sins to the tree. Soon He shall come again. Soon we will share face-to-face fellowship with our Redeemer. Let us rejoice and be glad, for the marriage supper of the Lamb is coming. Jesus is coming again. Today in this communion service we remember His death till' He come. May that blessed day be sooner than any of us have lately dared hope. Amen.