‘The Travail of His Soul’

‘The Travail of His Soul’

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:11

Redemption has come to us at great cost. As we consider our text, we come today to dwell upon the ‘labor’ which Christ has put into effecting our salvation. The word here is significant. It communicates the kind of ‘labor,’ in which a woman engages in birthing a child. This ‘labor’ arrives after a long period of anticipation. It is ‘labor’ which involves great pain. This is ‘labor’ which involves the whole person, and total concentration. It is ‘labor’ which will both exhaust and drain. It is ‘labor’ which has a grand purpose and end in view. It is ‘labor’ which is utterly worthwhile and relates to the very core of the woman. This ‘labor’ touches her very existence and identity. If we relate these things to Christ, we begin, perhaps to understand the implications of our text. This sketches for us the ‘labor’ or ‘travail’ of Christ’s Soul as He effected our redemption by ‘pouring out His soul unto death,’ and being ‘numbered with the transgressors.’ As we consider this ‘labor’ of Christ, let us dwell upon it in such a way as to value Him more highly, and appreciate Him more deeply. Let our vision of His ‘travail’ display before our eyes a wholly attractive Savior, Who at His most difficult moment, draws our hearts out after Him.

Our Gracious Suffering Savior,
we praise You that You have poured out Your Soul unto death,
on our behalf.
We rejoice that by Your Stripes we are healed.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning