Pastor Rob Bray | 4-3-2026
Good Friday is more than a solemn remembrance or religious holiday. It’s the night we confront the staggering cost God paid so we could know Him. Tonight, we face the reality that Jesus didn’t simply die—He was crushed. Not ultimately by Rome or by men, but by God Himself.
Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah wrote these prophetic words: “It was the will of the Lord to crush him.” This wasn’t an accident or tragedy—it was God’s eternal plan. God gave Himself to be crushed as an offering for guilt to make intercession for you.
Why Was Jesus Despised and Rejected?
The suffering Christ endured wasn’t only physical—it was deeply emotional and relational. Isaiah prophesied: “‘Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.'” – Isaiah 53:1-3 King James Version (KJV)
The Unexpected Messiah
Jesus didn’t come with the outward impressiveness people expected. He was a carpenter who never traveled more than 30 miles from His hometown. He had only 12 followers and conducted just three years of ministry. To most observers, He appeared to be a nobody—yet He became the most revered person in history.
A Man of Sorrows
Jesus personally entered into the full experience of human pain, both emotionally and physically. He was betrayed by His closest friend, falsely accused by religious leaders, mocked, beaten, and spit upon. Even His own hometown tried to throw Him off a cliff. The rejection cut deep because it came from those closest to Him.
What Does It Mean That Jesus Was Pierced and Crushed?
Isaiah continues his prophecy with these powerful words: “‘Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.'” – Isaiah 53:4-6 King James Version (KJV)
Understanding the Theological Terms
- Transgressions: Breaking God’s law, rebelling against His standards
- Iniquities: Not just wrong actions, but impure motives and perverted thoughts
- Chastisement: The punishment and justice that brings us peace
The Physical Brutality
The word “excruciating” literally comes from the Latin meaning “out of the cross.” Jesus was first scourged with a cat-o’-nine-tails that would rip flesh and bone. Many died from this beating alone before reaching the cross. He wore a crown of thorns beaten repeatedly into His head, endured nails through His wrists, and suffered the agony of crucifixion—one of history’s most brutal execution methods.
The Spiritual Weight
Beyond the physical pain was the crushing spiritual weight. As Paul wrote: “‘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 King James Version (KJV)
Jesus, who never knew hateful thoughts, lust, or any sin, took upon Himself the sin of the entire world. This is the great exchange of the gospel—Jesus takes our guilt and gives us His righteousness.
How Was Jesus Oppressed and Afflicted?
Isaiah prophesied about the criminal suffering Jesus would endure: “‘He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.'” – Isaiah 53:7-8 King James Version (KJV)
Silent Before His Accusers
Jesus chose not to defend Himself during His trials. Though He was the most intelligent man on earth and could have reasoned His way out, He remained silent. Why? Because defending Himself would have thwarted God’s will. He walked into His suffering like a lamb to slaughter—knowing what was coming but submitting completely to the Father’s plan.
An Unjust Legal Process
The trials Jesus endured were completely unfair. They happened in the middle of the night, during a Jewish holiday, and involved bribery and manipulation. Even Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but washed his hands of responsibility to appease the crowd.
What Happened After Jesus Was Crushed?
The final paragraph of Isaiah 53 reveals God’s ultimate plan: “‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.'” – Isaiah 53:10-11 King James Version (KJV)
Prolonged Days and Satisfaction
Though Jesus was “cut off from the land of the living,” Isaiah prophesied His days would be prolonged. This points to the resurrection—Jesus would die but then live again. He would see His spiritual offspring (believers) and be satisfied because His sacrifice achieved God’s purposes.
The Victory Accomplished
The cross wasn’t just the darkest day in human history—it led to the brightest day when Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave. God’s wrath was satisfied, the payment for sin was complete, and Jesus now sits at the right hand of glory, interceding for us.
Life Application
When you survey the cross, you must decide how to respond. There were four types of people who looked at Jesus’ crucifixion: scoffers who mocked, spectators who watched from a distance, strayers who ran away in fear, and those who surrendered in faith.
Where do you stand tonight? Do you scoff at the cross? Do you merely spectate from the outside of Christianity? Have you strayed from faith you once had? Or will you surrender everything to the One who was crushed for your guilt?
The Bible is clear about how to respond: turn to Him, believe in Him, repent of your sin, confess Him as Lord, and call upon His name. “‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.'” – Romans 10:9 King James Version (KJV)
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you truly understood that your sin contributed to Jesus’ suffering on the cross?
- Are you trying to prove your innocence to God, or have you accepted His “plea bargain” of grace?
- What is your honest response to the cross—scoffing, spectating, straying, or surrendering?
- If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, how does understanding His crushing change how you live this week?
This week, let the reality of what Jesus endured transform how you view your sin, His love, and your response to both. Stop trying to earn God’s favor and instead rest in the finished work of the One who was crushed for you.