Holy Week Devotional

Wednesday, March 27

“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

After His prayerful struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane (Not my will, but yours), Jesus drank fully from the cup He was given. He was not bitter about what He was going to endure. He did not play the role of victim. No, He was giving His life, it was not being taken from Him. He silently received the jeers, the taunts, the false accusations, the beard pulling, the lashes, and the arrogance of His own creation.

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that “He endured the cross, scorning its shame.” (Hebrews 12:2a) We may not like the cup we are given in serving our Lord, but like Him we must learn to drink from its sufferings, should there be any, in silence. The joy of what comes out of it will remove the bitterness and gall, replacing them with the sweetness of His love and grace.

Lord, grant me the grace to endure the cross You have given me for the joy that will come on the far side. Amen.