Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭2:24‬‬‬
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

I was thinking of a top gun pilot, an award-winning bodybuilder, and a decorated soldier today. What do they all have in common? They all are at the top of their respective professions. But how did they likely get there. It was through grit and determination in suffering. Top Gun pilots have to train under incredible stress and pressure. Bodybuilders structure their diet and workouts with focus on developing each muscle in their bodies. They sacrifice time, sweets, and comfort, and suffer through the workouts and structured diets. Finally, a decorated soldier is decorated specifically because of their bravery, valor, and courage in crisis. Many times they saved other soldiers or civilians under fire. They put their bodies, their lives on the line. They suffered through the pain and difficulty and persevered.

All three of these are examples of suffering in different ways, some much more intense than others. Romans 5 says suffering produces perseverance, perseverance … character, and character … hope. And we see this exemplified in the above types of people. Jesus sacrificed everything he had. He gave it all up for something greater. He gave up heavenly riches to sacrifice so we could be set free from our bondage to sin. And he also gave us a model of sacrifice, which we can learn by, train by. I hear the phrase a lot these days, “Jesus take the wheel”. And sometimes he does. However, I find in the hours and days of my normal life, he is training me on how to: 1) fly the plane, 2) build up my strength, and 3) fight the battles of life with relentless courage. And this training program involves suffering and sacrifice. Though Jesus was crushed completely for our sins; we at times will be “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”‭‭(II Corinthians‬ ‭4:8-9)‬ We get to both participate in his sacrifices and sufferings in part, and we also get to be trained by him on how to preserver through them and come out on the other side VICTORIOUS! The righteous are rewarded by God with greater love, strength, faith, and hope in this life, and a place in God’s heavenly kingdom with all the incomprehensible benefits of life surrounded by his light! So, when we say Merry Christmas today, let us remember the one who is training us to fly, building up our strength and giving us lessons in courage … and may we soar to new heights in the coming year in our sacrifices and sufferings we undertake, and bear under — in honor of Jesus!

Lord Jesus, thank you for being not just my emergency pilot, but my training instructor in life. I appreciate all of the effort you put into molding my heart, being patient with me, and training me to live in the freedom that life with you leads to. May I embrace the pain and suffering spiritually and turn to you for my strength and encouragement, so I may grow and be more like you.