Our rebellion required what?

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6 NLT)

Our rebellion - our sins. Jesus didn't come to do 'good works' or present 'signs and wonders' just for show. He came because our rebellious, sinful nature required a completely pure and holy sacrifice in order to rightly restore all who would call upon Christ. Our rebellion - it made us less than perfect. Our sin - it created places of brokenness and hurts within us that nothing else can ever 'fix'. We left God's paths in order to follow our own. That is the heart of rebellion. It wasn't that the path was 'vague' or without wayfinding signs along it. We just chose a different path. It was that pathway into rebellion and sin that required a Savior and it was that Savior who provided a way back onto the right path!

He was beaten - not just because people didn't like him - they were convicted by what he said and the life he lived. His purity, holiness, and undeserved kindness was difficult for the religious zealots to handle. In case you didn't realize it, our choice to follow a path marked out by our own rebellion left us with a huge 'gap' in our life. It left us broken and in need of not only a way to be healed, but a healer to help mend those broken spaces. When a bone is broken, a gap is formed that requires 'mending'. When a life is broken by sin, the 'gap' between a holy God and our sinful, rebellious spirit must be mended. The only one capable of providing the means for that mending was Jesus.

Don't for a moment think that Jesus came for just a few religious zealots. He came for ALL who would call upon his name and admit they had gone astray. If we realize our need for his healing today, all we need to do is ask for it. We just need to admit our need, and he is there to 'mend' the brokenness brought on by that rebellion. We don't have to be 'good people' to enter into his grace. We have to be honest and contrite individuals who aren't too stubborn to admit we have made a way for ourselves that hasn't worked out all that well. All we need to do is ask for him to come into our lives. The way onto the right path is marked by ONE wayfinding sign - HIM!

The rebellion in our hearts may not immediately just dissipate when we say YES to Jesus, but the desire to live differently will begin to manifest itself in small ways. The more we listen to that pull to make different (better) choices with our lives, the more we will see the path marked out for us is one of healing, safety, and security. We need not fear the path - for the one who guides us along that path has no other intention for our lives than for us to enter into eternity healed, whole, and with tremendous joy in our hearts. Just sayin!