📖 From the Bible
People looked down on him and pushed him away. They turned their faces from him. They thought he didn’t matter. But he took on our pain and our hurt. We thought God was the one who had struck him.
3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him. 4Surely he has borne our sickness and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted.
This is how we tell this passage to kids. The exact words of the Bible are under “As it is in the Bible”.
Isaiah 53:3-4 · Scripture: World English Bible Updated (public domain)
A friend has a broken arm, and his backpack is heavy as a rock. You pick it up, put it on your back, and carry it all the way home. Nobody asked you to. You just want to make things easier for him. Today’s story is about someone who did the same thing, only on a much bigger scale.
A prophet named Isaiah once wrote about someone God was going to send into the world. A prophet is a person who passed on God’s words to people. This someone wasn’t strong or good-looking. He had no big army. People didn’t even notice him. They turned their faces away. They thought he was worth nothing. It would have been easy to just walk past him.
And yet he had an amazing job. Isaiah writes that he took on our pain and our hurt. People thought it was his own fault. The truth was different. He suffered because of us. All of us sometimes wander off on our own, like lost sheep. And he took on the wrong things we do. He didn’t complain. He hadn’t done anything wrong himself.
Jesus lived many years after Isaiah wrote this. We Christians believe these words describe Him. Jesus did nothing wrong, and still He died on a cross. He did it because He loves people. He took on the mess we make, so we could start fresh. That’s how God showed us how much He loves people.
Did you know?
The oldest copy of the book of Isaiah that we have is more than a hundred years older than Jesus. It’s a scroll found near the Dead Sea, a long strip of skin written by hand. Someone wrote these words down long before He was born. And when Jesus lived, a lot of people saw that His story fit these sentences.
Look at Jesus
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” That’s exactly what the person in Isaiah’s words does. Jesus gave His life for us, and He is alive. Whatever heavy thing you’re carrying today, you can tell Him about it.
What about you?
Think about who at home is carrying something heavy today. Your mom or dad with the grocery bags? Your older brother or sister who lost a game and feels down? A younger one who can’t get the homework to work? You don’t have to do something huge. Take the bag. Sit down next to them. Ask if you can help. Little things like that are a bit like what Jesus did: someone takes on a piece of another person’s heavy load.
Let’s talk about it
- Who helped you carry something heavy lately, maybe not in a backpack, but in your heart?
- Who at home could you make things easier for today? Or can you think of something else?
- Why do you think people turn away from someone who’s hurting?
Today’s challenge
Ask someone at home today: “How can I help you?” And do it without complaining.
Prayer
Jesus, thank You that You took on our pain because You love us. Teach me to help other people carry what’s heavy for them. Amen.
Tap when you have prayed.