Vicarious

This morning I am drawn to the reading of Isaiah 53, a prophetic and pivotal chapter close to the centre of the Bible both physically and spiritually. I am not reading it from my regular New King James Version Bible, but from my much prized 1917 Scofield Bible that belonged to my maternal grandfather. My mother gave it to me when I became a born again Christian. I had no idea of its literary and historical significance until much later in my studies, when I kept seeing the name C.I. Scofield mentioned as a famous Bible scholar of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

My memories of my grandfather are confined to one trip made to Fort William, Ontario when I was six years old. I have a few vivid memories of that trip. We travelled through the United States as the faster route in 1954 and there in a restaurant window I saw my first television set. On the marvellous small black and white screen that kept flipping up and down was the wonder dog Lassie. Lassie was saving the twins from the creek for what I believed was the first time. As I grew older, I realized Lassie saved the twins from the creek or some other predicament on a very regular basis. My single most striking memory of my grandfather was his good humour when he took me out in the barn yard in order to “dress” a chicken for dinner. It is no myth that when a chicken’s head is cut off that they can and do run around for a few seconds with no head. He found my reaction to the scene amusing in a kindly and good natured way. It was a different day and sometimes education techniques were very direct, often without worrying about the little psyche of the child. The book mark in my Scofield Edition is my grandfather’s Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen membership card dated in 1958. I believe he died in 1958. I was never to see him again.

The very good news; however, is that I believe I will meet my grandfather in heaven. There are copious notes written in the Bible that would certainly suggest that he was a born again Christian. In Isaiah 53 there is a single word that is written 3 times. This morning I am drawn to verses 5 and 6.

5 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.

6 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.

At verse 5, in the smallest possible print of blue ink applied so many years ago with a straight pen or perhaps a fountain pen, is one word. The word is “vicarious”. The word “vicarious” actually summarizes much of the reason for our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Vicarious means: Done or suffered for others; taking the place of another or the substitution of one person for another. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the horrible punishment that is our due. He became the sacrifice on our behalf so that we may be saved from an eternity of punishment. Instead we are assured, if we believe and act like we believe, of being “healed” by His stripes. We, like sheep, cannot help ourselves. We fall into sin and He was there to take our punishment upon Himself. “Vicarious” is a most appropriate description of the condition in which we find ourselves in our relationship with Jesus.

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