All

“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 53:6

This verse in Isaiah 53 starts and ends with the same word: all. All is an encompassing word. There are no exclusions. The first all in this verse seems a bit grim by itself. It says that all of us have fallen off the path. All of us have strayed away. All of us have left God’s way to follow our own. Not just the axe murderers and those on death row, but also the teachers, the businessmen, the preachers and the little old ladies down the street. You get the picture. If we are counting on our own merit, nobody qualifies. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23). Yes, all. 

But then, sandwiched between the two “alls” is that little three-letter word: yet. The word “yet” causes a pivot. Like a basketball player with one foot planted, yet turns the direction of the game. We have all missed the mark, yet, the Bible says, “The Lord laid on him the sins of us all.” Jesus stepped up to the plate. He took the blame and the punishment for something he didn’t do. He stood before the Father as one after another God charged Him with the sins of not just the light offenders among us, but the sins of us all. And Jesus knowingly and willingly took the blame and paid the penalty.

What kind of incredible love does such a thing? The love of a God who is so obsessed with reconciliation that He provided a pathway back to Him paved with His own blood. We may have left God’s path to follow our own, but because of the selfless sacrifice of the Son of God, we can choose the path of forgiveness that leads us back to Him.