A special set of verses for today

Today I go to see The Passion of the Christ. I hadn't meant to leave it this long, but it now seems quite fitting that I should see it today, the day before Good Friday.

In preparation for the experience of seeing the Passion played out before my eyes, I have been reading in Isaiah 53. It is fascinating now to read this with the Passion of Christ in mind, for though I have always known that this was the subject of this passage, it has taken on new meaning -- and I haven't even seen the film yet! Just being more aware of it, perhaps, has given this passage a badly-needed freshness...

This is just a portion of the passage of Isaiah 53, worth reading every day, but especially during this Easter-time...

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed....

My thoughts on the Passion...

After seeing the film today, I sat down and started writing a report of what I had seen and liked about the film. It turned into an interesting combination of favorite scenes and how the whole thing impacted me personally.

Spoilers for those who have not yet seen it...

( A Musing after seeing Mel Gibson's the Passion )