Let's muse

Another John Piper quote - this time on Isaiah 53

"By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? " (verse 8)

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And what was the response of his generation when he was cut off? Isaiah said, "Who considered it?" "As for his generation, who considered . . . " The word "considered" is not a word for "notice" or "perceive." It's a word for muse or ponder or meditate. The point seems to be: we can see the greatest event in the world happening, and yet not see it. We can hear without hearing. We have an incredible capacity for assessing spiritual things wrongly. And one of our greatest weaknesses—more today than ever probably—is that we do not meditate on the great things. We do not stop and ponder the things of God.

So let us learn from Isaiah's indictment of the generation of Jesus: consider, ponder, muse, meditate, reflect, study, contemplate the great things—and this is the greatest of all: the Servant of the Lord was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgressions of his people.