Skip to main content

308. The Image of the Suffering Servant

Isaiah 52:13-53:12, 1 Peter 2:19-25
Key Verse: "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed."
1 Peter 2:24

As I read testimonies of Jews who have come to accept and believe in Yeshua, (Jesus), as Messiah, this passage of scripture, Isaiah 53, is credited, by them, more often than any other as the most convincing portion of Old Testament scripture that Jesus is The Christ, the anointed One, who was destined to suffer to enable the forgiveness of sin. There is rabbinic tradition that tries to explain Isaiah 53 as referring to the suffering of Israel, collectively, as a nation. However, when one is faced with the clear descriptions of the Suffering Servant in this text and then compares that description with what actually took place at the cross, the conclusion is hard to deny.

There is debate over when, exactly, this passage of scripture from Isaiah was written. More conservative scholars, who believe that Isaiah authored the entire book, would place this passage of scripture more than seven hundred years before Christ. More liberal scholars, who believe that the book of Isaiah actually had more than one author, will put this portion of Isaiah later, closer to the exile. Whether it was seven hundred or six hundred years ago is not as important as the fact that either way, it was written more than half a millennia before Jesus walked the earth and it is a prophecy of the Suffering Servant as Messiah for Israel and the world. This passage, more than any, may explain Jesus' frustration with the Jewish leadership, because they knew this passage well, yet, as it states what they would do, "He was despised and rejected," by them. (Isaiah 53:3)

On the cross, He was dying for us, yet the crowd mocked Him as cursed by God. (Is. 53:4) "His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and His form marred beyond any human likeness." (Is. 52:14) From the beatings and the flogging, scholars believe that Jesus face had been reduced to a bloody, swollen mass, making Him unrecognizable. Before Pilate He was silent, much to Pilate's frustration. He was despised and rejected by us, yet we esteemed Him not. (Is 53:3) He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we justified our actions against Him by claiming that He was "stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted." (Is 53:4) (Is. 53:7) As we shall see, He was buried with the wicked and the rich." (Is. 53:9) "Though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth."

Yet, as with Psalm 22, Isaiah does not leave us without hope. It explains, "Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, (the church), and prolong His days, and the Will of the Lord will prosper in His hand." (Is. 53:10) Again, though it looked bleak, He is in control. He wins in the end. He is the conqueror over death and sin. "After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities." (Is. 53:11) That was the point. That's why He came to exchange His peace for our sin.

Hymn: Come To Calvary's Holy Mountain"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

October 27 Save the Glaze for the Bunny

Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips of an evil heart. A malicious man disguises himself with his lips. But in his heart, he harbors deceit. Though his speech is charming, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it. If a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him. ~Proverbs 26:23-28 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths or to the commands of those who reject the truth. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 16 Thick Skinned Love

Whoever covers over an offence promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. ~Proverbs 17:9 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. ~Matthew 18:15  The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ~1 Peter 4:7-8  Being offended seems to be the battle cry of the day. Instead of freedom of speech, everyone has the right not to be offended. If one is offended, then one has the right to exact vengeance on the offender because, of course, the offender KNEW that he or she was being offensive and just didn’t care. Is that how you see much of society behaving today?  There seems to be all of this offending and finger pointing that just keeps growing and growing. Nothing is being resolved, just more blame that grows louder a...
Post a Comment
Read more