Anonymous
ISAIAH 53:1-6
Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
When you think about things that are beautiful, what comes to mind? Do you think about a beautiful sunset? Beautiful green hills all around us in the South Valley? The beauty of a bride and groom? A new baby or grandbaby? special moments spent with loved ones? Or the beauty of watching professional sports, or of your young son‘s grand slam in his little league baseball game, or maybe the beauty of your daughter scoring the winning point in her last soccer game, or the beauty of her fine dance recital performance? Do you think about the beauty of Spring/Easter season with all its lovely pastel colors and blooming flowers? These listed here are all beautiful, and I’m sure you could add your own beautiful thoughts.
While we are thinking about beauty, I want to call your attention to beauty as it relates to what God’s Word has for us today in Isaiah 53:1-6, a Bible passage entitled, “The Suffering Servant.” It is one of the most beautiful and precise prophecies about God‘s work through Christ Jesus that exist in the Old Testament that Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Jesus was born.
Isaiah prophesied how God‘s Servant would die for His people, carrying their guilt as His own to reconcile them to God.
Isaiah begins this chapter writing that few will believe what he is about to prophesy. “The arm of the Lord ” (the strength of the Lord Christ Jesus) would do a great work on earth, but it would be done in a way that few would expect.
Isaiah prophesied that God‘s Servant, the coming Messiah Jesus, would be born “like a root out of dry ground.” He would not be beautiful or immediately appealing to most people. He would be a man of sorrows, not unfamiliar with difficulty.
He would bear our sorrows, but His people would reject him as smitten by God.
He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.
We are all like sheep gone astray; we have turned —every one — to our own way. The Lord God has laid on His Son Christ Jesus our sins.
Isaiah 53:4-6 is about Christ Jesus dying on the cross in our place. This is called “substitutionary atonement” (please don’t let these big words intimidate you!).
This is the center of the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus. Substitutionary atonement refers to Jesus dying as a substitute for sinners. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23 reads “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Not only was Christ the substitute for us, but also He was the atonement, meaning He satisfied the payment due for our sinfulness. The prophecy is very detailed, and the crucifixion happened just as it was foretold “But He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastisement/punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds, we are healed.” Notice the substitution — Christ Jesus paid the price for us!
Thinking about beauty, our first thoughts would not turn to Jesus dying in our place. Yet this is the foundation of our Christian faith. Let’s look at these words in Isaiah that describe how he suffered. He was despised and rejected by men, and not esteemed. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.
This is the beauty. We see the beauty and the blessings and the benefits of what Jesus did for us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
In this passage Isaiah 53:1-6, we see the gospel message in the Old Testament. It goes hand in hand with John 3:16 from the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that He gave his only son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
It is really simple, yet deeply profound. Jesus Christ bore our sins and died for us.
Are you bent on having your own way in life? Some people don’t look rebellious (like sheep that have gone astray) on the outside, but their hearts are far from God. Their rebellion is evidenced simply by the fact that they have tuned God out. He has no say in their life. The truth is Jesus died because of our sins. Jesus came to a world of rebellious people who rejected Him and out of great love, He died for them. The fact is He died for us, too. He took the punishment for sin that we deserved.
This Lent season, reflect on the beauty, blessings and benefits of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice for you, that He suffered and died in your place so that you could have eternal life. You can turn to Him at any time, knowing that He knows what it is to be despised and rejected, to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Jesus knows all about you. He loves you. He suffered and died for you. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Will you humbly turn to Him, and accept His free gift of salvation that is offered through faith in Christ Jesus’ atoning work for your sins? What a beautiful gift Jesus has given us — the gift of eternal life!
In light of what Christ Jesus the Suffering Servant has done for you, will you respond by wholeheartedly surrendering your life and plans to Him, loving Him, following and serving Him each day?
May God bless you as you reflect upon Isaiah 53:1-6 and Jesus’ ultimate gift given for you — He gave up His life so that you could be forgiven of your sins and have eternal life and peace in Christ Jesus. What a BEAUTIFUL GIFT!!!!
“Amazing love! How can it be
that Thou my God should die for me!”
(hymn “And Can It Be, That I Should Gain?” by Charles Wesley 1738) Let us pray.
Prayer Prompts:
Thank Jesus for taking the punishment for your sin, dying in your place, and giving you the gift of eternal life.
Pray for a spirit of gratitude to characterize your day as you reflect on all that Jesus has done for you.
