Short Summary of Isaiah 53 Part 1

Copyright Paul D. 2012

Three questions Chapter 53 contains 3 questions. Who has believed our report? ...to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? And who will declare His generation? The three questions are meant to help us understand the meaning of this chapter. Those who were contemporaries of Christ were in great confusion concerning His identity and the purpose of His death on the Cross. Through these questions, Isaia helps the honest reader better understand who the Messiah truly was. Humility Christ was completely and perfectly humble. In His human nature, He chose to be as a tender plant, with no form or comeliness. For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him,There is no beauty that we should desire Him. (v.2) His humility was met by contempt from his fellow countrymen. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (v. 3) In response to the humbleness of Christ, our humility is an essential prerequisite before we approach the sacred text of this chapter. Confusion Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Christ. It was to be expected that Isaiahs writings would be well known, and that the nation of Israel would not be in error regarding the Messiah. However, this was not so. The leaders of Israel were dedicated to either the greco-roman culture, or the Talmud. Consequently, they considered the Messiah was justly punished by God, Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (v.4) Substitution The Lord Jesus took our place of punishment before God, when He took on Himself the wrath of God against our sin. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (v. 5,6) For He shall bear their iniquities. (v. 11) Impeccable in Suffering He was the Lamb of God who suffered the horrors of torture in silence. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth (v. 7).