Isaiah 53, Lord's Supper

Mark Dunagan
06/30/02 - Sunday Morning

Isaiah 53

As we approach this chapter we need to be impressed with the following facts:  It was written long before Jesus was born.  It is a historical fact that this chapter was in existence at least 250 years before the arrival of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Hebrew Scriptures (including Isaiah) had been translated into the Greek language during the reign of Ptolemy Philadephus (285-246 B.C.).   Isaiah 53 reads exactly as Isaiah wrote it:  The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date 200-100 years before Jesus was born, contain a copy of the book of Isaiah.  In comparing the Isaiah text of Isaiah 53 found among the Dead Sea Scrolls with the Hebrew text of the same chapter that was used in the King James Version, “Of the 166 words in Isaiah 53, there are only seventeen letters in question.  Ten of these letters are simply a matter of spelling, which does not affect the sense.  Four more letters are minor stylistic changes, such as conjunctions.  The remaining three letters comprise the word "light", which is added in verse 11, and does not affect the meaning greatly” (Evidence That Demands A Verdict. Josh McDowell p. 58).  Jesus’ life perfectly matched this chapter: He was born into difficult circumstances (53:2). Was not interested in worldly fame and glory (53:2), people rejected Him (53:3), crucified and scourged Him (53:5), He claimed to be dying for the sins of the world (53:6), was silent before His accusers (53:7).  Injustice was committed during His trial (53:8), He was buried in a rich man's tomb (53:9), did not deserve to be put to death (53:9), was crucified between two criminals (53:12), claimed to rise from the dead (53:10), and claimed to be the only mediator between God and men (53:12).

The Suffering Servant:  53:1-3

53:1 “Who has believed our message?”: Here we see not only the anguish of the prophet, but also God’s anguish.  Even though the "arm of the Lord" (God's power) had been manifested in countless miracles (Acts 4:30); relatively few of Jesus' contemporaries believed in Him (John 12:37-38; Romans 10:16). 53:2 “He grew up before Him”: He grew up as normal child (Luke 2:52). As He grew, God's favor would always be with Him (Luke 2:40).  Yet it looked like the odds were decidedly against Him.  He came from lowly conditions (Luke 2:22-24).  The nation of Israel was "dry" politically, morally, and religiously when he was born (Matthew 3:7), and the proud monarchy once held by the family of David was now in the hands of Herod (Isaiah 11:1).53:2 “No stately form or majesty”: “No regal adornments such as the people desire, but only an unimposing peasant carpenter from a small obscure village in Galilee” (Hailey p. 437).  (Mark 6:3).  He had none of the "professional" and or "upper crust" credentials that impress people (John 7:15; 52).  “No splendid surroundings, no regal pomp or splendor” (P.P. Comm. p. 295).  Jesus did not act like the "great ones" of the world (John 6:15). 53:3 “He was despised and forsaken of men”: He was accused by His enemies of breaking the Sabbath (John 5:16); having a demon (John 8:48); being a Samaritan (8:48); working for Satan (Matt. 12:24); blasphemy (John 10:33); and loose living (Matt. 11:19).  He was the stone that the builders rejected (Acts 4:11).  He was so despised, that the people selected a terrorist to be spared, and for Jesus to die instead (Acts 3:14).  He was even forsaken by his own disciples (Matthew 26:56). 53:3 “A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”: Jesus shed tears on many occasions (Luke 19:41; John 11:35; Hebrews 5:7).  He knew mental, emotional, and physical pain.  The side reference points out that "grief" could also mean "sickness".  Jesus was often present when the most heart-wrenching human tragedies had happened (Luke 7:12; 8:41-42; John 5:1--5; 9:1, 21-22). 53:3 “Like one from whom men hide their face”:“They treated the most important Person in the world as someone to be ignored” (Jackson p. 107). 53:3 “And we did not esteem Him”:  That is, "we" the nation.  What a tragic statement.  God came to His own people, and they ignored Him (John 1:10-11).  God allowed His own Son to die and suffer for our sins, and nobody even thanked Him.  53:4 “Our griefs He Himself bore”: “This context reflects the awareness of believers who contemplate what the Messiah has done for them” (Jackson p. 107).  The New Testament writers applied this verse to Jesus healing those with diseases (Matthew 8:16-17).  “Physical diseases and infirmities are the consequence of man's violation of God's physical and spiritual law” (p. 438).  We (mankind) opened the door for the existence of such things in our world (Genesis 3:19).  Carefully note that no human being can complain about physical disease, seeing that we all share responsibility for its existence (Romans 3:23). 53:4 “Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken”: A phrase that should impress us with the relatively unimportance of human opinion.  People looked at the Son of God and they thought He had the problem.  Isaiah 53:4 “Smitten of God, and afflicted”: The people actually thought that Jesus was suffering for sins that He had committed (Matthew 27:39-44)  Young writes, “Instead of understanding the true reason for His suffering, we regarded Him as one punished by God.  Actually the reverse should have been the case. We should have been horror-struck ourselves, the guilty ones, and filled with loving admiration for Him, the innocent sin-bearer” (Isaiah. Edward J. Young. Volume III. p. 346).

The Reason Why He Suffered:  53:5-6

53: 5 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions”: In contrast to erroneous human opinion (53:4), here is the real reason for His suffering.  The word "pierced" means 'to bore through', and is prophetic of the type of death He endured, crucifixion (Psalm 22:16 “They pierced my hands and my feet”; Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37).  Sin is labeled here "transgression", for sin is a violation of Divine law (1 John 3:4).  Sin is not merely failing to live up to human expectations, so that we can casually dismiss it by saying, “Well excuse me for living” or “No one is perfect”. Sin is violating an eternal standard of right and wrong.  53:5 “Crushed”: This indicates the severity of His suffering, including the emotional and mental strain of the entire salvation of everyone who has and will ever live resting on His shoulders (Luke 22:44). 53:5 “For our well-being fell upon Him”: The word "well-being" can also mean "peace".  The price of peace with God is the blood of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:13-14).  Our temporary rebellion to God is not something of which we should be proud (Romans 6:21). 53:5 “Scourging”: (1 Peter 2:24).  The beating that Jesus received prior to His death is the beating that every sinner deserved (Matthew 27:26,30).  His was not a quick and easy death.  His was not a death in which the system bent over backwards to guard His rights.  For all practical purposes, all His rights were violated or ignored (Matthew 27:59,67; 27:27-31).  53:6 “All of us like sheep have gone astray”: The word "all" acknowledges the fact that all have sinned (Romans 3:23).  It also indicates individual responsibility.  “Notice that the prophet does not suggest that we were born astray, rather, we have gone astray”(Jackson p. 108)  (1 Peter 2:25). 53:6 “Each of us has turned to his own way”: Revealing that the heart of sin is selfishness, “his own way”.  Doing your own thing has always been a popular idea among men and women (Judges 21:25), for it glorifies the individual, yet it does not look so trendy when such a mindset resulted in Jesus dying on the cross.  53:6 “Has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him”: Jesus died for all men (1 Timothy 2:6).  Therefore, every sinner contributed towards the necessity of His death, in simple terms we all nailed Him to the cross (Romans 5:8).

How He Suffered:  53:7-9

53:7 “Oppressed and afflicted”: This indicates the terrible treatment received at the hands of His enemies (Psalm 22:6-13). 53:7 “Yet He did not open His mouth”: (Matthew 27:14; Luke 23:9).  “No self-defense or protest issued from His mouth”(Young p. 351).   While Jesus spoke at various points during His trial (Matthew 26:64; 27:11; John 19:11), we never find Him making a formal or legal defense of His innocence.  Jesus knew that the cross was His destiny (Luke 19:10; Matthew 27:54). No defense was given, because it had been the eternal plan for Jesus to die for the sins of the world (Ephesians 3:11).  Jesus did not lash out at His tormentors (1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats”).  It is one thing to suffer and realize that you are completely helpless to do anything about the situation.  But Jesus suffered, even though He had the power to completely destroy all His enemies (Matthew 26:53). Peter notes that this example of patient suffering, serves as our example (1 Peter 2:20-21).  It tells the Christian that "suffering" never gives one the right to make everyone else miserable.  It also should remind us that "injustices" never give us the right to behave like unbelievers (1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your behavior excellent”).  The example of Jesus should remind us that by comparison, we have not suffered, and we have been treated with a kindness that we do not deserve (Psalm 103:10).  53:8 'By oppression and judgment He was taken away”: The word "oppression" may suggest confinement; the judgment against Him was unjust.  Hailey notes, “The unfair judicial treatment of the Servant is now graphically foreshadowed, by a violent miscarriage of justice He was led away to death.  Pilate's verdict that Jesus was innocent ("I find no crime in him"), which he repeated three times (John 18:38; 19:4,6), was in effect reversed when "he delivered Him to be crucified" (John 19:16)” (p. 439-440). 53:8 “Who considered--for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?” The word "cut off" suggests the violent and tragic nature of His death.  The wisdom of the times completely missed the significance of Jesus' death.  What Jesus suffered was the punishment "due", including that due to the Jewish nation. 53:9 “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death”: Those crucified were ordinarily buried in disgrace.  Without working a miracle, without violating human free will, Jesus was buried in the tomb owned by a rich man. God knew that Joseph of Arimathaea, of his own doing, would finally put his faith into practice, come forward, and ask for the body (Mark 15:43-46; John 19:38; Matthew 27:57-60).  Notice how Divine foreknowledge does not interfere with human choice (Acts 2:23; 3:17-19). 53:9 “Because He had done no violence”: Jesus was completely truthful in His actions and words, suggesting that this Servant was completely innocent.  This section of Scripture also infers that for the death of Jesus to atone for our sins (53:5-6,8), He had to be completely free from sin.  Hence this section of Scripture was hinting that the Messiah would be sinless, therefore much more than just a man (1 Peter 2:22).  In fact, Peter quotes Isaiah 53:9 and renders it, “and committed no sin”.

The Aftermath:  53:10-13

53:10 “The Lord was pleased”: In the sense that God realized that such a sacrifice truly atoned for human sin. 53:10 “Render Himself as a guilt offering”: The KJV adds "his soul".  Here is why the blood of Christ can accomplish something that the blood of animals and the blood of men cannot.  Sin is so bad that it took the voluntary, self-sacrifice, of One Who is eternal and sinless to forgive sin (Hebrews 9:14).  Think about that the next time you are tempted to sin. 53:10 “See His offspring”: Here we find ourselves in prophecy!  The offspring of Jesus will be His spiritual descendants (Acts 11:26; 1 Corinthians 11:1). 53:10 “Prolong His days”: How do you prolong the days of a dead man?  Here we find a hint concerning the resurrection. 53:10 “The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand”: This indicates that this Servant will be raised to "rule", for He was raised to see that the will of God is carried out (Acts 2:29-31; Ephesians 1:20-23). 53:11 “By His knowledge...will justify the many”: Here we find:  Knowledge will be linked with salvation (Romans 10:17; John 6:44-45).  Jesus did not merely die for His own generation, but He died for the many.  He will continue to act as a Savior, even after He was raised (Hebrews 7:24-25).53:12 “He will divide the booty with the strong”: Indicating He will be a King with a Kingdom (Revelation 19:16; Hebrews 12:28), at His resurrection an enemy was defeated (Hebrews 2:14-15; John 12:31; Revelation 1:17-18). 53:12 “He poured out Himself to death”: Pointing to the voluntary, purposeful, and planned nature of His death (John 10:18). 53:12 “Numbered with the transgressors”: That is, crucified between two criminals (Luke 22:37; Mark 15:27-28).  The end of the verse mentions the fact that Jesus made intercession for the transgressors.  Which He still does to this very day (Hebrews 7:25).

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017

www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com