Isaiah53
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed ? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised , and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken , smitten of God, and afflicted . 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed . 6 All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed , and he was afflicted , yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb , so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief : when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied : by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors ; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied : by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors ; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. These last two verse are interesting, how is it that by his knowledge shall the messiah justify many when we are told in the new testament that it is the blood of Jesus by which we are justified? Well simply this, without the knowledge of who Jesus is and what he has done for you and I we cannot come to the rock and be broken upon it. Without the knowledge if the Messiah we cannot accept the sacrifice of the Messiah, and confess that Jesus is Lord. This is entirely consistant with this verse for in the very next lines the verse says that he shall bear their iniquities. Let’s stop and pause here. I want you to close your eyes. Imagine that week. It started on the first day of the week (sunday) Jesus Riding on a colt (young donkey) that has not been broken yet, rides into Jerusalem, on the way the Children of Israel take Palm branches and spread their coats and they cry out, Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai (In English Blessed is he who cometh in the Name of The Lord.) To all intents and purposes to those looking on Jesus is about to set up His Kingdom, and so many expect it. Yet days start going past and there is no move made for the expected kingdom, in fact we find in Matthew 23 Jesus stands weeping over Jerusalem and lamenting all that she has done to the prophets, and so as days go onward, and the jealousy of the priests and Pharisees over Jesus popularity increases one of his disciples is starting to think he needs to nudge things along, and so makes an agreement with the chief priests that he betray his master. The priests readily grab the opportunity, and this disciple gets paid handsomely. Jesus knowing what is coming warns his disciples to watch and be ready, and yet on Thursday night they are found to be totally unprepared, and after the Passover meal, the one disciple leaves the rest to go and do the dirty deed of betrayal, and Jesus take three further into the garden with him and tells those three to watch and pray with him, yet three times he comes back and instead of watching and praying these disciples are asleep. The strain is so great that Jesus has been sweating great drops of blood. The capillaries near the skin have burst and into the sweat glands pours blood instead of salt water. Five days ago everyone was clamouring for Him to be King, and now he is alone, in a group but alone, and after the initial confusion of the arrest not one of his disciples even are left to make defence for him at his trial. Betrayal upon betrayal is heaped upon him, and throwing darts into his bosom. Yet he keeps his eyes on the prize the Salvation of you, the salvation of me and though the weight of sin His disciple comes betrays with a kiss. The priests betray him, through not recognizing that He is the Messiah. The disciples betray him, by running away, and Peter through the course of the night betrays him, by denying him three times. Judas realising what he has done, and seeing that Jesus was letting them abuse him and send him to his death, realised that he had betrayed innocent blood and tried to undo what he had done, but to no avail for the prophecies must be fulfilled. Not knowing what else to do, Judas went and hanged himself. Peter on the other hand ended the night weeping in the garden where a few hours earlier Jesus had been praying so earnestly and painfully. The People were to betray Jesus by Crying that they had no King, but Caesar and then that Pilate should crucify Jesus. Truly did Jesus see the travail of his soul. On the Cross he Cries out Father forgive them for they know not what they do. And then Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (or MY God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?) . Sin Separates, the love of God binds together. Truly did Jesus suffer, and yet all through his trial and he was quiet, never defending himself, never once opening his mouth to accuse those around him, though he so justly could have condemned every single one of them. On the Cross He hangs and forgives his tormentors. He’s satisfied for he knows that he is paying the price that each one of us so richly deserves. Only He the Son of God, and Son of Man, fully God, fully man could pay the price. Yet now He sees you and I being drawn and Saved by faith in Him. By the next First day of the week, He rose from the Dead and was triumphant. In His death He made His grave with the Rich, (He was given Joseph’s brand new tomb) and was yet was labelled a criminal after
a criminal’s death an awful torturous and agonising death. Yet as a conquering King He will divide the spoil (in this instance the spoil being the inhabitants of the earth and those who are faithful to God, they being named in another place the Jewels of God’s crown). In Christ then we too now are more than conquerors, for we serve a risen saviour. Many there are who will try to explain His death and resurrection, and even deny his resurrection, but to do so is to deny Our Lord. Others try to deny that this passage is a Messianic chapter, and still others expect this chapter to still be fulfilled, yet we cannot do that.
Challenge: Contemplate the following Hymn and remember that it was for you and for me that He suffered that torturous death:
Look upon Jesus, sinless is he, Father impute his life unto me, my life of scarlet, my sin and woe Cover with his life, whiter than snow.
Chorus: Cover with His life, whiter than snow; fullness of Hios life then shall I know; my life of scarlet my sin and woe,
Cover with His life, whiter than Snow.
Deep are the wounds transgression has made; Red are the stains; my soul is afraid. O to be covered, Jesus with thee, safe from the law that now judgeth me!
Chorus
Longing the joy of pardon to know; Jesus holds out a robe white as snow; “Lord I accept it! Leaving my own, Gladly I wear Thy pure life alone.”
Chorus
Reconciled by His death for my sin, Justified by His life pure and clean, sanctified by obeying His word, Glorified when returneth my Lord.
Chorus.
One you have contemplated that Hymn; try to put into practice what it says. ‘Look upon Jesus’ how can you do that when you do not see him physically before you? By daily study of his word and by usage of your spirit eyes for he has promised, never to leave us nor forsake us, and lo He is with us even unto the end of the world. I challenge you to ‘look upon Jesus this day.
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