The suffering Christ
Luke 24:25
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Isaiah 53 is one of the most quoted scriptures in the books of the prophets, indeed the whole Holy Bible, concerning Christ and his suffering for our sins.
Let us look at this piece of amazing scripture and go through it line by line to see if we can understand it greater.
Isaiah 53:1-2
¶ Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of YHWH 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.
In the verses before of Isaiah 53 we see the following verse.
Isaiah 52:6-7
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7 ¶ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Therefore, the prophet is asking who hath believed our report, or as the Hebrew translates tidings, or news. The prophet then asks “to whom is the arm,” or the strength of YHWH, revealed? For he, the Messiah, shall grow up as “a tender plant, as a root out of a dry ground.” This relates to the root of Jesse, or the seed of the line of David which Christ, Messiah, shall come out of.
Read Isaiah 11:10.
Isaiah 11:10
And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
The “dry ground” is no doubt a metaphor for dry Israel, and unfaithful Israel.
The prophet continues writing of the Messiah “he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” The man has no form, or goodly form, nor comeliness, or glory, majesty, or honor, and there is no beauty, or fair appearance that we should desire him. To the outsider Christ would seem to be an ordinary man of little prestige.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:3
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.
Messiah is despised by those around him and a rejected of men in general. He is “a man of sorrows” and “acquainted with grief” where ever he goes.
We, his people, “hid our faces from him.” He was “despised” and “we esteemed him not,” or thought nothing of him.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:4
¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Surely Messiah “has borne our griefs,” or lifted our sickness as the Hebrew translates. Messiah will have “carried our sorrows,” or carry a burden of our grief, or pain, both physical and mental.
The prophet continues “yet we did esteem him,” or consider him “stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:5
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.
The Christ was “wounded” or slain, for “our transgressions,” or our sins. He was “bruised for our iniquities,” or crushed, beaten, as the Hebrew says, for our sins.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and YHWH hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
All “we,” all of Israel who are often described in the Holy Bible as sheep, “all we like sheep” have “gone astray,” scattered about, and “we have turned everyone to his own way,” each scattered in all directions walking in his own path. Essentially Isaiah is describing lost sheep. And YHWH, The God of Israel, has laid upon the Messiah the iniquity, the sins of us all. God has laid upon the Christ the sins of the children of Israel.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:7
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.
Messiah was “oppressed,” or pressed under immense pressure, and “afflicted,” and “yet he opened not his mouth” or Messiah did not complain or make any mention of the pain and torment he was facing. The next line says Messiah is brought “as a lamb” to “the slaughter.” He is as a sheep before shearers is dumb, or he cannot speak, so “he opened not his mouth.” Messiah is slaughtered and remained silent throughout.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:8
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.
The Messiah will be imprisoned and judged by men. The prophet asks “who shall declare his generation?” who shall consider or mediate his generation, or those living at that time? Because Messiah was “cut off,” or slain, killed, “out of the land of the living” for “the transgression,” or the sins of “my people,” the people of Israel, all 12 tribes, was he “stricken,” or wounded.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:9
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.
Messiah would die alongside the wicked and make his grave with the rich, but he had committed no violence, nor was guile or deceit in his mouth.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:10
¶ Yet it pleased YHWH 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 YHWH shall prosper in his hand.
Yet is pleased God to afflict Christ, God has put him to grief when he shall make Messiah an offering for sin. YHWH shall see his seed, his children, and the God shall prolong Christ’s days and pleasure of YHWH shall prosper, or succeed mightily in God’s hand.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:11
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.
God shall see the travail of his soul, trouble and labor of Christ, and YHWH shall be satisfied with Christ. By God’s knowledge shall Messiah, the righteous servant of God, justify many, for Messiah shall bear their sins.
The prophet continues.
Isaiah 53:12
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.
Therefore God, YHWH will divide him a portion with great, or chief ones, or most high, and he shall apportion with the mighty many because he poured out his soul unto death and was numbered with the sinners, and bore the burden of sins of the multitudes and made mediation, interceded for the sinners.
Jesus the Messiah who was God with us, who dwelt among men, his people Israel, but most of his people only saw a man, not a Messiah, a man they accused of blasphemy and despised and rejected him. Yet Jesus surely was burdened with their grief and sorrows, and his people considered it not. Jesus was wounded or slain on the cross for Israel’s iniquities and by his stripes, his beatings, his blood, Israel was to be healed.
The scriptures show that Israel was as a scattered sheep and lost in their sins, yet YHWH placed upon Jesus the Lamb of God the sins of Israel and all the sins of the world.
Jesus, though he was rejected and attacked, never reviled back, nor was guile found in his mouth during his time of persecution. Jesus never opened his mouth in protest when attacked, or judged, or put to his death—a bloody death he would willingly face for God to remit the sins of his people and all others by taking all their sins upon himself as a substitute for us all, who should have paid with our lives in the punishment in the fierce wrath of God, which Jesus willingly accepted in our place as a holy sacrifice to YHWH to atone for the sins of his people Israel.
Jesus was taken and forcibly imprisoned and judged before his death, crucified among criminals and sinners. After his death on the cross he was buried in a rich man’s tomb.
But the grave could not hold Jesus, the Son of God, who was raised from the dead on the third day and conquered death, the grave, and Satan, to be raised into glory at the right hand of Almighty God.
Isaiah says YHWH was “pleased” to see his Son suffer and die on the cross for the sins of Israel and all others as “an offering for sin.” YHWH therefore, will prolong his days forever more, and Christ Jesus shall beget children, the many believers in Christ Jesus who Jesus justified by his death in consummating the New Covenant God made with the house of Israel and Judah.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold, the days come, saith YHWH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith YHWH: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith YHWH, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know YHWH: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith YHWH: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
This is the truth of Isaiah 53. There has been no other man, but Jesus who fits all the markers of Isaiah 53. Jesus the Christ is the Messiah of Israel who certainly gave his life for our sins on his cross in 33 A.D. Passover and whom arose from the dead to live forever more and be raised, exalted to the right hand of Almighty God, and reigns in heaven and will come again, to earth to gather all his saints.
Jesus lives, making it possible for Israel to live free from their sins and all persons who join in faith to the New Covenant, or New Testament, of Jesus the Christ!
Heavenly Father, we thank you for your prophets who make it crystal clear that Jesus was, and is, the Messiah, and is your Son, the Son of God who willingly gave his life a ransom for our sins to set the captives free from sin, liberating us to a new life in this present life on earth and in the next to come in your promise of everlasting life.
We thank you Lord Jesus for your death, atoning blood sacrifice on the cross!
We praise your holy name and exalt you for all your amazing love, grace, and mercy! You alone are worthy of all praise!
Do you know about Jesus?
He is the Christ!
He died for your sins!
There is power in his holy name!
Will you put your faith in Jesus?
Will you be baptized for your sins?
Will you be covered by his atoning blood of the lamb?