according to plan (Isaiah 53:9-10)

Isaiah 53:9-10a

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief.

Jesus was condemned as a criminal although he was totally innocent in word and deed. He didn't just suffer, he died and was buried (with a rich man in his death - fulfilled by Jesus burial in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb, see Matt 27:57-60). Why did this massive "injustice" happen. It wasn't an accident. It happened because it was God's will - it was God's rescue plan.

Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to  he definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

do you understand? (Isaiah 53:8)

Isaiah 53:8

By oppression and judgement he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

Jesus' generation saw his death happen, they heard him talk about it, they knew the prophecies. But they did not consider it - think about it, reflect on it, understand it's meaning. The same is true today. Most people are aware that Jesus died but don't know why. Maybe they've even heard that he died "for us" in someway but they do not consider why that matters. Without the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to the meaning of the gospel, we may hear it as a fact but will be blind to it's message.

He chose the cross (Isaiah 53:7)

Isaiah 53:7

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Jesus could have spoken up in his own defense at his trial, as the accusations against him were false and conflicting. Jesus could have spoken a single word and, the same voice that brought creation into existence, could have destroyed his opponents, or called down armies of angels or brought himself down from the cross. Think about how outraged we feel when we have false accusations made against us. Even though none of them will come anywhere close to this situation, we are desperate to defend ourselves, to set the record straight. Jesus didn't. He remained silent. He chose the cross.

In Acts 8, the Ehtiopian eunuch is reading this passage from Isaiah and doesn't understand it. Phillip, starting from these verses, "told him the good news about Jesus." (Acts 8:35). Phillip probably said something similar to Peter's reflections on the same themes in 1 Peter 2:22-25

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

substitution (Isaiah 53)

sub·sti·tute 

a person or thing acting or serving in place of another.

to put (a person or thing) in the place of another.

The heart of the message of the cross is substitution. Jesus took our place. This is reinforced again and again in Isaiah 53:

• v4 surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows 
• v5 he was wounded for our transgressions
• v5 he was crushed for our iniquities
• v5 upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace
• v5 with his stripes we are healed
• v6 the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all
• v8 he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people
• v11 he shall bear their iniquities
• v12 he bore the sin of many 
   

There was an exchange. He took our sin. he gave us his righteousness. Amazing!

wandering (Isaiah 53:6)

Isaiah 53:6

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.

We are like sheep, wandering off from the shepherd, turning away from the one who cares for us, provides for us and protects us because we've seen some bit of grass that looks better than the piece we're currently on. Sheep are essentially stupid animals, and so are we. We don't realise that we are turning away from the one who gives us life, setting ourselves on a trajectory towards death. We have all done this. This verse is clear, every one of us has turned away from God. We deserve to be left wandering, but instead, the good shepherd came looking for us, and God laid our iniquity on him

wounded for us (Isaiah 53:5)

Isaiah 53:5

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

We start off in a bad place in this verse. We have transgressed - rebelling against our creator, wanting to go our own way. We are also in iniquity, guilty.  Everything we do is twisted and tainted by our selfish, sinful motives. We have not only failed God but also rejected him. 


But, amazingly, by the end of this verse we are in a much better position. We have peace - completeness, contentment, restoration of our relationship with God. And we are healed - brought from death into life.


How did this dramatic turnaround happen? It happened because Jesus was wounded, dying a brutal death in our place. It happened because Jesus was crushed and broken so that we could be restored. It happened because Jesus was chastised, taking God's wrath that our rebellion deserved.

That is God's great love for us. He suffered violence so that we can have peace. He died so that we can have eternal life.

we don't get what we deserve (Isaiah 53:4)

Isaiah 53:4

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.

Often we can look at others and we want God to judge them, we want them to get what we think they deserve for their sin. We want to see God teaching them a lesson. No doubt the majority of the crowd at Jesus crucifixion were doing the same thing with Jesus. They judged that he was being punished by God for what he had said and taught. If that wasn't the case, if Jesus didn't deserve it, if he hadn't done anything wrong then why wouldn't God have protected him from this brutal death?

The reality is that Jesus didn't deserve the cross but he chose it, protecting us from the death we do deserve.

man of sorrows (Isaiah 53:3)

Isaiah 53:3

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.

• despised - I used to despise the name of Jesus, recoil a bit at it's use. The use of the name in a conversation makes often makes people uncomfortable. Would you sacrifice anything to rescue someone who despised you? He sacrificed his own life for those, including me, who despised him.
• rejected by men - we rejected him we should be rejected by him. Instead, he endured rejection so that we can be accepted.
• man of sorrows - the creator of the universe experiencing sorrow and shame so that we can have eternal joy
• acquainted with grief - God did not have to acquaint himself with grief, but he did so that the suffering we experience now is a light and momentary affliction compared to the eternal weight of glory that lies ahead
• men hide their faces - we did not want him, he pursued us. If he had not loved us first we would still refuse him!
• esteemed him not - though he deserves the highest esteem, honour and glory from us, we consider ourselves on a level with him. the creator says something but, even though I am a created being, I think I know better, I think that I'm a special case. I esteem myself more highly than God.

This is the shocking nature of what happened on the cross.

judging a book by it's cover (Isaiah 53:2)

Isaiah 53:2a

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.

Jesus didn't appear in power and glory but in humility as a baby that had to grow up, experiencing everything we experienced but without sin. The incarnation was like a root coming up out of dry ground - life in the midst of spiritually dead people, light in the midst of darkness.

Jesus' earthly life didn't happen as we might expect - 30 years in obscurity. 3 years of public ministry during which at times he was popular but at others offended the crowds that were following him. People welcoming him into Jerusalem as a king and then a week later shouting for his death. To an outside observer he was, at best, someone who had a bit of potential as a leader, but wasted it. Someone who needed a better pr manager. That's because man looks at the outside appearance but God looks at the heart - the substance. We judge success on how things look to the outside. Jesus kingdom, during the time of his earthly life, did not look powerful or impressive, but at the heart of it was the all powerful creator God carrying out his plan to rescue mankind from their own deliberate disobedience.

strong? (Isaiah 53:1)

Isaiah 53:1

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

The arm of the Lord is often associated with strength. Isaiah begins this section of his prophecy about the suffering servant with the question about who has believed and had the "arm of the Lord" revealed to them. the suffering servant sounds, and would appear, anything but strong. This seems like weakness. Who would believe it? But God's power is revealed in apparent weakness. The bruised, crushed, afflicted servant that Isaiah is about to describe is the greatest show of God's strength possible - God himself, become man to die in our place and destroy Satan, sin and death!