Isaiah 53:3-6, 12b - Pierced and Persecuted
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
Church:
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Today we are going to go through one of my favorite chapters of the Bible - Isaiah 53. There are many reasons that I love this chapter. One is that it shows God’s omniscience - or that He is all knowing. It speaks in vivid detail of crucifixion. The thing is, this is an outlandishly amazing description because, you see, crucifixion wasn’t even invented yet when Isaiah wrote this book.
The book of Isaiah was written between 700-681 BC. The earliest historical account of crucifixion we have is during the late 6th century BC around 519 BC when King Darius crucified 3,000 of his enemies. So we can see that this description given to us today is 160+ years before crucifixion was likely even invented.
Praise be to our God Who is beyond all time and Who knows everything.
But there is another reason I love this chapter as well. I love this chapter because it shows us what Christ did for us so that we can be saved. There is no greater love than what Christ showed for us on the cross. With that being said, let’s dive into our Scripture for today.
Read Full Scripture:
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.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
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.
Isaiah 53:12b (ESV)
...yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Prayer
Today we will see three distinct truths in regards to the Suffering Savior - namely Jesus Christ. The first is…
I. The Suffering Savior Was Persecuted (3)
I. The Suffering Savior Was Persecuted (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.
The God of all the universe came down and took on human flesh - namely Jesus Christ. He deserved all honor and glory. No one was or is above Him. Yet He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was despised and we esteemed him not.
Some here may scoff and say - come on Isaiah - why do you say ‘we.’ Don’t include me in that - I wasn’t there at the crucifixion. And you wrote this letter some 700+ years before the crucifixion so how do you include yourself in that ‘we’ as well?
Isaiah uses the term ‘we’ because he knows the condition of man’s heart - including his own. Romans 3:10-11 lets us know that no one is good - not even one. We most likely would have been right there with the Jews crying, “Crucify Him!” We would have been like them - thinking that they were doing the right thing and yet despising the Son of God.
Why was Jesus persecuted? He didn’t fit the stereotype Messiah that the Jews were hoping for. They had in mind a kingly leader who would deliver them from Rome. And yet, here Christ came as a servant to all with a goal to deliver them from sin instead.
They sought deliverance from a DICTATOR. He came to deliver them from DEATH.
Christ came to earth in human form as a man of suffering and not as a man exercising dominion. The Jews did not appreciate or like the Messiah that had been sent to them. They wanted Christ to be different. Therefore Christ was not esteemed by them. He was rejected.
My friends, is this not a problem even today? Do many try to make Christ what they want Him to be? How many people have you heard say things like, “My god would never send people to Hell.” Or, “My god is only love and never judges others.” Or, my god not only accepts people as they are - but he doesn’t ask them to change and be more like him.”
Man has an inherent disdain and hatred for God. He has wanted to be a god since the Fall of man. And because of this man continues to try to shape God into his own image.
The Bible has an answer to those who say that their god won’t do certain things that the Bible says God will and does do.
The Bible would answer them that they are correct. Their gods would not judge or send people to Hell. Why? Because, frankly, their gods are not real. They are nothing more than idols and those who worship these false gods are idolaters who worship themselves and their own ideas and call it worshiping God.
Luke 6:46 says:
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Brothers and sisters, the world is set on the things of the flesh and not the things of God. Romans 8:7 spells this out for us:
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
The mind of the world is set on sin. Those who are set on the flesh cannot submit to God in obedience. The cannot love the Lord Jesus Christ. So they instead continue on as enemies of God. Which is exactly what happened with Israel.
Jesus is walking in their midst. He casts out demons, heals, performs miracles - each of these done to confirm that He is the true Messiah. And what does most of Isreal do? They lash out at Him and persecute Him. And eventually… they pierce Him. Which brings us to our next point…
Scripture References: Romans 3:10-11, Luke 6:46, Romans 8:7
II. The Suffering Savior Was Pierced (4-6)
II. The Suffering Savior Was Pierced (4-6)
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah gives us a quick change-up here. If any of you are baseball players you might understand what I mean. A pitcher will often throw a change up after some fastballs in order to throw off the batter. And the pitch gets batters off balance like the picture shown. He is way out in front of that pitch! Isaiah has just started off this chapter in verses 1-3 by letting us know the humility of Christ. And in verse 3, he points out the persecution of Christ.
Yet in verse 4 we see the tables turned. Christ is still the One suffering. But there is a great clarification given. He isn’t suffering because of His own sin. He isn’t rejected because of anything that He has done wrong. He isn’t sorrowful because He has failed.
No - we see that He has taken on these things for us.
Theologian John Oswalt makes an amazing observation:
“That weakness and illness that made us think little of the Servant—it is our weakness and illness! The very things that made us think him of no account are the things for which we ought to honor him, because it is for our sake he is enduring them.” - John Oswalt
As we will see more clearly spelled out in our next verse - Christ took our punishment on the cross. And people hid their faces when looking at the gruesome scene of the crucifixion. They hid their faces when looking at the humiliation that Jesus experienced.
But this is all done for us. It is all done on our behalf! We should be the ones hanging on the cross brothers and sisters! Listen to the next verse:
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
He was pierced…He was crushed…
Again, note the surety of what is to come. Isaiah writes as if it has already happened. This is a sure prophesy. And like we already mentioned - he writes before the act of crucifixion had even been invented yet!
The beauty of the cross is that Christ willingly offered His life to be crucified for us. His life wasn’t taken - instead it was offered up. Listen to Jesus speak on this…
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
He said that no one takes His life from Him. The Jews and Romans did not go on to take Christ’s life. You can’t take anything from God that God is not willing to give you. God will not be overpowered by man or demon or Satan. Christ, instead, lays down His life for us. By His own authority.
We should be the ones pierced. We should be the ones crushed. They are our transgressions and our iniquities that drove the nails into Christ’s wrists and feet.
There are two deep truths at work through the cross.
The first is that God loves us.
God is love as seen in 1 John 4:16:
1 John 4:16 (ESV)
... God is love...
But the second is that God is also a righteous judge.
Psalm 7:11a (ESV)
God is a righteous judge...
So how does God love us and continue being fully righteous in His judgment as well? By satisfying His righteous judgment on our behalf.
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Verse 5 tells us that upon Him (namely Christ) was the chastisement that brought us peace. This word ‘chastisement' in this context refers to punishment. And this punishment is directly placed upon Christ for our transgressions - our iniquities. These transgressions and iniquities refer to all of man’s willful rebellion against God.
Look at verse 6 as Isaiah opens up on our waywardness…
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.
I want us to reflect for a moment the choice of pronouns Isaiah has used in verses 4-6. We have seen the word ‘our’ 4 times, the word ‘we’ 4 times, and the word ‘us’ 3 times. Are you seeing an important trend in this passage? The problem is us! The problem is the unintelligent sheep mentioned here in verse 6.
Speaking of sheep… Sheep are notoriously simple and unobservant. They don’t understand the risks around them. They aren’t looking around to see if a wolf is coming. They aren’t consumed by thoughts of what is going to happen later today. They just put their heads down and graze all day. They simply live in the moment.
And when something does get their attention - when something does frighten them - they don’t make the wisest of choices. They take off in any and every direction each going their own way. A flock of sheep can quickly become scattered with the smallest of scares. And because of this, the default action of a sheep is to get lost.
And it is that animal that we are referred to here in verse 6. And just like a sheep, the default human nature is lostness. We are not born good and get lost. Our default nature is lostness. As the old hymn states - we are prone to wander.
It is also important to note the emphasis in verse 6 on the word and phrase ‘all’ and ‘every one.’ There are none of us who are innocent. None of us are considered good. None of us have it all together. Instead, we have all turned away. And where is it that we have turned? Each to his own way. And this way is the way of death. Each of us has turned to sin - to the sinful rebellion against the God who created us. We are all by human nature lost my friends.
And as lost persons, we deserve punishment. We have willfully rebelled against the God who created us.
I think it is important to understand the real heart of man’s fallen condition and nature. While not negating our societal struggles and the injustices is on our world - the major problem in our world is sin. Sadly, we don’t see the media ever mention that word. Our media blames circumstances, politics, poverty, systemic problems, among other issues. But at the heart of all evil in this world is SIN. Man’s greatest need is to be saved from his sin. Man’s greatest need isn’t financial well-being, comfort, better laws, or job satisfaction - man’s greatest need is to be delivered from his sin.
And the Lord understood and understands this more than anyone.
And so instead of punishing us as we deserve, the Lord saw it fit to lay on Christ the punishment for our sin. The Lord saw fit to to give us a way out of the punishment we deserved.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
The sinless Savior became the suffering Savior for us. He took our sin on the cross so that we didn’t have to bear it any longer! How amazing is that!
But in order for us to have our sin removed from us, we must repent and believe in Christ. And this is the hardest part of salvation. It requires humility, and it requires completely and fully trusting God.
I am reminded of the character named Christian in the book and now movie called Pilgrim's Progress. Here he is walking around with this huge and heavy burden on his back as he traverses the path. This heavy burden severely limits what Christian can and cannot do.
He eventually goes through the narrow way - symbolizing salvation being only through Jesus Christ and finally reaches a place called Deliverance which symbolizes the cross.
This distinction is important for us to realize. True salvation understands who Christ is, that He is the only way, and that He paid our penalty on the cross. Repentance and faith are both necessary. And part of coming to Christ is giving Him everything - handing over all of yourself to Him and trusting Him to take your burden of sin away. He has paid for it all. Live in the freedom that only He can provide.
Friends, I pray that it is clear to you that Christ was not just participating with you in your suffering. He didn’t just take part of the punishment and leave the rest for us. No, He has wholly atoned for it. He has paid the penalty for us so that we do not have to. How beautiful is this gift that He gives us? All that He asks is that we repent, believe, and place our faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ has been pierced and crucified on our behalf. He has taken the punishment that you and I deserved so that we don’t have to. Leave your burden of sin at the cross. He has paid the penalty - receive the free gift of freedom in Christ - receive salvation.
Finally we see that…
Scripture References: John 10:18, 1 John 4:16, Psalm 7:11a, 2 Corinthians 5:21
III. The Suffering Savior Was and Is Powerful (12b)
III. The Suffering Savior Was and Is Powerful (12b)
Isaiah 53:12b (ESV)
...yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
I am sure thus far, some of you are wondering how this sermon is really a Resurrection Sunday sermon. Maybe a Good Friday sermon but not a resurrection sermon.
I have read this chapter of Isaiah countless times and have always missed the end of verse 12. That was until this past week. And while reading it I saw that verse 12 speaks of the resurrection!
I suggest you read all of Isaiah 53. Time would fail us to go through all of it today. But I want us to end by focusing on this last half of verse 12. Yet He bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Church, dead men cannot be intercessors.
Hear that again, brothers and sisters. (repeat above)
Without going into too much detail, it is important to know that Hebrew verbs have tense like English but instead of being related to time like English - they are related to action. The two most commonly used tenses are perfect and imperfect. If something were to be past tense in English it would be written as a perfect tense in Hebrew. But things that are ongoing - meaning that the work continues on is written in this imperfect tense. This verb is imperfect in nature - meaning that Jesus makes and will continue to make intercession for us!
We see here the beauty of the resurrection!
Isaiah 53:12b (ESV)
...yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Another important distinction with this imperfect tense is that Isaiah speaks as if Christ is already interceding on our behalf. Yet at the time Isaiah is writing this book, Christ still had 700 years or so before He took on human flesh! That is because, as we have already mentioned, the prophesy of God always comes to fruition! There was, is, and will never be an ‘if’ when it comes to Christ. He never lies and His purposes will always stand.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this sermon:
God is Omniscient - all knowing.
God is Omnipotent - all powerful.
Let’s look at a verse in the New Testament that further describes Christ’s intercessory work…
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
He is able to save to the uttermost. That means no one is beyond His ability to save! No one is too far gone my friends. No matter what you have done in the past. No matter what you have not done that you should have done. Christ can still save you.
He is mighty to save.
To understand the importance of Christ’s intercessory work, we need to understand what this word means more clearly. The word intercession means to plead on behalf of another. And the author of Hebrews here lets us know that Christ always lives to make intercession for those who are saved believers! How amazing is this, brothers and sisters?
We have been saved by grace through faith as we see in Ephesians 2:8-9. And then Christ continues to cover us with His intercession for the rest of our lives!
Friends, Christ is so amazing.
Yes, when you sin there are consequences to that sin. And frankly, there may be discipline from God for that sin because we see that God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6).
But you can be sure that there will be no punishment coming to you for your sins if you are in Christ.
Because He always lives to intercede on your behalf. Those who are in Christ are covered by His blood and have no need to fear about what tomorrow brings because they know Who holds tomorrow - namely Christ Jesus.
What a wonderful Savior and Lord that we have! May we live holy and righteous lives in response to the glorious grace we have recieved.
Scripture References: Hebrews 7:25, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 12:6
Conclusion:
As we close, I want us to sing the first verse and chorus of the beloved hymn, “Because He Lives.”
“Because He Lives”
Verse 1:
God sent His [G]son, they called Him [C]Jesus;
He came to [G]love, heal and for-[Am]give;[D]
He lived and [G]died to buy my [C]pardon,
An empty [G]grave is there to [D]prove my Savior [G]lives!
Chorus
Because He [G]lives, I can face to-[C]morrow,
Because He [G]lives, all fear is [Am]gone;[D]
Because I [G]know He holds the [C]uture,
And life is [G]worth the living,
[D]Just because He [G]lives!
My friends, we can have hope as we face tomorrow, we can have courage and faith instead of fear, and we can know that we have purpose in this life only because Christ lives.
If your faith is not found in Christ alone I pray that you make that right today. Repent and turn from your sins and believe and trust Christ with your life. There is no more important decision you could ever make. I would love to talk with you after the service about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
For those of us who are believers - go forth knowing that you can fight the good fight of this life because Christ lives.
He is risen!
He is risen, indeed!
Have a blessed week, Church!
Prayer