Isaiah 53: 2-4

Isaiah, an old Israelite prophet, prophesized for God in a span of 60 years in Israel. 

In the 53rd chapter of the book of Isaiah, we see a foreshadowing of the coming messiah, it gives a detailed description of what this person will do and why they will accomplish it. 

Christians know that the messiah was Jesus Christ. God himself in human flesh, who came to humanity 2,000 years ago, born in a manger, located inside a old dirty room in the back of a barn. 

This chapter captures the humility and love of God that we see through Jesus Christ. In verse two of chapter 54, God tells us that this savior will have:

 "...no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Isaiah 54:2). 

So God, who controls the entire universe, chose to be a unattractive, low formed human with no physical indication of holiness on him. 

Verse three says,

 "He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him" (Isaiah 53:3)

Jesus was despised by the Pharisee's and Sadducees of his age and some of his early "disciples" left him because of unbelief (John 6:66). This man Jesus, experienced true sorrow and grief mentally and physically. In Luke 22:44, it says "And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling upon the ground" (Luke 22:44). This is after he asks the father in his grief, knowing that his execution is coming, "If you are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done"(Luke 22:42). Jesus knew how painful it would be to carry the sins of the world on his shoulders, but to him, it was all worth it. He knew that through his sacrifice, those who believe would be able to dwell with God for all eternity.

Going into verse four, it says...

"Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4)

The word "griefs" here can also be translated to "sickness", this is referring to our sin. God, in the flesh, carried our sorrows on his back, and bore our sins on the cross. Since he was going to be executed on account of the Sanhedrin's orders, most people around watching must of assumed he deserved it, that he was guilty of death for claiming he was God. 

The sins Jesus carried are our transgressions against God. We understand how we fall short of his holiness through the ten commandments (Exodus 20). Thankfully, to be saved, we do not have to check-off a list of things to complete our salvation from God. We can be with Him by confessing in our minds and through our mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and believing that God raised Jesus from the grave to be the chosen sacrifice that bared all of our sins (Romans 10:9). 

I hope and pray that all who would hear this good news, would come to truly believe in it. It is the most important story you will ever hear, the greatest headline you will ever see and the only hope you will ever have.

 

Surely God has done enough to show his eternal love that desires us and calls us into obedience by his own death on a cross. I hope whoever reads this passage from Isaiah would realize that the prophecy was fulfilled, God's promise was kept. We can trust him, He does care. 

All of us have gone astray from him, we all have fallen short of his righteousness (Romans 3:23) which the ten commandments shows us. We deserve a different outcome, but God designed this story to have his glory be known, and that glory involves us being saved only by his death and resurrection.

What stops you today from accepting this news that God has chosen to be afflicted, tortured and killed for your behave? 

Will you trust that his death was enough to wipe your sins away?