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Chapter 11
With His Stripes In Isaiah chapter 53, we have one of the most famous prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.
It is a passage about the "suffering servant". It needs to be understood, though, that it is part
of a larger section in which the theme of God's servant is loosely woven. From chapter 41 through
chapter 66, there is a running theme about God's servant.
As I mentioned in earlier chapters, it is almost characteristic of Isaiah to look both to his own
time and to a more distant, Messianic future. Often the beginning of a prophecy may refer primarily
to his own day and time. But as the prophecy proceeds, by the latter stages of his prophecy, it has
become obvious that either he is no longer talking about his own day, or that, at best, it is very much
in the background as a more glorious, distant future is being unfolded. Sometimes that transition in
the prophecy is very gradual. Sometimes there is a dramatic break, the "unscalable wall", that separates
the present from the future. There are other variations as well. On at least one occasion, Isaiah starts
with an emphasis on the distant future, then drops back to emphasize primarily his own day and time, and
then ends up again in that wonderful future. On some occasions the present and the future run side-by-side
throughout the prophecy.
Although chapter 53 is obviously Messianic in nature, it is also part of a much larger series of prophecies of which the first portion is not primarily Messianic. The running theme of "the servant" permeates many chapters, of which chapter 53 is only a small portion. However, chapter 53 is in many ways the culmination of the larger section. In this portion, we are looking at a part of the story that is no longer referring to Isaiah's day, but to the sublime Messianic future.
To
get a broader view of these chapters and the theme of the "servant",
I've created a rough outline, at least as I see it, and have listed in each section some of the key verses that mention God's servant:
We Are Healed
[Some key verses: Isaiah 41:8-9; 42:1,19 (twice); 43:10; 44:1,2,21 (twice),26; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3]
[Some key verses: Isaiah 49:5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11] III. Chapters 54-66 (This section refers to physical Israel after the Captivity, and to the New Israel/the New Jerusalem--i.e.,
the church, and perhaps to the heavenly kingdom.)
[Some key verses: Isaiah 54:17; 56:6; 63:11,17; 65:8,9,13 (three times),14,15; 66:14] The first section (chapters 41-49:4) refers primarily, but not exclusively, to Israel. With the exception of the passage in chapter 42, verses 1ff., and perhaps--perhaps--the passage in chapter 43, the section is pretty solidly referring to the nation of Israel. Nine times, it is specifically stated that the servant is Israel (41:8,9; 44:1,2,21 {twice}; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3). But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, "You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off";
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
(Isaiah 41:8-10) "But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
Thus says the LORD who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant..."
(Isaiah 44:1-2a) Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
(Isaiah 44:21) For the sake of my servant Jacob,
and Israel my chosen..."
(Isaiah 45:4a [RSV]) Go forth from Babylon, flee from Chaldea,
declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it,
send it forth to the end of the earth;
say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob!"
(Isaiah 48:20 [RSV]) He said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
(Isaiah 49:3 [WEB]) The primary exception in this section to the "servant" referring to the nation of Israel is found in chapter 42: Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights:
I have put my Spirit on him.
He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout,
nor raise his voice,
nor cause it to be heard in the street.
He won't break a bruised reed.
He won't quench a dimly burning wick.
He will faithfully bring justice.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
until he has set justice in the earth,
and the islands wait for his law."
(Isaiah 42:1-4 [WEB]) Prior to this passage, the one most recently referred to as God's servant was Israel in chapter 41, verses 8 and 9. However, the latter part of chapter 41 almost certainly has Cyrus the Great in mind. I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,
from the rising of the sun, and he shall call upon my name;
he shall trample on rulers as on mortar,
as the potter treads clay.
(Isaiah 41:25) The one whom God is stirring up will soon be called by name. In chapters 44 and 45, God specifically names the one whom he is stirring up: Cyrus. Cyrus would be the first ruler of the Persian Empire--the empire that would conquer the Babylonians.
So, in Isaiah 42, is Isaiah referring to Israel? Is he referring to Cyrus? The Jewish translators of the Septuagint, the early Jewish translation of the Old Testament into Greek in the second or third century B.C., understood it to be referring to the nation of Israel. However, the passage seems to be referring to an individual here, not to a nation of people. Some later Jewish commentators believed it to be referring to Cyrus. Yet, the conquering ruler Cyrus could hardly be referred to as one who would "not cry or lift up his voice" or as one whom "a bruised reed he will not break". Looking at these verses, it would seem odd to apply them in their entirety to either the nation of Israel or to Cyrus the Persian. The verses seem to be referring to someone greater.
But, as we've seen often with Isaiah, his prophecies often have more than one layer. They often refer both to a near time and to a time in the distant future.
There was a great difference between the rule of the Assyrians and Babylonians versus that of the Persians. The Assyrians were ruthless. They beheaded people and put their heads on a line of poles or put them in piles in a prominent place as a warning. They skinned people alive and hung their skins on walls for all to see. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the Temple.
The Persians, however, paid to have the Temple rebuilt. They supported and helped pay for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. They provided support and protection in the form of portions of the Persian army. It was almost an idyllic, a utopian, a millennial change from previous times. Isaiah in his prophecies typically has a double layer. There is a close-term fulfillment, and then there is a more profound and far-reaching fulfillment in the church age or even in Heaven itself. When he speaks about a coming time of peace, in at least some of his prophecies that near-term fulfillment appears to be talking about the Persian rule, in which the times are so different from what came before, that the change is incredibly remarkable. Instead of killing and taking the Jews captive, the Persians are setting them free. Instead of tearing down the Temple and the walls of Jerusalem, the Persians are paying to have them rebuilt out of the royal treasury. Instead of harassing and killing the people, the Persian army is being used to give them peace and security. Times are different. It is only a harbinger of the ultimate fulfillment that is to come, but a harbinger and foreshadowing it is. There is a type/antitype relationship between Cyrus the Great and Jesus. Cyrus is the only non-Hebrew in the Bible who is referred to as God's "anointed" (Isaiah 45:1). But the peace, protection, comfort, and salvation from their enemies that Cyrus brings is only a pale shadow of those same things that will be found in Jesus Christ.
The Jewish Targum (a paraphrase or explanation of the Biblical text from perhaps the second century A.D.) believed this passage to be referring to the Messiah, which was probably the belief of many of the Jewish people. We see proof of the truthfulness of this interpretation in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter twelve, Matthew tells us that Christ is the fulfillment of the prophecy (vid. Matthew 12:15-21).
As a side note: the Persian Empire wasn't to the north of Israel; it was to the east. But verse 25 of chapter 41 says that God will stir up one from the north. However, in chapter 41, verse two, we read:
Who stirred up one from the eastwhom victory meets at every step?
He gives up nations before him,
so that he tramples kings underfoot;
he makes them like dust with his sword,
like driven stubble with his bow.
(Isaiah 41:2) In the flow of thought in chapter 41, it seems that the "one from the east" is that same as the "one from the north". So, how can that be? The answer lies in the geography of the region. To the east of Israel lies the Arabian Desert. You don't travel straight through the Arabian Desert. You go around it--to the north of it. So, if you are in Persia, you come to Israel from the north.
(Credit: Anton Gutsunaev [map edited]; BY-SA 3.0 Creative Commons License) Similarly, in the book of Jeremiah, Israel's foe is Babylon. Babylon lay due east of Israel. But, for the same reason, it is repeatedly said in the book of Jeremiah that Israel's foe will come from the north--so much so, that commentators refer to Babylon as the "foe from the north". Although Babylon is due east of Jerusalem, the Arabian Desert lies between them. The only realistically feasible way for Babylon to get to Jerusalem would be to avoid the Arabian Desert and come down from the north. But, to get back to the subject at hand, in the first section of the servant passages, except for the one passage in Isaiah 42 (and perhaps one less likely reference in chapter 43) the "servant" in these chapters is the nation of Israel (or, rather, by this time, the kingdom of Judah, which is all that remains of Israel). Temporarily skipping the middle section of these servant chapters for now, we come to the last section, chapters 54-66. These chapters refer to the nation of Israel after the Captivity, and to the New Israel (i.e., the church--cf. Galatians 6:16), and perhaps to the heavenly kingdom. [The word "servant" is also used once in reference to Moses (63:11), but this seems to be used almost as a title ("Moses his servant") and doesn't seem to be part of the overall servant theme of this section.] Although there are certain indications that physical Israel after the return from Babylonian Captivity is intended in places, there are also indications that the new Israel, the new Jerusalem, the spiritual Israel, the kingdom of God is also a part of these chapters. Since it is somewhat typical of Isaiah to refer to more than one thing at the same time in his prophecies, it is not always possible to sort out whether the intended reference is the Jewish nation returned from Babylonian Captivity, or to the new people of the Messianic Age, or even to the heavenly kingdom. It is likely in some cases that there is overlap, that more than one is being referred to at the same time. On the one hand, he mentions things such as keeping the Sabbath (56:6), and offering burnt offerings and sacrifices (56:7). Yet he also looks further to the time of Christ and provides a prophecy that Jesus applies to himself (61:1ff.). He also sees even further and mentions "new heavens and a new earth" (65:17).
So, if you are a Jew looking at the servant sections in Isaiah, you look at the first section, which obviously is referring to the nation of Israel (with the primary exception being the one prophecy about the Messiah in chapter 42), and you're basically content with knowing what it's talking about. The last section refers primarily to either Israel after the Babylonian Captivity, or to the New Israel--the church, or perhaps to the heavenly kingdom. But, since the idea of a New Israel is not yet within your realm of reckoning, you are also confident that you understand what the last section is about. You wouldn't necessarily be right, or at least not fully understanding it in its completeness, but you don't know enough to not realize that you don't understand it. So you are content with both the first and the last sections. You aren't bothered by those. It's the middle section (chapters 49:5-ch.53) that you find to be a problem.
Even the first part of the middle section doesn't present a real problem, because there is likely some overlay with Isaiah's prophecies. He perhaps isn't yet through with making some fuzzy secondary application to the nation of Israel. But, by this point, the primary application is to the Messiah, and any application at all to the nation of Israel in these passages is beginning to get more hazy and dim. If you are a Jew, and you expect to see the coming Messiah as a conquering military hero and can't see him as a suffering servant, then it can be tempting to hold onto the view that the servant must still somehow be referring to the nation of Israel. But, by the time that you get to chapter 53, attempting to hold onto that view simply results in a mystifying and enigmatic bundle of confusion. Many Jewish authors, past and present, would contend that the portion of Isaiah from chapter 41 to 66 section refers to the nation of Israel. But when dealing with chapter 53, their views begin to differ. Many still hold that it refers to the nation of Israel, but many also hold that it refers to some individual. Moses is sometimes suggested; others suggested Elijah or one of the Jewish rabbis, or Cyrus, or King Jehoiachin, or others. It was (and is) a difficult passage for many Jewish commentators. For many Jews of Jesus' day, it had become obvious that it wasn't just the nation of Israel that was being referred to, but who was it? Was it the prophet himself? Was it someone else? Those were the questions that the Ethiopian eunuch had. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth."
(Acts 8:27b-35) The Ethiopian eunuch knew enough to understand that Isaiah was no longer simply talking about the nation of Israel. But who was he talking about? About himself? About someone else? These were the questions in the mind of the Ethiopian eunuch. He was probably an educated man. He was a minister in an Ethiopian queen's court. He almost certainly knew who the servant was in the earlier chapters. But by the time that he reached the latter portions of the prophecy, he was at a loss. He needed assistance. Phillip gave him that assistance. But this side of the cross, one really doesn't need the assistance of a trained theologian. In our day and time this side of the cross, an elementary school child can look at Isaiah 53 and easily understand to whom the prophecy is referring. A small, elementary school child of today could have tugged on the cape of the Ethiopian eunuch and said, "I can tell you, mister." It's obvious, this side of the cross, whom it is referring to. But it was different before the cross. It was a mystery, prepared before the world began, but only to be revealed at the proper time. Let's take a look at chapter 53. The original Biblical texts weren't divided into chapters. The chapter divisions in our Bible as we know them date from the early thirteenth century A.D. There were some older divisions; the oldest were simply divisions by paragraph, and these date from prior to the time of Christ. The modern chapter divisions usually are very helpful, but sometimes could be done a little differently. The section for chapter 53 probably should include the last three verses of chapter 52, so we'll start there. (Some of the verses are translated differently in some versions, but we'll start with the Revised Standard Version.) Behold, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
As many were astonished at him --
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the sons of men --
so shall he startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they shall see,
and that which they have not heard they shall understand.
Who
has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
For he
grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of
dry ground;
he had no form or comeliness that we should look at
him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
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 wounded for our transgressions,
he
was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement
that made us whole,
and with his stripes 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.
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 that before its shearers is dumb,
so he opened not
his mouth.
By oppression and judgment 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?
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 bruise him;
he has put
him to grief;
when he makes himself an offering for sin,
he
shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days;
the will of
the LORD shall prosper in his hand;
he shall see the fruit of
the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall
the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted
righteous;
and he shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I
will divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide
the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out his soul to
death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore
the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12 [RSV])
Some people have said that Biblical prophecies appear to have come true because the events came first, and people made up the prophecies later once they knew what had happened. But the Great Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls, containing the entire book of Isaiah, dates from the early first or late second century B.C.
Great Isaiah Scroll (from the Dead Sea Scrolls)
(Credit: Ardon Bar Hama; Public Domain [Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum]) The prophecy in chapter 53 is not something that was spoken after the event. It is provable that it was spoken long before the event that it prophesied. Manuscript evidence from prior to the time of Christ exists for almost all of the Messianic prophecies, not just of Isaiah but from most other Old Testament prophets as well. Combine that with prophecies like those regarding the permanent demise of Babylon, and you can see that arguments that the prophecy came later than the event simply cannot be used in these cases. It also lends credence to prophecies from these prophets of older events that predate the earliest surviving manuscripts. Isaiah chapter 53 is in many ways the heart of the Old Testament, with verse five being the pinnacle. There are some slight differences in the translation of this verse in the various versions, as illustrated here: But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed. (Revised Standard Version)
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. (King James Version)
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. (English Standard Version)
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
and he was crushed for our iniquities,
and the punishment that made us whole was upon him,
and by his bruises we are healed. (International Standard Version)
Verse five is not just in many ways the pinnacle of the Old Testament, but it is also in many ways the pinnacle of Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament. Hebrew poetry doesn't rhyme by sound as English poetry often does. It rhymes by thought patterns. The two most prominent rhyming patterns in Hebrew poetry were "similarity" and "contrast"--in other words, "the same" and "the opposite". A thought would be presented, then basically the same thought in different words would follow. Or a thought would be presented, and then a contrasting thought would follow. "The same" or "the opposite". You can have one or the other, but not both. But in Isaiah chapter 53, verse five, we have both in the same verse. There are a few other places in the Old Testament, especially in the book of Isaiah, where we see this, but this verse is perhaps the best example of it. First, we see similarity in thought. The first line is repeated in a similar way in the second line:
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
(Isaiah 53:5a)
Likewise, the thought of the third line is repeated in a similar way in the fourth line:
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5b) Yet we also see the Hebrew principle of rhyming by using opposite thoughts employed within each line:
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.
So, within this one verse, we see the Hebrew rhyming concepts of similarity and contrast both employed to great effect.
In this verse we see, not the expected, or the slightly less expected, or even the much less expected, but the unexpected--the unthinkable. The Great Redeemer wouldn't be rewarded and glorified for his triumphant virtue. Nor would He even be wounded and bruised for his triumphant virtue. He wouldn't even be wounded and bruised for his trangressions. He would be wounded and bruised for our transgressions.
This passage is a precursor of the great and foremost New Testament teaching of redemption through Christ Jesus: For God didn't appoint us to wrath, but to the obtaining of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
(I Thessalonians 5:9-10 [WEB]) ...who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
(Romans 4:25 [WEB]) He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;
(I Corinthians 1:30 [RSV]) Let's look at some of the details in this passage: As many were astonished at him --
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the sons of men --
(Isaiah 52:14 [RSV]) There is a tendency in modern art to depict Jesus as though he just stepped off of a movie set--handsome and a remarkable human specimen.
 (Credit: Fair Use from IMDb via Wikipedia) |
 (Credit: Fair Use from CBS via Wikipedia) |
But, in his humiliation, he is depicted as barely being identifiable as a human being. Verse two of the next chapter says, For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
(Isaiah 53:2 [RSV]) Some translations, instead of "young plant" say "tender shoot" or "tender plant". The idea is that of a tender young sprout. A tender young plant looks good and prospers when you have it in potting soil with mulch over it and watered regularly. But this tender sprout is coming up out of bare, dry ground. It is ragged looking and withered. It hardly looks like it is going to make it. If you are a gardener, perhaps you have no hope for it, and you just pluck it up and move on. He had no physical beauty to attact anyone to him. The Jews expected that the Messiah would be a glorious, magnificent, conquering hero. But the real Messiah wasn't what they were expecting. He wouldn't draw men to him by his dashing appearance and Hollywood good looks and wealthy trappings. He would be born in a manger. Our nativity scenes typically have a nice, neat manger within a clean surrounding with stars twinkling in the background and a gentle, orangish-yellow glow lighting up the area. A "manger" is a word that we like, and it brings back memories of those beautiful nativity scenes at Christmas. Most people today don't even know what a manger is apart from those settings. A manger is a cow's food trough. It would have cow's food, and bugs, and cow slobber in it. It wasn't the glorious beginning that the Jews were expecting. The less than glorious entrance would later be accompanied by a less than glorious reception: 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.
(Isaiah 53:3 [RSV]) In the next verse, Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
(Isaiah 53:4 [RSV]) The "griefs" and the "sorrows", or, in some translations, the "pains" and the "sufferings" that he bore, were our griefs and sorrows--our pains and sufferings. We looked at verse five briefly, so I'll move on to verse six: 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 53:6 [RSV]) This is reminiscent of the third chapter of the book of Romans: "None is righteous, no, not one..."
(Romans 3:10b) ...all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God...
(Romans 3:23 [NHEB]) There was a universal need, and God provided an answer available for all, for everyone, if they will simply avail themselves of it: He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
(I John 2:2 [BSB]) ...crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:9) ...the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
(I Timothy 4:10b [WEB]) ...who gave himself as a ransom for all...
(I Timothy 2:6a [BSB]) For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men...
(Titus 2:11 [RSV]) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28) Verse seven of Isaiah 53: 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 that before its shearers is dumb,
so he opened not his mouth.
(Isaiah 53:7 [RSV]) He is compared to a lamb being led to the slaughter--like an innocent lamb who trusts his master to lead him into the house full of knives and blood. He was innocent.
In the Old Testament sacrificial system, the Israelite people were commanded to sacrifice a lamb without blemish as a sin offering; but we know from the book of Hebrews that "...it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). Nevertheless those offerings were a foreshadowing, a dim shadow, a pale reflection of a later time when God would show us how a perfect sacrifice was to be done. He would offer his perfect sacrifice, the perfect Son of God, on our behalf. As a perfect sacrifice, Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:29,36).
Jesus gave himself voluntarily on our behalf. He didn't have to. He chose to. The one who walked on water, the one who raised the dead, the one who created the entire universe and everything in it could have spoken a single word and escaped the suffering and infamy. But he did not. Like a sheep that doesn't speak while being sheared, he doesn't speak the words--indeed the commands--that could have saved himself the agony. He died for us.
There is a song in our songbooks called "Ten Thousand Angels" (written by Ray Overholt). He spoke of how Jesus did not have to go to the cross. Because of who Jesus was, he could have summoned ten thousand angels to eliminate his enemies and deliver him from harm. But, because he loved us, he instead chose to die a shameful death, unprotected and alone.
When Judas came to betray Jesus with a large crowd of people wielding swords and clubs, Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of the slave of the high priest. In Matthew 26 we read:
Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled...?"
(Matthew 26:52-54a)
A legion varied in number, but it typically contained five to six thousand men. Twelve legions, then, would contain 60,000 to 72,000 men. Twelve legions of angels would then contain far more than 10,000 angels. If you remember the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian army, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. Kind of makes you wonder what sixty or seventy thousand angels could do. Just waiting...at the ready...just waiting for the call...
....but the call never came.
And
they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his
death...
(Isaiah
53:9a [RSV])
he has put him to grief;
when he makes himself an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand;
he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous;
and he shall bear their iniquities.
(Isaiah 53:10-11 [RSV]) Perhaps the New Living Translation makes it a bit clearer: But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the LORD's good plan will prosper in his hands.
When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
(Isaiah 53:10-11 [NLT]) He was, and is, our Sin-Bearer. "He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in His mouth."
When they heaped abuse on Him,
He did not retaliate;
when He suffered, He made no threats,
but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.
He Himself bore our sinsh
in His body on the tree,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness.
"By His stripes you are healed."
(I Peter 2:22,24 [BSB]) Verse 12 of Isaiah 53: Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out his soul to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:12 [RSV]) He "was numbered with the transgressors". At the cross, the two that Jesus was crucified between are said to have been "robbers" (Matthew 27:38,44; Mark 15:27). Barabbas, whom the crowd cried out to be released instead of Jesus, was also said to be a "robber" (John 18:39-40). The Greek word is lestai, which is typically translated as "thieves", "robbers", or sometimes "bandits". However, the word lestai is also the term that Josephus most frequently used for Zealots (e.g., Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. XX.viii.5,6,10). It's not certain, but it is likely that not only Barabbas but also the two thieves (lestai) crucified with Jesus were Zealots. (A Zealot was a member of a movement that was determined to expel the Romans from Judea by force. They would, especially toward the middle of the first century A.D., sometimes attack and kill individual Romans and Greeks within Judea. They would even attack and kill fellow Jews if they were believed to be aiding Rome.) In this context, lestai weren't pickpockets. They were rebels. They were not only thieves, but probably also murderers. By the mid-first century, those who had previously been referred to as "Zealots" were more frequently termed "Assassins", or, in Greek "Sicarii" (cf. Acts 21:38). They acquired this name because they kept short daggers. The Latin word "sicae" means "dagger". The Greek "sicarioi" (adapted from Latin) means "dagger-men". They would keep a dagger hidden in their clothing. When a crowded festival was in full swing, they would enter the crowd, stab someone with the dagger, and slip back into the crowd and disappear (vid. Josephus. Wars of the Jews. II.xiii.3). They were the first century's equivalent of our modern terrorists. Jesus was crucified there like he was just another one of them. That perhaps is a little bit clearer picture of what Isaiah meant when he said, ...he poured out his soul to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors...
(Isaiah 53:12b [RSV]) The Sinless One was counted as one of the sinners. He was counted as a terrorist. He bore the sins of others. He was not just counted as a sinner...he was counted as the sinner. He took their place. He took our place. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God...
(I Peter 3:18a) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.
(Galatians 3:13a [WEB]) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(II Corinthians 5:21) In II Peter chapter three, Peter asks that, in view of the Second Coming, ...what sort of persons ought you to be...
(II Peter 3:11b) The same question could be asked of us in view of the Crucifixion. ...one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
(II Corinthians 5:14b-15) A poem by Amy Carmichael asks a poignant question: "Hast Thou No Scar"
(by Amy Carmichael)
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star,
Hast thou no scar?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?
Yet as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound nor scar?
In Matthew chapter sixteen we read,
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a
man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"
(Matthew
16:24-26)
Jesus gave his life so that we might have life. Without his sacrifice, we had no hope. Because of his sacrifice, we have glory and honor forevermore. In spite of our wrongdoing, he is our savior. In spite of our sin, he is our hope. He is our only hope.
"None other Lamb, none other name,
none other hope in heav'n or earth or sea,
none other hiding place from guilt and shame,
none beside thee!"
(by Christina Georgina Rossetti)
Because of his sacrifice, we are made clean. Because of his suffering, we are made whole. Because of his love, we are forgiven. In spite of our failings, our guilt is removed.
"My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"
(from "It Is Well With My Soul" by Horatio Spafford)
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement
that made us whole,
and with his stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:5 [RSV])