Throughout history, great victory on the battlefield was rewarded by plundering the spoil of the defeated. The battlefield for Christ extended from His arrest until He breathed His last; the height of His warfare occurred upon the cross. When He uttered the words, “It is finished,” His accusers and detractors twitched with delight thinking they had silenced forever the One who was believed by many to be the Messiah. It is finished, indeed, they must have smiled to themselves. Now this Upstart has gotten His just desserts.

In an unseen realm, a far more sinister party likewise twitched with delight. He is dead! they must have raved. We did it! We killed the Son of God! What idiots those religious uppity-ups are! They played right into our hands, and now humanity is ours forever! And so the partying continued.

But the Living God was just getting started. True, His only Son had died mere moments ago, but what He planned to do next—fixed in divine order from the beginning of the world—would rock the kingdoms of men and of darkness for the remainder of time.

Five…four…three…two…one…roll away the stone…RESURRECTION!

Scripture says Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities of darkness and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them (see Colossians 2:15). Bible teachers differ as to whether the actual disarming and display occurred when the Lord was on the cross, while His body was in the grave, or as He rose from the dead. However, I am certain of one thing: neither men nor the hosts of darkness saw it coming. “…for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8b).

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong…

Matthew Henry said of this verse, “…a great general, when he has driven the enemy out of the field, takes the plunder of it for himself and his army, which is both an unquestionable evidence of the victory and a recompense for all the toils and perils of the battle” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm).

As for the portion and plunder Jesus received, Mr. Henry wrote, “Much of the glory with which Christ is recompensed, and the spoil which he has divided, consists in the vast multitudes of willing, faithful, loyal subjects, that shall be brought in to him” (ibid.) Along this line of thought, Holman Christian Standard Bible translates this part of verse 12: “Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion, and He will receive the mighty as spoil.” In other words, the souls of men, women, and children redeemed by His blood are Jesus’ portion and prize. You are Jesus’ portion. You are Jesus’ prize.

…because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

Isaiah ended the prophecy about the Suffering Servant by outlining four key components of His agonizing passion for mankind. This is what qualified Him to be given the many as a portion, and to receive the mighty as spoil.

1. He poured out Himself to death. Jesus did not merely die. The very essence of who He was—His righteousness, His purity, His kindness, His wisdom, His power, His love—poured out through His blood upon the ground as a perfect offering for sin, covering the entire human race—whosoever would receive and believe in Him.
2. He was numbered with the transgressors. Throughout His ministry, His detractors constantly sought to sully His reputation by accusing Him of sin and carnality. (“He’s a lawbreaker.” “He’s a drunkard and a glutton.” “He’s clueless about the type of woman who is washing His feet.”) Then they nailed Him high on the cross between two thieves as if to say, “He’s riff-raff. He’s bad news.” Those passing by, along with the chief priests and scribes, taunted Him, telling Him to take Himself off of the cross. “He saved others” they sneered; “He can’t save Himself” (see Mark 15:29-31). This was an important aspect of His enemies’ strategy—to paint Him as just another transgressor, every bit as sinful as anyone else.
3. He Himself bore the sin of many. Yes, He certainly was crucified between two transgressors on Calvary, but as He hung there for all to see, He took on the iniquity and the chastisement for every transgressor who ever lived.
4. He interceded for the transgressors. As the Lord hung high up on the cross, He interceded for all of us. He not only prayed on behalf of sinners; He actually took our place and died in our stead, the highest form of intercession possible—utter identification with the objects of intercession.

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong (Isaiah 53:12a). In short, here’s a summary of both His anguish and His portion and plunder:

• He poured Himself out to death, once for all, never to die again.
• He was numbered with the transgressors, and now transgressors—who receive Him as Lord and are cleansed by His blood—are numbered with Him.
• He bore the sin of many, and because of that, now many have been made righteous.
• He interceded for the transgressors, and now He ever lives to make intercession for all of us.

Today, the resurrected Son of God is alive and well. He is the head of His body, the Church, and He sits at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named—not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He is coming again to sum up everything in Him (Ephesians 1:10).

And all of it is made possible because He was willing to pour Himself out unto death and bear the sins of many.

Dorothy

Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Luke 24:5b-6a

The book of Hebrews encourages believers to fix their eyes upon Jesus “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (see Hebrews 12:2). This underscores what Isaiah prophesied about the suffering Servant. The anguish of the Messiah on our behalf was extreme beyond measure, yet the glorious results far outweighed the agony of His sacrifice.

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied…  

His anguish was on purpose to accomplish a purpose. As a result of His anguish, God’s will was carried out, resulting in fullness of joy and abundance of fruit. With great satisfaction, the Servant who suffered for us has been able to look back on His passion without regret. He told His followers before it all happened, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Who would have thought that through His hour of humiliation, agonizing suffering, apparent defeat, and death that He would soon view it all as joy, satisfaction, and a job well done? The prophet Isaiah knew it by the Spirit of God.

Matthew Henry said it this way: “God will be glorified, penitent believers will be justified, and then Christ will be satisfied” (http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm).

…by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.

The Suffering Servant is now called the Righteous Servant. Throughout all of His sufferings, this Servant never lost sight of His mission and lived sinlessly despite being tempted in all ways as we. Only a pure and spotless Substitute could bear our sin and take on the full force of God’s wrath against it as He did. After becoming sin for us (see 2 Corinthians 5:21), the Servant emerged triumphant over sin, death, and hell. From start to finish, He Himself remained guiltless as He bore our guilt.

Through knowing Him and accepting what He accomplished that day on the cross, many are justified.

What does this mean? The Hebrew word for “justify” means “to be just” or “to be righteous” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H6663&t=KJV). Therefore, by the knowledge of the Righteous One you are made just; you are made to be righteous. Second Corinthians 5:21 says it like this: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

This is why Jesus came to earth. He came to die in your place and mine as our sinless Substitute, bearing our judgment, so that we could be freed from the domination of sin and be reborn to live transformed, righteous lives through faith in Him.

By knowing Him, you can now know peace. Your guilt has been dealt with by the Righteous One.

Dorothy

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh… Romans 8:3

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God…For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12, 14

Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the earth, was manifested for this purpose: through being crushed, He would crush the serpent’s head. Through the depths of the grief He bore, the tears of all the saints would one day be wiped away.

But the Lord was pleased to crush Him…

God was not, is not, and never will be a sadist. Like the Son who despised the shame of the cross (see Hebrews 12:2), the Father could not look upon His Son at the height of His agony. The sin, corruption, disease, and depravity of mankind hung on His Son as His Son hung on that cross. The agony of His Son bearing His wrath and the penalty for sin was not a pleasure to God; it was grievous. And as the cup of indignation against man’s sin was filled to the brim, God could not look upon His Son, the sin Substitute hanging upon the cross. Jesus knew it. He cried, “My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” (See Matthew 27:46.)

Why, then, does the Word say that it pleased God to crush Him? It was because of what the crushing would bring about for humanity. Jesus was crushed so that you and I could be redeemed. He was forsaken so that neither you nor I would be forsaken. Like the Son, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame (Hebrews 12:2), the Father’s pleasure was in all the sons and daughters who would be raised to newness of life through faith in His Son’s selfless sacrifice.

… putting Him to grief…

The Hebrew word for “grief” in this verse is chalah and means “to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased, be or become grieved, be or become sorry” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H2470&t=KJV). Once again, as in Isaiah 53:3-5, the act of redemption is revealed to apply not only to the human soul but also to the human body. Jesus, by His redemptive work, made provision for the total man—spirit, soul, and body.

…if He would render Himself as a guilt offering…

The word “if” reveals something important here—Jesus had a choice in the matter. If He would render Himself as a guilt offering… In the Garden prior to His arrest, Jesus longed for the cup of suffering to pass from Him, but told His Father, “Not My will, but Thine, be done” (see Luke 22:42). He came to do His Father’s will, not His own (see John 6:38)—but He could have backed out. His refusal would have sealed our eternal damnation.

When Peter sought to prevent the Lord’s arrest by cutting off the ear of the High Priest’s slave, Jesus stopped him and declared, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (See Matthew 26:53.) Jesus understood that He could call it quits whenever He wanted; He chose to render Himself as a guilt offering.

Three outcomes of His obedience to this supreme sacrifice are delineated in this verse.

1. He will see His offspring
2. He will prolong His days
3. The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand

He will see His offspring

You and I, along with an innumerable company of men, women, and children from every nation, race, tongue, and dialect are the offspring born of God due to Jesus’ willingness to render Himself as a guilt offering.

He will prolong His days

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (see John 1:1, 14). Jesus was in the beginning with God. He also declared that He would continue to live after leaving the earth: “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Jesus was eternal; He dwelt in eternity past; He would dwell in eternity to come.

Therefore, when Isaiah prophesied, “He will prolong His days”, he wasn’t referring to the eternal aspect of the suffering Servant—Jesus already was eternal. I believe this statement, instead, refers to His impact as the Son of Man on the Earth.

Here’s my thinking: Jesus’ days on the earth as a Man filled the span of thirty-three years, from the day He was born in Bethlehem until He breathed His last on the cross at Calvary. IF He would render Himself as a guilt offering, then He would prolong His days. How would this take place? Through His offspring—the sons and daughters born from above by faith in His redemptive sacrifice!

Ever since the days when Peter and the others believed on Him unto eternal life, Jesus has had a body in which to dwell on the earth. He dwelt in His disciples, then in Paul and Barnabus, Silas, Timothy, Phoebe, Priscilla, and Aquila. He dwelt in the true believers throughout the first, second, third, and fourth centuries. He dwelt in the true believers throughout all of the dark ages and into the Reformation and then on into the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. He picked up a lot of us during this last century, and now He is still dwelling in His body here in the twenty-first century. By rendering Himself as a guilt offering, He really has prolonged His days here on earth—through His body!

The good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand

Jesus did render Himself as a guilt offering. Therefore, from that day forward, the good pleasure of the Lord has prospered in His hand. You may look around yourself at all of the strife, sin, sadness, and sickness that has yet to be transformed by His resurrection touch, but look in the mirror! You belong to God; you were pulled out of darkness and depravity and were cleansed, delivered, and placed in the kingdom of His dear Son. That’s a miracle!

And He’s not finished. The Lord will bring many more sons and daughters to glory (see Hebrews 2:10), He will fulfill His Word, He will perform His good work, and He will sum up all things in Christ (see Ephesians 1:10). And as for you? He who began a good work in you will indeed perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus!

You are the good pleasure of the Lord; because Jesus did not turn away from rendering Himself as a guilt offering, you will prosper in His hand.

Dorothy

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6, Amplified

His grave was assigned with wicked men…

This verse displays the laser-like accuracy of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus died between two common thieves (Luke 23:32-33), demonstrating the disdain of His executioners toward Him. Apparently, those supervising His crucifixion planned to cast Him into a common grave with the wicked, just as Isaiah 53:9 prophesied.

Religious leadership planned all this in order to heap the greatest level of discredit and disgrace possible upon the itinerant Preacher/Healer. He—who had so completely wowed the crowds by His simplicity, kindness, and power—stood in stark contrast to His detractors. Their lack of warmth, power, and godly authority had been exposed by the life of the Son of Man, and this was something they could not stomach and would not tolerate.

…yet He was with a rich man in His death…

One part of their plan fell apart when wealthy secret disciple, Joseph of Arimathea—himself a member of the Sanhedrin—went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus (see John 19:38 and Luke 23:50). Pilate agreed, and Joseph, along with Nicodemus (see John 19:39), took the Lord’s body and bound it in linen wrappings and spices, a burial custom for the Jews. Joseph placed the body in his own new tomb (see Matthew 27:60). In this way, Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled: Jesus’ grave had been assigned with wicked men, and yet a rich man—Joseph—was with Him in His death.

…because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Although indignities had been heaped upon Jesus from the moment He had been arrested and continued unabated throughout His trial, scourging, sentencing, and crucifixion, God would allow no further humiliation to be imposed upon Him. With His death, just as He declared, it was finished.

Further indignities had been planned against this Man, even after His death. As Isaiah had prophesied, His grave was assigned with wicked men. His accusers were determined to afford Him no honor. Indeed, the chief priests and Pharisees met with Pilate and asked that he ensure the security of Jesus’ tomb. Why? They said they feared that His disciples would steal the body to make everyone think that Jesus had risen. Pilate replied, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.” With that, they secured the grave, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone (see Matthew 27:65-66). In fearful contempt for the Lord, they wanted to make sure His body stayed put in that tomb.

Yet Jesus had come to fulfill a specific task—to take on the sin of the world and to bear the full judgment for it. When He declared on the cross, “It is finished,” it was finished. Despite the deluded thoughts gurgling within those who killed Him to incriminate Him after death for all time, when Jesus died, their role ceased. God saw to it.

Because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth, God directed Joseph to care for the Lord’s body with dignity and to place it in a respectable tomb. The Lamb of God came to die for you and me; after that He broke open the prison gates of death and the grave by the resurrection power of God. The plan of God had to play out according to His rules, not man’s.

God’s plan will always unfold according to His rules; and when man seeks to override that plan, he will always come up short. If man persists to push against God’s will, like those who crucified the Lord, he will be in for a big surprise: the irrefutable, unstoppable resurrection power of God. Be advised: God’s plan cannot be thwarted.

Dorothy

…but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  1 Corinthians 2:7-8

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. Isaiah 53:8, KJV

The first of the above two versions of Isaiah 53:8 is from the translation I normally use, the New American Standard Bible (NASB). The second is from the King James Version (KJV); using both versions together sheds new light on this verse.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away… (NASB)

John MacArthur said of the crucifixion of Jesus, “No victim of injustice was ever more innocent than the sinless Son of God…It was the greatest travesty of justice the world has ever seen” (see http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/portraits-of-grace/read/articles/the-murder-of-jesus-13577.html).

Others have stated that His arrest, trial, and sentencing was, by far, the worst case of criminal miscarriage of justice in history. It was because of man’s oppression and evil judgment that Jesus was nailed to the cross, but God turned the twisted wisdom of men’s murderous ambition on its head. Instead of the intended “snuff job”, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ gave the entire human race access to redemption and eternal life—not the outcome His executioners were anticipating.

He was taken from prison and from judgment… (KJV)

Jesus had been oppressed and judged by man’s judgments, and He was taken from the prison of the grave and judgment by the resurrection power of God. Commentator Matthew Henry wrote of this verse, “He was discharged…He was by an express order from heaven taken out of the prison of the grave, an angel was sent on purpose to roll away the stone and set him at liberty, by which the judgment given against him was reversed and taken off” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Isa/Isa_053.cfm). Because of His sinlessness, neither judgment, nor death, nor the grave could hold Him down once He had completed His redemptive mission.

…and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? (NASB)

Who living in that generation even once considered during the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus Christ that He was cut off—assassinated—for their own sins and guilt-laden ways? They deserved death and judgment; He took it on for them; they were clueless concerning it.

… 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 (KJV).

The KJV reads, “He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?” Because Jesus was sinless, death could not hold Him. Therefore, when He rose from the dead He became the firstborn among many brethren after bearing our sins and wiping out our debt. As a result, His generation—you and I and all the others who would be born again through faith in Him—would be without number.

“Declare” in this verse is siyach, and according to Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, it means “to think upon anything” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H7878&t=KJV).  It is the same word used in Psalm 143:5, “muse”—“I muse on the work of Your hands.” With this definition in mind, a paraphrase of this portion of Isaiah 53:8 might be, “He was taken from prison and from judgment by the resurrection from the dead; who can ponder the full extent of His generation—the innumerable company of His brothers and sisters—who have been raised to newness of life through faith in Him?” Glory to God—that includes you and me!

His generation—those alive during His time—had no idea how significant that gruesome day was until they themselves were raised from death to life by faith in Him. And His generation—the uncountable multitude of human beings who have become His brothers and His sisters by believing in Him—span all generations from His day forward, throughout history, for as long as this age remains.

You, too, are a member of His generation if you believe in Him and the reality of His death and resurrection on your behalf. And because of your genuine faith in Him, the stroke and judgment for your sin will never fall upon you. For you the prison door has been opened; you are no longer guilty; you are free.

Dorothy

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren… Hebrews 2:10-11

Way back toward the beginning of His ministry, Jesus stirred the ire of religious strategists and the leadership of His day. Multiple references describe the wrath consuming these men when confronted by His power, teaching, authority, and independence from their control. (See Matthew 12:14 and 22:15; Mark 3:6 and 12:12-13; Luke 11:53-54, 20:20, and 20:26; and John 11:53.) They sought to entrap Him and plotted His death. Eventually, they had their way.

But this Man was not a victim.

When they converged upon Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, He did not resist them. Peter sought to protect Him and sliced off the ear of one of the servants apprehending the Lord. Jesus responded, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” (see John 18:10-11). He did not want to be defended.

He was brought before the Sanhedrin. False accusers were a dime a dozen, but none of their accusations were able to stick (see Matthew 26:60). Two witnesses then accused Him of declaring that He could destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. When He was confronted about this, He did not open His mouth. Then the high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God” (see Matthew 26:63).

And then Jesus replied, “You have said so. But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (see verse 64).

At this, the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?”

His colleagues answered, “He deserves death!”  Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?” (See verses 65-68.)

Neverthless, this Man was not a victim.

He was sent to the governor. Pilate questioned Him, demanding to understand His crime. Jesus remained silent (see Matthew 27:14). Uncomfortable with the prospect of condemning an innocent Man, Pilate gave the gathering mob a choice: Release Jesus or the notorious prisoner Barabbas. They chose Barabbas.

Pilate washed his hands of the blood of this Man before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood” (see Matthew 27:24); however, the crowd shouted in response, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (see verse 25).

Yet this Man was not a victim.

Matthew 27:27-30 describes what happened next.

²⁷Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. ²⁸ They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. ²⁹ And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.

But this Man was not a victim.

“Behold the Man,” Pilate announced to the throng as the Son of Man stood, crowned with thorns, His naked, battered, and bleeding body draped by a robe (see John 19:5). After this, they took the robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him (see Matthew 27:31).

Nonetheless, this Man was not a victim.

He bore His own cross until another, Simon the Cyrene, was pressed into carrying it for Him (see John 19:17; Luke 23:26) until they came to Golgotha. There they nailed His hands and feet to the cross and raised Him up on it, crucifying Him between two thieves.

Yet this Man was not a victim.

Jesus had undergone false accusations, mockery, public humiliation, mob mentality, beatings, flesh-tearing scourging, and then, crucifixion, but like a lamb that is led to slaughter, He did not utter one word in defense. He did so on purpose: to pay the penalty for man’s sin, thus satisfying justice, and to redeem lost humanity back to a holy God. This was why He came.

He was not a victim; on the contrary, He accomplished the mission He came to fulfill.

And because of Him, Heaven’s gates have been opened wide.

Dorothy

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. John 10:11

No one takes [My life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. John 10:18, NIV

In the middle of this chapter about the suffering Servant and His agonizing passion on our behalf, focus shifts momentarily to you and me. And it’s not flattering.

All of us like sheep have gone astray…

This statement sums up the whole lump of humanity: Every last one of us is exactly like a sheep that has wandered off on its own. It doesn’t matter if you are educated, brilliant, a prodigy, street smart, wise beyond your years, or just a smart cookie—every single one of us is like a grazing sheep, oblivious to the dangers we’re munching our way toward. Not one member of our race is excluded—concerning the things of God (the way things really are), all of us come into this life as dense as…well…a planet full of bleating sheep!

… each of us has turned to his own way…

Every one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made (see Psalm 139:14), and we all have a set of gifts, talents, skills, and interests that distinguish us one from another. Although God created us to be unique, this verse is not referring to the diversity of individuals. When Isaiah stated that each of us has turned to his own way, he was writing about the conundrum of sin within each wonderfully-made individual. Sin is the “force” within all of us that plays havoc with conscience and draws each one toward every kind of concern but God. Even religiously-inclined individuals seek to “save” themselves—which is itself just another dead-end. Since the garden, the truth has been that each of us has turned to his own way.

Due to the wayward condition of our race, a huge gulf existed between God and man. Despite His great love for us, God couldn’t just “get over it” and let us enter eternal life as fallen beings. He knew that His holiness would consume sin in His presence—the two cannot co-exist—and His holiness would destroy us if we stood face-to-face before Him. Therefore, as things stood, unless He stopped being holy, we would be forever separated. But He could never and would never cease to be holy. And men would always be sinful…

This was unacceptable to God.

Because you and I were like sheep, munching our way off the edge of the cliff; because you and I couldn’t help but blindly careen down our own path into oblivion; because sinful men and women cannot co-exist in eternity with a holy God (no matter how loving He is), God developed a plan to counteract and overturn all of that.

…but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

Sin. Because of it, no man or woman can see God, let alone live forever in His presence. That’s why God chose a Substitute from before the foundation of the world to bear the iniquities of us all. If a Man could live an entirely sinless life and be willing to take on everyone else’s sins and the punishment for all of it, then humans, through faith invested in that Man’s sacrifice, could be cleansed of unrighteousness and receive a new nature, qualifying them to enter into fellowship with God—as His sons and daughters.

The problem was this: every human being was sinful. Therefore, as Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel” (see Isaiah 7:14). Matthew explained this further when he wrote, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus, the sweet Baby of Bethlehem, was conceived by the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of being the sinless One upon whom the Lord would place the iniquity of us all.

God in the flesh—in the Person of Jesus Christ—came to earth to do the job.

God caused our iniquity to fall upon the suffering Servant, His Son. In this way, without ceasing to be holy, God dealt with the sinful condition of mankind by taking it on Himself in the body of Jesus as He hung on the cross. And as He bore the judgment for every bit of our sin, He opened up the way for all of us to enter into His presence and be restored to fellowship with God.

That day eternal life was opened up for all of us.

Dorothy

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11

According to the prophet Isaiah, the suffering Servant bore our sicknesses as well as our griefs; He carried our pains at the same time He carried our sorrows (see Isaiah 53:4).

But here Isaiah, prophesying more than seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, described the torturous death of the Servant, complete with piercing—indicative of crucifixion. Interestingly enough, crucifixion was not used by the Jewish people as a form of execution; it was considered by them to be “one of the most horrible, cursed forms of death (Deuteronomy 21:23)” (see http://christianity.about.com/od/goodfriday/a/crucifixionhist.htm). In fact, the cross was rarely used as a means of capital offense until the time of Alexander the Great, four hundred years after Isaiah’s prophecy (ibid).

But He was pierced through for our transgressions…

The suffering Servant bore our diseases and griefs and carried our sorrows and pains; but He was pierced through for our transgressions. When those nails penetrated the Messiah’s hands and feet, fastening Him to the cross of His execution, it was due to our transgressions and rebellion. Jesus was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth (see Revelation 13:8b), and crucifixion was the manner by which God had foreordained this redemptive act to take place on our behalf.

He was crushed for our iniquities…

Just as He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. Whereas “transgressions” implies outward, willful wrongdoing, “iniquities” refers to the inward condition of “perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or punishment of iniquity” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H5771&t=KJV ) which is the condition into which all people are born. The piercing was external for our outward acts of rebellion; He was crushed within under the weight of man’s inborn sinful condition as He bore it on the cross.

… the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him…

Each of us deserves to bear the consequences for our own sin and rebellion, but God provided a way for that punishment to fall upon Someone else—His Son. In exchange for our chastisement, He offers us well-being—the total package that includes completeness, soundness, welfare, and peace (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H7965&t=KJV).

How many times has God been accused of being unfair? The exchange that occurred at the cross of Calvary—your punishment and sin for completeness, soundness, well-being, and peace—is absolutely unfair—with all the benefits heaped up on your side of the deal. In fact, when you were dead in sin and rebellion, the Bible says God made you alive in Christ, having forgiven all of your transgressions (see Colossians 2:13). The certificate of the debt that you owed—consisting of angry decrees against you—He canceled that out. He nailed the pile of compounded offenses credited to your account to the cross, writing across them with the blood of His Son, “PAID FOR IN FULL” (see Colossians 2:14).

… and by His scourging we are healed.

As if all of that was not enough, the God who is more than enough added this clause: “by His scourging we are healed.” He had borne our sicknesses and carried our pains, had been pierced through for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, but not one moment of His passion for us that dark Friday was wasted. Early after His arrest, He was scourged—beaten with a cruel Roman flagrum. (For an explicit description of this form of punishment, see http://truthmagazine.com/archives/volume44/v440106010.htm [David McClister, Truth Magazine, 2000].

This brutal flagellation was for our healing. Every vicious tear into the flesh of the Lord made life-giving virtue available to you and me—by His scourging we are healed.

This is the Man who beckons you: Follow Me. This is the One to whom you can run and be safe. This is Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

This is Jesus. He died for you so that you could live through Him.

Dorothy

…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Surely our griefs He Himself bore…

Not only was this One acquainted with human grief (see Isaiah 53:3), but He also bore our griefs—our very real and personal griefs. FreeDictionary.com defines “grief” as a “deep mental anguish, as that arising from bereavement; a source of deep mental anguish.” He took on all of that, surely. However, the Hebrew word for “griefs” is choliy, and shockingly, this word quite simply means “sickness” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H2483&t=KJV).

When Isaiah wrote “our griefs He Himself bore,” he was prophesying that the Suffering Servant would bear our sicknesses and not just those things that bring deep mental anguish. Since some folks have difficulty with that interpretation, take a look at three other verses which use the word choliy:

1. Moses taught the Israelites concerning the promises of God for obedience:  “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. The Lord will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you” (Deuteronomy 7:14-15). “Sickness” in verse 15 is choliy. The suffering Servant bore our sicknesses.
2. The widow of Zarephath who fed the prophet Elijah during a time of severe drought had a son who became mortally ill. “And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him” (1 Kings 17:17). “Sickness” in verse 17 is choliy. The Messiah bore our sicknesses.
3. King Asa was a good king who sought God throughout much of his reign. Until the thirty-fifth year of his reign, there was no war (see 2 Chronicles 15:19). However, after this, Asa began seeking out human counsel and not the counsel of the Lord. Chaos and war ensued. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12). “Disease” in verse 12 is choliy. Jesus bore our diseases.

He bore our sicknesses. The Hebrew word for “bore” very graphically describes this act of the Servant. “Bore” is nasa’ and means “to lift, bear up, carry, take”. The Servant bore our sicknesses—He lifted them up, and carried them away. Is it a coincidence that the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration is called NASA? For decades Americans watched as NASA’s rockets were launched into the stratosphere and beyond. Very few things are as spectacular to view as a spaceship taking off: five…four…three…two…one…zero…ignition…LIFT OFF!

According to Isaiah’s prophecy, the day our Messiah bore our griefs was “lift off day” for our sicknesses. How far did He remove your sins? As far as the east from the west (see Psalm 103:12). How far away did He carry your sicknesses? If you can picture a NASA blast off, that’s how far away He bore your sicknesses.

… and our sorrows He carried…

“Sorrows” refers to pain, both mental and physical (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H4341&t=KJV). The Servant of God was a Man of sorrows (see verse 3), and He carried our sorrows—every sorrow and pain experienced by the human race.

Cabal is Hebrew for “carried”, and indicates the heaviness of the sorrows He carried, for it means “to bear a load or drag oneself along” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H5445&t=KJV). You can witness the heaviness of our sorrows and pains piled upon Jesus as you envision Him shouldering the cross, struggling under its weight, and dragging it up to Golgotha.

…yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

More than once Isaiah contrasted the wholehearted commitment of the Suffering Servant to the clueless, self-absorbed assumptions on the part of those He died for. The media of our day, instead of seeking for facts, so often polls for opinions. What people think about what happens far too often trumps the naked truth in our culture. Guess it wasn’t much different in Jesus’ day.

However, despite the erroneous estimation of those in His day or the skewed consensus of today’s popular culture, the truth stands firm: Jesus bore our sicknesses and griefs; He carried our sorrows and pains.

And I love Him for it.

Dorothy

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17, NKJV

This is a picture of the Messiah as He prepared to take on the sins of the world and to rescue mankind from its murderous grip. It’s courageous enough to risk your life to save someone when folks on the sidelines are oohing and ahhing at your heroic bravery. It’s light-years beyond that when you willingly lay down your life for the very ones who scornfully mock, jeer, and abuse you. But that is exactly what our Savior did—one indelible rescue mission on behalf of the entire human race.

He was despised and forsaken of men…

Jesus was despised. He was disdained. He was held in derision. A quick survey of current thought reveals that many still despise Him. He was forsaken by His family and many of His closest friends and was rejected by the world He came to save. Neither you nor I would be able to sustain such blatant contempt or rejection from those we sought to help. Jesus, on the other hand, held tightly to the mission given to Him by the Father from the beginning of time to seek and to save the lost…even when they rejected Him with utter disdain.

…a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…

Who was this Man to whom lepers, prostitutes, fishermen, tax collectors, priests, and children flocked? How could one Man—so despised, yet so magnetic—draw from such a diverse swath of society? He was not merely kind—although kindness and compassion permeated all that He did. He was not merely powerful—although wherever He went, signs, wonders, and healings followed.

He was, to His core, a Man of sorrows and pain. He was, beyond a shadow of a doubt, fully acquainted with sickness and grief. He was a Man, not only of kindness and power, but a Man who seemed to understand the very depth of each man’s sorrow, pain, sickness, and grief. He never scolded nor demeaned anyone suffering under its cruel grip; instead He stepped in to heal each one with compassion and power. He was not like the religious leaders of the day who couldn’t sympathize with the weaknesses of the people, but He was One who had been tempted in all things just like everyone else—yet without ever sinning (see Hebrews 4:15). There was within Him something so unnervingly deep and unsearchable that made it impossible for His detractors—or His followers—to peg, trap, or figure Him out.

…and like one from whom men hide their face…

Many despised Him and sought to ensnare Him; multitudes followed Him and sought to touch Him. And yet this Man could gaze into each one’s heart and know the thoughts, fears, and dreams within. He read people’s mail; He knew when they were trying to trap Him; He knew when they were lying; He knew their history and the motives of their heart—and that made them uneasy. More than once, Pharisees and Sadducees walked away from an encounter with Him, their heads hanging in silence. Nathanael was awed at the Lord’s ability to read his mail (see John 1:47-48). Zacchaeus the tax collector experienced Jesus’ penetrating insight (see Luke 19:1-6), as did the woman at the well (see John 4:15-19). The rich young ruler, after expressing a zealous desire to follow Him, slunk away, grieved and saddened, after Jesus gently exposed the young man’s attachment to his wealth (Mark 10:20-22). Peter, more than once, was cut to the core when Jesus confronted Him; after he denied the Lord, one look from Jesus made him turn and weep bitterly (see Luke 22:61-62).

Have you ever experienced awkward silence when the topic of Jesus comes up in public? It’s uncanny; even now so many seem to hide their faces from Him.

But this Man’s redeeming work was not merely for those who would embrace Him quickly or for the hesitant ones who would take the plunge after giving it much thought. No, He also died for those who purposefully sought to hide their face—and their heart—from Him. And He died for those who are still in hiding.

…He was despised…

He was loved and He was despised—and often, both love and hatred toward Him raged together within the same heart. It’s still that way for many; men and women battling in the secret places of their souls sneak furtive glimpses His way in the valley of their decision. They sense the truth and long for it; but they resent it as well. The only way they know how to deal with such a Man is to either embrace Him or despise Him. Some of you underwent the same inner warfare—I certainly did—yet despite the tumultuous conflict, the Lord led each of us into the truth. Pray for those still gripped by this war to see Him through the smoke of battle and to find the grace to follow Him to the safety of the cross and the blood He shed for them.

This was why He came: to be high and lifted up onto the cross of judgment. Without His atoning death, no one would see God; no one would inherit eternal life.

In His eyes, you and I and all the rest were worth every agonizing moment of the suffering He endured. But despite this…

…we did not esteem Him.

Many still do not esteem Him. However, the fact remains that this Man took our place that day two millennia ago to free each of us from our captivity to sin, self, and sorrow.

And He never once regretted it.

Dorothy

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2, KJV; emphasis added