The Suffering Ministry of Our Saviour Isaiah 53:7-12 Part III

Isaiah’s prophecy, we have seen, gives us a vivid picture of the suffering ministry of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Many scholar believe that Isaiah chapter 53 is a part of a series of poems called servant songs.  This song begins in Isaiah chapter 52:13 through Isaiah chapter 53:12.  In this chapter 53, we are acquainted with the early life and ministry of Jesus Christ; a life that was characterized by being misunderstood and being subjected to untold suffering for you and me.  Certainly, this chapter unfolds that He indeed suffered for us.   Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote centuries later that Jesus Christ suffered the humiliation of the cross experience when he said:  “Who His Own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”  (I Peter 2:24).  And Paul, another apostle, wrote that Christ experienced being our substitute for sin, for he said – “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.  (II Corinthians 5:21).

In a previous article, we have noticed that Isaiah’s report depicted the life and death of Jesus Christ.  It was a report that largely went unnoticed (v.1).  Not heeding the report, the Jewish nation’s reaction to the person of Christ was one of rejecting Him because of the humble way He came into the world – mainly, Jesus was “despised and rejected” (v.3).  AS the God-man, He totally identified with the “griefs and sorrows” of mankind as the suffering servant (v.4-5).  The “sorrows and griefs that characterized Jesus’ whole life made Him repulsive to people.  Yet, He did not allow His rejection to become the basis of Him refusing to complete His suffering ministry on our behalf.  The mission-minded Saviour of the world invaded humanity with a definite purpose in mind, for Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransome for many.”  The report that went basically unnoticed, compares us to sheep who “have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6).

The load of sin in which I carried alone made it impossible for me to have peace with God.  However, our Lord accomplished something or a work for us, in that, the Father laid “on him (Christ) the iniquity of us all” (v.6).  We all stood universally condemned before God, but Jesus Christ took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved on a rugged tree called a cross.  From verses 7-10, the voluntary nature of Jesus’ suffering on our behalf is in view.  He suffered silently (v.7) and was assigned to be buried with the wicked (v.8) but God intervened, and through the benevolence of a friend, Jesus was placed “with the rich in His death (Matthew 27:57).  According to one writer, His noteworthy burial was the beginning of the glorification which started with His death.  On a larger note, it “pleased the Lord to bruise Him” (v.10).  The Father took delight in His Son’s suffering because He recognized His suffering was part of a larger plan.  Jesus’ death did not end His existence because He was raised to life, in that He “shall see His seed.”  The term, “seed,” refers to all of those who accept His suffering on their behalf.  Jesus shall also live eternally for the Lord “shall prolong His days” (v.10).

In closing, many people do not live to see the fulfillment of their life’s work.  But, this is not so with the suffering servant – Jesus Christ.  Although He suffered for us, the Son will be “satisfied” (Isa. 53:11) with what He accomplished on the cross.  Having experienced the agony of the cross experience on our behalf, God promised that He would give the Lord Jesus “a portion with the great.” Oh yes!  The same One who was rejected by His peers, has been exalted and satisfied all of the demands of Holy God.  The servant (the Lord Jesus) will “divide the spoils with the strong” (v.12).  The “strong” are the ones who have believed the report.  In closing, again Our Lord has a continuing ministry of praying for us.  Let’s see something here in Isaiah 53 – Our Lord was rejected for us, died and was buried for us, rose and gained the victory for us, and has a continuing prayer ministry for us as He sits at the right hand (honor) of the Father.  Certainly, after humiliation comes the exaltation.  May God indeed Bless!