Isaiah 53
The climactic Suffering Servant passage: He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows. He bore our griefs, was pierced for our transgressions, and by His wounds we are healed. He was led like a lamb to slaughter. The most detailed messianic prophecy in the Old Testament.
Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
Who has believed our message — John quotes Isaiah 53
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Read John 12 ›Lord, who has believed our message — Paul quotes Isaiah 53
But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
Read Romans 10 ›Lord, who has believed our message?
This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Read John 12 ›Lord, who has believed our message?
But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”
Read Romans 10 ›He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.
He had no beauty or majesty — made himself nothing, taking form of a servant
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Read Philippians 2 ›He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected
He replied, “Elijah does indeed come first, and he restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected?
Read Mark 9 ›'He was despised and rejected by mankind.' Isaiah's suffering servant came to his own people, and they didn't recognise him. John sees the pattern fulfilled in Jesus.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
Read John 1 ›Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
Read Matthew 8 ›By his wounds you have been healed
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
Read 1 Peter 2 ›He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
Read Matthew 8 ›But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
He was pierced for our transgressions — delivered over for our sins
He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
Read Romans 4 ›By his wounds you have been healed — suffering for our healing
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”
Read 1 Peter 2 ›Crushed for our iniquities — Christ offered once to bear sins
so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him.
Read Hebrews 9 ›We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.
All we like sheep have gone astray — you were like sheep going astray
For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Read 1 Peter 2 ›Scapegoat bearing sins — the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all
Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.
Read Leviticus 16 ›He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
Like a sheep led to slaughter — Ethiopian eunuch reads this passage
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth.
Read Acts 8 ›Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
Read John 1 ›He did not open his mouth — Jesus remained silent before Pilate
But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
Read Matthew 27 ›Precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish
but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.
Read 1 Peter 1 ›By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away — Ethiopian reads this
In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.”
Read Acts 8 ›He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
Assigned a grave with the wicked, with the rich in his death — Joseph of Arimathea
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus.
Read Matthew 27 ›He committed no sin, no deceit was found in his mouth
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
Read 1 Peter 2 ›He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
Read 1 Peter 2 ›Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
The Lord's will to crush him — God gave his only Son
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Read John 3 ›Did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
Read Romans 8 ›After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.
By his knowledge my servant will justify many — many made righteous
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Read Romans 5 ›Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
He was numbered with the transgressors — crucified between two criminals
He was numbered with the transgressors — must be fulfilled in me
For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.”
Read Luke 22 ›He bore the sin of many and made intercession — Father, forgive them
Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His garments by casting lots.
Read Luke 23 ›Have a question about Isaiah 53?
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