The Suffering Servant for paper Part 2

In my last column I wrote  “Although we are not close to Easter I would like to examine an Old Testament prophecy that demonstrate the accuracy of Old Testament prophecies. In Isiah 53: 4 – 11 the whole story of Good Friday is told by Isaiah more than seven hundred years before it happened. It is remarkable that Isaiah could record both the events of Good Friday and the theological implications of the actions of the suffering servant, Jesus Christ, with a clarity that, beyond doubt, confirms the hand of God directing Isaiah’s hand and thoughts. In part 1 we examined part of this text to see both what happened and what it meant, with Isaiah’s binoculars that have a 700 year plus range.  Now part 2.

5a – he was pierced for our transgressions.  The prophecy speaks those words without telling us if they are to refer to the nails that pierced His hands and feet, or to the spear which pierced His side. The nails, which Jesus felt, and the spear which He did not feel, because He was already dead.  The blood and water of which John speaks of coming out of the spear-wound are the evidence that He was already dead.  The plasma and the red blood cells had already separated, and they do when the heart stops, a fact even the ancients knew about.

And it happened, as Isaiah prophesied, among the wicked. 9a – He was assigned a grave with the wicked; He was crucified with true criminals, one on either side of Him.

Think about this – all of this is on account of sin, our sin.  The next time you are tempted to ignore what your know is the will of God, and do or say something just because it suits you or gives you an advantage, or profits you in some small way, think on this.  Jesus endured all of this because sin is the deadly serious thing it is. Jesus paid our full redemption price. He died this grisly death because we are corrupt, twisted, weak, and enemies of God by nature.  The Servant saves by Suffering.

Even His burial was part of the prophecy, 9b – and with the rich in his death. And Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, whose wealth was evident in the carving of a new tomb in the nearby garden, came and took the dead body and placed it in his own new tomb.  Every part of the passion and death of our Lord is clearly prophesied by Isaiah.

11c – by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. That knowledge included knowing exactly what was going to happen before he entered Jerusalem. He told his disciples he was going to be crucified, he knew his death would be excruciating painful, yet he willingly bore our iniquities.

If that were the whole story, it would be a sad story.  It would be the noble tale of a good man who died on behalf of others.  Stirring and exemplary, but hardly worth all of this fuss two thousand years later.  But, as you know, this is not the whole story.  Isaiah even knew that truth.  He ended this section of his prophecy like this, 10 c, 11a – he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light [of life] and be satisfied. His days are prolonged, as Isaiah described it, because He rose from the dead and lives eternally! His physical eyes saw the light of day after his resurrection. Jesus’s very soul suffered there on the cross as the wrath of God was taken out on him for our sin. Of course, Jesus had no children in the ordinary way but he has seen his offspring. 8b – And who can speak of his descendants?  Well we are His offspring!!  In Baptism we have each been adopted into the household of God!

And that text mentioned the will of the LORD.  And what is the will of the Lord?  Our Salvation! That the one who knows and believes and trusts in God to do all that He has promised in connection with Jesus Christ and the crucifixion and the resurrection, shall be saved!

There have been multitudes of thousands throughout the centuries of such believers, and there exists today multitudes of those that believe and are saved.  The good pleasure of the Lord has prospered and shall continue to prosper in the hands of this Servant of the Lord until it shall please the Lord to bring it to an end and bring us all to live in His glory.  Isaiah’s remarkable Prophecies of the Suffering Servant have shown it to us, and to all that have believed since long before the time of Jesus Himself.  “The servant saves by suffering in our place.” Yes Old Testament prophecy is very reliable!

Blessings