Tuesday: Who Has Believed?
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
In Isaiah 52:13 God’s Servant is highly exalted, but without warning, the next verse describes His appearance as so disfigured He cannot be recognized as one of the “sons of men.” The New Testament describes the factors that marred Jesus’ appearance, including scourging, a crown of thorns, crucifixion, but, above all, bearing the sins of the human race. Sin was never intended to be natural for humans; bearing it made the “Son of Man” appear inhuman.
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Compare this with the story of Job, who suddenly plummeted from a position of great wealth, honor, and power to a miserable wretch sitting among ashes on the ground and scraping his painful sores with a potsherd (Job 1, 2). The contrast was so great that not even Job’s friends recognized him at first (Job 2:12). The question is: Why does Job suffer? Why must God’s Messiah suffer? Neither deserve it. Both are innocent. Why, then, the suffering?
Read through the verses for today and write down the places where the theme of the innocent suffering for the guilty appears. What is the essential message there for us?
Look at the questions in Isaiah 53:1. These questions emphasize the challenge of believing the unbelievable (compare with John 12:37-41) and warn us to sit down for the rest of the story. But the questions also imply an appeal. In this context, the parallel between the two questions implies that the Lord’s arm/power of salvation (compare with Isa: 52:10) is revealed to those who believe the report. Do you want to experience God’s saving power? Then believe the report.
Look carefully at Isaiah 53:6. What is the specific message there? What is that text saying to you, personally, that should give you hope despite your past sins and failures?
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The Jewish nation had for hundreds of years been under the yoke of other powers. Even after the return from the Babylonian exile, they had been under the Achaemenid, Greek and Roman Empires. The notion that the Messiah would come as a conqueror, leading them to victory over these empires was very appealing to them. When Jesus turned up as a baby and the son of a carpenter, why would they take any notice? When he started to preach and become known to them, he was treated as a religious nutter. Who would accept crazy ideas like helping the Romans for two miles instead of one? Turning the other cheek? Giving away half your clothing? And on top of all that he started claiming he could forgive sins. That was when the accusation of blasphemy started.
Jesus was mild, he played with kids, he went to meals with tax collectors and publicans. He did not fulfil their expectations of a conquering leading Messiah. He announced that his Kingdom was not of this world. He talked about relationships with God and compassion for fellow man. Even his followers, right up to the cross clung on to the hope that all this was simply a prelude to the miraculous overcoming of those wretched ruling Romans. Judaism was going to be vindicated. The vengeance that God had reserved was going to be unleashed against the Romans.
And it all came crashing down at the cruificiction. ...and then he rose again. That was when the disciples at last saw the truth. Compassion wins. But it is a different sort of winning and even they took time to understand that Salvation was about service.
"The notion that the Messiah would come as a conqueror, leading them to victory over these empires was very appealing to them"
This is what we've always been taught. I'm not challenging you on any level, but I have been unable to find any Bible verses that clearly say that. It makes sense that they want to govern themselves and be the worlds super power, who doesn't? I'm just not seeing it from the Bible. No reasoning please, Bible verses. You and Shirley's comments are very valuable to me.
Jesus has taken on himself the guilt of us all. As sin entered the paradise through one man, all the blame was taken away by one Man too. The difference is that this Man has never sinned! He was sentenced to die because He loved too much! And took all of our blame!
It is becoming clearer to me that indeed the prediction of the individual suffering servant was about Jesus Christ who died for my sins. It could not be the nation of Israel nor Isaiah because neither of them could make atonement for our sins. See below the texts in the New Testament that say Jesus was the fulfillment of the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.
Isaiah 52:15 They shall understand (Romans 15:21)
Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? (John 12:38, Romans 10:16)
Isaiah 53:4 Carried our diseases (Matthew 8:17)
Isaiah 53:5 By his stripes you were healed (1Peter 2:24)
Isaiah 53:7 A lamb to the slaughter (Acts 8:32)
Isaiah 53:9 He committed no sin (1Peter 2:22)
Isaiah 53:12 Numbered with transgressors (Mark 15:28, Luke 22:37)
Words Isaiah uses to describe Jesus suffering on the cross: despised, rejected, suffering, pain, punished, stricken, afflicted, pierced, crushed, wounds, oppressed, slaughter.
Jesus on the cross shows us that God is far from being immune to suffering. Jesus identifies with our suffering (Heb. 4:15). Jesus endured pain so that He might care for us at the most complete level when we suffer. That's why Jesus healed physical pains of all kinds with words "your sins are forgiven". Jesus did not come to study and analyze our brokenness, but to absorb it all into Himself and transform it. There are those who suffer because of sin and those who sin trying to alleviate their suffering. Jesus takes ALL of that on and transforms it. God the Father's comfort and mercy is ours through Jesus
(2 Cor. 1:3-5)
In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis says, "My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?"
We were not made for suffering. Our souls tell us this. The sinful heart might bask in suffering, might even say suffering is more "authentic" than happiness. And yet we see and feel the physical effects of dwelling in spiritual darkness vs. dwelling in spiritual light. As our lesson says, "Sin was never intended to be natural for humans" or for the whole of creation
(Rom 8:22). Bearing sin disfigures us and makes us inhuman. Handing sin over to God makes us human, i.e. like Jesus handing sin over to His Father (Luke 23:34), restored to God's image.
At first, people including His disciples did not understand the Kingdom that Jesus meant. We can see two examples of Judas Iscariot and that of the mother of John and Jacob. Judas was recommended by the disciples to be in charge of treasury because he was learned, at the same time the mother of John and Jacob requested that Jesus allow her two sons to sit one at the right-hand side and the other at the left-hand side, not knowing of Kingdom that Jesus here meant.
The nation of Israel had longed for the worldly Kingdom for they were under the powers of other nations for long.
Today it is no different with us and the Idea of old. Our minds are made to think of earthly things than spiritual things. When the Israelites waited for the King to come, Jesus came as a baby and born in the simplest place even in the cow yard, and laid on a manger.
Our day is not different from their day, we are not ready to accept the truth of the present time going to church is now a formality. So let us go to the Lord when He is found.
Jesus came for me and you let me have no time to waste.
Take heart Christians when you have doubts and remain humble when you feel the hand of the Lord acting in your life. His disciples and His followers did not understand His purpose after 3 years with Him. He told them several times leading up to His death that it was going to happen but He would rise the 3rd day and then He Himself had to connect the dots between prophecy and His life for them after His resurrection. Remember Christ’s words to Thomas after he demanded to and was able to touch Jesus’ scars of the crucifixion, Jn 20:29,
“ 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Can it be that some think they believe but they really don’t? Is it possible to believe but not have a changed heart? ‘Who is the one who has believed the report and to whom the arm of the LORD is revealed? Is it not the one that believes in the Salvation brought to us by the Son of God, sent by the Father to safe the lost and to walk in His Way?
Isa.53:6 -”All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
God has chosen His Son – Emanual – God with us -, to live among man as His Servant to carry/experience the burden of mankind’s iniquity but sin not; to so re-establish the oneness between God and His creature - man!
To better understand what separates us from our Father, I looked up the word ‘iniquity’.
‘Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology – Iniquity; King James Bible Dictionary’ defines it as: sin, wickedness, evil, crookedness, perverseness - i.e. evil regarded as that which is not straight or upright, moral distortion; - Iniquity, Guilt of Iniquity, Punishment of Iniquity. An example of its use in context: “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” Psalm 141:3-4KJV.
As I understand ‘Iniquity’, it encompasses all acts committed by us in our fallen state. There is no ‘good’ in fallen man – Eph.2:8,9KJV.
Isa.52:10 - ”The LORD hath 'made bare/revealed' his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. The Lord has 'pulled out His Trump-card'; now, His last move was declared and it was time to let the world know; but there was still some passing of time before celebrating the final victory.
I am so thankful to be able to read the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures, especially in the Books of Isaiah and John. At this present time we still have free access to read about this wonderful ‘Good News’. To all who wander along their own way lost in darkness, the LORD offers to walk in His Way of Light and Life.
Our heavenly Father placed the burden of the 'Work of Redemption' of mankind’s iniquity upon His Son’s shoulder; He was victorious and became our Savior – Thank you, Jesus! His steadfast Faithfulness and Love have set mankind free from the darkness of his iniquity – all man needs to do to receive His gift of Grace and Light is to BELIEVE that which the ‘arm of the Lord has revealed’.
Who has believed? Only those who overcome and become partakers of the Divine nature have believed in the propitiating sacrifice of Jesus and have received Him(John 1:12). They wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and follow wherever He leads. Isn't anything less than this is living in unbelief?
The violated law of God requires death to the violator(Eze 18:4). This is justice, since transgression of the law is a violation against God Himself and our fellow man. So for this great debt to be propitiated, the sinner must forfeit his life, OR, someone worthy must pay the penalty on his behalf, thus propitiating the demand for justice, thus allowing the believing/repentant sinner to be forgiven and live. In all this, God is both just and merciful, and the law is shown to be perpetual and perfect(Ps 19:7).