THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH
A study of Isaiah 53
Introduction: “Don’t Miss The Messiah”
In the prologue of this study we asked and then answered the question “What Is The Gospel?”. Afterwards we considered the reality that we are to be “Witnesses Of The Gospel”. In both instances the central figure of the Gospel is the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As we covered in great depth, the Gospel is “the good news of Jesus Christ”.
The entirety of the Old Testament is saturated with references to Israel’s Messiah. As He had done throughout the ages, God sent a prophet with a message for His people. In this instance, that prophet was “Isaiah the son of Amoz”. Isaiah prophesied “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah” (1:1). The LORD called him into prophetic service “in the year that King Uzziah died”, (this occurred around 740 B.C.) In Isaiah 6:8 the prophet said, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
God used Isaiah to proclaim His merciful and gracious plan for the rebellious Nation of Israel, and ultimately for the world. God had entered into a covenant with Abraham and assured him that the entire world would be blessed through his “Seed”. Genesis 12:1-3 says, “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Centuries later, while writing to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul said, “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16) Later in that same chapter, Paul mentions a great promise that applies to us; he said. “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29)
Though Israel was exceedingly rebellious throughout their history and especially in Isaiah’s day, God would not fail to keep His promises to Abraham and his decedents. With that being said, we cannot overlook what the LORD said about the fulfillment of His promise, He said in Isaiah 48:9-11, “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger, and for My praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.”
There is no doubt that YAHWEH is an exceedingly loving, merciful, and gracious God. However, God’s love and compassion was not His primary motivation for extending mercy to Israel; God’s ultimate motive was His own glory. If the LORD had punished Israel as they deserved, this would have diminished the display of His glory. Through Isaiah He declared that He would not allow His holy name to be profaned, therefore He would fulfill His promise even though His people were undeserving.
Along with God’s covenant with Abraham, He also entered into a covenant with King David. The Davidic Covenant, (found in 2 Samuel 7:12-16) is God’s promise to David that his lineage would endure forever, and that one of his descendants would establish an eternal kingdom. The LORD said in 2 Samuel 7:16, “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” We know that this prophecy and covenant was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Because of the Davidic Covenant, the people of Israel had long anticipated the arrival of a King who would deliver them from their enemies and put an end to all of their suffering. It was their belief that this King would fulfill all of the Old Testament prophecies, and lead them into a new era of peace, blessings, power, and prosperity.
From the time of Abraham until the birth of Christ, every generation of Jews had anticipated the arrival of the Messiah who had been spoken of by the prophets and promised by the LORD Himself. By the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had received an abundance of information concerning the Promised One.
There were prophecies concerning the birth of the Messiah. Through Micah, God declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”) Earlier in Isaiah’s prophecy Israel had been told that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.)
Luke tells us that Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary and then goes on to describe His birth in Luke 2:4-7, “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son.”
Israel had received numerous prophecies concerning the genealogy of the Messiah. As we have already mentioned, the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham and come from the royal line of King David. The very first words recorded in the New Testament are as follows. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham… (Matthew 1:1)
The prophets had spoken of the life and ministry of the Messiah. Isaiah 35:4-6 says, “…He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing…” Jesus summarized His own ministry in Matthew 11:5 when He said, “The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
There were prophecies about the betrayal of the Messiah. Psalms 41:9 predicted that the Messiah would be betrayed by a close friend, one who “ate His bread”. Jesus identified His betrayer to John by saying “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon…” (John 13:26-27). Furthermore, Zechariah 11:12-13 declared that the Messiah would be sold for the sum of 30 pieces of silver. In Matthew 26:14-16 we are told that “Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.”
Psalm 22:16 and Zechariah 12:10 suggest the Messiah would be executed and that His hands and feet would be pierced. We know that Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced during the crucifixion because He said to His Disciples in Luke 24:39, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
Psalm 22:1 suggests the Messiah would experience abandonment by God. Just before His death, at about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “…My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)
Much of Isaiah 53 points to the fact that the Messiah would make atonement for the people. Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice served to atone for our sins and to reconcile us to God. (2 Corinthians 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.");(1 Peter 2:24: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.")
Isaiah declared that the Messiah would be buried with the rich. (Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death.) Jesus was buried in a new tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and a disciple of Christ. (Matthew 27:57-59 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed.)
Though the Messiah would die, there were Old Testament prophecies that indicated that He would not remain in the grave. Psalm 16:10 says, “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” This is a prophecy concerning the Messiah's resurrection. There is no question that this Psalm was written by David, but in Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost he masterfully articulates the reality that the Psalmist was not referring to himself. He said:
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
The prophecies about the Messiah covered His birth, life, ministry, betrayal, suffering, death, burial, and resurrection. The prophets also spoke of His ascension, exaltation, second coming, and His eternal reign. Though they did not understand all of the details concerning the Messiah, Israel had ample information that would help them to identify Him once He arrived.
For centuries the Jewish people longed for the day when the Promised One would arrive and save the nation temporally, spiritually, and ultimately eternally. Tragically, when He finally arrived, they missed Him. The problem was not that they didn’t see Him, it was that they didn’t see Him for who He was!
It has often been said of Judas Iscariot that he “kissed the Door of Heaven and died and went to Hell”. He was so close, yet so far away! This could be said for a large segment of the Jewish people. The Gospels tell us that the Pharisees, Sadducees, the members of the Sanhedrin and others were opposed to Jesus from the outset of His ministry. However, at least for a time there were multitudes who hoped and even believed that Jesus was that Promised Messiah that they were looking for.
Though the religious leaders rejected the idea that Jesus was the Messiah, His messages, ministry, and miracles were undeniable. As a result, on the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem for the last Passover the multitudes worshipped Him as their King. As the Savior made His way into Jerusalem riding on a donkey (the fulfillment of another Messianic prophecy) the people “spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up…” (Matthew 21:8-10)
For a brief moment, a multitude of Jews hailed Jesus as their King and Messiah. With hundreds of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, many thought that this was the moment they had been waiting for. Surely this would be the time when Jesus would gather an army of followers, ascend to power, and deliver Israel from the oppression of the Romans. I am sure that there were various ideas concerning what would occur once the Messiah made His way into the city, but I am sure that they were not expecting what would happen next.
Concerning this subject, John MacArthur says, “The next day He came back to town after the triumphal entry and He went on the attack. But He didn’t attack the Romans; the enemies of God, and the enemies of Israel. He attacked the Jews; He attacked the temple. He made a whip and started throwing people out. They turned it into a den of robbers. He did it at the beginning of His ministry; He did it the final week of His ministry. He assaulted the Jewish religious leaders. He assaulted Judaism at its highest point, at its peak, at its pinnacle. He assaulted the temple, He assaulted the religion, and He never touched the Romans.”
The great expectations that the Jews possessed on Palm Sunday were soon replaced with frustration and infuriation. By Friday of Passion Week, the shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” were replaced with cries of “Crucify Him!” Many were hoping that Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel, they hoped that He was their king, but He wasn’t the king they wanted.
On the Preparation Day of the Passover Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat and he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him! “Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King? “The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar! “Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. (John 19:13-16).
Israel’s true King was standing right before them and they rejected Him. Their long-awaited Messiah was in their presence and they missed Him. Tragically, there have been multitudes throughout history who have been in the presence of God’s Messiah and they missed Him. Even worse is the fact that this is a reality for many today. We are not like the Jews who possessed so many misconceptions concerning the Messiah; we know that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and David. We have ample evidence that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. We are not looking to see who the Messiah is, we are looking for His return! As one old preacher said, “I am not looking for the signs, I am listening for the shout!”.
- Doug Reily wrote a song that says:
The hour is approaching when the souls of man will hear,
A mighty shout resounding in the sky.
In power and great glory King Jesus will appear,
and take His children home to paradise.
It will be a celebration, for the ones who chose His name, but total separation, for the ones who turned away.
Are you ready for the trumpet?
Are you ready for the call?
Soon the angels will assemble to usher in the Son of God.
Will come and find you faithful?
Will He know your name at all?
Every moment brings us closer.
Are you ready for the call?
As Christians we rest in the promise that John recorded in Revelation 1:7-8, there the Apostle declared, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
I hope and pray that you are ready for the call. I pray that you are prepared for the return of Christ. There are severe and eternal consequences for all who reject the Lord Jesus. The scriptures provide ample proof that God fulfilled His promises and sent the Seed of Abraham, the Suffering Servant that Isaiah spoke about did arrive, and He is the Sovereign King from the line of David. Furthermore, the scriptures make it clear that this Seed, Servant, & Sovereign is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. I can almost hear Isaiah pleading with Israel and saying, “Don’t Miss The Messiah!” If I had one plea for you today, it would be the same; “Don’t Miss The Messiah!”
04022025
