ISAIAH 53 SERIES: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
ISAIAH 53:8-9 | #Isaiah53
PERSON IN THE CONGREGATION READS ISAIAH 53
READ ISAIAH 53:1-12 (ESV)
“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4 Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on a Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the Righteous One, My Servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
INTRODUCTION… Brief but Effective
Something does not have to be long and drawn out to be impactful. Something can be brief and have a lot of power with it. Effectiveness is not dependent on time. Do you know what is not very long but effective?
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): A 10-minute HIIT workout consisting of 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest is highly effective for improving cardiovascular fitness, building muscle, and burning calories due to its intensity and the afterburn effect. The Emergency Alert System: "Tornado Warning. Seek Shelter Immediately" delivers critical information quickly and clearly, prompting immediate action to ensure safety during severe weather events. A flash sale: A 24-hour online flash sale offering discounts on a popular product creates urgency, driving quick consumer decisions and boosting sales significantly within a limited time frame. A short story like Ernest Hemingway's six-word story: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." This brief story evokes deep emotion and imagination, showcasing how a few words can convey power. A Public Service Announcement: "Stop, Drop, and Roll" for fire safety is simple and brief and makes it easy to remember and execute, which is crucial in emergency situations.
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
SERIES REMINDER
We are currently in a sermon series focusing on Isaiah 53. Isaiah 52-53 focus on Someone called “the Suffering Servant” and based on normal interpretation of this passage; we see this Person being Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53 records for us a dynamic and important prophecy of prediction about Jesus and what He would do and endure. We should not overlook that 700 years before Jesus was born, lived, ministered, and died; a prophet of God looked forward inspired by the Holy Spirit and predicted some of what He would accomplish.
Isaiah is counted in the Major Prophets of the Old Testament with 66 chapters. We are just looking at chapter 53. Chapter 53 has solid teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16) because Isaiah 53 is God’s Word. We are focusing on two verses this morning, verses 8-9.
RE-READ ISAIAH 53:8-9 (ESV)
“By oppression and judgment, He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth.”
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
Verse 8 talks about some truths associated with Jesus that did not take very long.
First, we have the brevity of His “oppression” and the activities that would have made Him “stricken.” Jesus endured what was called “Roman scourging” or “flagellation.” In John 19 the word “flogging” is used.
The duration of scourging could vary depending on the severity of the crime, the discretion of the officials, and the specific circumstances. However, it generally did not last long in terms of time but was extremely painful and often resulted in severe physical damage. The victim would typically be stripped of clothes and tied to a post to expose their back and buttocks. The instrument used for scourging was called a “flagellum” which was a whip with multiple leather strips, often embedded with sharp objects like pot sherds or bone. This made the scourging not only painful but also capable of causing deep lacerations. Scourging sessions were often relatively short, lasting from a few minutes to about 30 minutes. Despite the short duration, the intensity and severity of the blows could cause significant injury. The goal was to avoid death.
Even the verses that describe this are brief in the Gospels:
READ MATTHEW 27:27-31 (ESV)
“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand. And kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own clothes on Him and led Him away to crucify Him.”
READ MARK 15:16-20 (ESV)
“And the soldiers led Him away inside the palace (that is, the governor's headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion. 17 And they clothed Him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on Him. 18 And they began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking His head with a reed and spitting on Him and kneeling down in homage to Him. 20 And when they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple cloak and put His own clothes on Him. And they led Him out to crucify Him.”
READ JOHN 19:1-3 (ESV)
“Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head and arrayed Him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck Him with their hands.”
Second, we have the brevity of His trials. We are told in verse 7 that the Suffering Servant would endure and not really speak up in His defense, argue about His treatment, or change the course of His destiny by talking His way out of it. We saw last week that this prediction did indeed take place. In the Gospels, we see the five times that Jesus is examined by authorities after His arrest: #1 before Annas, #2 before the Sanhedrin, #3 before Pilate, #4 before King Herod, and #5 before Pilate again… Jesus was remarkably silent. Also, as we consider verse 8, all 5 of those trials took place over one night.
ILLUSTRATION… Trials in the USA
Criminal trials in the USA can vary significantly in length. They are influenced by factors like the complexity of the case, the number of charges, the volume of evidence, and the strategies employed by the defense and prosecution. Some trials, particularly high-profile or particularly complex cases, can stretch on for months or even years.
Example 1: The Trial of Derek Chauvin. One of the most notable recent lengthy trials was the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin was charged with second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. The trial began on March 8, 2021, and concluded on April 20, 2021. That is six weeks.
Example 2: The Trial of Elizabeth Holmes. Another recent lengthy trial was that of the founder of Theranos, a health technology company. Holmes was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Her trial began on September 8, 2021, and concluded on January 3, 2022, spanning nearly four months.
Example 3: The Trial of OJ Simpson. The O.J. Simpson trial, formally known as The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson, began on January 24, 1995, and concluded with the verdict on October 3, 1995. This means the trial lasted about 8 months and 10 days.
Example 4: The longest trial in U.S. history, in terms of duration, is often cited as the trial of the McMartin preschool defendants, which lasted approximately three years from 1987 to 1990. The McMartin preschool trial centered around allegations of widespread child sexual abuse at the McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach, California. The case emerged from claims made by children who attended the preschool, leading to accusations against several of the school’s staff members. After 3 years, the trial concluded with acquittals for all the defendants or dismissal of charges.
I mention these and even the Billy Walters trial in 2017 which lasted one day to highlight the fact that Jesus of Nazareth endured 4 trials and 1 re-trial in one night. Jesus was put unfairly on trial, but it did not last very long.
If we are honest, the end result of His official Roman trial was that He was innocent of all charges (not just not guilty!), but the judge was a stellar example of humanity and had Jesus flogged and sentenced to death anyway. This tracks with the comment in verse 9: “He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth.” Jesus was innocent in His trial and yet was killed.
RE-READ ISAIAH 53:8-9 (ESV)
“By oppression and judgment, He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth.”
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
Verse 9 talks about some truths associated with Jesus that did not take very long.
Verse 9 shares with us that the Suffering Servant would not just suffer in serving God, but He would die as well. He has a grave. He occupies it. It even predicts that the grave would be one of a rich man. Isaiah is preaching and predicting many centuries before Jesus came along. Did this come to pass?
READ MATTHEW 27:57-59 (ESV)
“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”
READ MARK 15:42-46 (ESV)
“And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that He should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether He was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the Corpse to Joseph. 46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking Him down, wrapped Him in the linen shroud and laid Him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.”
READ LUKE 23:50-53 (ESV)
“Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the Kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid Him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.”
READ JOHN 19:38-42 (ESV)
“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.”
These verses tell us, specifically the Gospel of Mark, that Pilate was surprised that Jesus had already died. He did not last long being nailed to a cross. Jesus was on the cross from about 9am to about 3pm. Six hours. Jesus died in six hours one Friday. Six hours of pain, anguish, bleeding, suffocating, mocking, nakedness, shame, and taking on the sin of the world. Six hours. Jesus died in six hours one Friday. Six hours of knowing what you and I do in secret and what we flaunt in public and paid for it. Six hours being disconnected from God and soaking in all the evil and despicableness of humanity. Six hours. Jesus died in six hours one Friday.
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
What is also brief is the amount of time Jesus spent in the tomb. Jesus did not occupy the tomb any longer than He wished. He was just renting the space for the purpose of conquering sin and death! The grave was a layover on His journey to provide salvation! The tomb was a pitstop as He completed the work that God had for Him to do!
APPLICATION
You know what else isn’t very long?
Our lives.
Human life, by its very nature, is fleeting and unpredictable. Each day we are granted is a precious gift, yet its duration is uncertain. The Bible captures this thought in fleeting essence in James which describes our life as a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (4:14). This imagery of life as a mist highlights how quickly it can dissipate.
It doesn’t last very long.
Because life doesn’t last very long, the need for spiritual assurance found in Jesus Christ is important. In accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, we connect ourselves to the Source of eternal life that breaks us free from any temporary effects of our lives.
Chaos is temporary.
Death is temporary.
Guilt is temporary.
Sin is temporary.
The fleeting nature of our lives underscores the urgency of addressing our spiritual needs. The promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ provides true hope and stability in the midst of a life that is chaos, guilt-ridden, and full of mistakes. He is our Anchor Being.
And my sermon?
THREAD: IT WASN’T VERY LONG
PRAYER
INVITATION
