ISAIAH 53 SERIES: ONE THING ABOUT JESUS THAT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE
ISAIAH 53:10-12 | #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.”
SERIES REMINDER
We are currently in a sermon series focusing on Isaiah 53.
* In verses 1-2 we saw how Jesus, though seemingly ordinary, would be the extraordinary arm of the Lord for our salvation.
* In verse 3, Isaiah predicted He would be constantly despised, often rejected, entered into sorrow, experienced grief, and was ignored. All that came true.
* In verse 4, we dove into the idea that the motivation for God saving us was His love.
* In verse 5, we talked about how sin creates a broken relationship between a Holy God and us sinful human beings. We are on opposite sides. The Suffering Servant would bring a peace treaty between God and His Creation.
* In verse 6, Isaiah talks about salvation in terms of sheep and prophesies that we like sheep go our own way and need a Savior.
* In verse 7, we noted that Jesus stayed silent so that nothing would derail His death on the cross.
* In verses 8-9, we discussed how the trials of Jesus, the suffering of Jesus on the cross, and His time in the tomb did not take very long, but impacted us for eternity.
* In verse 10, we talked about how Jesus was devoted to the will of God and His will prospered in His hands.
We now come to verses 11-12 and finish our deep dive into this prophetic passage about the Suffering Servant… Whom we interpret to be Jesus Christ. There is much in this prophet’s writings that predict about Jesus. He looked forward to the cross and we look back on it.
We are focusing on one verse this morning, verses 11-12. Actually, we need to read 10-12 because there is a word repeated three times in this passage that makes me uncomfortable.
RE-READ ISAIAH 53:10-12 (ESV)
“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.”
THERE IS A WORD REPEATED IN THIS PASSAGE THAT LEADS ME TO SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS THAT MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.
TRANSITION
Almost everything about Jesus Christ I appreciate and praise Him for on a regular basis, but the end of Isaiah 53 brings up something that gives me the spiritual willies and makes me uncomfortable. Actually, most facts, Truth, and theology about Jesus Christ I am pretty comfortable with.
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING GOD
The identity and nature of Jesus Christ is that He is God. This is a basic normal belief about Jesus. The theological/churchy word for this belief is “orthodox.” Orthodox means “a normal traditional belief.” It is the normal accepted belief about Jesus that He is God. It is that belief that separates Christians from other religions and groups like Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses.
Many passages in the New Testament confirm this theological Truth for us. There are several verses in John 1 that show this Truth to us:
READ JOHN 1:1-4 (ESV)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
READ JOHN 1:14 (ESV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus also says in John 10:30 very simply:
READ JOHN 10:30 (ESV)
“I and the Father are One.”
There are other passages in the New Testament which share with us that the power and authority of YHWH God rests with Jesus. Jesus is God. Jesus has the authority of God. Paul teaches the church in Colossae:
READ COLOSSIANS 2:9-10 (ESV)
“For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in Him, Who is the head of all rule and authority.”
I am comfortable with Jesus being God because this means that everything He said, did, taught, healed, and preached comes with divine authority and can be absolutely unequivocally trusted. I like that. We can trust in Jesus because He is Someone Who is Something else! He is supernatural. He is divine. He is extraordinary. He is made of the same “stuff” as God. I like that. I am comfortable with that Truth.
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING THE MESSIAH
We call Jesus “Christ.” “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name, but is a title. It is the same word as “Messiah.” Christ and Messiah both mean “the Anointed One.” Jesus is the One in Whom all of the Old Testament predictions and prophecies came true.
Calculating the odds of Jesus fulfilling all the prophecies in the Old Testament is a complex task involves both mathematical estimations and theological considerations. Some estimates suggest that there are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that Christians believe Jesus fulfilled. The odds of one person fulfilling just a handful of these prophecies is often cited as astronomically low. For example, one popular illustration uses just eight specific prophecies and suggests that the odds of one Individual fulfilling all of them is 1 in 10^17 which is 1 in 100 trillion. There are prophecies about the Messiah all over the Old Testament. It actually takes more faith to deny Jesus is Who He says He is than to believe in Him.
I am comfortable with Jesus being the Messiah because the evidence stacks up in His favor. The reason the prophets predicted the coming of the Christ was so that when He arrived we would know Him. God’s plan was to send His Son into the world, not to condemn the word, but to save the world through Him (John 3:17). God predicted what He would do and then delivered on every single point. I like that. I am comfortable with the Truth that Jesus is the Messiah.
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING RABBI
The word “rabbi” means “teacher.” I am comfortable with Jesus being a rabbi because the way Jesus taught and the content He gave out leads to goodness. Also, Jesus Himself affirms that this is What and Who He was. This is an appropriate word for Him in our minds and hearts. It is a great descriptor. Jesus says in John 13…
READ JOHN 13:13 (ESV)
“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.”
Even people who aren’t Christians and don’t follow Him religiously like most of what Jesus had to say. The Gospels are filled with solid life principles. Jesus advocated for love, forgiveness, right living, freedom for captives and the enslaved, and showed mercy to the sick and the downtrodden. Even people who didn’t like Jesus liked what He had to say and some of them even respected Him. For example in John 3…
READ JOHN 3:2 (ESV)
“This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.”
I am comfortable with Jesus being a rabbi because He was good at it! His parables are thought provoking and move a person towards God once they are understood. Practicing the way of life that Jesus preached is a narrow way that leads to a relationship with YHWH God. Jesus reveals God to us in His preaching and the Gospels record all of this for us. His teaching is not just good, but moves us towards God for a relationship with Him. I am comfortable with that.
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS DYING FOR ME
Jesus’ life was different. Jesus suffered for others. The Bible tells us that Jesus lived a sinless life and that He willingly gave Himself up for me and you that we might have the opportunity to have a relationship with God the Father. Jesus lived a sinless life and yet died like a criminal (Luke 23). He did all of that so that we might be able to live rightly. We are forgiven because of Him. That is what Isaiah 53 predicts! It happened! By Jesus’ wounds we are healed! The Apostle Peter says…
READ 1 PETER 2:21-25 (ESV)
“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth. 23 When He was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. 24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
I am comfortable with Jesus dying for me because I know what goes on in my heart and I do not want to pay for my own sins. No thank you. I do not want to be separated from God in eternity. I do not want my own blood on my own head. I want to be with Him in eternity. Jesus is the only path to God, no matter what others may say in the news, Jesus is the only path to God. Just Him. His death is the only way for sins to be forgiven. I am comfortable with Jesus dying for me because it is the way God Himself set it up. I am comfortable with that.
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING GOD, THE MESSIAH, THE RABBI, AND DYING FOR ME. THERE IS A WORD REPEATED IN ISAIAH 53:10-12 THAT LEADS ME TO SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS THAT MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.
RE-READ ISAIAH 53:10-12 (ESV)
“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.”
YOU KNOW WHAT I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH?
I AM NOT COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING A HUMAN BEING.
The word that is repeated in 10, 11, and 12 is SOUL. The soul is something very special God created in Genesis 2:7 and He gave it to only one of His creations. Plants don’t have it. Mountains don’t have it. Animals don’t have it. Humans have it. Humans have a soul. What makes me uncomfortable is that Jesus of Nazareth was a Man.
Yes! Jesus is God, the Messiah, the Rabbi, and died for me, but He was and is a human being just like us. That makes me uncomfortable; I do not know about you; but that makes me uncomfortable. I shy away from those passages that call Jesus our “brother” (Matthew 12, Hebrews 2) or say that we are “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8); and yet they are very True. I can wrap my tiny little sinful brain around everything else except that Jesus was a dude. Jesus the Nazarene was a human being. John 1:14 tells us plainly that Jesus had flesh. Jesus was a flesh and blood human being in every single way we are… every… single… way.
A = Jesus had an appetite.
B = Jesus burped when He was a baby.
C = Jesus got cold.
D = Jesus dared His cousin to eat bugs.
E = He had to eat.
F = He farted.
G = He got the giggles.
H = He longed for heaven.
I = Jesus knew ignorant people.
K = Jesus was killed.
J = Jesus drank juice.
K = Jesus had knees.
L = He had to learn.
M = He got mad.
N = He was looked down on by the nobility.
O = He had and has obstinate friends.
P = Jesus had to have patience.
Q = Jesus knew quitters.
R = Jesus celebrated Rosh Hashanah.
S = Jesus wore sandals.
T = The Man had a tender heart.
U = The Man understood grief.
V = The Man valued His mother.
W = The Man wrestled with God’s will.
X = Jesus xperienced physical weakness.
Y = Jesus yearned to fulfill His purpose.
Z = Jesus got a zylophone for Christmas… which was His birthday!
Several passages in the New Testament affirm that Jesus was fully human. Jesus was a human being like me and like you. That is often a difficult concept. Jesus was a human being and lived a physical normal existence like me and you.
The Book of Hebrews frames this for us…
READ HEBREWS 2:14-18 (ESV)
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”
I AM COMFORTABLE WITH JESUS BEING GOD, THE MESSIAH, THE RABBI, AND DYING FOR ME. THERE IS A WORD REPEATED IN ISAIAH 53:10-12 THAT LEADS ME TO SOMETHING ABOUT JESUS THAT MAKES ME VERY UNCOMFORTABLE… WHICH IS HIS HUMANITY. YET, IT WAS AND IS HIS VERY HUMANITY THAT SAVED US.
Jesus the Nazarene was an ordinary human being Who lived a perfect life rejecting temptation every single time it came His way so that He would be the perfect sacrifice for you and me. That Truth boggles my mind. It boggles, but I also believe it to be True and necessary for our salvation.
Hebrews 2 as well as other passages share with us that Jesus became a slob like one of us, a stranger on the bus trying to make His way home, so that He could show us the way to God perfectly.
CONCLUSION
Isaiah 53 is a passage that is very important. It is quoted about Jesus as a reflection of His healing of Peter’s mother-in-law in Matthew 8. It is quoted in John 12 to frame for us why people rejected Jesus and would not listen to Him… because He was the Suffering Servant. In Acts 8, it is this very passage that leads a traveler to Christ because the Gospel points to the One Who suffered and healed others by His wounds. The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2 echoes that same Truth that is by His wounds we are healed of sin and dedicated to righteousness.
* May you believe that Jesus is God.
* May you believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
* May you believe that Jesus is a good rabbi.
* May you believe that Jesus died for you.
* May you believe that Jesus was a perfect human being.
* May you believe that Jesus was the Suffering Servant predicted in Isaiah 53.
PRAYER
INVITATION
