The prophet Isaiah introduces us to the suffering servant of the Lord, describing the rejection and suffering of the servant and the significance of these things.
In Isaiah Chapter 53, we have seven expressions of atonement viewed from the human aspect, and following these, seven expressions of atonement viewed from God’s standpoint.
From man’s viewpoint:
v.4 “He bath borne our griefs”.
v.4 “and carried our sorrows”
v.5 “He was wounded for our transgressions”
v.5 “He was bruised for our iniquities” v.5 “the chastisement of our peace is on him”
v.5 “and with his stripes we are healed”
v.6 “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all”.
From God’s viewpoint:
v.8 “For the transgression of my people he was stricken”
v.10 “Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin”
v.11 “By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many”
v.11 “For he shall bear their iniquities”
v.12 “He was numbered with the transgressors”
v.12 “and he bore the sin of many”
v.21 “and made intercession for the transgressors”.
In between, linking man’s viewpoint and
God’s viewpoint is
v.7 “as a lamb that is led to the slaughter”.
The passage beginning at Isa. 52:13 through to Isa. 53:12 consists of five paragraphs each of three verses:
- Para. 1 (Isa. 52:13-15) and Para. 5 (Isa. 53:10-12) give the introduction and tell of the exaltation of the servant through humiliation.
- Para. 2 (Isa. 53:1-3) and Para. 4 (Isa. 53:7-9) tell of the servant’s rejection and suffering.
- Para. 3 (Isa. 53:4-6) explains the significance of the servant’s sufferings. They atoned for man’s sins. This is the central truth of the Gospel.
Sufferings
The servant bore our sufferings (Isa. 53:4) and those sufferings were the consequence of our sins (v.5). Here we have a more specific description of the suffering. He was wounded, bruised, and the cause of his suffering was man’s transgressions and iniquities. (v.6, 8).
Those who heard about Isaiah’s suffering servant concluded that he was being punished for his own wrongdoing. “Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Then comes the amazing realisation that “he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities”. The startling nature of this realisation is expressed in the words yet we (v.4) and but he (v.5).
“With his stripes we are healed”.
In the New Testament, frequent identification is made of the suffering Messiah with the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah:
“. . . the God of our fathers hath glorified his Servant Jesus” (Acts 3:13).
Philip, the evangelist, preaching to the Ethiopian treasurer from this passage in Isaiah, identified the servant with Jesus. (Acts 8:34, 35) c.f. also John 12:38.
“Of a truth in this city, against thy Holy Servant Jesus . . . both Herod and Pontius Pilate were . . . gathered together”. (Acts 4:27).
“Then released he unto them Barabbas: but Jesus he scourged and delivered to becrucified”. (Matt. 27:26).
Crucifixion was preceded by scourging with leather thongs to which were sometimes added nails, pieces of bone, etc.
“I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting”. (Isa. 50:6).
Was the cross any more agonising for Jesus than for any other man? There were three men crucified on that day; but only one was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners.” (Heb. 7:26).
The result of Christ’s suffering is described as healing — “with his stripes we are healed”. (Isa. 53:5). This refers not only to physical healing (Matt. 8:17) but also to the restoration of spiritual health. It was our transgressions and iniquities that caused the suffering.
“I said O Lord, have mercy upon me: Heal my soul: for I have sinned against thee”. (Psa. 41:4).
“For our sake he (God) made him to he sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”. (2 Cor. 5:21). RSV
“God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself . . . we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God”. (2 Cor. 5:19, 20).
The best commentary on Isaiah 53 is given in 1 Peter 2. Peter describes the sinlessness and the suffering of Jesus almost entirely in words quoted from the Old Testament.
“Who his own self bare our sins” (1 Pet. 2:24).
It was a bearing of sin. (Isa. 53:11). “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many” (Heb. 9:28), i.e., to bear the consequences of sins; to be treated as a sinner.
Peter’s interpretation of Isa. 53 is that it is a bearing of other’s sins by one who is himself sinless-. Having stated clearly what was done by Christ in his death, Peter goes on to speak of its aim — He bore our sins, that having died to sins, we might live to righteousness.
“For Christ also hath suffered for sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God”. (1 Pet. 3:18).
“Christ died for our sins”. (1 Cor. 15:3). He “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself’. (Heb. 9:26).
“He was manifested to take away our sins”. (1 John 3:5).
“For this purpose the son of God was manifested that he might-destroy the works of the devil”. (1 John 3:8).
The “works of the devil” are the sins which men commit. The apostle Paul calls them “works of darkness”. (Rom. 13:12; Eph. 5:11).
Persecution is the background of Peter’s epistle. Undeserved suffering is part of the Christian calling — “because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps”. (1 Pet. 2:21). The cross bids us accept injury, love our enemies and leave the outcome to God.
In the salutation to his first letter Peter speaks of the “sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”. (1 Pet. 1:2). This is a reference to the passover in Egypt. The blood of the lamb made them safe from the judgment of God and only so did they escape from the slavery of Egypt.
Both Paul and Peter relate this to Christ’s blood which was shed to redeem us from the bondage of sin and from the judgment of God — “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus”. (Rom. 8:1).
Peter is also thinking of the sprinkling with covenant blood after a vow of obedience recorded in Exodus: “And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words”. (Exod. 24:8). Covenant blood, as sacrificial blood, is sin-covering; it is that which annuls sin as the obstacle to union with God. Peter has in view a life of obedience in union and communion with God and such a life is possible only for those who are sprinkled with the blood of Christ.
The blood of Christ — the same blood as our own; the same flesh as our own.
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same” (Heb. 2:14). “The precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:19).
He was the Son of God, unique in that he was sinless. He was without blemish and without spot — the only one of his kind.
“No man “can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, . . that he should still live forever and not see corruption”. (Psa. 49:7, 9).
Sacrifice
Old Testament religion was sacrificial from the beginning, as we read in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The fundamental lessons are:
- “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). Take away the blood and there is death.
- “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22 RSV).
The only sacrifice that sinful men can offer without presumption is a “broken and a contrite heart”.
The New Testament describes the death of Christ as a new and better sacrifice. (Heb. 9: 23). It transcends all other sacrifices since it is offered, not by men, but by God, and is offered in atonement, not for the sins of the one who offers, but for the sins’ of the world.
The essential meaning and purpose of sacrifice is to establish fellowship between men and God. By his sacrifice of himself on our behalf, Christ has both fulfilled and abolished all other sacrifices. He has done, completely and perfectly, all that any other sacrifice was ever intended to do; and consequently no other sacrifice is now needed and none is offered by believers.
As a result of Christ’s sacrifice there has been a change in the meaning of “sacrifice”. We no longer think of blood sacrifice but of self-sacrifice on behalf of others. The old sacrifices were of bulls and goats. Christ offered himself. The old sacrifices were interminably repeated. Christ died once for all. He was offered once to bear the sins of many.
“It is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins”. (Heb. 10:4). Sin is the root of the problem.
Sin
Sin is the cause of man’s separation from God.
“Sin is transgression of the law” — Lawlessness. (1 John 3:4).
“All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). “. . . whatsoever is not of faith is sin”
“To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas. 4:17).
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4).
Since all have sinned then all must die.
The consequences of sin are:
(a) alienation from God — inevitable separation — spiritual death. “
. . . your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2).
(b) bondage to self — a bias to self-centredness.
The, assertion of self against God.”Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight” (Psa. 51: 4).
(c) conflict with others — “Ye shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might . . . and you shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18). RSV. Sin disrupts this relationship.
Salvation liberates us from all the consequences of sin —
- through the sufferings and death of Christ we can be reconciled to God.
- by the work of the Holy Spirit we can be born again, receive a new nature and be set free from bondage to self.
- by the building of Christ’s church we can have old discords replaced by a fellowship of love.
“. . . . we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son . . .” (Rom. 5:10).
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”. (Col. 1:14).
The Solution