The Gospel of Isaiah
By Cait James
As humans, we tend to be forgetful. We forget our glasses that could be resting nicely on top of our heads. We forget where we put our car keys when we came shuffling in the door from the long day at work. We forget important dates, times, and events. Forgetting is just a part of life. In fact, it has been so much a part of life that even back in Biblical times, God commanded the Israelites to build an altar of remembrance after they crossed the Jordan. Why did God do this? Joshua 4:6-7 explains that this altar was to be used to be ‘a memorial forever’ to help the Israelites tell the story of God’s faithfulness to their children. In order to remember in current days, we set multiple alarms on our calendars, make little sticky notes to put on our mirrors, ask for reminders, and have emails and texts that help us go back and look at conversations. We desperately need help remembering.
Isaiah 53, although originally written as a prophecy describing the coming suffering, death and victory of the Messiah, has been described by Augustine as ‘not a prophecy, but a Gospel’. In fact, 19th century German scholars said that Isaiah 53 ‘melts the crust of the human heart’. As I have read and meditated on this chapter of Scripture over the last couple of weeks, I have come to the realization that what was a prophecy for the people of old is now a beautiful chapter that helps me remember.
1 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 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.
Jesus, man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, suffered and died not because of any evil he had done, but for the evil others had done. He paid the penalty for the sins of His people, a substitute who died in His peoples’ place. A righteous king, stooped low so we can be beautifully and miraculously saved. I pray we will ever be remembering the costly gift given to us by our Suffering Savior.
‘I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful! And my song shall ever be: how marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!’
Isaiah 53, although originally written as a prophecy describing the coming suffering, death and victory of the Messiah, has been described by Augustine as ‘not a prophecy, but a Gospel’. In fact, 19th century German scholars said that Isaiah 53 ‘melts the crust of the human heart’. As I have read and meditated on this chapter of Scripture over the last couple of weeks, I have come to the realization that what was a prophecy for the people of old is now a beautiful chapter that helps me remember.
1 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 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.
Jesus, man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, suffered and died not because of any evil he had done, but for the evil others had done. He paid the penalty for the sins of His people, a substitute who died in His peoples’ place. A righteous king, stooped low so we can be beautifully and miraculously saved. I pray we will ever be remembering the costly gift given to us by our Suffering Savior.
‘I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me a sinner, condemned, unclean. How marvelous, how wonderful! And my song shall ever be: how marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!’
More from the blog:
Make Your Face Shine on Your Servant
April 22nd, 2025
But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!— Psalm 31:14-16David began this psalm asking for deliverance from his enemies and guidance. David trusts the Lord for his provision and protection while continuing to have an attitude of ...
Here Comes the Son (Do Do Do Do)
April 15th, 2025
Most stories are really the same if you think about it. Nearly every movie, book, or TV show follows a simple formula similar to this: a character has a conflict and takes an action which creates another conflict. This cycle repeats over the course of a story until the final conflict, typically the most daunting challenge for the character, results in one final action which resolves the story. Thi...
Where Are You Going? A Biblical View of the Rapture
April 8th, 2025
One of the major doctrines of end-time theology is the “rapture” of the church. The word “rapture” means “caught up,” and it describes the event of Jesus returning for His church. The rapture involves believers being “caught up” in the air to meet Jesus. At some point in the near future, our Lord will descend out of heaven and gather all Christians—both the living and the dead—to Himself so that w...
Watch Out for the Trick Questions
March 31st, 2025
Throughout my years in school, I had many teachers who consistently taught me how to navigate tests and those tricky questions in order to, hopefully, ace them—or at least earn a passing grade. When the class would fail, the teacher would say something along the lines of, “I have taught you everything you need to be successful. You just have to apply the things you have learned.” The first part of...
Is This Your King?
March 27th, 2025
It was 2018. An estranged descendant of an African kingdom challenged the reigning king for the throne by engaging in a fight. The rules were simple: kill your opponent, and the victor would become king. While mercy could be shown, it was something the opposition never knew. The challenger had trained his whole life for this moment. Humiliating the king in front of his own people, he defeated him ...
Recent
Archive
2025
February
March
2024
March
April
September
October
2023
April
May
July
August
October
November
2022
2021
No Comments