Lesson 2 April 4, 2004
#2. Detailed
description of the Messiah's ministry. 53:2-9
Have here the best overview of the
entire ministry of Jesus in the Bible.
a. Details of His Youth, where it
begins 53:2
- The only title given to Jesus in this context
is strictly as a servant. What is the
essence of a servant? Someone who caries out the will of the Father in every respect.
For He grew up
before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground
* To men the
servant appeared as a shoot growing off of the main stalk, something to be
trimmed off, since it sapped strength from the main plant. Basically something
viewed as insignificant, of no value.
The root out of dry ground; points to the adverse circumstances
in
There was nothing about Jesus that
if you passed Him on the street that would have caused you to take notice of
Him at all.
- "Nor appearance that we should be
attracted to Him."
53:3 The viewpoint of Him by His generation - time of His manhood
"He was despised and forsaken of men,"
- He was forsaken
or rejected, ldex' indicates being left off in the sense
of avoided or shunned;
- He was also A man of sorrows (severe pains) and acquainted with grief; grief; (sickness, disease or injuries)
Here in verse 3 the pain and
suffering in view is that which He endured during His life and ministry leading
to the cross.
And like one from whom men hide their face, (covering of the face is in
disgust) He was despised, and we did
not esteem Him.
- Primary reference
is to
53:4-6 The True significance of His life and
ministry is seen!
This is the center of the context,
it is the focal point of the message Isaiah is communicating here. Centerpiece of the prophecy of the Messiah and His work on the
cross in providing salvation.
Overview:
- :4 looks at the viewpoint of the day related to Jesus
- :5 gives us the divine
viewpoint; the significance of His
suffering which culminated on the cross.
The Doctrine of Substitution
- :6 Gives the reason, the necessity for the cross; man's hopeless condition apart from God;
Mankind's universal guilt!
The viewpoint expressed in vs:3-4 is that of the people of the day, a totally wrong view
of the cross, a misinterpretation of Jesus and His ministry.
While in vs:5-6 we have the correct understanding of Jesus'
ministry and the cross.
53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs,
- begins with an
adverb "surely" it is an adversative, and it is important since it reminds us that
what you think is not what is, things
are different than you think!
What does it mean here for Him to have borne?
- The
thread of meaning here in the context of Isaiah 53 is bearing in the sense
of taking the responsibility of, taking the guilt of, and taking the penalty
of.
- Look at Lev 16:21-22 to see in the shadow
Christology a vivid picture for
In 53:4b "Yet" marks the shift; and we go back to the vpt of the day;
It is true that He
was doing the will of God, but that is not what the people concluded.
- Their conclusion
was that Jesus was receiving from God exactly what He deserved.
- They looked at the cross in an erroneous way; 3 things expressed
by 3 verbs:
1. "that He was stricken" punishment by God for Sin.
2. "smitten of God" (Elohim) lit. means to be struck
down by God.
3. "and afflicted" that is because of terrible punishment for
one sins.
** The evaluation
then of the religious leaders of His generation; the human viewpoint of the
day; was that He was a transgressor and getting exactly what He deserved; the
punishment of the cross! But was He??