Title: The Suffering Messiah (Isaiah 53:4-6)
Content Biblical scholars call Isaiah 40-66 the New Testament book of Old Testament. This is because it prophesies of events in the future when Jesus Christ will come as the Redeemer to save mankind. Isaiah 53 is one of those chapters that foretells the sufferings and triumphs that Jesus, the Messiah, will experience when He comes into the world.
According to this prophecy, Jesus came into the world and suffered all sorts of contempt, disgrace, humiliation and suffering, and ultimately died on the cross. We must examine the suffering of the Lord through the text.
1. You suffered because of us.
In verses 4-5, the word “we” is repeated seven times. "By our afflictions", "By our sorrows," "We thought," "For our transgressions," "For our iniquities," "We have peace, ", "We are healed" Occasionally on the television news, we see people caught and taken away for shameful sins.
When the news camera is pointed, they all bow their heads, cover their faces with their hands, or raise their coats to hide their faces. Maybe it's because they're not proud of their faces.
Whether it is a shameful sin or a shameful sin, if you commit a sin, you cannot raise your face. However, there is no one who covers the face or puts on a robe while the patriotic governor who was fighting for independence is arrested and dragged away during the day. The reason is that he did something honest and dignified.
What about Jesus? Jesus is without sin. There is nothing wrong with it. No violation of positive law, no breaking of moral law, no shameful act. But Jesus had to die on the cross. The reason for this is that verses 4-5 emphasize that it was because of “we”.
Isaiah 53:6 says, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of our company."
In the Old Testament times, in order to be forgiven of the sins of mankind, a lamb was sacrificed to make atonement. Unless the sacrifice of atonement was offered, sins could not be passed on or be forgiven. In John 1:29, Jesus is called “the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.” The Lamb Jesus died on the cross for us so that our sins were forgiven and we were saved.
Jesus suffered for us.
One thing to check here is who "we" are. We are “me”. That is, you suffered for me. Only when you believe and confess that fact is your relationship with the Lord established.
Jesus came into the world for us. But you came because of me.
Jesus suffered for us. But you suffered because of me.
Jesus died for us. But you died for me.
Our favorite hymn confesses that fact.
“Jesus died for me Why do you love me You humbly carry the cross Why do you love me Why do you love me Your hands and feet are torn for me Why do you love me You suffered and saved me Why you love me You suffered in my place Why you love me Why do you forgive my sins Why do you love me Why do you love me Why do you love me Why did you have to go to Calvary, Lord, why do you love me?" Yes. As this hymn confesses, He died on the cross for me and died for me. You must believe and confess that fact.
2. He suffered unbearable pain.
In verse 4, it says, “I was afflicted and grieved,” and in verse 5, it says, “I was pierced, I was disciplined, and I was whipped.” And in verse 7, it says, “I was humiliated,” and in verse 8, it says, “I was tried and taken away.”
There is no point in suffering, being pierced by a spear, being beaten, interrogated, or taken away because of sin. But Jesus did nothing wrong. But he suffered all sorts of humiliation, contempt, humiliation and suffering.
Most people become angry or violent on two occasions. One is when your self-esteem is hurt. When you touch your pride, couples fight, brothers fight, and friends fight. Another is when I wrote an unfair name. In this case too, without exception, they will spit, shout, and fight.
But what did Jesus do? He was pierced with a crown of thorns, nails, and spears. He was despised and ridiculed. “Are you the Son of God, jump down?” he mocked and hung on a cross and naked, touching shame and stimulating his pride. As they went up Calvary Hill carrying a heavy cross, the soldiers beat them with whips and the citizens spit on them.
However, in verse 7 of today's text, it says, "He was oppressed, and he did not open his mouth when he was afflicted."
Jesus was silent even though he was in pain, in pain, injustice, his self-esteem was broken, and his body was broken. It's not that I don't have anything to say. It was because he saved us and saved me.
Everyone! It is difficult to follow Jesus if you do everything you have to say, build up all your face, and search for all your self-respect.
The cross of the Lord teaches us. "Patience, endure, be silent! Crucify your pride and face and thoughts". Think of the Lord who was crucified.
“At that time, the crowds nailed Jesus. With the three rusty nails, I heard the sound of the hammer, making my heart tremble. The blood washed away my sins. Lord, forgive their sins. I prayed with your tears. Your precious precious blood, for me. The blood washed away my sins. Those who laughed at you. After taking off your clothes, you pierced your body deeply. Your precious precious blood was shed for me. Your blood washed away my sins. Lord, receive my soul. Then you worked out salvation. The last blood. A drop was shed for me, and the blood washed away my sins." Amen.
"Unamado", a Spanish writer, said in his work "Young Writer", "It is sad not to be loved. But it is even sadder to have no one to love."
We are loved by the blood of Jesus on the cross. So they are the happiest people in the world. But if I have no one to love, no matter how much I look around, look for, and scream, if there is no one to love, and there are only people I hate, hate, envy, and jealous of, we are very unfortunate people.
There is this passage in a poem by Michel Quiest.
“Lord, there are only two kinds of love: to love yourself and to love God and others. If you only love yourself, your love for God and for your neighbor will decrease. It is a great loss of love. It is designed to be directed toward others, so when you love only yourself, that love will wither, rot and wither." That's right. Jesus without sin, Jesus without fault, Jesus with injustice, Jesus who was despised and despised, but the reason he remained silent and endured was to practice love. It was to save me.
There is suffering worthwhile and suffering worthless. Success is at the end of hardship, and happiness is worth suffering.
Jesus' suffering saved mankind. He gave life and he gave eternity. He set us free from sin and changed death into eternal life. It is by that grace that I am alive and saved today.
3. Thinking of the suffering Lord, we have an attitude to take.
First, we must remember, confess, and give thanks to the Lord's sufferings every day. You should always think about why you died and why you suffered. And thank you for that great love.
Second, we must speak of the Lord's love. I have to open my mouth and tell others that I have been forgiven and saved because of the Lord, that the Lord died to save me.
Third, I must practice that love. A person who is loved has an obligation to pay the debt of love. To put the love I received into practice, I must love the Lord, love my brother, and love my neighbor.
I bless you to be a Christian who is moved by that love, thanked for that love, and practiced that love.