Christ in Isaiah: Pierced for Our Transgressions

Theme: The rejected servant knew human sorrow and suffering, but his suffering had purpose, because he bore punishment for our sins to bring us peace.

““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17, ESV)

When Jesus said that he came to “fulfill the law and the prophets,” he meant it — literally. He came to fulfill the scriptures with himself. The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is one of those magnificent prophecies that Jesus came to fulfill.

Isaiah, more than any other Old Testament prophet, describes the life and ministry of God’s Messiah, whom Isaiah comes to call God’s Righteous Servant. His prophecy covers the entirety of Christ’s life — his incarnation, his ministry, his death and resurrection, and his future reign as Lord of all. The life of Isaiah’s Righteous Servant reaches a crescendo in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy, when the prophet explains the ultimate reason for the Righteous Servant’s life — as a sacrifice for sin. I use the word “crescendo” because Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is the last of four “Servant Songs” in the Book of Isaiah. This last song describes the suffering and triumph of the Servant of the LORD. It is also one of the most detailed passages in the Old Testament concerning the death and resurrection of the Messiah. For those who like to know these things, this song is composed of five stanzas of three verses each.

Unmistakably chapter 53, speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every detail of the prophet’s words corresponds so closely to the passion of the Lord Jesus that no one with normal powers of thought could reason otherwise. The early Church clearly identified Jesus with Isaiah’s Righteous Servant. ILLUS. In the 8th chapter of the Book of Acts we have the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. This eunuch is a high-ranking official in the Court of the Ethiopian empire. He’s a Jewish Proselyte who’s been on government business to Jerusalem. On his way home he is reading from the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, and Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” When the eunuch says, “How can I unless someone explains it to me,” Philip explains it to him! “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.” (Acts 8:35, ESV).

Isaiah wrote this over 700 years before the birth of Christ. The clear teaching in this chapter is that deliverance for all people c omes by the substitutionary death of God’s Righteous Servant. He does not suffer because he is a sinner, but in the place of sinful people. He suffers for them, and because of that, they do not need to experience the eternal consequences for their sins.

With that background, let’s look at just three verses of this chapter. The three verses reveal that the Righteous Servant Bore Our Burdens, Received Our Punishment, and Was Crushed for Our Rebellion.

“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 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 us all.” (Isaiah 53:4–6, NIV84)

I. GOD’S RIGHTEOUS SERVANT BORE OUR BURDENS

1. in vs. 4 the passage states the true reason for the Righteous Servant’s suffering

“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4, ESV)

2. notice the contrast between He and our

a. the Righteous Servant is characterized by griefs and sorrows, but they were not His own

1) it was all for us that God’s Righteous Servant would be stricken and afflicted

b. the word grief here means sickness, disease, anxiety, and affliction — the normal difficulties that come with life

1) it means that the Messiah would take upon himself — not only the penalty for our sin — but the suffering, the sorrows, and the anxieties of his people

2) Jesus did this so that he might know our pain and so better empathize with us

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV)

3) in other words, there’s noting going on in your life that Jesus cannot sympathize with

3. the Righteous Servant of Isaiah has borne — literally took upon himself — our griefs and sorrows

a. the language of carrying and bearing sets the stage for the substitutionary understanding of the Righteous Servant’s suffering

1) he took upon himself our sin and he took upon himself our sorrow in order to take it away

ILLUS. This is the language of the Jewish sacrificial system — especially from Leviticus.

2) there the sacrificial animal carries the sins of the sinner away, so that the sinner is not burdened by them anymore

3) the animal does not merely die because the sinner sinned, but in the sinner’s place, doing what the sinner should rightly do ... die

b. in carrying our sins away, the Righteous Servant also carries away the sorrow over our broken relationship with God restoring us to right relationship with the Father

4. in bearing our griefs and sorrows the Righteous Servant was stricken, smitten, and afflicted

a. in Isaiah 52:14, God’s Righteous Servant’s appearance is described as disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness

1) it’s Isaiah’s way of saying that our Lord was beaten to a pulp

a) Jesus would have been literally unrecognizable

b. he submitted to this brutality in order to carry our griefs and infirmities

c. in Matthew’s Gospel, the Apostle quotes Isaiah 53:4 as a fulfilment of Jesus’ healing ministry

“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”” (Matthew 8:14–17, NIV84)

d. Isaiah tells us that the Messiah is the One who has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows

1) at the foot of the cross there is help and healing and closure at the cross for the deepest pain of our hearts

II. GOD’S RIGHTEOUS SERVANT RECEIVED OUR PUNISHMENT

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV84)

1. the word but in the Hebrew emphasizes the contrast between God’s Righteous Servant and us

a. God was punishing this Man NOT for His own sins and failures, but in fact He was pierced through as a result of our rebellion

1) he was crushed on account of our twistedness

2. the images Isaiah employ have now shifted from illness to injury and have become more severe

a. I like the KJV reading of he was wounded for our transgressions

1) however, that reading does not do the Hebrew word wounded justice

2) the word literally means to be pierced through

b. who is pierced through usually died

ILLUS. One commentary said, “The word hints at a violent death.” And I though Duuhhh!

3. crushed indicates breaking something into pieces and in some cases even pulverizing

a. he was crushed under the weight of our sins and the judgment of God that fell on him

b. sin kills, and our sin killed Christ — our sins crushed the life out of Him

4. the reason for the Righteous Servant’s suffering is our transgressions of God’s Law and the iniquities of our fallen nature

a. the Righteous Servant’s punishment is far more than sympathy and compassion, it is actually bearing the consequence of our eternal judgment for our sin

b. the sins were committed by us ... the piercing and crushing fell upon Him

5. the severity of punishment on the Righteous Servant measures how seriously God takes our rebellion and crookedness

a. we typically make light of our sins, and explain them away as "mistakes" or “indiscretions” or “slip-ups”

1) on occasion, when we do something “really bad” we may actually refer to it as “sin”

2) but, for the most part we play semantic games with ourselves so as to minimize the fact that we are transgressors who are full of iniquities, and that sin is evil committed against God

b. but God will have none of it

1) the refusal of humanity to bow to the Creator’s rule, and our insistence on drawing up our own moral codes that pander to our lusts, are not shortcomings or mistakes

2) they are the stuff of death and corruption, and unless someone can be found to stand in our place, they will condemn us to an eternal hell

c. but someone has been found

1) someone has taken on Himself the results of our rebelliousness, and through the redemptive work of God’s Righteous Servant we have been given entrance into the kingdom

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV84)

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9, NIV84)

6. Christ was delivered for our sins that we might be delivered from our sins

a. some one must take the punishment of sin and give back redemption, someone must bear the blow and pain and give back wealth and well-being

b. the phrase the punishment that brought us peace reminds us that before God could forgive, His justice had to be satisfied

1) He had to mete out His wrath on our sin

2) God did so, and he poured out his wrath on His only Begotten Son who took the full force of God’s condemnation of sin

ILLUS. One of the finest hymns of our era was written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend. It’s In Christ Alone (My Hope is Found). Perhaps the finest verse of that hymn is the second stanza; In Christ alone who took on flesh; Fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save; ‘Til on that cross as Jesus died The wrath of God was satisfied; For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live.

d. this is what the Righteous Servant’s death was all about: making it possible for sinful humans to have fellowship with a holy God

1) it is only through Christ’s substitutionary atonement that fellowship between humans and God is possible

ILLUS. Years ago in an interview, actor Kevin Bacon recounted the story when his 6-year-old son saw the movie Footloose for the first time. It was the film that made Kevin famous. His son said, "Hey, Dad, you know that thing in the movie where you swing from the rafters of that building? That’s really cool, how did you do that?" I said, "Well, I didn’t do that part — it was a stunt man." "What’s a stunt man?" he asked. "That’s someone who dresses like me and does things I can’t do." "Oh," he replied and walked out of the room looking a little confused. A little later he said, "Hey, Dad, you know that thing in the movie where you spin around on that gym bar and land on your feet? How did you do that?" I said, "Well, I didn’t do that. It was a gymnastics double." "What’s a gymnastics double?" he asked. "That’s a guy who dresses in my clothes and does things I can’t do." There was silence from my son, then he asked in a concerned voice, "Dad, what did you do?" "I got all the glory," I sheepishly replied.

7. that’s the grace of God in our lives

a. Jesus took our sin upon himself and did what we couldn’t do

b. we stand forgiven and bask sheepishly triumphant in Jesus’ glory

1) at the foot of Calvary's Cross we find that our burden of sin and guilt can be laid

2) once our burden is lifted we will discover spiritual rest and abundant life

III. GOD’S RIGHTEOUS SERVANT WAS CRUSHED FOR OUR REBELLION

“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 us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, NIV84)

1. all — every person who has ever lived or will live — all of us, without exception — have gone astray

a. the figure is of running off, of alienating our selves from God

b. this sad picture of selfish rebellion is painted with the picture of straying wandering sheep

1) sheep are notoriously unmindful and unaware of their circumstances

2) their minds are on the next clump of grass and not much else

3) when looking for food they stray in all directions

4) sheep are prone to get lost

2. we are prone to stray and get lost in life also

a. our selfishness our lack of judgment, our poor decisions, our lusts, our temptations, our ambitions and so much more has cause us to go our own way

b. how did we go astray?

1) by turning to our own way, or by living life like we thought or desired to live it, instead of according to God’s Word

c. like sheep we humans don’t seem to be aware of the consequences of our choices

1) and like them can’t defend ourselves against the consequences of our choice

3. so what did God do to bring us back into His eternal fold?

a. God would send the Messiah to bring us back into the fold

1) the Chief Shepherd laying down His life for the lost, straying, rebellious sheep

4. the atoning death of Christ is a truth so profound that scholars have been unable to fully plumb its depths

a. think of it — Jesus, God’s Son, suffered so he could carry all our sorrows!

1) there are seven major atonement theories that attempt to explain what Jesus did on the cross on the cross so he could carry all our sorrows

2) all of them have some merit to them

b. but the one that best explains what happened on the cross is Substitutionary Atonement — that Christ took our place on the cross experiencing the wrath of God that should have rightly fallen on us

1) an innocent substitute bore the sins of all God’s Elect

ILLUS. Cliff Barrows was the longtime music and program director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. In his autobiography, he tells of the time his two young children did something wrong. Although they were warned, they repeated the offense and needed to be disciplined. Barrows writes that his heart was pained at the thought of having to punish his children. He called Bobby and Bettie into his room, removed his belt, and then bared his own back. He then knelt by his bed, and told each child to whip him 10 times. At first they were incredulous. But Barrows told them that a penalty had to be paid. The children sobbed as they lashed their daddy’s back. Then Cliff hugged and kissed them, and they prayed together. Cliff Barrows writes, "It hurt, but I never had to spank them again."

c. the use of what authors call the "royal we" in vs. 4 is Isaiah's way of identifying himself with his people and speaking for the whole ... speaking for us

1) all persons who recognize that their sin has caused the Righteous Servant to suffer may include themselves in the all-inclusive "we"

d. for all those here this morning who confess Christ as Savior and Lord ...

1) We should have been whipped

2) We should have been spit upon

3) We should have stood before a howling mob

4) We should have carried the cross up that hill

5) We should have been stripped naked

6) We should have been nailed to the cross

7) We should have been in tormented and ridiculed

8) We should have died...died once physically... died a second death in hell

5. our sins and our sorrows were made to fall on God’s Righteous Servant

a. God made him suffer the consequences ... the iniquity of all of us fell on Him ... on an old rugged cross ... at a place called Calvary

b. the second half of vs. 6 asserts that the God Himself made the servant suffer by placing on him the iniquity that belonged to us all

1) the verb describing the latter act means to hit or strike violently

2) the iniquity of which we are guilty does not come back to us to meet and strike us as we might rightly expect, but rather strikes him in our stead

c. Calvary was no afterthought with God, but His perfect remedy for sin and sorrow

Conclusion: In chapter 53, the prophet pulled aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah’s day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all mankind. Isaiah is the Prophet of both Advent and Atonement. Christ was born so that he might die for sinners “poor and needy.”

We have the hindsight to see and know the identity of the promised Messiah who came and died for our sins. He did so to bring you back into the fold of God. Have you given your life to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-16) or are you still like a straying sheep, going your own way?

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