Isaiah 53:6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (put all our sins on him).
And then it was the most important lazy-day Saturday in our church history; Holy Saturday, when Jesus rested in the grave after His horrible crucifixion on Good Friday. Obviously, with their Leader treated like a common criminal, scourged and abused, then crucified naked to an old wooden cross on the rocky hillside of Golgotha outside of Jerusalem, great fear reigned amongst His followers. The religious leaders of the day, with that success in their pocket would obviously be on the war path, looking for other believers to persecute. And that situation was indeed fearful, but invariably, we don’t listen to Jesus properly, and our faith isn’t as strong as it ought to be. How many times when He was alive did He tell His followers, ‘Fear not,’ but they still feared, and we still do.
And what about all the miracles they saw Him do? But yet they believed not sufficiently. The gospel of Luke relates it thus. ‘Then he took unto him, the twelve (disciples), and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished (fulfilled). For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated (insulted), and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them (perhaps divinely), neither knew they the things which were spoken. ’ (Luke 18:31-34)
But even though all of that might have been divinely veiled from their understanding, by the time Jesus was abused and crucified, they ought to have remembered some of His words on the subject. But when fear for your life is uppermost in your mind, remembering stuff doesn’t seem that important. That brings us to where we left off yesterday in Isaiah’s prophecy in chapter 53, on Christ’s foundational work as the Servant of the Lord. He continues: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (put all our sins on him). He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought (was led) as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.’ (Is. 53:6-7)
Oh my people, that was just the opening salvo that Jesus faced in His effort to conquer and pay our sin debt. As the scholars explain: ‘All of us are compared to sheep … gone astray to illustrate the desperate condition of mankind, lost, without a Shepherd.’ And they reference Matt. 9:36. ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he (Jesus) was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted (were weary), and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.’ That’s the great level of compassion our Saviour felt for us lost sheep.
And the scholars continue: ‘All and every are used in parallel, emphasizing the totality of sinful humanity. Laid on him is a causative verb meaning “to strike violently.” Thus Christ propitiates (appeases, accepts) the violent wrath of God for us. The fact that he opened not his mouth is illustrated by a lamb being brought to the slaughter. See John 1:29 and Rev. 5:6, 12.’ And the first reference tells us: ‘The next day John (John the Baptist) seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.’ (John 1:29) John the Baptist is alluding there to Jesus’ eventual crucifixion, illustrating it as how a lamb was used for sacrifice in the Passover (Ex. 12), and the sin offering (Lev. 4).
And Isaiah’s prophecy rolls on: ‘He was taken from prison (out of oppression) and from judgement: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.’ (Is. 53:8-9) Now what does all of that mean eh? The scholars explain: ‘He was taken from prison and from judgement (justice) refers to the illegitimate trials to which Jesus was subjected. Who shall declare reads better “who had considered.” His generation refers to his potential life. The verb was cut off refers here to a violent death. The reference to the Servant making his grave with the wicked was certainly fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion between two thieves (Matt. 27:38). The additional phrase and with the rich in his death refers to Jesus’ burial in the tomb of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57)’
But that’s not all. Isaiah continues: ‘Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise (crush) him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail (distress) of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil (plunder) with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’ (Is. 53:10-12)
And yes friends, we’ve seen all that Isaiah prophesied come to pass with Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Meanwhile the scholars offer these explanations: ‘Put him to grief reads “pierce” Him in the Dead Sea Scroll copy of the text. His seed refers to those who will come to believe in Him (that’s us). An offering for sin “guilt offering” involves the trespass offering described in Numbers 5:5-10. The phrase he shall prolong his days indicates that the Servant’s ministry will not end with His violent death, and certainly implies His resurrection. The pleasure of the Lord refers to God’s ultimate purposes which will be accomplished by the atoning death and resurrection of the Servant. The chapter ends with the glorification and exaltation of the Servant of the Lord. His intercession refers to His high priestly ministry, by which He makes intercession on the basis of His own substitutionary death.’
What a prophecy my fellow saints! One that was totally fulfilled with Christ’s birth, death, resurrection and ascension. We know that He suffered plenty, but bore it manfully, then rose triumphantly from the dead, and was exalted by the Father for His great work. So there’s nothing to worry about. Right now, on this Holy Saturday, Christ’s rests peacefully in the rich man’s tomb…until His momentous rising tomorrow. So let’s calm our own spirits by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer.
As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And having said that, let’s relax in God’s LOVING presence and wait with eager anticipation, Resurrection Day, tomorrow! Much LOVE!
…rest assured…Christ…though now dead…will rise on the wings of LOVE…tomorrow…
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