Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Job made the connection between a Redeemer who, by definition must die, and yet who lives.  The Sons of Korah (Ps. 49) also connection Redemption with the resurrection.  This great Servant Song of Isaiah amazingly details the death-ministry of the Messiah/Redeemer.  But did you see that it also predicted His resurrection?  Let us review the 5 stanzas.

·        52:13-15 provides an overview of the song.  We see the insurmountable predicament of many: believing in a Messiah who is both exalted and marred beyond any man.  The former makes sense to most; the latter does not seem to fit.  Thus the nations are astonished or startled (better trans. of v15 sprinkled).

·        53:1-3: The People to whom Messiah is connected by birth also struggle to believe..  He has no beauty that they should desire Him; He is the Man of Sorrows.  What kind of “Jesus” do you worship?  Consistant with God’s usual approach, Messiah came in humility and weakness (1 Co.. 1:26ff).

·        53:4-6: Yet He was our Substitute, God’s Lamb who died in our place.  Think long on this: He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgressions, was bruised for our iniquities (guilty actions), chastised for our peace, and whipped for our healing.  We all were the ones to be punished; but the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  This is Job’s Redeemer!  This is our Redeemer!  This is mankind’s only Redeemer!  His blood alone had value because of His righteous life.

·        53:7-9: He was the true Servant, serving without complaint.  The One who knew no sin went to His death with nothing to leave behind.  His was the most hopeless situation: He would be cut off as if He were the most wicked, a reference to death on the cross which was reserved for the worst of criminals!

·        53:10-12: All of this is ascribed to God and His purposes.  “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him.”  How can this be?  Is this not cruel?  Remember the lesson from Job, that affliction with hope is both manageable and beneficial.  This is nowhere more true that in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  This One who was hopelessly cut off, would nevertheless prolong His days.  Rather than hopeless He was satisfied.  He was God’s “trespass offering” (v10 refers to this).  God’s pleasure will prosper through Him.  He will justify many, declaring the sinner righteous.  In the end, the Man of Sorrows will be exalted, given a portion with the great, dividing the spoil with the strong.

Now let us consider what was just said.  How can the Lamb who went to the slaughter “prolong His days”?  The only answer is in His resurrection.  How can He “justify many”?  His offering for sin must satisfy the demands of God.  How will we know these demands are satisfied?  It will be when we see God’s pleasure in prolonging of His days.  There is no justification without the cross AND the empty tomb.  The Redeemer was “delivered up (to death) because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25).