This prophecy was written about 700 years before the time of Jesus and yet it clearly describes him. For the full chapter, please scroll down.
How do we know it wasn’t made up by the followers of Jesus to try to back up their story? Because we have copies of the prophecy that were written down before the time of Jesus, found amongst the Dead Sea Scrolls. So what does it say? Isaiah has just said that there is someone coming to bring good news, and bring salvation. Then it describes him. He says 'he shall grow up like a tender plant'. Many many times different prophets had said that God was going to send a messiah, a special anointed saviour. But what would he be like? Some people might have thought he would be some super strong person, like a kind of angel. But Isaiah says, no, he will grow up like a tender plant. As we know Jesus was born as a baby, as a human into a fairly poor family. So that’s the first bit that comes true. He says that he shall have no beauty that we should desire him. He will be despised and rejected by men. That was true of Jesus. He was mainly rejected by his own people. But then it describes how he would be sacrificed for the sins of other people. It says ‘He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins, he was beaten so we could have peace, and by his wounds we are healed.’ If you know anything about Jesus dying on the cross you’ll know that’s a very good description. Nails pierced his hands and feet, he was beaten, he was whipped. And yet he said himself that he was laying his life down for us. Jesus said ‘I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’ This prophecy in Isaiah continues like this: ‘All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way but the Lord has laid on him the sins of us all.’ (That means you and I have sinned but God put them on Jesus and he paid for them.) Isaiah says that ‘he was afflicted but he didn’t open his mouth.’ We find that when Jesus was being accused of doing wrong, he barely said a word. Isaiah says ‘he made his grave with the wicked but with the rich at his death.’ We find that Jesus hung on the cross along with thieves but was buried in the tomb given by a rich man. And he emphasises the fact that ‘he had done no wrong and never deceived anyone.’ Two final things he says at the end: Number One: He will have make many people behave righteously: it says ‘He will make many people to become righteous’. Number Two: He will be greatly honoured: ‘I will give him the honours of greatness.’ Who could this be talking about other than Jesus? Truly he has made many people to become righteous. Truly he does have tremendous honour the world over. So this whole chapter describes him so perfectly. |
Isaiah Chapter 53
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or attractiveness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked - But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You 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 labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. |