Despised and Rejected

"The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."—Luke 9:22

A verse by verse study in Isaiah 53

Few chapters are more tender or touching to the Christian than the "Ode to the Suffering Messiah" in Isaiah 53. In beautiful and classical language the prophet summarizes the pathos of the Son of God taking on the sins and sufferings of a sinful and depraved world.

Chapter divisions in the Bible are not part of the inspired word but have been arbitrarily assigned by scholars. In the case of this chapter, the subject matter really begins with the last three verses of the preceding chapter, and it is there that we will commence this study.

God’s Servant
Isaiah 52:13-15

Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

The object of the first advent of the Messiah is succinctly captured in this introduction to Isaiah’s theme. The four sub-divisions of his topic are briefly summarized: (1) the Messiah’s ultimate glorification; (2) his humiliation; (3) the purpose for it; and (4) the fact that he would not be recognized as the Messiah.

The Hebrew words used in verse thirteen are ambiguous and open to a wide variety of meanings. A permissible rendering would be, "Behold, my servant shall gain understanding, he shall be lifted up, and exalted to the highest degree." Rather than the redundancy of using three words describing the exaltation of the servant, Isaiah is describing the results of two different experiences. Instead of "exalted," the Hebrew ruwm (Strong’s 7311) is frequently translated "lifted up."

A New Testament equivalent of the thought is given in John 3:14, 15: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." The analogy is to the brazen serpent raised on a pole by Moses so that those looking upon it would not be hurt by the plague of serpents. Rather than describing Jesus’ exaltation, it refers to him becoming a public spectacle of sin by being lifted up upon the cross, concluding a sin offering for the transgressions of fallen humanity.

As a result of his sacrifice he was exalted to the highest degree. "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:8, 9).

Our text refers to the understanding gained by these contrasting experiences. Prof. W. E. Vine expresses it well by stating that only by experiencing both the human and the divine natures "could He comprehend the claims of the one and the needs of the other."

When we consider the disfigurations which men have caused to other men, verse 14 appears to be either a hyperbole or an obvious untruth. There have been many men more marred in appearance than was Jesus. Here again the problem lies with the obscurity of the Hebrew language. There is no Hebrew equivalent for the comparative word "more," though the grammar suggests it. The Syriac version phrases it, "His visage was so changed from that of man." The thought does not appear to be a comparison in absolute terms, but considering the fact that Jesus was perfect, the amount of disfigurement was in greater ratio than that which happens to others of mankind.

In one of the Messianic Psalms we read these words as expressing Jesus’ thoughts at his crucifixion, "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people" (Psa. 22:6). This phrase not only expresses the humiliation but contains a beautiful word picture of the death of Jesus. The word here translated worm refers to a specific insect, the tola worm. Writing of this worm one author has this to say: "When the female of the scarlet worm species is ready to give birth to her young, she attaches her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she never leaves again. The eggs deposited beneath her body are thus protected until the larvae are hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. When the mother dies, the crimson fluid stains her body and the surrounding wood. From the dead bodies of such dead scarlet worms the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted. What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding his precious blood that he might "bring many sons to glory" (Heb. 2:10)! He died for us that we might live through him" (The Biblical Basis for Modern Science, by Henry Morris, [Baker Book House, 1985; page 73]).

The final verse of the chapter shows the effects of his humiliation. "So shall he sprinkle many nations." It was the result of the acts of his scourging and "marring," leading to the final sacrifice on Calvary’s hill that put Jesus in the position to "sprinkle many nations." The word translated "nations," the Hebrew goyim, usually refers specifically (though not exclusively) to Gentile or non-Jewish peoples. Thus Isaiah gives a hint of the universality of redemption which comes through Jesus’ sacrifice.

This fact gives added force to the final phrase, "that which they had not heard shall they consider." In Old Testament times, God’s word had been exclusively for the Hebrew nation. "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). Paul writes that it was unto them that were "committed the oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2). Now the Gentile nations, which had not previously heard of the offer of salvation, would be told of the redemption that would be theirs through the sacrifice of Christ.

The Unrecognized One
Isaiah 53:1-3

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

In the fifty-third chapter we have four distinct portraits of the Messiah. He is successively portrayed as (1) the unrecognized one; (2) the bearer of grief; (3) the redeemer; and (4) the benefactor. In the first three verses we receive some insight into why he was not more widely acclaimed at the first advent.

Having just stated that the nations would hear, the prophet proceeds to show that hearing alone is not the same as believing. The Apostle Paul elaborates on this principle in Romans 10:12-17, isolating faith as the necessary ingredient. Both the unbelieving Jews and the Gentiles who failed to respond to the Christian’s message lacked this faith.

In the next verse the Messiah is presented in two related but distinct pictures. He was a tender plant. Strong’s Concordance uses the phrase in defining the word, "a twig (of a tree felled and sprouting)." This accurately describes Jesus’ relationship to the house of David, his ancestor. The royal house, or family tree of Jesus, was felled when Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deposed Zedekiah from the throne of David. Now that tree was about to sprout again, but at the first advent he was already appointed to lead that kingdom, yet his style was not as a mighty oak but as "a tender plant."

In a similar vein he was a "root" out of the "dry ground" of a lineage that had produced no heir to the throne for some 21 generations. This term "root of Jesse" is used by Paul in Romans 15:12, quoting from Isaiah 11:1, 10, "And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust." (See also Rev. 5:5 and 22:16.) As a perfect man, Jesus must have been without blemish and comely. Isaiah does not contradict this when he said that he hath neither form, comeliness, or beauty. Rather the emphasis is on his last phrase, "there is no beauty that we should desire him." It is well said that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." His was not the beauty of the conquering hero, the aggressive champion of macho manliness. Instead he was a gentle man, one who welcomed the little children, a teacher who associated with publicans and sinners, a Messiah who based his claim to that office partly on the fact that "the poor have the gospel preached unto them" (Matt. 11:5).

Rejected in the main by the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees alike, he called himself "the stone which the builders rejected" (Matt. 21:42). Instead of frequenting the halls of political, military, or religious power, we find him with the downcast of earth, acquainted with their grief. He was a physician more than a general. Therefore, his contemporaries turned their face from him, looking for a mighty deliverer instead.

The Bearer of Grief
Verses 4 to 6

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 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.

Even in the very act of associating himself with the human race in identifying with their sinful condition, he was esteemed as smitten of God. In this process of bearing our griefs, four distinct acts of the suffering Messiah are called to our attention: (1) wounded for our transgressions; (2) bruised for our iniquities; (3) chastised for our peace; and (4) beaten for our healing. These words were not haphazardly selected but are specific terms given in a specific order. The Hebrew word chalal (Strong’s 2490), translated "wounded," appears 225 times in the Old Testament and usually carries the meaning of "to pollute" or "to profane" (Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985). In our text the thought appears to relate to the assumption of human flesh, "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3). The "bruising" (or "crushing," NASV) refers to the continuous experiences throughout his three and a half year ministry. The word is frequently translated "broken" in the Old Testament. It reminds one of Jesus’ words: "And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."

At the same time he was "breaking" his body, he was learning by experience what fallen humanity must learn to be educated in righteousness. These were the "chastisements" which will eventually bring at-one-ment, or peace, to the human family. However, harder "stripes" must often accompany "chastisements," or disciplinary experiences. "And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes" (Luke 12:47, 48). In Jesus’ case, we see the "stripes" literally applied in the "scourging" before Pilate (John 19:1).

The Redeemer
Verses 7 to 9

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: 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.

In contrast to the preceding verses that speak of the sufferings of his ministry these verses talk of his death. He died so that men might live; he suffered so that men might live eternally. His death provided for a release from the grave; the sympathy gained by his life with the fallen race provides the understanding necessary to help them maintain that life when resurrected.

The symbol of the lamb is not only appropriate because of its quiet submissiveness to shearing, but because it is a universal biblical symbol of the Messiah. It was the animal of the morning and evening sacrifice (Num. 28:2-8); it was the Passover sacrifice (Exod. 12:3-6); it was the sacrifice Isaac expected Abraham to offer on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22:7); and it is the animal specifically identified with Jesus by the Apostle John, both in his Gospel and in the book of Revelation (John 1:29; Rev. 5:6; 13:8).

In Isaiah, it is the quiet submissiveness of the lamb that is emphasized. Thus Jesus quietly refused to rebut the accusations against him in Pilate’s court (John 19:9-11). The reason for this silent acquiescence is given prophetically in Psalm 39:2, 9: "I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. . . . I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it." It was not that he did not have a good defense nor that he could not present it well, but because he recognized that it was God’s will that he be sentenced and die.

So he was taken from the prison house of Caiaphas and the judgment seat of Pilate to be crucified. It is worthy of note that the Hebrew word translated prison in Isaiah (`otser, Strong’s 6115) can also be translated "barren womb" and is so rendered in Proverbs 30:16. This rendering is in accord with the expression that follows in the Isaiah account, "who shall declare his generation," or as the New International Version phrases it, "who can speak of his descendants." As Adam was childless when expelled from Eden, so Christ, the second Adam, would die childless. The cause for this lack of children is specifically stated: "for he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken." His seed was not to come from procreation but from right of purchase as Isaiah points out in verse ten.

Alternatively, the New American Standard Bible and Rotherham’s translation renders the latter part of the verse: "and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?" Phrased this way, the text gives the thought that the prophet is predicting the unawareness of the populace to the fact that Christ was dying for their sins.

The thought of the ninth verse is well expressed in The Living Bible, "He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word." Although sentenced to death as a malefactor, his body was not buried in a potter’s field but in the rock-hewn tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin. Though that council had found him guilty, Joseph raised a dissenting voice (Luke 23:51) and showed the resoluteness of his council by donating his own tomb for the burial of Jesus. Joseph, at least, recognized the truthfulness of the prophetic word that the accused "had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word."

The Exalted One
Verses 10 to 12

Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise 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 of the travail 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 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.

It seems incongruous that Jehovah was "pleased" to bruise his son. The Hebrew word is correctly translated and has the thought of "to take delight." The pleasure of God, however, was not in the bruising, but in the obedience of the son to submit to such treatment. The Father was pleased that by so doing his Son could reap the grand reward for his faithfulness and carry out the next step of the plan of redemption, the ultimate resurrection of all men from the bondage of sin and death. This thought is picked up later in the same verse when we read that, as a result of making his soul an offering for sin, the "pleasure" (same Hebrew root word) would "prosper in his hand."

Our text points out three rewards for Messiah’s faithfulness in giving himself as a sin offering: (1) he would see his seed; (2) he would prolong his days; and (3) God’s pleasure would prosper in his hands.

HIS SEED: Dying childless, he becomes the father of the entire human race. He secures all the rights and privileges of mankind’s universal father, Adam. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). Not only a father, he becomes a better father. Adam, after his fall, became the father of a sinful and dying race. Jesus, through the education he will give his children in the kingdom, will be the father of a race that will live for ever—"the everlasting Father" (Isa. 9:6).

PROLONG HIS DAYS: Though uniquely created as the first of all of God’s works, "the beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14), he was nevertheless mortal, subject to death. This fact is obvious when we consider that he died on the cross. Now, however, as a result of successfully giving the sin offering he was rewarded with eternal life. "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (John 5:26).

GOD’S PLEASURE: The pleasure or delight of God is in the accomplishment of his plans. These plans, as revealed in the Bible, are for the development of a perfect and sinless race living in full harmony with God’s laws and harmoniously with each other. These plans are in two steps: first, the development of a church, or bride for his son, to live with him in heaven and secondly, for the resurrection of mankind to live forever on a perfect and sinless earth. With both of these designs God is well pleased. Of the church, Jesus said in Luke 12:32, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." We read of God’s over-all pleasure in Ephesians 1:9, 10: "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."

Verse eleven can be viewed in two different ways, both expressing a truth. The King James Version divides the verse into three thoughts: (1) the satisfaction gained by a review of his trying experiences while on earth; (2) the bringing to righteousness, justification, all of mankind by the knowledge thus gained; and (3) the removal of mankind’s iniquity by substitutionary atonement. Other scholars divide the verse into only two concepts: (1) "he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied by his knowledge [thus gained]; and (2) "he shall justify many for he shall bear their iniquities." The first concept calls attention to the justification of mankind based on Jesus’ sin offering and the resulting application of Jesus’ knowledge to humanity in Christ’s kingdom, while the second emphasizes that their justification is a direct result of his sacrifice, through which he bore their iniquities.

In the final verse of our study another great biblical theme is introduced: the concept of the "spoil" which was originally taken from Adam and his race by the serpent through the introduction of sin. By that act the human race was "spoiled" or looted of its right to everlasting life, for that right was conditional upon perfect obedience to God’s commands.

The return of this spoil is a three-step process. First, Christ recovers the "spoil" from Satan. "How can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house [plunder his goods (RSV)]" (Matt. 12:29). Second, as our text in Isaiah states, this "spoil" he will "divide" with "the strong," his church. Finally, they in turn will return the spoil to humanity, as recorded in Isaiah 33:23, "then is the prey of a great spoil divided; the lame take the prey."

Finally the prophet summarizes the four qualifications of the suffering Redeemer:

"He poured out his soul unto death"—Throughout his ministry on earth, he daily bore the sufferings of others, healing their diseases by "virtue" going out of him (Mark 5:30).

"He was numbered with the transgressors"—Not only did he assume "the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), but dying the death of the worst of criminals, esteemed by others as cursed by God as well as man, for "cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13).

"He bare the sin of many"—This was accomplished on Calvary’s cross. "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28).

"Made intercession for the transgressors"—Although the sacrifice at Calvary was sufficient to accomplish the redemption of all, there remained the matter of presenting it to the Father and making intercession for all. Thus Paul writes in Romans 4:25, "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Intercession on behalf of the church, however, is not a one-time matter, but, as an Advocate, "he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them."

Though unrecognized by the majority at his first advent, what joy we have today to comprehend more and more the depth of the mercies of God in presenting us with the Son who has proved indeed to be "mighty to save."

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).