The Book of Isaiah, found in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible, is categorized among the books of Prophecy, meaning the books that would tell us of what was yet to come. Isaiah was written between 740 and 700 B.C. by the son of Amoz named Isaiah.
The purpose of the book was to challenge the Israelites and leaders in Israel and Judah. He warned that Assyria and Babylon would be used by God to judge Jerusalem if they did not remove from their cities and their hearts the idols and look after the poor.
But Isaiah never leaves the book on a dull or hopeless note; rather, he is sure to bring to them a message of hope. He ensures our focus is directed to Jesus, a King of all kings, with a never-ending kingdom. He would be their messiah.
However, if we zoom in on Isaiah 53, we read this beautiful verse, which says:
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.
This description sounds something close to that of a Shakespearean play, but what do these words mean, and who is this Man of Sorrows? Other versions of the Bible also use the word suffering or pain to define this Man in the narrative.
Once I tell you that the man being depicted in the prophetic book is Jesus, these words may make more sense to you. This is Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus is even born, prophesying the death that Jesus would experience for us to be able to have relationship and communion with God.
The separation that exists due to the Fall would finally be torn, and we would be able to come into the Holy place because Jesus’ blood cleanses us, and we are forgiven for all sins, past and present, and still to come.
But how do we know Isaiah was talking about Jesus? The New Testament, in four different books, directly references Isaiah 52 and 53. The following are the direct connections:
1. Isaiah 52:13 is referenced in John 3:14 and John 8:28, where John is telling us about Jesus being a man who was “Lifted Up.”
2. Isaiah 52:13 is referenced in Romans 15:21 by the Apostle Paul when he quotes the following words: “To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.”
3. Isaiah 53:1 is referenced in Romans 10:16, John 12:38, and talks about the unbelief of Israel, “Lord who has believed our message?” John goes on to add: “And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
4. Isaiah 53:4 is referenced in Matthew 8:17 when he directly quotes Isaiah saying: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
5. Isaiah 53:5 comes up again in 1 Peter 2:24, he says: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
6. Isaiah 53:6 is repeated in 1 Peter 2:25: “You were like sheep going astray,”
7. Isaiah 53:7-8 is repeated by Luke in Acts 8:32-33: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation, he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”
8. The words of Isaiah 53:9: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth” are again repeated in 1 Peter 2:22.
9. And lastly, we find the words of Isaiah 53:12 repeated in Luke 22:37, which states: “And he was numbered with the transgressors.”
In typical Jewish culture, all the Jews would have known the whole chapter just by a few short words. This would have nudged their mind in the direction of that same Old Testament story.
Each of these New Testament words would have directed the focus of the listener to Isaiah and shown Jesus to be the true Messiah.
But maybe reading this, you do not know the Jesus story and wonder where sorrow comes into it. Let me explain.
Scripture prophecies all through the Old Testament that there would be a Messiah who would come to rescue us from the sins inherited through the Fall of Adam in Eve in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
First, God blessed a man called Abraham and told him his life would be used by God, then a man named Isaac, Jacob, and so on and so on.
Eventually, following their familial line, we find ourselves opening the Scripture in Matthew to read the lineage of Jesus and how he would be the suffering savior.
The Jews were convinced their messiah would come riding on a horse, with the full hosts of the armies of God behind him, and He would slay the enemies that had a hold upon them.
But instead, Jesus came as a babe, born to a virgin named Mary in a manger in Bethlehem with her betrothed Joseph. He would quickly become a fugitive as a child running with his parents from Herod.
Then He would live a normal life as a carpenter before bursting into the world of ministry at age 30. Jesus healed the sick, challenged the Jewish leaders, raised the dead, emphasized and reshaped their thinking of the promises and laws in the Old Testament, and finally, He was arrested in a Garden called Gethsemane.
The irony is that it was in a garden that all of this began, and now Jesus finds himself in another garden where He intends to destroy the hold sin has on His beloved creation.
Over the next 24 hours, Jesus was tortured, stripped, and whipped despite Him being sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then He was taken to a man named Pilate, who decided to wash his hands of the problem, sending Jesus to die a horrendous death on the cross.
The purpose of this death was not in vain, but rather it was “that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Or in other words, that we may have relationship with God.
As said previously, the gap or chasm between us would be taken away, and we would have access to a Holy relationship with our Holy Creator.
But, friend, the story does not end there. Just as Jesus was our suffering savior, our man of sorrows, He was also our triumphant King!
Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end; rather, it was the beginning of a beautiful new season because three days later, Jesus’ tomb was opened, and He walked free!
Over the next few days, Scripture tells us that Jesus was seen by more than 500 people in a 40-day period. There is no denying the testimony of 500 people and the dedication of his disciples, who were mostly martyred for their faith and confession in Jesus.
Friend, Jesus was our suffering Savior, He was a man of sorrows, but hallelujah, sorrow is not the end of the story. But because of these sorrowful moments, we are welcomed as part of the Kingdom of Heaven if we accept Jesus as our Savior and seek to become more like Him.
I hope you know Jesus, but if not, please get in touch with us or a local church group.
For further reading:
Is Isaiah 53 'The Suffering Servant' a Prophecy about Jesus?
Who Is the Lord’s Servant in the Bible?
How Can I Identify Messianic Prophecies in the Old Testament?
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