Isaiah, speaking of a future time, declares “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isa. 35:1). A preview of those blossoms can be found in Isaiah’s fourth Servant Song, where the Father calls “Behold, My Servant” (Isa. 52:13). A rose garden is a place of contrasting elements: beauty and thorns, fragrance and soil, budding life and rotting death, glory and suffering. No place do these elements blend and complement one another more more clearly than this often cultivated Messianic prophecy. Let us stroll along the garden pathway through the many glimpses of Christ that this chapter sets before us.
Behold God’s Servant
Isa. 42:1-4 the Sovereign Judge “the Just…”
Isa. 52:13-53:12 the Suffering Saviour “…for the unjust”
His Pattern
Isa. 52:13 the Servant of Glory Isa. 53:1
Isa. 52:14 the Man of Sorrows Isa. 53:2-9
Isa. 52:15 the King of Glory Isa. 53:12
His Titles
Isa. 52:13; 53:12 the Lion His divine glory the King Jn. 19:14
Isa. 52:14; 53:2 the Root His humanity the Man Jn. 19:5
Isa. 53:7 the Lamb His humiliation the Lamb Jn. 1:29
His Position
Isa. 53:2-3 on the earth His incarnation
Isa. 53:4-9 on the cross His substitution
Isa. 53:10-12 on the throne His exaltation
Three Attitudes
Isa. 53:1-6 our attitude toward Christ
Isa. 53:7-9 Christ’s attitude toward us
Isa. 53:10-12 God’s attitude toward Christ
The Pivot Point
Isa. 53:1-7a a sevenfold description of man’s view of Christ’s sufferings
Isa. 53:7b “as a lamb to the slaughter” (the center phrase of the chapter)
Isa. 53:7b-12 a sevenfold description of God’s view of Christ’s suffering
Key Words
the Saviour’s nature servant (13) sheep (7) soul (11)
the Saviour’s suffering sorrows (3) stricken (4) stripes (5)
the Saviour’s mission sin (10) slaughter (7) sprinkle (15)
the Saviour’s victory satisfied (11) seed (10) spoil (12)
Contrasts
Isa. 52:13, 15 the Servant and the Sovereign
Isa. 53:4-5, 11-12 the sin-bearer and the spoils of blessings
Isa. 53:3, 10, 12 the grief & sorrows and the great & strong
Isa. 53:7, 12 the submissive Son and the powerful Potentate
The Sufferings Inflicted on Christ
Isa. 53:1-5 by the actions of men
Isa. 53:5, 10 by the actions of God
Isa. 53:12 by the actions of Christ
The Christ of the Gospels
Isa. 52:13; 53:12 Matthew Christ the King the lion
Isa. 52:13; 53:11 Mark Christ the Servant the ox
Isa. 52:14; 53:2-3 Luke Christ the Man the man
Isa. 53:9-11 John Christ the Eternal God the eagle
Christ and the Offerings/Sacrifices
Isa. 53:2 wave offerings of first fruits “grew up before Him as a tender plant”
Isa. 53:4 the scapegoat “bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows”
Isa. 53:5 the peace offering “the chastisement of our peace was upon Him”
Isa. 53:7 the Passover “led as a lamb to the slaughter”
Isa. 53:10 the sin offering “made His soul an offering for sin”
Isa. 53:10 the burnt offering “yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him”
Isa. 53:12 the drink offering “He hath poured out His soul unto death”
Isa. 53:12 the trespass offering “made intercession for the transgressor”
The Three Tenses of Calvary
Isa. 53:4, 5, 6, 10a, 12 in the past
Isa. 53:2b, 3, 7b in the present
Isa. 53:2, 10b-12 in the future
His Rejection
Isa. 53:2 “there is no beauty” His appearance as man
Isa. 53:3 “He is despised and rejected” His rejection by man
Isa. 53:5 “with His stripes we are healed” His salvation for man
Isa. 53:7 “He is brought as a lamb” His substitution in man’s place
The Three Questions of Isaiah 53
Isa. 53:1 “Who hath believed our report?” Rom. 10:16
Isa. 53:1 “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?“ Jn. 12:38
Isa. 53:8 “Who shall declare His generation?” Acts 8:33
The Source of Christ’s Sorrows
Isa. 53:3 His rejection by men
Isa. 53:4 His position for men
Isa. 53:10 His mission before God
The Stages of the Lamb
Isa. 53:2 “new born suckling lamb” (alt. trans. for “tender plant”)
Isa. 53:7 “as a lamb” (less than a year old)
Isa. 53:7 “as a sheep” (an adult female ewe)
Word Pictures of the Lamb of God
Isa. 53:2 a baby lamb entering into humanity
Isa. 53:5 a sacrificial lamb substituting for the sinner
Isa. 53:6 a redeeming lamb gathering and healing stray sheep
Isa. 53:7a a silent servant lamb opening not His mouth
Isa. 53:7b a humbled suffering lamb led as a lamb to the slaughter
A Summary of Messiah’s Life
Isa. 53:1 God reveals Himself through His Son
Isa. 53:2 Messiah’s incarnation
Isa. 53:2 Messiah’s early development to manhood
Isa. 53:3 Messiah’s rejection by his own
Isa. 53:4 Messiah’s suffering under humanity
Isa. 53:8a Messiah’s betrayal and arrest
Isa. 53:5-7 Messiah’s suffering by Roman soldiers
Isa. 53:8, 10, 12 Messiah’s death on the cross
Isa. 53:9 Messiah’s burial in a rich man’s tomb
Isa. 53:10b Messiah’s resurrection from the dead
Isa. 52:15; 53:12 Messiah’s exaltation as the victor
What a sweet aroma of Christ we experience as we stroll through the rose garden of Isaiah 53. The riches of Christ’s character, work, and redemption abound throughout the five three-verse stanzas of Isaiah’s fourth Servant Song. We are faced with key principles that prophetically set the stage for His comings, yet He is also presented as a stumbling block to His own people. We must behold the submissive Servant before we see the arrival of the Sovereign Lord. He must be the Man of Sorrows before He returns as the King of Glory.