Isaiah 52:13-53:12 ~ for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio Bible


13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; [shall prosper]
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.

14 As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

15 so shall he sprinkle [startle] many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.


Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected [forsaken] by men;
a man of sorrows, [pains] and acquainted with [knowing] grief; [sickness]
and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised,
and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

6 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.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation,
who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief; [he has made him sick]
when his soul makes [when you make his soul]
an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring;
he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul
he shall see [he shall see light] and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one,
my servant, make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, [with the great]
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, [with the numerous]
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.


Descent from the Cross, painted by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn


We were so fortunate to take our two sons to Washington D.C., we walked from one end of the city to the other. One thing caught the absolute attention of my youngest son, so much so we had to look for him. We went to several art museums. And in the National Museum of Art, we had to look for Alexander. When we found him, his mouth was open slightly and he was looking at Rembrandt's Descent of the Cross.

Anything interesting your child that much, interests you. I asked 15 year old Alexander what he thought of it and he asked quietly, "Don't talk yet." I looked up at this painting and my eyes filled with tears.

Alexander noticed me later and my expression watching the painting. He asked me what I thought. I said wonderful. Alexander said, "That's not the word I would use. This is God coming down from the Cross. I didn't even know what death looks like, but this is death. The weakness. How awful Christ's death was, but there are a few people who are taking Him down so ..... tenderly."

Alexander walked away and he was annoyed. I asked him why. He said, " It was such an awful death and then to see the tenderness of His mother at her Son's side. His mother. And the other people - it confuses me. What was God looking for? Why not make it all bad..."

"Alexander. That is what life is. The good and the bad. You know about Jesus. This is what He came for. If He didn't act as our sacrifice, we would not be here. We would not be part of eternity. We would be creatures of decay."

We didn't know it that day in 2007, but that conversation would be continued in September of 2008. Good Friday is not about my Isabelle, my daughter stillborn, but we learned what it was to have a child die.

There are times life plows it's furrows into you. God knows sorrow. God knows pain. First hand. Just as Jesus, God walking the earth, knew the tears of sorrow in Lazarus' death. God wept to see His Son suffer and die.

There are people today who find Jesus' death repugnant. Even when we are soul deep bruised, there is a greater reality. A higher power than just us. A bigger plan. God's purpose for Jesus was larger than Mary's pain. God planned it, God foreknew it.

God tasted His plan. He lived His plan. He did the hard work. He wept. He walked deliberately into fulfilling His Word. Knowing. Knowing mankind. Knowing in the Old Testament He warned them not to storm up Mount Sinai to see Him. God longed to touch us, to take our pain, to comfort us. So He lived among us, dwelt with us. Knowing what we would do to Him. And just as people see Jesus - GOD - as repugnant - God chose to do this amazing sacrifice - ending all sacrifices in God's Temple and the Temple itself - for All of Mankind.

Suffering? God is There. God Sees Something Important in Mankind Worth Saving.

What is this to you, an individual?

God does the impossible. He takes Jesus crucified, a mockery before men, torn apart. A mockery of being lifted up. And God makes Jesus King. Forever. 2,000 years the Church of God still blazes forth the Truth of His Glory. Eternally.

He places His Words in us to reach us. God takes bruised, bleeding, broken death and turns it into the Faith - it actually happened. Into Hope - He means me. And Love - I am invited to grab and keep God's love for me.

I have a dear friend, life kicked as hard as it will to knock her down. She stumbled, ended her fallen marriage to have an affair with a handsome man. Married him. Together they had a good times, weren't good parents, had a distant, casual relationship with Church. Even less a relationship with Jesus. He had a broken childhood with a mom who didn't teach him how to be a parent, how to know God. He put drugs into himself to compensate for his brokenness. My friend tried to get him to love her more than the drugs. She offered him a lovely home, people who loved him, but she told him he would be divorced over the drugs.

He was 39 years old when his wife discovered he wasn't taking a nap. He had overdosed. Life flighted. 4 days of tests. All showed complete brain death. His mom fled shrieking after the first day. Leaving my friend so alone.

A Hospital Chaplin asked her if she was Christian, she sobbed she was Presbyterian. That Chaplin reached out, took firm hold of her arm and told her she was not going to be alone. He was not going to leave her side until she was at peace.

The time came to pull the plug. That Hospital Chaplin, who's first name really is Rock, anointed her husband's head with oil. He made the sign of the cross. "Harry, Jesus is coming to give you life. When you see the light of Jesus Christ as Lord, reach out and take His hand. Harry, Jesus loves you very much. Reach out and take Jesus' hand."

Harry didn't even have pupils dilating. He was brain dead. Harry opened his eyes, lifted up his head, put his hand up, smiled and died.

My friend was baptized in a creek as soon as she could arrange it. Seeing Jesus come to love Harry changed her life. That is what God is. He comes into a situation - where nothing is right. Nothing is righteous. Only desperate need and willingness to receive Him. And ever particle of light transforms tragedy into Glory.

1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Faith - Jesus actually is who He says He is. And does what He promises to.
Hope - He meant for me
Love - All there ever was, inviting You to be Loved forever.

Jesus Christ. The Alpha and the Omega. God's Son. Given for you.

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