Isaiah 53:1-12

Who crucified Jesus?  That question can be answered in several ways without being wrong.  He was placed on the cross by Roman Soldiers at the order of Pilot.  He was turned over for this purpose by the Jewish religious leaders who were supported by the mob of Jerusalem.  Satan had been trying to kill Jesus from the time of His birth.  My sin, your sin and the sin of all mankind is what put Him on the cross.  While all of these options are true, Isaiah tells us there was another Person who was behind all of this: God the Father.  It was the will of the Father to send Jesus to the cross.  The Son was smitten by the Father so we could be redeemed from our sin, reconciled to God and the glory of God could be spread to the end of the earth.  The glory and grace of God is revealed on the cross as well as the wretchedness of sin that would bring the Father to the point of slaying His Son.  The depths of God’s love for us and the terror of Jesus’ torment are clearly evident and foretold in this text.

THE SIMPLICITY OF JESUS: The promise of Messiah was the hope of the nation of Israel.  The expectation was that Messiah would come as a political leader who would free them from the oppression of Rome and establish a prosperous nation that would experience peace and exercise dominion over other nations.  Jesus did not fit that description or expectation.  He was born into a simple family with the right genealogy but the wrong sociology.  His external appearance was one of simplicity.  His lifestyle was marked by simplicity.  He quite simply was not who was expected to be Messiah.  It is very important we remember that the workings of God will not always be according to our expectations.

THE SUFFERING OF JESUS: The expectations for Messiah were certainly not those of suffering.  However, Isaiah made it abundantly clear that He would suffer greatly.  The reign of Messiah could not take place without the suffering for sin.  Jesus took our sin upon Him and He was “smitten by God.”  Our transgressions and iniquities is what made the cross necessary so that we could be at peace with God and find healing through His wounds.  We have rebelled against God and are deserving of His eternal wrath, but it pleased the Father to place out sin on the Son and slay Him in our stead.  We went astray like sheep and He was slaughtered like a lamb in our place.  He was viewed as a criminal, rejected by His generation and crucified despite His own innocence.  Despite His own righteousness, “it was the will of the Father to crush Him.”  The sufferings of Christ were borne on our behalf by the Father for our salvation and His glory.

GOD’S SATISFACTION IN JESUS: God’s justice was satisfied by the sacrifice of the Son.  Because of the righteousness of Christ and His payment for our sin, His righteousness can be our righteousness.  The Father has exalted the Son and given the nations to Him as an inheritance.  Jesus now stands in perfect fellowship with the Father to make intersession on our behalf in light of His sacrifice and suffering.  We have that same eternal destiny and hope of standing justified in the presence of God because of His suffering and intersession on our behalf.  This could only be accomplished because the Father was satisfied by the sacrifice of the Son.  This truth should fill our hearts with joy, our minds with gratitude and our mouths with praise.