Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

Isaiah chp 1-39, God’s messages of judgement because of Israel’s sinfulness.
Isaiah chp 40-66 God’s messages of comfort.
God’s promise to His people to return to their land and of the coming savior.
Chp 40-48
Isaiah told people that Israel’s enemies were used by God to teach them a lesson.
When Israel repented, enemies would be destroyed and Israel given back its strength.
Chp 49-66
Description in detail the savior God promised to send.
Chp 52-53
Below passage, one of the climatic portions of the description of the Messiah.
God calls Jerusalem to wake up ready for his redemption.
God introduces his servant who was so scarred and ugly that his appearance was appalling.
God promises to exalt him.
The insignificant servant knew suffering and human sorrow.
His suffering had purpose. Bored punishment for our sins to bring us peace.
We sinful man, strayed like sheep, but God had punishment on him.
He endured it without complain. Endured death penalty though he was innocent.
God’s purpose was fulfilled, making the servant an offering to cover our guilt.
Death and burial do not complete the story. He will live anew and will be exalted by God because he bore the sins of man.

The Suffering Servant

Miracle on the River Kwai
Missing shovel, officer threatened to kill all slaves. One man stepped out, beaten to death.
Second tool check, miscounted.
An innocent man was willing to die for others!
POW began to treat each other like brothers. Allies later won war, POWs insisted no more hatred, no more killing. Sacrifical love has transforming power.

Servant referring to? Israel, remnant of Israel, but both could not fully fulfill the conditions. Jesus could!

52:13 - 我的仆人行事必有智慧，（或作行事通达）必被高举上升，且成为至高。
Jesus acted with wisdom. Give illustrations. Eg. Adulterous woman. Any more stories?52:14 - 许多人因他（原文作你）惊奇，（他的面貌比别人憔悴，他的形容比世人枯槁） 52:15 - 这样，他必洗净（或作鼓励）许多国民。君王要向他闭口。因所未曾传与他们的，他们必看见。未曾听见的，他们要明白。
Jesus will wash the sins of man.
Heb 10:14因为他一次献祭，便叫那得以成圣的人永远完全。
53:1 - 我们所传的，（或作所传与我们的）有谁信呢。耶和华的膀臂向谁显露呢。
Note of astonishment! They had seen the arm of the Lord revealed!
Jesus, was the Word which became flesh, God revealed in the form of man. God had revealed himself to man. Question is. Is man willing to believe, accept and abide by God’s revelation?
Challenge: Do we truly believe the revelation of God, the bible? Christmas day, Good Friday, we truly believe?53:2 - 他在耶和华面前生长如嫩芽(nen4 ya2)，像根出于乾地。他无佳形美容，我们看见他的时候，也无美貌使我们羡慕他。
Tender plant. Jesus was born in a manger, full of filth and smell from animals dung. Try going to the zoo! (Manger not our typical Christmas card manger with cute animals and perfume.)There he was in a manger, so weak, so helpless. From the heavenly throne in heaven, to a human being in a lowly manger.
Jesus didn’t come and attract people with looks. Principle: We should not attract people to church by asthetics, by good looking people, to look for prospective partners. Jesus attracted people because of his compassionate, love and more importantly, his Truth that he is God and has offered salvation to man.53:3 - 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.- 他被藐视，被人厌弃，多受痛苦，常经忧患。他被藐视，　　　　　　好像被人掩面不看的一样。我们也不尊重他。
Despised by the Pharisees, despised/rejected by his brothers, despised by people when he was at the cross, by the roman soldiers whom mocked him and asked him to save himself.
Rejected by his disciples, rejected by Judah. The light did not receive him.
Acquainted with grief. Wept at Gethsemane, sad for the people that did not know what they were doing.
Today, he is rejected to this day. Jesus just a man, a great prophet, married Mary had children.
Familiar with suffering. He knows the sufferings we are going through.Rejection by bros, friends, disciples, co-workers. He was wronged. Loved but was not loved back.
Application: Jesus knows our inner depths more than we know ourselves. Let’s learn to rely on him and trust him for all our sufferings.53:4 - Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.- 他诚然担当我们的忧患，背负我们的痛苦。我们却以为他受责罚，被神击打苦待了。
He bore our sins, yet we thought he was punished by God, like Job’s friends. The thought of the Pharisees and teachers might had when they saw Jesus crucified supposedly for blasphemy,53:5 - 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.- 那知他为我们的过犯受害，为我们的罪孽压伤。因他受的刑罚我们得平安。因他受的鞭伤我们得医治。
His sufferings on the cross. O.T. people might not understand the idea of Christ dying for their sins. The animal sacrifices were a shadow of Christ’s dying on the cross for us. God’s prophecy here for the people of Isaiah’s day to look ahead to the suffering of the Messiah resulting in the forgiveness of sins for man. 53:6 - 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.- 我们都如羊走迷，各人偏行己路。耶和华使我们众人的罪孽都归在他身上。
Application:
We have the complete picture now. The complete revelation of salvation. We used to be dumb sheep but now, we are sheep that can see better now. Let us follow the good shepherd, able to listen to his voice, lest not that God holds us accountable for knowing even more yet still rejecting him.

我是好牧人，好牧人为羊舍命。John 10:1153:7 - 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.- 他被欺压，在受苦的时候却不开口。（或作他受欺压却自卑不开口）他像羊羔被牵到宰杀之地，又像羊在剪毛的人手下无声，他也是这样不开口。
Sheep before her shearer is obedient, quiet. Jesus, was obedient, submissive to the will of his Father, knowing full well he was to be killed.53:8 - 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.- 因受欺压和审判他被夺去。至于他同世的人，谁想他受鞭打，从活人之地被剪除，是因我百姓的罪过呢。 53:9 - 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.- 他虽然未行强暴，口中也没有诡诈，人还使他与恶人同埋。谁知死的时候与财主同葬。
Emphasized his sinlessness.53:10 - 耶和华却定意（或作喜悦）将他压伤，使他受痛苦。耶和华以他为赎罪祭。（或作他献本身为赎罪祭）他必看见后裔，并且延长年日，耶和华所喜悦的事，必在他手中亨通。
It was the Lord’s will that Jesus was crucified, but there was to come, God’s favour, God’s prosper on him.
53:11 - 他必看见自己劳苦的功效，便心满意足。有许多人，因认识我的义仆得称为义。并且他要担当他们的罪孽。
We are saved not because of our works but because of Christ’s work on the cross.53:12 - 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.- 所以我要使他与位大的同分，与强盛的均分掳物。因为他将命倾倒，以致于死。他也被列在罪犯之中。他却担当多人的罪，又为罪犯代求。

God chose to save the world through a humble, suffering servant. Rejected headlines and heroism. Drew no attention to himself.
What can we say to such love?
How will we respond to him?

What is this servant doing for us and what he is calling us to do for others?
The suffering servant called his church to take up the cross and follow him. The church is to be the suffering servant for its generation.
Forsake, political, economic, and military games of the world’s rise to prominence and success.
Take on suffering servant’s identity and unremarkable appearance for our generation, bringing people to know Jesus as their offering for sin and savior. Ready to sacrifice our lives for the salvation of our generation.

Jesus our substitute – Martin Luther
Christ became the greatest murderer, adulterer, thief, blasphemer, etc. in the world for ever. For he made a sacrifice for sins of the whole world, is now not an innocent person and without sin because he had become man’s substitute.
On him, the sins of Peter the denier, Paul the persecutor, David the adulterer, sinner which ate the fruit in Eden, thief that hanged on the cross. Here now comes the law and said, He is a sinner, therefore, die on the cross. By this the whole world is purged and cleansed of all sins for those who accept this substitution.

His Love is manifested on the cross. To Jesus, “You are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became what you were not so that I might become what I was not.”

‘In the cross’ hymn.