Isaiah 53 reveals to us in the Old Testament a perfect presentation of the gospel. Not only does it reveal the gospel, but it reveals man's reaction to the gospel, one of unbelief and revulsion. In the plainest terms, the gospel is this: we are all sinners, Christ is our righteousness, and he has died for our sins.
And yet people do not believe such good news. According to scripture, very few will receive this preaching of Christ. The very people whom Christ was to deliver will reject said deliverance. In the Gospel of John, the evangelist writes, "And though he had done so many miracles before them, they believed NOT on him." Paul claims that all are without excuse: "Have they not heard? No doubt their sound went out through all the earth, and their words into the ends of the world." So, the seed of God's word has been spread to all, yet most reject it. Indeed, none can believe but whose hearts God touches with the virtue of his Holy Spirit.
Christ does not descend to earth in a blinding light like a majestic angel king. According to Isaiah, Christ rises from the dry earth like a weak branch. He's not beautiful or captivating. Actually, when eyes are laid upon him, the reaction is an intense dislike. As we see in the gospels, this small and unappealing beginning is exactly what happens. Men despised him then and men despise him now. And yet, this infirm and sorrowful savior is a comfort to sinners. He did not have everything handed to him. He was an impoverished person, especially tempted in the same ways we are, and yet he never sinned. This is hope for us, because now Jesus Christ can be our righteousness. Most rejected him, but those who know they are sinners, who deserve everlasting punishment, can look upon the punishment of Christ and see with the eyes of their heart that such punishment was on their behalf. Many reject and destroy the Christ. The few cling to the bruised savior and cast their hope upon him. These know the penalty due for their sins, and they realize that Christ's death is the only possible satisfaction for those sins.
Peter summarizes this blessing of Christ in his first letter: "Who did not sin, neither was there guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, did not revile back. When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed the suffering to he who judges righteously. Who bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we, being delivered from sin, should live in righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed. For you were as sheep going astray but are now returned to the shepherd and bishop of your souls."
We judged Christ, and we still do. Then, we judged him as a sinner, and we punished him as such, even though he was without sin. We judged him as an idolator, calling himself God. Today, we judge him in the same way, not believing that he was who he said he was. We call him an idolator, one who claimed to be God, and our highly intellectual conversation condemns him as a liar. Our gods condemn him, and in doing so, we condemn ourselves. And he allowed himself to die, not for himself but for us, our transgressions. We thought he was suffering a just punishment for his own sins, when he was actually suffering an unjust punishment for ours. In undergoing this torture and death, he did more than take our sins upon himself, he reconciled us to God, so that we have peace with the creator of the universe.
Like sheep we have all gone astray, and yet like a sheep our Lord was brought before the shearer, was brought before the slaughter. We are the sheep that deserve those punishments, and yet we as straying sheep are set free when the perfectly obedient one is led to the slaughterhouse in our stead. Christ did not defend himself but went willingly. Later, Philip would defend Christ to the eunuch who was reading this very chapter, and that man would become a believer and be baptized in Christ's name. Christ didn't need to defend himself. Philip and you and I are able to preach Christ and defend him to others, and those whose hearts God touches with the virtue of his Holy Spirit will hear and believe.
He was condemned on the cross and placed in the grave, the prison of souls, and although he died for sins, he rose from the grave and lives forever, his death taking place to restore life to his bride. Christ defeated death and death has no more power over him, nor anyone who abides in Christ by faith. Everything about his incarnation on earth was to take a sinless man and treat him as a sinner, even being killed as a sinner, even being entombed as a sinner. The Father breaks the Son in order to save the church. The Father takes the life of the Son in order to give life to his church, so that his church may live forever.
And Christ shall see the fruits of his labors, the salvation of his church. He shall see these things and be satisfied. He shall justify many through faith in his word, where no one could be justified by the law of Moses. Believe these words and you are saved. Ignore them at your own peril. Although he suffered to the point of death on a cross, the Father raised him and highly exalted him to give him the name above all names, Lord, so that all who have faith in him shall never die. All who believe in him shall never die.
This is the gospel. All are sinners. Christ is righteous. The righteous died for the unrighteous. All has been made new. Do you believe this? Many did not and do not now. Do you? All one needs is faith in this word to be saved forever.
