Isaiah 52:13–53:12

¹³ Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
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 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.

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 by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;

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 pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds 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;

when his soul makes 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 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,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

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.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

What should sinners expect when the holy, righteous God shows up? We expect judgment, punishment, condemnation, destruction.

That is why Adam and Eve hid themselves when they heard the sound of God walking in the Garden. They knew what they deserved – their eyes had been opened. They knew they were naked. They knew shame. God showed up and they were terrified.

The same goes for Isaiah when he saw the Lord, seated on a throne, high and lifted up. He heard the cries of the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah’s only response was, “Woe is me for I am unmade. For I am a man of unclean lips and dwell among a people of unclean lips.”

Adam, Eve, Isaiah, you, and me – our reason and our experience says that each person must bear their own sin. Anything else is “unfair.”

Yet, what actually happens? What do Adam, Eve, Isaiah, you, me, and every other sinner experience? Contrary to all reason and logic, when God shows up, He offers pardon and forgiveness.

God told Adam and Eve that on the day they ate of the tree, they would surely die. But what happens? God slaughters a flock of animals, covers their nakedness, removes their shame, and they live another 900 years.

Isaiah figured He would be unmade because he, a sinner, stood in the presence of God. But what happens? God sends a seraph with a burning coal to touch his lips. His guilt was taken away, and his sins atoned for.

How can God do this? Adam and Eve had the fruit in their stomachs. They were picking the peel from between their teeth. Isaiah had his uncleanness on his lips. All the fingerprint and DNA evidence pointed toward their guilt. So how can God pardon the guilty?

God can forgive because our text says that the sins of Adam, Eve, and Isaiah were somewhere else. Scripture also says that your sins are no longer yours – they are gone. They now belong to God’s Servant, Jesus. God placed on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Jesus bore your griefs. Jesus carried your sorrows. Jesus was pierced for your transgressions and crushed for your iniquities. Your sin, all your sin, even the sins that you will commit years from now, they have all been placed and punished upon Jesus.

The Gospel tells us that, contrary to everything that is right and “fair,” Jesus is judged guilty for your sin. Jesus bore your sin in His body on the tree that you might die to sin (1 Pet. 2:24). God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin that you might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). As John the Baptizer said, Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29). In other words, Jesus has stolen your sins from you. He took possession of them, they are His.

Where are those sins now? They are forever lost in the emptiness of the Easter tomb.

Faith is the constant struggle about who owns sin. Your sin can only be in one of two places. Either your sin is upon you and you are damned, or your sin is on Jesus.

Faith is a struggle because Satan, the world, and you yourself will throw all sorts of accusations against you. The devil, the world, and you will see your sin and say, “Look at that terrible thing you did. You deserve death and condemnation.”

Faith is learning to say what the Scriptures say, what God says about your sin. When you feel the guilt and load of your sin, when you are accused, you can respond, “That sin you see on me is not mine anymore. That sin belongs to Jesus. Jesus has taken away the sins of the world. That includes me. If you want to talk to anybody about that sin, you go talk to Jesus.”

Jesus, God’s suffering Servant, has given you a wonderful exchange. You sin, but Jesus pays the penalty. Jesus deserves lives a life completely obedient to God and deserves peace, but He gets God’s wrath. And you are given, you receive God’s peace.

Some people ask, “How can I know I’m saved?” The answer is, “Jesus is crucified. He has taken the shame of my past. He owns the failures of my present. And He removes the guilt of my future.”

Jesus makes you to be accounted righteous. He has borne your iniquities, and with His stripes you are healed. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.