Grief and Redemption: Insights from Isaiah 53

ISAIAH 53:1-12 (ESV): “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 a 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.”

What is behind the verse we will look at today?

What is behind the verse we will look at today? [sorrow]

… the feeling kids get when they trick or treat and someone gives them an orange

… the condition of your emotions when you watch the last episode of a TV show

… the atmosphere of any nursing home or funeral home

… the reaction we have when our favorite Girl Scout Cookie is retired

… the mood after watching the evening news

What is behind the verse we will look at today? [grief]

… the feeling after a natural disaster takes away your childhood home

… that thing that kicks you in the heart when you hear the word “hospice”

… the reaction we have when our family members die

… what children do when their parents get divorced

… the process one goes through after a favorite sports team moves cities

What is behind the verse we will look at today?  A whole lot actually.

ISAIAH 53:3 (ESV): “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.”

CONTEXT OF ISAIAH 53

The book of Isaiah takes its name from its writer as many of the prophets do in the Old Testament (Genesis-Malachi).  Isaiah was married to a prophetess and had at least two sons (Isaiah 7:3; 8:3).  He ministered to God’s People under the reigns of four kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  Isaiah likely lived in Jerusalem and we know that he was related to some of the kings under which he served. 

In the Book of Isaiah, chapters 52-53 refer to the coming Messiah (or the coming Christ) as the “suffering servant” Who will be punished to atone for the sins of humanity.  Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is perhaps one of the most significant predictive prophecies about the Christ that we find in the Old Testament.  The Christ is described as paying for the sins of the people as a sin offering.  Some say that Isaiah 53 reveals the story of Jesus in just a few verses.  Jewish folks who do not accept Jesus as the Christ often identify “the Suffering Servant” as the collective people of Israel who have suffered greatly throughout history.  While Christians certainly agree that Jewish people have and continue to suffer, we also see clearly that Isaiah 53 is about Jesus.

VERSE 3: SORROWS AND GRIEF

Isaiah 53:3 continues to describe the Suffering Servant by using the words “sorrows” and “grief.”  It is astonishing to us that this Servant of God would first be “despised and rejected,” but also that He would know “sorrow” and “grief” intimately.  Why isn’t His life perfect and without trouble?  Why isn’t His life covered over by divine favor inside and outside and below and above?  We feel like that if anyone should have their best blessed better life it should be a Person Who is 100% dedicated to the Lord Almighty.  This Blessed One of God should not be acquainted with sorrow.  We associate sorrow with punishment or bad luck or mental illness or the result of bad decisions; not the Suffering Servant.

When Isaiah uses the word “sorrow,” he is using a specific word (mak’ob) that means extreme afflicting anguish.  When Isaiah uses the word “grief,” he is using a specific word (choliy) that means a malady or sickness of anxiety and calamity.   

When I say the words “sorrow” and “grief” we can usually empathize and sympathize with those words, but even our experiences are the shallow end of the pool compared to what was predicted about the Suffering Servant.  This shocks us when we connect the Suffering Servant with Jesus Christ.  Jesus knew sorrow and grief, therefore, He can identify with us in our sorrow and grief.              

Was any of this true in the life of Jesus?  Yes.  There are many examples of times when Jesus endured sorrow and grief:

* Matthew 23:37-39 when Jesus laments and weeps over what will happen in Jerusalem in 70AD

* Mark 14:27-31 and Luke 22:31-34 when Jesus predicted Peter would deny Him three times

* John 11:32-36 when Jesus wept because of the death of Lazarus and the grief of his sisters

Those are just three examples among many!  The best example I can think of comes from Luke 22 (paralleled with the word “sorrow” twice in Matthew 26) as Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane before He is arrested…

Luke 22:41-46 (ESV): “And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Jesus was facing arrest, unfair trials, expert torture, abandonment, pain, and separation from God; as a result He was sorrowful and full of grief.  His stress was at such a level that the capillaries in His head burst and His blood mixed with His sweat.  That is intense sorrow!  That is intense grief!  

Jesus felt great sorrow in His life many times because of those around Him and what He’d endure.

Jesus felt grief because of how He was treated and what He chose to experience.

Yes, Jesus was familiar with sorrow and grief just as Isaiah 53 predicts.

SUMMARY

What is behind the verse we will looked at today? Experiencing sorrow and feeling sorrow.

What is behind the verse we looked at today? Experiencing grief and enduring grief.

Our challenge as we read over this one verse in Isaiah 53 is to connect the dots. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Suffering Servant for us.  He entered into sorrow and experienced grief.  Jesus knew this would happen and yet He willingly endured all of this for us.

* We are comforted because Jesus enters into our sorrow with us.

* We are complete in our souls because Jesus waded through grief.

TMB