Isaiah 53: A Closer Look at the Rejected Messiah

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? [esteem]

… the reason presidential libraries are established in each president’s home state

… the reason SAG awards and Kids’ Choice Awards are given to actors and actresses

… it is the word behind value, acceptance, confidence, honor, and respect

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: HIDDEN FROM AND NOT ESTEEMED

Isaiah 53:3 continues to describe the treatment of the Suffering Servant by using the words “men hide their faces” and “esteemed Him not.”  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.  Now we are shown that this Servant comes to do God’s will, to teach about the Kingdom of God, and to bring about salvation, is also subjected to people hiding from Him and ignoring Him. 

When Isaiah uses the word “esteem,” he is using a specific word (chashab) that means to regard and consider purposefully.  Combined with the direction of the faces in the verse, Isaiah is talking about purposefully turning away from the Suffering Servant by paying no attention to Him mind, soul, or strength.  People will not even want to look at this One that God will send.  They will ignore Him.  They will just not even give Him a second thought or even a first thought.

Was any of this true in the life of Jesus?  Yes.  There are many examples of times when Jesus was turned away from or just ignored or His identity not seen clearly.  You can include all the examples we have already talked about, but also:

* Luke 23:7-12 King Herod had Jesus right in front of him and did not pay attention to Him

* John 6:66 many who followed Jesus turned away from Him because it was too hard

* John 14:9 Jesus asked Philip how after three years he did not yet see Jesus clearly

The best example of what I am trying to describe I can think of comes from John 3 as Jesus is speaking to the Pharisee Nicodemus.  Nicodemus had insightful and good questions about Jesus and for Jesus.  Nicodemus is a religious leader who knows the Bible well and should immediately identify Jesus as the Christ and the source of salvation… but he does not.  Nicodemus does not understand Jesus’ teaching on being “born again.” 

Jesus explains why he doesn’t understand by referring back to an incident with Moses in the Book of Numbers.  In Numbers 21, the people were utterly sinful and God sent a plague of snakes among them to get their attention and to bring about repentance.  God sometimes has to shake us to get our attention because we don’t pay attention to Him. 

Numbers 21:8-9 (ESV): “And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

In John 3, as Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus, He comments that Nicodemus is not understanding the spiritual truths He is teaching because he is not intently looking and paying attention.  He has turned away.  As he talks to Nicodemus, He uses the example from Numbers 21 to make a point…

John 3:12-18 (ESV): “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the Name of the only Son of God.”

Jesus explains very clearly that He is speaking about spiritual truths and Nicodemus needs to pay attention to Him for salvation.  Jesus also explains that human beings must intentionally look to Him for salvation just as the people had to look at the pole in Numbers 21.  He is it.  He is the way.  He is the source of eternal life and only by looking to Him will anyone be saved.  That means that if we turn our faces away from Jesus and “we esteem Him not” that we are turning away from the only source of salvation that is offered.  That is what makes this last part of verse 3 so impactful.  Hiding from Jesus and “esteeming Him not” is eternally detrimental to our souls. 

This is why the writer of Hebrews writes to us in chapter 12:1-2 (ESV): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

SUMMARY

What is behind the verse we looked at today? Being ignored.

What is behind the verse we looked at today? Understanding not being esteemed.

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 was ignored.  Jesus knew this would happen and yet He willingly endured all of this for us.

* We have a Savior that pays for our sin because Jesus was ignored.

* We have worth and value in God’s sight because Jesus was not esteemed.

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.”

TMB