In Acts 8, a eunuch from Ethiopia was traveling a road from Jerusalem back to his home. He was reading from the prophet Isaiah, specifically the beginning of chapter 53 when he met the evangelist Philip. When the eunuch asked Philip, “of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”, Philip correctly answered that the prophecy was about Jesus Christ (Acts 8:34-35).
In truth, there is much said about the Christ in Isaiah’s book of prophecy. The interesting thing about chapter 53 is that it pictures a Messiah that the Jew of Jesus’ time would have a hard time accepting. Let’s explain:
“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2).
In Isaiah’s time, in Jesus’ time, and in our own time there is a bias that exists regarding physical beauty. Now understand that this was not a description of Jesus’ physical features, it was simply a recognition that nothing of the Divine showed in His appearance. That was not God’s intent. While we might think that the Messiah would come in flowing robes, a beautiful face, and a certain glow or aura, Jesus was sent by God to earth as a man. As Paul wrote, He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).
Jesus appeared as a small, seemingly vulnerable babe, born under difficult circumstances to a young girl. (cf. Luke 2:1-7). He was raised in the unpopular city of Nazareth, a town with an unfortunate reputation among men. Such was the view that Nathanael asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).
The Jews were expecting someone glorious, someone who appeared different to lead them to glory. So they rejected the Messiah God sent to them.
“He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3).
To note the extent of that rejection, we need only to read the gospels. The common people who followed Him in His ministry were fickle. For example, when they did not receive what they were seeking (food), or did not like Jesus’ teaching (hard sayings), we are told “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more” (John 6:66). Further there was the entrenched opposition of the Jewish leaders. They were threatened by His authority and stung by His ability to convict them of their hypocrisies and sins. They brought constant difficulties to the One they should have embraced! Ultimately the rejection was total as the Jews in Rome cried before their Roman oppressors, “Let Him be crucified!”… “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:22-23, 25).
“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 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” (Isaiah 53:4-6).
Jesus did not suffer because of any guilt on His part. His was a willing sacrifice. It was agonizing, but it was fully volitional on His part. “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42). He died on the cross of Calvary as a sacrifice for the sins of men. He was the singular (and sufficient sacrifice) as the perfect Passover lamb. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked — but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7-9).
The prescience of Isaiah’s words are seen in the gospel accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus (cf. Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). Details such as — His facetious trial, His own silence in the face of His mistreatment, His tortuous treatment by both the Jews and the Romans, His sacrificial death for mankind, even His burial — as prophesied by Isaiah are fulfilled. Though men rejected our Lord, He became the Savior of us all!
