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. 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.-Isaiah 53:3-5 (NKJV)
A study of biblical prophecy would be incomplete without some mention of the passage now before us. There isn't a more important prophecy in the Old Testament-or the entire Bible for that matter-than this particular area of Scripture. Roughly 600 years before Bethlehem witnessed Jesus' birth and His cruel cross was hoisted on Mount Calvary, Isaiah foresaw that He would become a suffering Savior for us.
If we were forced to summarize Scripture into a single sentence, we could do so by repeating the following words from this prophecy: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. These words capture, with unmistakable clarity, the essential message of God's Word and the essential meaning of life. Jesus came and suffered for us because of our sins. He tasted death so we wouldn't have to.
In learning about the more complex prophecies in Scripture, it's important we don't lose focus on the main point. The names, dates, details, and succession of world empires don't mean much if we don't understand that Jesus suffered for our sake. May we match the new knowledge we acquire with an appreciation for the simplicity and centrality of the Gospel message.
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 53:6 NKJV)
Discuss the core truth of the gospel. Share with your group what you most appreciate about the sacrifice Jesus made for you. Besides saving you, what has He done that you are most grateful for?
Dig into Isaiah 53. What references to the crucifixion are rendered here? Why is this prophetic chapter so important to your faith? How can you point others to this chapter so that they might see the Messiah’s message?
Decide with your group to pray for the nation of Israel. Invest in some prayer time as a group, remembering to intercede for those who don’t know Jesus as the Messiah. Pray for peace in Jerusalem!
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