Published 6/2/2015 Updated 8/12/2019
In Isaiah 53:1 the Prophet Isaiah raised a question. He asked:
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
The 53rd chapter of Isaiah presents very clear-cut and descriptive information concerning our suffering Messiah, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. One has only to read the chapter to understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. But before we get into the specifics of the report that Isaiah presents, the question needs to be asked, “Why did mankind need a Messiah or Savior in the first place?” A quick review of the circumstances that led to the need for a Messiah to deliver mankind from the results of sin follows.
Review of why a Savior was needed
In the beginning, God created a man who He named Adam. He gave Adam a wife that was perfectly suited for him, gave him meaningful work and God had fellowship with Adam and Eve every day. But Adam and Eve sinned against God through disobedience, lost their status and were rejected from the Garden of Eden. At the same time that they sinned, death entered the equation. They, along with every one of their offspring (including you and I), were condemned to Death, Hell and ultimately the Lake of Fire without hope. But God loved us too much to leave us in that hopeless situation according to John 3:16 (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Jesus, our escape route
Jesus became our escape route from sin, death, Hell and the Lake of Fire. Our Heavenly Father sent His only begotten Son to die for us. That thought bears repeating. No other person was pure enough to die for our sins. Jesus, in obedience to His Father, came to earth, lived among sinful men but himself did no sin. He demonstrated how men were to live holy. He healed the sick, raised the dead and modeled love itself. He gave us a picture of the Father through his own behavior. Then He hung, bled, died and rose again to pay the awful penalty for sin. His death, burial, and resurrection opened the door for all men to be saved and delivered out of the hand of sin. He overcame death, Hell, and the grave so that we might have a right to the tree of life.
Isaiah 55 describes Jesus’s negative and positive experiences
The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah described not only His humiliation, pain, suffering, and sorrow, but it also describes His glorious reward and exaltation that His father has given Him because of His sacrifice. What wonderful news!
Why is it that everyone is not saved?
But wait! With this kind of salvation available, why are there still people on earth that are not saved? Granted, there may be a few who have not heard the good news yet, but …but what about those who have heard the report but are still not saved?
In 1960 there were approximately three billion people on the face of the earth. Today that number has increased to over seven billion people on earth. That means that had Jesus not died, billions and billions of people would be without hope. The Lake of fire, by way of Hell, would be the destination of all men and women. The only thing available for mankind would have been a certain fearful waiting for the horrors of Hell and the Lake of fire.
But, with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for our sins, billions and billions of people should be saved and either in or eligible to enter into heaven. Sin should be a thing of the past and we should all be praising and worshipping God. But you and I know that sin is still on the rampage. Why is this? Why have people all over the world refused to believe the report of Isaiah and others concerning Jesus Christ?
The importance of believing the report concerning Jesus
You and I who are now saved were not here when Jesus hung on the cross for us. Someone had to report it to us. And as a result, we believed the report. Let’s look through the Scriptures to see if there is a possible answer for why some did not believe and still refuse to believe the report.
Isaiah 53: 2-3 says
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Possible reasons why Jesus was and is rejected as the Messiah
The prophet Isaiah presents several reasons that might account for why the Jewish people did not receive Jesus as the Messiah. Some of those reasons still stand today.
- They might have rejected him because they didn’t like him as a person. He was despised and of low esteem. Jesus was born to common, everyday working people. Mary claimed to be a virgin when she conceived Jesus (and of course she was) and his earthly father was what we would call today, a blue-collar worker, a carpenter.
- Jesus was born in a manger, not at the Palais Royale Hotel or in a comfortable hospital. He came into the earth poor, not wealthy.
Luke 2:7 (KJV)
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
3. The words “a root out of a dry ground” in Isaiah 53 tells us that he was born in the north, in Galilee, of a family out of which, like a dry and desert ground, nothing great, was expected. He was also born in a country of such small repute that it was thought that no good thing could come out of it.
John 1:44-46 (KJV)
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
4. Many might have expected the coming Messiah to live an exalted lifestyle. Some might have thought that He would at least have had transportation comparable to a Lexus. But instead, He walked almost everywhere He went. They might have expected Him to have a mansion but he did not even own a home.
Matthew 8:20 (KJV)
20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
5. He was a man of sorrow. Even though he committed no sins, living on earth in the midst of sinful men must have made him a sorrowful man. He must have also felt the weight of His responsibility to die for mankind. But most of all, He felt the impending separation from His Father when sin was crushed at His death.
As a result of all of these issues, many rejected Him back in His day. Perhaps the same issues cause Him to be rejected today.
Jesus is rejected by men and women today
One of the key reasons that men reject Jesus is because men love sin and do not want to be delivered. Salvation is available but men and women have to want to be saved in order to receive God’s deliverance.
And finally, we know that some are simply blinded and mired down by our adversary the devil. But praise God for two great reasons why all should believe that He is the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world.
Two good reasons why we should believe the report concerning our Savior
Reason No. 1: Before Jesus came to earth, God told mankind that He would send a Savior. The Word of a coming Messiah was delivered through prophets down through time. The prophets who foretold His coming described Jesus to a “T” so to speak. God even let Adam and Eve know, as they were being rejected from the Garden of Eden for the sin of disobedience, that men would have a Savior one day. When God cursed the serpent for tricking Eve and then Adam into eating of the forbidden fruit, this is what He said:
Genesis 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
God let them know is that the woman’s offspring (Jesus) would bruise the devil’s head, although the Savior would be bruised through his sacrificial death.
Reason No.2. Jesus performed many miracles that validated that He was the Messiah. He healed the sick, opened blinded eyes, opened deaf ears, and raised the dead. He sent a message to John the Baptist so that John could believe that He was the Messiah based o his works.
The Conclusion of the whole matter
The report that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sins is true. And if it is true, and you believe the report, then act on your belief. Because of the sacrifice, pain, and suffering that Jesus experienced for us can’t we at least live for Him? The only thing that remains for mankind to do is to believe the report that the Bible presents and accept it. Brothers and sisters, there is no other Savior coming.
Jesus is coming back again to receive His own unto himself. The Rapture of His Saints to Heaven is the next major event on the calendar of Time. And them when Jesus returns to earth following the Great tribulation he will return to establish His Kingdom upon the earth. When He comes He will be looking for a people who have believed the report to the saving of their souls. They will be people who not only believed it but are prepared for the time that He will return to rapture his saints away.
Jesus is our propitiation for sin. He is our only hope of glory and He is coming back soon and very soon. There is not much time left. I strongly encourage everyone who has not done so to receive Jesus Christ, the Son of Almighty God, as your Lord and Savior today. Repent of your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your life and ask for the infilling of the Holy Ghost. To quote the late Great Apostle Lobias Murray: “If you believe it…Say AMEN!”
Romans 10:10 (KJV)
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Dake’s Reference Bible
My Lord.