Painting of Isaiah by Antonio Balestra
Therefore I shall divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death.
Isaiah 53:12.
A mysterious statement! An unknown person would attain extraordinary power and possessions. All that for suffering a shameful death. The prophet Isaiah here draws a powerful, comprehensive prophetic picture. He begins with the description of a man whom all around him misjudged. and who was no stranger to pain and suffering. In all his ill treatment he remained silent and submissive. This selfless sufferer remained so silent and unprotesting that Isaiah compared him with a lamb about to be slaughtered.
Centuries later one particular man, John the Baptist, appeared in Israel and indicated another who was greater than himself. And he called Him “the Lamb of God”. Whoever among his contemporaries was acquainted with the book of Isaiah knew what it was about. The baptist took up the subject of God’s patient, suffering Servant and predicted precisely what would happen a few years later. In His atoning sufferings Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would become the great, sole substitute for the guilty.
We can only wonder at God’s great plan of salvation that Christ fulfilled in every respect. And we can understand why God highly honoured Him after His resurrection and gave Him promises that none other has ever received or will receive. What is God’s future plan for His Son? He will be the King of kings and Lord of lords. Is that not just and a fitting tribute? (cf. Revelation 19:16).
Image: By Antonio Balestra – The Bridgeman Art Library, Object 569354, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25016733