Dr Paul Allen

The prevalent view of the Jews in Jesus’ day was that their Messiah would come as a conquering king, drive out the Romans, and immediately set up the kingdom of God in Israel. Yet Isaiah 53 (NIV) describes a suffering servant of God. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth” (v. 7). Jesus amazed the chief priest, Pilate, and Herod by staying silent and not answering their questions (Matthew 27:12–14; Mark 14:60–61; Luke 23:8–9). Isaiah states that “he was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (v. 7). Jesus was crucified on Passover when the Passover lambs were killed, and John the Baptist had called Him the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). “But he was pierced for our transgressions” (v. 5). Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced when the Roman soldiers nailed Him to the cross. Isaiah prophesied that “he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth” (v. 9), yet He “was numbered with the transgressors” (v. 12). Jesus quoted this las...

“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” ( Isaiah 53:9 ) It is generally recognized that the amazing 53rd chapter of Isaiah, written over 500 years earlier, is the most explicit and complete exposition of the substitutionary suffering and death of the Lord Jesus Christ in all the Bible, including even the New Testament accounts. And this prophecy that His death and burial would be with both the “wicked, and with the rich” is surely one of the most remarkable. How could such a prediction possibly come to pass? Yet it did! Unjustly condemned, not for any violent or deceitful acts, but only for telling the truth, Jesus was crucified between two wicked criminals, yet He was buried in a garden tomb lovingly built by a rich member of the council that had condemned Him to death. Furthermore, that elaborate tomb had almost certainly been personally designed and built ahead of time by Jose...