The Suffering Messiah

 The suffering Messiah

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
                                                        Isaiah 53:6 

Christians believe Jesus fulfills the Prophesy of Isaiah 53. That Jesus is the suffering Messiah. The lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
It is a concept certainly Jews but I would say most people in the world today can’t understand, the suffering Messiah.
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. The Messiah. The saviour of not only the Jews but all mankind.
Matthew records the trial of Jesus. It climaxes with,
“Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent.
The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven."
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?"  "He is worthy of death," they answered.” Matthew 26:62-65
Even at his trial, undoubtedly knowing those conducting the trial had made up their minds before hand as to his fate Jesus confessed he was the Christ the Son of God.
In doing so Jesus in effect gave his enemies all they needed to pronounce the death penalty.
Someone noted to me something interesting about this point in the trial. The high priest undoubtedly without knowing it became an agent of God.
In very much the same way as the high priest transferred the sins of the people to the scape goat, he was transferring the sins of the world on to Jesus.
Jesus would take upon himself the sins of the world. He would suffer for all mankind.
Isaiah prophesied it this way,
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
After the suffering of his soul,  he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,  and he will bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:7-11
Jesus to the Christian is the fulfilment of Isaiah 53 and God says in Isaiah 53:12,
“Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,  and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Christians as far as this writer knows are the only ones to believe that Jesus suffered for the sins of the individual.
If one thinks of it is an incredible claim but true.
Not only that but Christians believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, that he died and rose again and ascended into heaven where he sits at the thrown of God.
Which is another incredible claim that when thought of makes Christians either very misdirected or the bearers of truth to the world?
The choice is yours. Think about it.