Jesus, Messiah

Today’s Through the Bible Reading: Isaiah 51 – 54

"Surely He hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows…” Isaiah 53:4

Jesus is the very essence of the Scriptures. The Old Testament points to Him and the New Testament reveals Him. Jesus can be found on every page. And today’s reading is one of the most obvious and poignant prophecies about the coming of the Christ in the entire Old Testament! Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Prophet Isaiah penned a detailed description of Christ’s crucifixion, a shadow of His suffering, and a proclamation of His perfect love.

Today’s reading provides a great opportunity to practice comparing Old Testament prophecies with the gospel accounts of Christ’s crucifixion. Here are a few to get you started, but there are far too many to list here, so get out your Bible, read along, and build on the following comparisons:

He was despised and rejected by men (Isa. 53:3)

- For He came unto His own, and His own received Him not (John 1:11)

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter (Isa. 53:7)

- For He was the Lamb of God who came to be sacrificed for our sin (John 1:29; Mark 15:2-5)

Yet, He opened not His mouth (Isa. 53:7)

- He remained silent, not answering His accusers a word (Matt. 26:63)

Having been stricken for the transgressions of the people (Isa. 53:8)

- He did not spare Himself, rather He died for the sins of the world (John 11:51-52)

He died with the wicked (Isa. 53:9)

- For He hung on the cross between two criminals (Matt.27:38)

And just as the prophecy declared (Isa. 53:9), He was buried with the rich

- For Joseph of Arimathaea, a rich man, buried Christ in his tomb (Mark 15:43)

As you read through Isaiah 53, look for Jesus and you’ll see Him spoken of perfectly!