#1462 John 1 Part 8 We Found Him

 

35 On the next day, John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. 38 And when Jesus turned and noticed them following, He *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day. It was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first *found his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. When Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

43 On the next day, He desired to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said about him, “Behold, truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “From where do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1: 35-51 LSB

John 1: 35-51

V. 35 On the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples - This refers to John the Baptist, and one of the two disciples, Andrew, is named later in verse 40. Now these two are disciples of the Baptist, and some suggest the other of the two to be the apostle John, which I believe is fitting since he never names himself directly throughout his gospel. This is during the early part of Jesus ministry, and the disciples are more loosely connected to Him at this time, this is before the call to them to leave everything behind. They have heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and they will hear the teachings of Christ, but they are not yet Apostles. 

V. 36 Behold, the Lamb of God - The Jewish people were well acquainted with bringing lambs to Jerusalem for the Passover, this was God's Lamb. It was not a picture like that of an animal's life for the sins of humans, no, every other sacrificial lamb, dove or goat was pointing to the One God would provide. Many think John to be a prophet, he has acknowledged that he is the voice of one calling in the wilderness when interrogated by the Jewish leaders, and here he does not point to himself, but to Christ, acknowledging His position as the Lamb of God. True teachers always point to Christ. It is also interesting to note that these people, as familiar with the sacrifice as they are, as familiar with the teaching of the prophets, the same prophets, about a coming Kingdom, would bypass this first declaration, this most necessary sequence. They are enamored with the idea of Messiah, Kingship, of a recovered Davidic empire, but not the idea of the Suffering Servant, that first He must lay down His life in order that they might have life. He is their kinsman Redeemer.  

…21Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me. 22Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.… Isaiah 45: 21-23

1“I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call My name, I said, ‘Here I am! Here I am!’ 2All day long I have held out My hands to an obstinate people who walk in the wrong path, who follow their own imaginations, 3to a people who continually provoke Me to My face, sacrificing in the gardens and burning incense on altars of brick,… Isaiah 65: 1-3

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.… Hebrews 12: 1-3

…19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake. 21Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.… 1 Peter 1: 19-21

Followed Jesus - These two disciples of John the Baptist heard what John was saying and saw to Who he was pointing, and started following Jesus. 

Behold, the Lamb of God - As noted above behold is actually a command (aorist imperative) so John is addressing two of his very own disciples charging them not just to "look" at Jesus, but in essence (from the context) to follow Him. John's humility should not be missed! How tempting it would have been for John to desire to keep these two disciples under his charge, for he was man with a nature just like we have (fallen flesh is selfish and desires "self-glorification"). And yet he encouraged (in essence commanded) them to follow Jesus. John's "mantra" clearly was "He (present tense = continually) must (not optional!) (dei in present tense = continually) increase (present tense = "be increasing"), but I must (dei in present tense = continually not optional!) decrease (present tense = continually be decreasing)!" (John 3:30+). Beloved, enabled by the Spirit of Jesus, may we be imitators of John's humility (cf Heb 6:12+), remembering that "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble!" (James 4:6+). - Precept Austin

Macarthur points out a beautiful pattern here. These are two seekers, and they have found in John the Baptist a preacher, a proclaimer. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, God calls men to seek Him, provides men that declare Him through His word, pastors who point to Jesus upon Whom that faith, which is ignited in them by the Grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, can come to rest on the object of Christ. 

6Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces. 7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.… Matthew 7: 6-8

…16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.” 17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely. 18I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.… Revelation 22: 16-18

…13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”… Romans 10: 13-15

V. 40 Was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother - They were fishermen, brothers that knew other fishermen near them, they heard the Baptist and now they want to learn more about the One to Whom he pointed.

V. 41 He first found his own brother Simon - After meeting Jesus, Andrew wanted to find someone and tell them, and he went first to his brother, his fishing partner. Andrew was one of the first evangelists. Imagine, after 400 years without any prophets, you now have John the Baptist calling men to repent in order to make the way straight, that the King is coming. Then he points Him out and says, this is the Lamb of God. The Jews are under Roman rule, have been experiencing the times of the Gentiles since northern Israel was led off by Assyria and then Judah was taken by Babylon. These are the words that every believing Jew wanted to hear, "we have found the Messiah". How exciting that would be, but how difficult too, for we make scenarios in our minds, even when we acknowledge God's word to be just that, yet we will have an idea of how we want to see this go, how long it should take before the Kingdom is realized and what that looks like. Just like the Baptist, Jesus will come under scrutiny by those who want a king to deliver them from Rome, but are too self righteous to acknowledge their deeper need. 

Wiersbe points out that "Kings were especially called “God’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:11; Ps. 89:20); so, when the Jews spoke about their Messiah, they were thinking of the king who would come to deliver them and establish the kingdom. There was some confusion among the Jewish teachers as to what the Messiah would do. Some saw Him as a suffering sacrifice (as in Isa. 53 - see Jewish Tradition of Two Messiahs), while others saw a splendid king (as in Isa. 9 and 11). Jesus had to explain even to His own followers that the cross had to come before the crown, that He must suffer before He could enter into His glory (Luke 24:13–35). Whether or not Jesus was indeed the Messiah was a crucial problem that challenged the Jews in that day (John 7:26, 40–44; 9:22; 10:24).(BEC)

Yes they found the Messiah, but the truth is the Messiah found them! Spurgeon writes "Do not get worrying yourselves, as some of you do, about God's eternal purpose, and about the secret working of the Holy Spirit, and about how this can be consistent with your following Christ when he bids you. They are perfectly consistent. Some persons have asked me at times to reconcile these two things; and I have said to them, "Very well, tell me the difficulties, and I will reconcile them . . .” There is no quarrel between them, and I have no time to waste on needless argument. Come you to Christ; and if you do, it will be because the Holy Spirit draws you. If you find the Saviour, it will be because the Saviour first found you. Perhaps, in heaven, you may see some difficulties, and get them explained; down here, you need not see them, and you need not ask to have them explained. Salvation is all of God's grace, from first to last; yet is it true that the grace of God leads men to do what Moses did, according to our subject this morning,—to make a choice and to choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. God grant that you may make an equally wise choice! - Precept Austin

V. 42 You shall be called Cephas - Simon gets a name change to Cephas, meaning rock, which is also translated Peter, and Jesus prophecies about Peter too. He is going to have a ministry as a leader in the church, whose preaching will be foundational to the birth of the church that Christ is building. Peter is one of the pillars. 

…17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”… Matthew 16: 17-19

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,

‘I saw the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted;

Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;

27 Because You will not forsake my soul to Hades,

Nor give Your Holy One over to see corruption.

28 You have made known to me the ways of life;

You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’

29 “Men, brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says:

‘The Lord said to my Lord

“Sit at My right hand

35

Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”’

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”

About Three Thousand Souls Saved

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men, brothers, what should we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly bore witness and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this crooked generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Acts 2: 22-42 Peter's sermon at Pentecost.

…4Have we no right to food and to drink? 5Have we no right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? 6Or are Barnabas and I the only apostles who must work for a living?… 1 Corinthians 9: 4-6

V. 46 Can any good thing come out of Nazareth - Phillip believes that this is the One Who Moses and the prophets spoke of in spite of His being from Nazareth and being the Son of an ordinary man, a carpenter. 

15The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him. 16This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”… Deuteronomy 18:15

…5For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.… Isaiah 9: 5-7

V. 47 An Israelite in whom there is no deceit - Jesus peels layers away here, and Nathaniel is probably a man of discernment, slow to take a compliment, but Jesus looks at the heart and sees a true seeker, a penitent. So Nathaniel ask, "from where do You know me", and Jesus tells him that he saw him before Philip found him, a sign of Christ's omniscience. In other words, "how do you know my heart?" Jesus answer, "I know everything." 

V. 49 Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel - Now they have a long way to go from here, and all this that seems evident to them now will be challenged, their faith will be tested, and they will be shaken. Judas is yet to come and he will not pass the test, discipleship to Christ will be in a way that he would never sign up for, and as he discovers this he will become more enraged, more let down, because he doesn't have a cross in his ideal for the Messiah, it does not precede the kingdom in his eschatology.  

V. 50 You will see greater things than these - You will see the heavens open and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Son of Man is a reference Jesus uses for Himself and can be found in Daniel. The heavens open will be familiar for these Jewish men who have heard the readings from Moses, the law and the prophets. This describes Jesus' ministry, the miracles that will take place will utilize His elect angels. They will minister unto Him. Jacob, the patriarch, had this vision, to see how God would fulfill His promise to his grandfather Abraham. 

…13In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. 14And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Daniel 7: 13-14

10Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11And he reached [†]a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it [†]under his head and lay down in that place. 12Then he had a dream, and behold, a [†]ladder stood on the earth with its top touching heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13And behold, Yahweh stood [†]above it and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your seed. 14And your seed will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will [†]spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you back to this land; for I will not forsake you until I have done what I have [†]promised you.” 16Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17And he was afraid and said, “How fearsome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

18So Jacob rose early in the morning and took the stone that he had put [†]under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. 19And he called the name of that place [†]Bethel; however, [†]previously the name of the city had been Luz. 20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey on which I am going, and will give me [†]food to eat and garments to wear, 21and I return to my father’s house in peace, then Yahweh will be my God. 22Now this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” Genesis 28: 10-22

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#1197 Seeing Red Part 2 "Moses and the Law"

 

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,

the name you shall call me

from generation to generation. Exodus 3: 1-15

When we look at types in the Bible, forerunners of Christ, we see the expression of His offices, that of prophet, priest and king. Moses was a prophet who God revealed Himself to, and who shared parallels with Jesus as well. Some 400 years after Jacob (Israel) and his sons moved to Egypt the relationship between the Jews and Egyptians hade changed. They no longer remembered Joseph, and Pharaoh became worried that the Jews, who they looked down on, had become too prosperous and too plentiful in the land. He ordered the midwives to kill the male children, hoping to slow down the Jewish population growth, and made the work of the Israelites bitter. 

…14and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh. 15Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.”… Exodus 1: 14-16

16When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”… Matthew 2: 16-18

God heard the cries of the Israelites and sent them a prophet, but before Moses became a prophet of God and shepherd to His people, he was rejected by them and then humbled in the wilderness for forty years. Then the Angel of the Lord (God the Son, a preincarnate Christ) makes Himself known to Moses in the burning bush. Read account above.

…57Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.… John 8: 57-59

The Passover - God revealed His power to both Egypt and Israel through a series of plagues, miracles and finally, the death of all the first born, who did not have the blood of the Passover lamb, a lamb without blemish, a male a year old, painted upon the two doorposts and lintel of the houses. 

Passover Exodus 12

…6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.… 1 Corinthians 5: 6-8

Moses gives the law that he receives from God, and all the people acknowledge it, making a covenant with God to keep the ten commandments.

Exodus 20 Start of ten commandments

…7So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD. 9The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.… Exodus 19: 7-9

The law was beautiful, written by the hand of God in stone, a wonderful teacher, revealing the breach, that God is holy and mankind is not. They were unable to keep the law perfectly, and the law was unable to save, so Who could repair the breach.

16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 18For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.… Matthew 5: 16-18

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#1027 Isaiah 53 Part 11 Speechless

 

Who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

3 He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

9 And they made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.

11 He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,

And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,

Because He poured out His soul unto death,

And He was numbered with the transgressors,

And He bore the sin of many,

And made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 NKJV

Isaiah 53: 7

…62So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?” 63But Jesus remained silent. Then 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. 64“You have said it yourself,” Jesus answered. “But I say to all of you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”… Matthew 26: 62-64

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth - This generation may not be able to relate to oppression, since we think that's when a police officer gives you a speeding ticket when you were speeding, or a teacher fails you on a paper that you didn't turn in, or your boss expects you to show up to work on time, and then has the audacity to make you work for your pay at a place called work. His brothers weren't receptive of Him, the town He grew up in chased Him out. People wanted to stone Him, people called Him possessed, a devil, and there were so many times, but overall, what we can't begin to contemplate, was the oppression of being here. Remember, "He, Who knew no sin, became sin for us." Every person on this planet lives in offense to His deity, to God, and He walked with them, healed many of them of their temporal diseases in their temporal bodies, and yet He wept over their unbelief. Surely His trial was oppressive, yes, being mocked, spit on, beaten, and slapped by wicked men, my ego can't take the least insult, but I can't claim unfair in the way that He could. Imagine, stepping from eternity, peace, and authority, humbling yourself to be born a man, knowing that when you entered into this slice of time and space, from the cradle to your Palm Sunday, riding on a donkey, all of this is in the shadow of the cross. All of this is for men and women who will ask, "why, I don't get it, did I ask You to do that for me?" 

…12And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. 13Then Pilate asked Him, “ Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You? 14But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.… Matthew 27: 12-14

He was oppressed. He was afflicted. He did not open His mouth. It is past-tense perspective because all that is said here about the death of Jesus Christ is said not looking forward from Isaiah’s viewpoint but looking backward from the future conversion of Israel when they look on the One whom they have pierced, as Zechariah 12:10-14+ says, and mourn for Him as an only Son. It is the perspective of the future redeemed nation of Israel, yet to happen in human history when they look back and realize that He was oppressed and afflicted, He was led as a lamb to slaughter, He was silent, and He did it all for their transgressions, as Isaiah 53:8 puts it. So you have a most marvelous perspective in this chapter. While it is a prophecy of the Cross, it is only secondly a prophecy of the Cross. Primarily it is a prophecy of the future conversion of Israel, and this is what they will say when they make a true confession and repent of their rejection of Jesus Christ and affirm their faith in Him as their Savior and Redeemer. This is what they will say. These words in Isaiah 53 are their confession. So it is an amazing prophecy that looks beyond the cross and then back to the cross (SEE DIAGRAM), describing not only the future confession of Israel, the future salvation of Israel and the very words they will say, but secondarily, giving us details about the Cross which they will confess and which for all of us who are believers we have already come to confess. That which Israel will one day affirm as a true perspective on Christ, we who are believers in this generation, both Jew and Gentile, have already affirmed. We are saved because we believe He was pierced for our transgressions, Isa 53:5. We are saved because we believe He was crushed for our iniquities, that the punishment that came on Him was for our well-being and that by His scourging, we are healed. We are saved because in Isa 53:6 we believe the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. We are saved because of Isa 53:8. We believe He was cut off for our transgressions. We believe, verse 10, that the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief so that He would become a guilt offering for our sins. We believe, in Isa 53:11, that He justified many by bearing their iniquities. At the end of Isa 53:12, we believe that He bore the sins of many and interceded for the transgressors.To become a Christian, one must believe in the vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on our behalf on the cross. But some day the whole nation of Israel will believe. - J Mac

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter - I watch a lot of documentaries, animal and travel shows, and it always amazes me to watch the ability of cattlemen and shepherds. On multiple shows they have had what they call a Judas goat, and he is trained by these shepherds to lead a herd of sheep to the slaughter or to be sheared. Now this goat gets to live, nothing bad ever happens to him, but the sheep don't know that, and they follow thinking it must be ok since he is eagerly heading that way. They don't protest, and for older sheep, that have followed him before to be sheared, well that actually felt good. Imagine having your whole body covered in long, matted tangles of muddy, bug ridden hair, and then someone cuts it all off, what a load off, a relief. They don't protest because they don't know what's coming.

…22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” 23 When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. 24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”… 1 Peter 2: 22-24

So He opened not His mouth - He had a Judas, but that's not why He was here. Judas went off an hung himself, and Christ knew him to be a traitor. Jesus came to do the will of His Father, and He went to the cross without screaming unfair, this was a kangaroo court after all, a violation of the law, but He didn't ask for another trial, nor did He request a mediator. He was the mediator, the One Job asked for, the One God promised in Genesis. He didn't, after looking at this blood thirsty mob, seeing not one worthy soul, call down angels to put a stop to this. If He did, then all of human history would have ended right there, God would have allowed sin to have gone on for too long, and every promise ever made to redeem sinful men, would be forfeit. The integrity of God's word, which He has put up with His name, the righteousness of God, the sovereignty of God, all of it hangs on this moment in history. In order for God to be Holy, Holy, Holy, then everything related to Adam's race should have come to an end at the fall, or God would have to provide a lamb, and a way of escape. He would have to be God to satisfy God in His infinite attributes, and He would have to be man because men created the breach by sin. Men would build towers like Babel, religious systems based upon human effort and self righteousness, but God builds a bridge between heaven and earth. 

…6I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame.8The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me!… Isaiah 50: 6-8

28All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’… John 1: 28-30

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#972 Isaiah 11 Utopia

 

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

9 They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. 

12 He will raise a signal for the nations

and will assemble the banished of Israel,

and gather the dispersed of Judah

from the four corners of the earth.

13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,

and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;

Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,

and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,

and together they shall plunder the people of the east.

They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,

and the Ammonites shall obey them.

15 And the Lord will utterly destroy

the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,

and will wave his hand over the River

with his scorching breath,

and strike it into seven channels,

and he will lead people across in sandals.

16 And there will be a highway from Assyria

for the remnant that remains of his people,

as there was for Israel

when they came up from the land of Egypt. Isaiah 11 ESV

Isaiah 11

1-5. There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse - I'm going to include a great sister passage to this in Revelation. 100s of years will pass, and Jesse, the father of David, the king from whose line Messiah would come, his stump will seem long dead. The pride of Judah has been hewn down, they will have been taken into captivity in Babylon, then returned to rebuild a less dramatic temple. Babylon will have been destroyed by Persia, Persia defeated by Greece, and by the time of Messiah, Israel will be under Roman rule. People have been dispersed everywhere, and a ruler coming from the Davidic line will be a more massive improbability than opening up Sarah's dead womb. 

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are you to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God

from every tribe and language and people and nation,

10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,

and they shall reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and blessing!”

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5 ESV

Spirit of the Lord, wisdom, counsel, knowledge and fear - People are look-ing for a good ruler, wise governance, knowledge and fear of doing what is evil. Every dictator on this planet has promised this, has promised utopia of some sort, "hey poor, you don't have to be poor anymore." Sin has brought death, sickness and unrest, as it should, it is the opposite of good. God has blessed us with doctors, scientists and technology to ease some of this, but we are all dying and this planet is too. 

I can do nothing by Myself; I judge only as I hear. And My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 31If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not valid. 32There is another who testifies about Me, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid.… John 5: 30-32

Eyes see and ears hear - He won't judge like the wicked rulers we have learned about previously. It won't be based on outward appearance; he won't be a respecter of persons or oration, but righteousness, for He will look at the heart. The poor will receive true justice, not waiting in line behind the rich, God never needed their money.

And with the breath of His lips he shall kill the wicked - Just as the world was created by the word of God, so Jesus words of judgment will remove wickedness. He is the only One Who can restore all things.

…7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now restrains it will continue until he is taken out of the way. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival. 9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,… 2 Thessalonians 2: 7-9

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb - When Christ removes all wickedness there will be no more predation. I hear people in various cultures talk about going to the "happy hunting grounds", and many a friend has said, "won't it be great when were able to just fish like this all the time?" They get mad when I tell them I don't believe we will be fishing, for that's heaven to them, but to me, God is much greater than that.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.…

We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. 23Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.… Romans 8: 19-23

And a little child shall lead them - The relationship between animals and humans will be restored; there will be no dread from or toward either.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra - When I get a better camera I plan to do a Scalelily post on reptiles, their mention in the Bible, people's superstitions about them, etc.., but for now just know that the relationship was not always like this. Someday it will be restored, and there will be harmony between man and beast.

…2The fear and dread of you will fall on every living creature on the earth, every bird of the air, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are delivered into your hand. 3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.4But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it.… Genesis 9: 2-4

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord - Now before this time comes there will be false prophets, teachers, rulers. Some will preach veganism, we will strive after medicines and vaccines, anything to extend our lives here. People will warn of global warming, try to fix the earth with solar panels, lower emissions, wind turbines, a cult of eco friendly tyrants, who swear they can fix the world, yelling "science", but ignoring science, ignoring the Creator. They recognize that there is a sort of evil, but they are too self righteous to see their own. Some of the false prophets will even perform signs in the heavens, just like the Pharisees asked of Jesus, but probably with technology, yet the people will be deceived. Most think, "yeah right, not me", but people have followed so many lies, even in the evangelical church they have followed those claiming to do miracles that could not. If you don't truly want God, you are going to settle for an image.

…2influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron. 3They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,… 1 Timothy 4: 2-4

…12And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. 14Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.… Revelation 13: 12-14

And assemble the banished of Israel - Fortunately for Israel, there is a remnant, and it was a unilateral covenant that God made with Abraham. The story of redemption is about Christ all along.

Ephraim will not envy Judah - There will be no more wars in His kingdom, and those that persecuted Israel will be judged. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

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