Thank You Jesus

Today's scripture reading, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, is perhaps one of my most favorite passages of scripture. Let me share a short story with you that will perhaps help you understand why.

One of my professors in college was a Messianic Jew (that means that he was Jewish by birth and heritage, but he had come to believe and know that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah). One day in class, he relayed a story of an Evangelical Christian and a Jewish Rabbi that were friends (I'm not sure if the Christian he was referring to was himself or not). This Christian and Rabbi always had good discussions about religion and the differences between Christianity and Judaism. One day the Christian asked if he could read something to the Rabbi and proceeded to reed Isaiah 53 without telling the Rabbi where it came from. When he was done, the Christian asked the Rabbi if he knew who the passage was talking about. The Rabbi said that clearly the passage was talking about Jesus. The Christian said - that is correct, now do you know what I am reading? The Rabbi either said that He didn't or guessed something out of the New Testament. The Christian then told the Rabbi that he was in fact reading from the Jewish scriptures (known as the Tanakh) - specifically from the Prophet Isaiah. The Rabbi was totally blown away - and it was only a few short weeks before this Rabbi also professed faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

Many people do not realize that the Jewish Scriptures are identical in content to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This passage of scripture is so clearly talking about Jesus that for a long time there was a huge group of scholars that believed that at least that part of the book of Isaiah had been written after the death and burial of Jesus Christ - but in 1947 the first of the Dead Sea scrolls was uncovered. Amidst the more than 800 scrolls uncovered was a complete copy of every book of the Old Testament including a complete copy of Isaiah. Most scholars agree that the Dead Sea scrolls were buried as early as the 2nd century BC - which of course predates Jesus.

Ok enough history. Now for just a few of my thoughts on this.

Jesus proved himself over and over to be an expert on the Jewish scriptures. This particular passage is pretty graphic when it comes to what is going to happen to the Servant of God. Jesus had to have known exactly what was in store for him - 52:14 indicates that he will be beaten and so disfigured that he won't even be recognizable (have you seen The Passion of the Christ?). 53:10 says that it was God's will to crush Him.

Why did this all have to happen? Because of our sins. Jesus knew all of this was going to happen and He chose to go through it so that we could be counted as righteous in the sight of the Lord.

Wow - it really puts "MERRY CHRISTMAS" into context doesn't it.