Few passages in Scripture shine as brightly in revealing the person and work of Jesus Christ as Isaiah 53. Written some 700 years before the birth of Christ, this chapter has been called “the Mount Everest of Messianic prophecy.” It paints a portrait of the Messiah that is so vivid and so detailed, many who read it for the first time are astonished that it comes from the Hebrew Scriptures rather than the New Testament. Isaiah 53 describes a figure known as the “Suffering Servant.” He is despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, pierced for our transgressions, and ultimately vindicated by God. Christians through the centuries have recognized that this Servant is none other than Jesus Christ. In this article, we will carefully walk through Isaiah 53, verse by verse, and see how each detail points us to Jesus, the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. The Context of Isaiah 53 Isaiah was a prophet in Judah around the 8th century BC. His book is full of judgment ...
