Tag Archives: Nazareth

MATTHEW 4

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MATTHEW 4

Survey of the chapter
Having been baptised by John, and seen the Spirit descend, and heard the Father voicing His approval, the Lord Jesus is to be put to the test. The one who will do the testing is Satan himself, thus ensuring that the test is of the most severe kind. If the Lord Jesus is the True King, He must be able to deal with every adversary, and the prime adversary is Satan, for that is the meaning of his name. If He defeats that one, He can defeat all who oppose Him.

Having successfully defeated the enemy, the Lord can embark on His ministry among men, and so goes to live in Galilee, as the prophet said He would.

The king needs those who can do His bidding, so He begins to choose those who will be close to Him and preach the coming kingdom.

The chapter ends with Matthew’s survey of His ministry in Galilee, and the effect it had on the district around. As we shall see, the geographical extent of that influence was very significant.

Structure of the passage

(a) Verses 1-11 The temptation in the wilderness
(b) Verses 12-17 The transfer to Capernaum
(c) Verses 18-22 The turning-point for the apostles
(d) Verses 23-25 The territory His ministry affected

(a) Verses 1-11
The temptation in the wilderness

Special note on the subject of temptation
We must be very careful when considering the subject of the temptation of the Lord Jesus. In our earnest attempt to understand it, (insofar as it is possible to do so), we must remember the uniqueness of His person. He is the Son of God, and as such is not able to sin, or else God is able to sin. When He took manhood, He did not cease to be who He always was. Scripture teaches that He who is in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. Note that He took the likeness of men upon Himself as one who is in the form of God. He added manhood to His Deity. He did not modify His Deity to accommodate His manhood. He now possesses two natures, yet remains one person. Now it is persons that sin, not natures, so because He remains the same person He ever was, then for that reason He is not able to sin. Because He remains God, like God He cannot be tempted with evil, James 1:13, for it holds no attraction for Him at all. He does not have to weigh up the situation and make a decision whether to give in or not- for Him, sinning is not an option.

He is not able to sin for a related reason also. When He came into the world, the Son of God expressed the resolve to do God’s will, Hebrews 10:7. The fact that He did indeed perform the will of God perfectly, is not only known by His own testimony, when He said, “I do always those things which please him”, John 8:29, and, “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do”, John 17:4, (and if it were not so He would have told us, John 14:2), but also from the fact that He has returned to the throne from which He was sent, and has sat down there with Divine approval, Hebrews 10:12.

It may be objected that the Lord Jesus did certain things which it is not possible for God the Father to do. He slept, (But “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”, Psalm 121:4), He hungered and thirsted, (but God needeth not anything, Acts 17:25), and He died, (but God is from everlasting to everlasting, Psalm 90:2, and the Living God, Acts 14:15). Christ did indeed experience these things, but He did so, not because His Deity was weakened or modified, but precisely because He was God, and as such could will to do these things. It was part of what He willingly accepted when He became man.

We are told by those who believe that Christ did not sin, but could have done so, that He needs to be like that to relate to His people, who are capable of sinning. The people of God, however, are born of God, and as such do not practice sin as a habit. 1 John 3:9. They do, alas, commit sins, but they do so when acting after the flesh, and God does not look on His people as if they are in the flesh, but in the Spirit, Romans 8:9. When believers commit sins they need, and have, an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One, who pleads the value of His work at Calvary.

It is true that the statement, “Jesus Christ could not sin”, is not found in Scripture. But the truth is certainly found there, and it is implied overwhelmingly by the whole doctrine about Christ and His Person. Is it realistic to suggest that a person who could sin would be able to pass through this world with all its temptations, be assailed by the wickedest, cleverest force for evil in the world, even the Devil himself, and not succumb? Also, if He could sin when on earth, how are we sure that He cannot sin now? His condition has changed, it is true, but His person has not; if He could sin then, He could sin now. This is unthinkable.

We should remember that because a person is tempted, it should not be assumed that he is able to give in to temptation, for there may be infinite ability to resist. This is the case with Christ. Because too often we do give in to temptation, we tend to think that this is part of the idea in the word. It is not so, however. After all, the children of Israel tempted God in the wilderness, Hebrews 3:9, but there is no possibility of God sinning. It is one of the things He cannot do, for He cannot deny Himself, and He is holy and righteous.

The word for tempt is the sort of word that in Bible times a metal refiner would use. In 1 Peter 1:6,7, the apostle refers to manifold temptations, and these temptations put faith to the test. Now just as a metal refiner put his metal through the test of the fire, so that he could skim off the dross that floated to the surface, so the trial of our faith has a like effect in the moral sphere. Job could say, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold”, Job 23:10. The refiner would continue heating and skimming until he could see his own face reflected without distortion in the molten metal. In like manner the Lord allows us to go through trials so that the dross of likeness to Adam may be removed, and the likeness of Christ may be seen reflected in the metal. If we respond to this process, then when the Lord comes there will be a discovery, (hence the word “found” in 1 Peter 1:7), of conformity to Christ, and this will be to His praise. Men refine gold to adorn their own persons, but this “gold” is for the praise, honour and glory of the one who brings the trial. Ordinary gold, even when it has been tried many times in the fire until the dross has all been removed, will, despite its preciousness, still perish at the dissolution of all things, 2 Peter 3:10,11. Spiritual gold, however, which results from the testing of our faith, will last for ever.

With the Lord Jesus there was no dross, but that did not prevent the fire of temptation putting Him to the test in order that it might be evident that this was the case. As He Himself said, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”, John 14:30.

Matthew records the temptation that came at the beginning of Christ’s public ministry because he wishes to show us the King who is perfectly fitted to rule over men, and require them to obey His law. He has not the moral right to demand this if He is liable to sin. As David said, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God”, 2 Samuel 23:3.

Matthew records the final three temptations of the forty days in the order in which they occurred, so the climax, appropriately for the Gospel of the King, is the refusal of the kingdoms of the world. These will be Christ’s one day, not from the Devil, but from His Father, as Psalm 2:8 says, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession”.

It is entirely appropriate for Luke to rearrange the temptations, so that the climax this time has the theme of worship, and Luke’s gospel is the account of the fitting of Christ to be the High priest of His people, and offer their worship to God. He does so as one who had the worship of God as His priority.

Whilst Mark gives us no detail of the temptation itself, he does mention the wild beasts. What an evidence of the failure of the first man to serve God! The animals had been brought to Adam, and he had served God by naming them, but at that point no trace of wildness was in them. Now it is different, for sin has come in, and with it the corruption of creation, Romans 8:20,21, so that the animals are now wild. Christ began His ministry amongst the wild beasts, and finished it by riding into Jerusalem on an untamed ass, for He is the one who has all things under His feet, including the beasts of the field, Psalm 8:7, the sheep and oxen, John 2:14, and the birds of the air, Mark 14:30, and the fish of the sea, whether the shoals or the individual fish, Luke 5:4-7; Matthew 17:27. He shows clearly by this that He is God’s millenial man.

John gives to us no mention of the Temptation, but he does give us the sequel. Having been tempted, the Lord Jesus came up out of the wilderness to meet John the Baptist, who, seeing Him come unto him in that way, exclaims, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29. Here is the testimony of the son of a priest, that the Lord Jesus is not only the counterpart of the fit man of Leviticus 16:21, but also the scapegoat-in-waiting as well. He is shown to be without blemish by His experience in the wilderness, (for He has resisted temptation totally), and thus is both fit and suitable for the task of bearing sin at God’s appointed time.

Coming to Luke’s account, we notice that he puts the genealogy of Christ immediately preceding the temptation. Matthew had begun his gospel with the King’s genealogy, and started at the baseline of Abraham and David, the two who had received promises from God about the future kingdom, Abraham receiving the promise of the Seed and the Land, David receiving promise concerning the House and the Throne. Matthew starts in the past, and finishes with Christ, for He represents the hope for the future.

Luke’s genealogy of Christ goes back in time, right back to Adam, described as son of God. Luke is clearly contrasting Christ, not with Israel in the wilderness, as Matthew does, but with Adam in the garden, surrounded by every tree that was good for food. Adam fell when surrounded by plenty, yet Christ, the second man, 1 Corinthians 15:47, triumphed when in want. Luke therefore ranges over the whole of human history up to that point, and challenges any to restore that which Adam took away, see Psalm 69:4. His extensive genealogy of Christ, going back to the beginning as it does, (Luke’s intention was to go back to the beginning of things, Luke 1:2,3), is also a challenge to Satan, to fail where he succeeded before.

Just as Goliath had challenged Israel for forty days to give him a man to fight, 1 Samuel 17:16, so Satan for forty centuries had challenged God to do the same. At last there is one who can meet the challenge. Just as David defeated Goliath with just one of the five stones he had hidden in his shepherd’s bag, so Christ defeated the Devil with the use of just one of the five books of Moses, which He had hidden in His shepherd heart. And why did David choose five stones? Goliath had four sons, 2 Samuel 21:15-22, and David was ready for them, too. So Christ knew that the Devil, although defeated in the wilderness, would come again, and the rest of Scripture would defeat him then.

4:1
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness- the word then indicates that there is a sequence here, with the temptation following hard after the baptism. As soon as God presents His King to the nation Satan begins his attack. He realises that he is about to be assailed publicly, and so seeks to pre-empt that attack by going on the offensive himself.

The word Matthew uses for the leading into the wilderness is the equivalent to that used of Israel being led in the wilderness, Psalm 80:1, thus he is continuing his contrast between Israel of old, and the true Israel, Christ Himself, Isaiah 49:3. He has already applied “Out of Egypt have I called my son”, to Christ, Matthew 2:15, and then recorded the baptism of Christ, in effect His crossing of the Jordan. Now He is led into the wilderness. But note the order, for Israel were brought out of Egypt, led into the wilderness to be tested, (to see whether they would walk in God’s way or not, Deuteronomy 8:2), and then commanded to cross the Jordan into the land. But the word from heaven at Christ’s baptism assures us that there does not need to be a wilderness experience to see if He will walk in God’s ways, for that is already established, and the word from heaven confirms it. The book of Deuteronomy, from which Christ quoted twice in this incident, was the preparation of the people for entry into the land, but He mused upon it, confident that He was, Joshua-like, fit to enter into the work of God, and introduce others into the kingdom of God.

The word that Luke uses for led is the same one that is used of believers being led of the Spirit, in Romans 8:14. So He is moving into the temptation experience confident of the guidance of the Spirit in the matter. He does not act independently either of His Father or the Spirit, for Divine Persons by definition cannot act independently of one another, for God is One.

The order of the temptations in Luke is significant. It is body, soul, spirit, the same order in which Luke, a doctor, would have assessed his patients. First their bodily condition, then the soul-attitude, and then, as a Christian doctor, their spiritual condition. So first of all there is a temptation to do with physical hunger, then one to do with mental ambition, then to do with spiritual attitudes to God. It is worth noting that it was only after the temptations were over, that He felt hunger, as Luke 4:2 makes clear. John the Baptist had been sustained in the desert by locusts and wild honey, so it was not that there was no food to be found there. The point is that Christ was so absorbed by the word of God that the pangs of hunger did not affect Him. He was without food willingly, not by force of circumstances. So when the temptation about food came, the response was based on the Scriptures that fed His soul. He was the perfect example of one to whom the word of God was more important than necessary food, for “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”, Luke 4:4.

So, too, with the temptation to accept the kingdoms of the world immediately. His baptism had been His re-commitment to Calvary, so He had already given His answer to the idea that He was willing to escape death. And He had gone into the wilderness with His Father’s endorsement ringing in His ears. There was no doubt that His Father was on His side, so there was no need to test this out.

To be tempted of the devil- He is tempted of the devil, which name means accuser. Yet he does not come with accusations, but temptations. He can bring no charge concerning those silent years in Nazareth, any more than the men of Nazareth could when the Lord went back there to the synagogue, Luke 4:16. Their objection to Him lay in what He said about the Gentiles, not about any character-fault during His years amongst them. No doubt if Christ had sinned when tempted, the Devil would have been quick to accuse before God, but it was not to be. The most evil and perhaps the most wise created being is now attacking Christ, in order that he might overthrow God’s purpose through Him. Many had been his attempts to destroy the seed of the woman in Old Testament times. These had all failed, so now his scheme is to divert the Lord from the pathway of obedience, trust, and confidence which led to the cross.

4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights- we shall learn what He was doing during those days, for He will quote twice over from the Book of Deuteronomy. He had been contemplating God’s word, and this sustained Him.

He was afterward an hungred- so absorbed was He in the word of God that His bodily needs were forgotten. He regarded God’s word as being of more importance than His daily food, as Job did in some measure, Job 23:12. We might well ask ourselves what our priorities are in this matter of the word of God. Is it more important or less important than our daily food? Are we more interested in nourishing our bodies than we are of nourishing our souls?

We know also that He was tempted during those forty days and nights, for the temptation came to a climax with the last three. Luke is very specific on this, writing, “Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered”, Luke 4:2.

4:3
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

And when the tempter came to him, he said- Matthew calls him the tempter now, for that is how he is operating. He cannot accuse the Lord Jesus of anything, even though he is the devil, (which means “accuser”), for he has watched Christ’s life and can find no flaw. What he is doing now is testing Him inwardly rather than outwardly. He is hoping he has missed something, and can expose some inner fault.

Mark and Luke do not mention the devil coming, for they emphasise that the whole forty days was taken up with temptation, but Matthew notices that the devil came for the final onslaught. Matthew and Luke join to tell us that at the end, the devil left Him, for he had been thoroughly defeated.

If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread- God had provided for multitudes of Israelites for forty years in the wilderness, yet His own Son had only been there for forty days, and there was apparently no food! Later on in the ministry of the Lord Jesus He would point out that fathers, when their sons ask for bread, do not give them stones, Luke 11:11, yet here was the Son Himself, surrounded by stones, yet He had no bread! What a trial this was, far greater than the temptation that had come to Adam with regard to food, for he was surrounded by a plentiful supply. He did not need to eat of the forbidden fruit to save himself from starvation.

There was no dissatisfaction in the heart of the Lord Jesus, however, for He had better food than material bread. Every word which proceeded out of the mouth of God was valued as His necessary food. There had come no indication from the scriptures on which His soul fed, that He should turn a stone into bread, and thus He was content. Nor had His conversation with His Father indicated that either.

Luke reserves the genealogy of the Lord Jesus until just prior to his temptation account, and traces His line backwards, to Adam, who he describes as “son of God”. Adam was the son of God as angels are sons of God, by creation, but Adam could not have turned a stone into bread, so could not be tempted to do so. This Son of God, however, is not called that because He is created, but because He is Creator. We read, “His dear Son…by him were all things created”, Colossians 1:13,16. So Satan is not trying to find out whether Christ is the Creator; he is trying to make the Creator to sin, by using His powers. In a few days time the Lord Jesus will turn water into wine, so He is fully able, surely, to turn stones into bread. But it is not a question of His ability, but of His willingness. The Devil knows that God cannot sin, but can God manifest in the flesh do so? Will He assert His will, and act at variance with His Father? Satan had been successful in getting Adam to act contrary to God, so will the last Adam do likewise?

Note the word “command”, thus emphasising again that the Son of God has indeed power to do this. If He was merely man He would have had to ask in faith that God would do it.

In Luke Satan specifies a particular stone, whereas here in Matthew it is stones in the plural. Matthew is contrasting the experience of Israel in the wilderness temptations with that of Christ. They travelled for forty years through the stony wilderness, but nonetheless God gave them bread on the desert floor. They could pick up the bread from between the stones, but for all that they complained about the manna, calling it light bread, and longed for the flesh-pots of Egypt.

Matthew is also recording the temptation of the King, and perhaps the reference to stones is a sarcastic jibe from Satan, as if to say, “You will need bread for your royal retinue as well”.

Luke, however, has the contrast with Adam in mind, and the temptation with regard to one object, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan used one tree in the case of Adam, even though there were many trees in the garden, and one stone in the case of Christ, even though there were many stones on the sand of the wilderness. The mention of a single stone also emphasises that the Ideal Man is confronting the Tempter single-handedly. There is no-one else with Him needing bread.

4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

But he answered and said, It is written- by basing His reply to the Devil on God’s word, and especially since the quotation begins, “Man shall not live”, He clearly indicates that this victory over temptation can be ours as well as His, for we can all insert our name where the word “man” occurs. He does not assert His Divine authority and say, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee”, but simply quotes what is already written, as we may do. Nor does He say “Thus saith the Lord”, as the prophets did, for we cannot do that either. When we are tempted to doubt God’s goodness, then we should we cry for help, and He will show us in God’s word those things that demonstrate the reality of that goodness God has bestowed upon us.

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God- this is a quotation from Deuteronomy 8:3. The surrounding verses read, “All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him”, Deuteronomy 8:1-6.

Note the three-fold mention of the word “commandment”. The passage is telling us that Israel were caused to travel through the wilderness to humble them and prove them, to see if they would obey God’s commands or not. Would they find the life that is enjoyed by those who obey God? So there are two aspects to life. There is the life of the natural man, sustained by literal bread, and there is the life of the believer, one who obeys God, sustained by spiritual food. Before He went into the wilderness, however, the Lord Jesus was given the word from heaven that indicated He met with Divine approval. He did not need to be proved so that His Father could find out what was in His heart, but He did need to be proved so that we could find out. Nor did He need to be in the wilderness to humble Him, for He had already humbled Himself by committing Himself to Calvary by being baptised. There was no pride in Christ, unlike with Israel, who rose up against God in the wilderness.

He shows solidarity with Israel by sharing their experience of hunger, but His steadfastness was tested beyond theirs, because whereas Israel were given the manna to satisfy their hunger, He was not. He did not have to experience hunger to learn that man does not live by bread alone, but He needed to know the experience of hunger even though He already knew the truth of the primacy of God’s word. He learned obedience by the things that He suffered, Hebrews 5:8. He did not need to learn to obey, for He had not a nature that was capable of rebellion, but He did need to learn what it was to obey, so that He might succour and support those who are in danger of disobeying.

The Israelites were given simple commands relative to the manna. First, Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord hath commanded, ‘Gather every man according to his eating'”, Exodus 16:16. Then Moses said, “Let no man leave of it until the morning”, verse 19, but some did. The third command was that they should only go out to gather the manna on six days, verse 26. But some disobeyed, and the Lord said unto Moses, “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?”, verse 28. So the people were tested by the manna, but failed the tests. Simple commands were flouted. First the command to gather, and then the command to not gather, just as Adam had the opportunity of gathering fruit from all trees except one, and of not gathering fruit from that one tree, so it is the same here.

The giving of the manna, therefore, gave Israel the opportunity to obey God’s commands, and by doing this they learned what it was to really live. So when the Lord quoted the words, He broke into the sentence, for the previous part about humbling them and seeing what was in their heart did not apply to Him. He was the perfect example of a man who lived by bread as to His bodily needs, but who lived by every word that came from His Father, as to His spiritual desires. And such was His appreciation of the spiritual, it completely outweighed the fact that the natural was not available. So binding did the Lord Jesus feel His Father’s will was that He described His word as commands, John 12:49. That is why His word to believers should be thought of as a commandment also, John 15:14, even though we are not under law but under grace, Romans 6:14.

No word had come to Him to turn stones into bread, and so He would not do it, either of His own will to satisfy a need, or in response to Satan’s temptation.

It is noticeable that the Devil has no answer to these responses, for the shield of faith quenches the fiery darts of the wicked, Ephesians 6:16. So there had been no word from the Father to turn stones into loaves, and there was no word from the Devil when He refused to do so. The Devil is confounded when met with total obedience to the will of God.

4:5
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city- this is the only time that Matthew records the Lord Jesus going to Jerusalem before He went there to die. He did go there, of course, as the other gospels make clear, but Matthew does not mention it. The Lord will later on describe Jerusalem as the city of the Great King, but His own city does not acknowledge Him, and Matthew signals that by omitting any reference to Him going there. What he does do is call it the holy city, for despite its corruption, it is still the city destined to be the capital of the holy kingdom of Christ.

And setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple- this is a strange sight, the Lord of Glory being accompanied by the Prince of Darkness and standing together on the pinnacle in the temple. There is a direct confrontation between good and evil taking place here. The issues are awesome, for if the Devil succeeds he will virtually have unseated God from His throne, for He has just endorsed Jesus of Nazareth as His Beloved Son. If that Son fails, then God has endorsed failure.

The pinnacle of the temple was a high point on the temple walls overlooking the Kidron Valley. To simply stand at ground level and look down was awe-inspiring, but to stand on the heights of the temple walls and do the same, was to grow dizzy.

4:6
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down- this is a blatant attempt to cause the death of the Messiah by a means other than crucifixion. Again, the temptation is on the basis of the fundamental relationship between the Father and the Son. If this relationship can be fractured, then the Godhead is divided and falls. This is how critical these temptations are.

For it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee- notice the Devil quotes Scripture when it suits him, but in an underhanded way. The passage in question reads like this, “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation”, Psalm 91:9-16. The psalmist gives a long list of promises the Most High has made to the Messiah concerning His preservation, and all because He has made the Lord, who is the refuge of the psalmist, His refuge too. Those promises included a pledge to preserve Him in all His ways. There was no pathway the Messiah would tread that would cause Him to forfeit the protection of His God. Even the lion and the adder along the pathway would not be a threat to Him, for He would tread them underfoot. Remember that Mark tells us that the Lord was with the wild beasts in the wilderness, Mark 1:13, so the promises were very relevant to His current situation. The Lord knew these promises through familiar remembrance of them. But He also knew that they came to Him for a reason, namely, that He had made His God His refuge and His habitation. He was His refuge from the evil all around, and His habitation as He constantly abode in His love. It is in that context that the promises come. And it is that context, also, that the Devil’s temptations come. Can He be made to forfeit those promises? If He can, He has no guarantee that His God will protect Him, and He will be vulnerable to the Devil’s attacks.

And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone- so the promise is of angelic protection. And it is of angelic protection at any time. But there is a fatal flaw in the Devil’s use of this scripture, and it is that the Messiah, given who He is, and given what His relationship with God is, will not act in any way which suggests He doubts whether the promise is true. In any case, there is nothing about hurling oneself recklessly from a high place like the pinnacle of the temple. The promise is that the angels will protect the Messiah from the slightest harm, even from knocking His foot against a stone in the path, such is the detailed care that is promised to Messiah. To leap over the pinnacle of the temple would only draw attention to Himself, and the Lord Jesus made Himself of no reputation. The Devil cannot understand humility, for he is full of pride.

Of course it is true that the prophet said, “The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple”, Malachi 3:1, but it would not be by plunging from the pinnacle, but by entering in to the courts of the house of God in a dignified way to purge the sons of Levi.

Ancient Rabbinic literature states that “When the King the Messiah reveals Himself, then He will come and stand on the roof of the sanctuary”. This shows just how faulty the literature of the Jews can be, written, as it is, by those who reject Christ.

4:7
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again- no scripture should be taken out of its context, nor should any scripture be thought to contradict another if it refers to the same period of time, or when God is working in the same way at different times. We need to be versed in the whole of Scripture, so that we may adjust our thinking about one verse, by what we know from another verse. If we do think there is a contradiction, then it is we who are wrong, and we have to think again in dependence on the Spirit of truth.

A previous verse in Psalm 91 had said that the Messiah would “not be afraid by the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day”, verse 5. So it is here, for the “fiery darts of the wicked”, Ephesians 6:16, are flying around Him, but the Lord stands His ground in the evil day, and quenches those fiery darts by the use of another scripture. The terrors of the wild beasts by night do not move Him, for He, like Daniel in the den of lions, acts in faith and dependance upon His God. See Hebrews 11:33.

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God- the word tempt, as we have seen, is a metal-refiner’s word, and refers to the test to which metal is put to assess its genuineness. To leap from a dangerous height simply to test whether God is true to His word is something the Lord Jesus will never do, for He had every confidence in His Father’s care. He had the promise, “I will be his Father”, and He knew the prediction, “He shall be my Son”, 2 Samuel 7:14; Hebrews 1:5. In other words, His Father pledged to support Him as an ideal father would, and He would respond as an ideal son would.

The words quoted here come from Deuteronomy 6:16, which reads, “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah”. This is a reference to the way the nation of Israel murmured against God over the matter of the lack of water, and the place where they did this was named Massah, meaning “Temptation”. It is sad if any place on our Christian pilgrimage can be known as Massah, where we tempted the Lord in some way. It is good to rest on the goodness of God, and not doubt His provision for us.

Notice that in Deuteronomy the word is “Ye”, referring to the whole nation, whereas in the Lord’s quote He used the word “Thou”, meaning the individual. He had every right to make this change, being the Son of God. It does highlight the personal nature of the command. He magnified the law and made it honourable, Isaiah 42:21, so it was far from His thought to put God to the test.

4:8
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain- it is fitting that the climax to the temptations in Matthew’s gospel should be the one on the mountain, for Matthew is the gospel of the king and His kingdom, and a mountain in Scripture is the symbol of a kingdom. In Luke, however, the climax is on the pinnacle of the temple, for Luke is the gospel of the preparation of Christ for His priestly work.

When He was baptised, the Lord was in the lowest place on earth, the Jordan valley. Then He was taken up into the highest spot in the temple buildings. Now He is taken to the exceedingly high place. Satan is testing Him to see if there is anything in Him which desires the high place. But He constantly takes the low place in humility, even when on the high place geographically.

And sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them- if He is truly the King, would He not aspire to the whole world, and not just the land of Israel? This is how the Devil’s mind is working, and how it has worked from the beginning. He is the prince of this world, and has special interest in it, and his ambition is to control the world in such a way as to receive the worship of the whole human race.

Luke tells us that the Devil “shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time”. This indicates that all the kingdoms there have been since kingdoms began, after the scattering of the tower of Babel, were caused to pass before the eyes of Christ in succession. The reference to a moment of time introduces the time element, especially since really, there was only one kingdom at that time, for Caesar subdued the whole world.. It was after the scattering of men at Babel in Genesis 9, that God began to speak about nations in Genesis 10, for the idea of a nation is a safeguard against the unified world government that was attempted at Babel. This is still the case, and the attempts to amalgamate nations is a preparation for world-domination by the Antichrist.

4:9
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me- the Devil will offer world-dominion to the Antichrist, on condition that he worships him, and give him what he craves. He longs to divert the worship of men from God to himself. The one great obstacle to this ambition is Christ. If He can be persuaded to worship him, the goal will be achieved, and there will be no need to raise up an Antichrist.

Note the audacity of Satan. He has tempted the Lord as Son of God, and found He will not succumb to his enticements. Now there is no mention of being the Son of God, but there is the last desperate attempt to cause Christ to fall by an appeal to vanity and self-seeking. He has tested men through the centuries, and found them all to be liable to pride; now however he has found one who is so different. Satan does not mind what he gives men, as long as they offer him their allegiance.

The first temptation was to turn a stone into bread and reach down to pick it up. Then the temptation was to hurl Himself down. Now the temptation is to fall down.

4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan- he discovers that not only is the Lord not interested in the glory of men’s kingdoms, He is not prepared to pay the price demanded either. He knows that at the appropriate moment He may apply to His Father, for He has said to Him, “Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession”, Psalm 2:8. He will receive universal control one day, (for He shall have dominion “from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth”, Psalm 72:8), but not from the Devil, but from His Father.

Note that in the gospel of the King, the command is “Get thee hence”, as he is dismissed from the presence of the Sovereign. In Luke’s gospel, the gospel of the priest and the worshipper, the word is, “Get thee behind me, Satan”, the command of the devoted worshipper, refusing to allow anything or anyone to come between Himself and His God.
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve- the prophet-psalmist David foretold that He would say, “Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god…I have set the Lord always before me”, Psalm 16:4,8. He went on to express His confidence that because He had done this, then His soul would not be left in hell, but He would be shewn the path of life, verses 10,11. The apostle Peter declared that Psalm 16 referred to Christ, and that He is risen from the dead. Acts 2:25-32. This shows that He did indeed set the Lord always before Him, and was not in any wise drawn away to other gods, or else He would not have been raised from the dead.

When God commanded the children of Israel not to worship or make other gods, He declared that He was a jealous God, Exodus 20:3-5, jealous for His own glory, and that of His Son. How perverse it would be if that Son were to worship another, for this would undermine the integrity and unity of the Godhead. This is what the Devil is aiming to do, but he fails totally.

We should remember that there is always a temptation with us to be diverted from the worship of God. The apostle John exhorted, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols”, 1 John 5:21, and the apostle Paul wrote, “covetousness is idolatry”, Colossians 3:5, so the tendency is very real.

We also may be tempted to double-mindedness in relation to God, eager to worship and serve Him, but at the same time attracted to the glamour of this passing world. To those thus tempted, and who come to Him for help, there is the example of Christ’s resolute determination to serve God with undivided heart, and an equally resolute determination to resist the Devil.

Then again, we may be tempted to wonder whether God’s promises are really true, and begin to doubt Him. This temptation has come to our Saviour as well, but His firm rebuff to the Devil we may take up too, “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God”. His word should be enough for us- “Hath he not spoken, and shall he not do it?”

God’s provision, God’s purpose, God’s promises- is there anything not covered by these three? Christ has been tempted in all points like as we are, and we may overcome as He overcame, by the right use of the Word of God, as we are led by the Spirit of God in ways that glorify God.

4:11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Then the devil leaveth him- he obeys the command of Christ to get hence, for instead of gaining the upper hand, he has been completely defeated, and retires. Luke tells us that the devil left “for a season”, for his temptations did not begin or finish with the temptation in the wilderness. The word “season” means “an opportune time”, so the Devil leaves Him until a time when he thought it to be opportune to return.

Throughout His life Christ was tested. As to the body He knew hunger, thirst, tiredness and pain. As to the soul He knew sadness, joy, a sense of fearful anticipation, a sense of disappointment, and loneliness, rejection and trouble. As to the spirit He knew the unbelief of men, the slowness of His disciples to learn, but all the time He rejoiced in spirit that all things were in the Father’s hand. He knew, too, what it was to groan in spirit as He neared the grave of a friend, and the ravages that sin had wrought in the earth were borne in upon Him. Borne in upon Him also, the thought that soon He too was to be in the cold dark tomb.

And, behold, angels came and ministered unto him- the ministry that Jacob, the father of the nation knew, He knew too. But with this difference. Jacob was ministered to by angels before his temptations, in order to strengthen him for the trial. See Genesis 28:12; 31:11; 32:1. However, it was after the temptation in the wilderness had been successfully dealt with by Christ that the angels came, as Matthew makes clear. He met the temptations, and overcame them, by the use of the same means as is available to believers, namely, the indwelling Spirit and the word of God.

The fact that angels ministered to Him shows also that even though He has become lower that the angels as to His manhood, He is still the Lord, and should be served. The angels who announced His birth to the shepherds called Him “Christ the Lord”, Luke 1:11. Not Christ your Lord, but Christ the Lord, so they recognised Him as Lord, even as a babe in the manger.

The Lord had fasted for forty days, totally absorbed with the Word of God and His constant conflict with Satan, and now, afterward, as Matthew tells us, He hungered. Just as an angel ministered to the bodily needs of Elijah after his conflict with the powers of evil on Mount Carmel, so too Christ, strained in body, soul and spirit by His great and critical conflict with the enemy, is ministered to by angels. No doubt each one had a special ministry for Him. He had refused to put God to the test by flinging Himself off the pinnacle, so the angels were not needed then; but they are needed now.

Special note on the relevance of Christ’s temptation
In Hebrews 2:17 we read that the Lord Jesus has been made in all things like unto His brethren. Because of this, He could be tempted in all points, (the word “things” is the same as “points” in 4:15), Hebrews 2:17, and thus suffer as a real man. Although His temptations are over, He has taken His sympathetic heart to heaven, and fully knowing what our trials are like, can minister just the help we need. Are we tempted to doubt God’s goodness? He has been tempted by the Devil in that regard. His suggestion that Christ should turn a stone into bread carried with it the implication that His Father had not been caring for Him enough. The promise to the Messiah was “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son”, Hebrews 1:5, but the Devil suggested that the Father had not been true to His pledge, and had left His Son without resources.

We also may be tempted to be double-minded in regard to serving God, seeking to serve our own interests at the same time. To those thus tempted, and who come to Him for help, there is the example of Christ’s resolute determination to serve God with undivided heart, and an equally resolute determination to resist the Devil. Satan had positioned himself between Christ and His Father, but the Lord will not tolerate this, and commands the Devil to get behind him, clearly refusing to bow down to him. We should not let anything or anyone come between ourselves and our God.

Then again, we may be tempted to wonder whether God’s promises are really true, and begin to doubt Him. This temptation has come to our Saviour as well, but His firm rebuff to the Devil we may take up too, “Thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God”. His word should be enough for us- “Hath he not spoken, and shall he not do it?” So the Lord refuses to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple simply to see whether God’s word is true or not.

God’s provision, God’s purpose, God’s promises- is there anything not covered by these three? Christ has been tempted in all points like as we are, and we may overcome as He overcame, by the right use of the Word of God, as we are led by the Spirit of God in ways that glorify God.

Special note on the beginning of Christ’s ministry
It is important to remember that the events recorded by John in chapters 1 to 4 of his gospel took place before the events recorded by Matthew from this point on. The same applies to Mark and Luke. It may be that a misunderstanding had occurred over this point, so John is careful to tell us, after he has recorded the miracle at Cana of Galilee, the return to Capernaum for a few days, the events at Passover time, (including His conversation with Nicodemus), and the return to Judea to baptise, that at that point John had not yet been cast into prison., John 3:24. Therefore if Matthew 4:12 tells us what Christ did when He heard John was cast into prison, we know that John’s details must come before.

(b) Verses 12-17
The transfer to Capernaum

4:12
Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison- the imprisonment of John marks the moment when Christ’s general ministry began. Having been to Galilee for a few months, the Lord returns to Judea, near to where John the Baptist was. See John 3:22-24. So the end of John’s ministry and the start of Christ’s main ministry coincided. He will increase, and John will decrease, but the Lord ensures we know that their respective ministries were complementary and not competitive.

The fact that Matthew, Mark and Luke omit the first Galilean ministry means their record makes significant connections. In Matthew the temptation account is followed by the reference to the “Way of the Sea”, 4:15. This was the highway the Assyrians and Babylonians would have used to come to take Israel and Judah into captivity. But in His temptation the Lord refused these kingdoms from Satan, for most of them had been hostile to Israel. He refused to bow down to Satan and so commit idolatry, the sin that caused Israel to go into captivity. He had come to bring into freedom. Matthew also contrasts the character of these monarchs with Christ’s character, for He came to bring into the blessing of the light, not the misery of the darkness.

In Mark we find the prophesied messenger, John the Baptist, disappears from the record after just eight verses, (except that Mark gives a retrospective account of his execution in 6:14-29). So it is that the two greatest servants are found together briefly in the Servant Gospel, and then they are separated, (even though they both preach repentance in view of the imminent kingdom of heaven, Matthew 3:2; 4:17), so that we may concentrate on Christ’s ministry in grace.

In Luke we find the Lord Jesus refusing to hurl Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and then being taken by the men of Nazareth to cast Him down from the brow of the hill, Luke 4:29. The Devil had cunningly departed after the temptation, and then uses men to do his work. In the same way Balaam went his way, but taught Moab before he went how to ensnare the people after he had gone, Numbers 24:25; Revelation 2:14. When the Devil tempted Him to throw Himself down, He resisted. When men sought to do it, He passed through them and went His way. In both cases He overcame.
He departed into Galilee- this would most likely be to Nazareth, where He could spend a brief time with His mother and brothers and sisters. They had accompanied Him from the wedding in Cana of Galilee, John 2:12, but now the time has come to part. He will be the perfect example of what He taught, for He would say “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me”, Matthew 10:37. They only are worthy of Him who do as He would do.

4:13
And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

And leaving Nazareth- this means more than going away from a location, for He is distancing Himself from the place where He was brought up, and also where He was rejected in a hostile way, even by those who were in the synagogue and ought to have known better. The Lord is sovereign, but He does not force Himself on men. Later He will tell His disciples to leave a city that did not receive them, 10:14. He is the example in this too.

He came and dwelt in Capernaum- from now on, Capernaum will be His centre of operations, and from where He will begin His preaching circuits. The name Capernaum means “City of Nahum”, and he was the prophet who foretold the destruction of Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrians, who carried Israel away captive along “The Way of the Sea”.

Which is upon the sea coast- that is, the coast of the Sea of Galilee. At least four of the apostles were fishermen, (possibly more, John 21:2,3), and plied their trade in that sea.

In the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim- the district of Galilee included the territories allotted by Joshua to Zebulon and Naphtali.

4:14
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

That it might be fulfilled- the formula Matthew uses here indicates that what happens is the final fulfilment of the prophecy.

Which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying- one of the purposes of Isaiah’s prophecy as a whole was to warn the people that if they engaged in idolatry, God would take them into captivity. This has special significance here because the road which went through both Nazareth and Capernaum was called “The Way of the Sea”, and was used by invading armies from Assyria and Babylon to take both the ten-tribed part of the nation and the two-tribed part into captivity. Isaiah refers to this, and its long-term remedy, in the passage he quotes.

The following is the context of the words referred to by Matthew:

Isaiah 8:13
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread-
the prophet exhorts the nation to fear God, and not fear the heathen armies that threatened them.

8:14
And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem-
those who fear Him will be protected by Him, but those who do not will find He puts a stumblingblock in their way, preventing them from making an agreement with the enemy.

8:15
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken-
many will not make God their sanctuary, and shall be judged by being taken into captivity.

8:16
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples-
those who learn of God and His ways will be confirmed in their faith in Him and His promises.

8:17
And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him-
Isaiah sets the example that others should follow if they wish to avoid judgement. The Lord is hiding His face from the whole house of Jacob, ten tribes and two tribes, but individuals like Isaiah may know the peace of His presence.

8:18
Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion-
Isaiah’s two sons had significant names. One means “In making haste to the spoil he hasteneth the prey”, signifying that the enemy would come to spoil the land and take them captive as prey. The other son’s name is more hopeful, for it means “The remnant shall return”. So the sign is a double one, that of judgement on unbelief, and the promise of hope for a remnant who, although taken captive to Babylon, may look forward to returning eventually. God is still the one who dwells in Zion, and has not abandoned His purpose to bless Israel in the Land.

8:19
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
Many would go further than simply worshipping idols, but would seek to communicate with the demons behind the idols. This is a sin God must judge.

8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them-
instead of listening to the mutterings of demons, they should consult the law of the Lord, which not only condemned their behaviour, but also gave testimony as to how they could return to God.

8:21
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward-
as they pass through the land on the way to captivity, far from turning in repentance to God, they shall curse Him as well as their king. Because of this they shall look heavenward in vain, for God has turned His face, as He said He would.

8:22
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness-
because they sought for light from the powers of darkness, (but “there is no light in them”), they will be judged by being sent into the land of heathen darkness where the idols rule.

9:1
Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations-
even though the experience in captivity would be traumatic for them, it would not be so harsh, (“the dimness shall not be as was in her vexation”), as the invasion of the land initially, whether it be by the Assyrians, “at the first”, or by the Babylonians, “afterward”. The prophet then details the areas most affected by the inroads of the enemy. Matthew employs the Rabbinic technique of adapting these words so as to bring out their meaning in a particular situation. He is not re-translating the words, but making an appropriate application of them.

9:2
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined”-
the nation that was deprived of the light of God’s presence because of their sin, now has the light shining on it again. The land had become the land of the shadow of death, because they never knew whether they were safe from invasion along The Way of the Sea. Now it is different, for Another has come along that road to bring them light and hope.

We now return to Matthew 4:15:

4:15
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim- Nazareth was located in the territory of Zebulon. The word means “dwelling”, because Leah thought that by bearing Jacob six sons, of whom Zebulon was the sixth, she would endear herself to him, and he would be more inclined towards her. Interestingly, Matthew tells how “Joseph turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth”, Matthew 2:22,23. As a result of this, prophecy was fulfilled by them going into Nazareth, as Matthew goes on to show. He is now explaining how prophecy was fulfilled again when He left Nazareth.

Capernaum was in the territory of Naphtali on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee. It now becomes the centre of activity for Christ, and many of His mighty works will be done there, and He will also make it the starting-point of His preaching circuits.

By the way of the sea- this was a major route not only from Egypt but also from Babylonia. It swept inland from the Mediterranean coast, passed through Nazareth and Capernaum, and then went across the desert to Damascus, and so on to Babylon. In fact when Stephen quotes the prophecy of Amos, where God threatens the nation that He will “carry them away beyond Damascus”, Stephen, full of the Spirit, and using the technique accepted in the synagogue, changes this, by way of explanation, to “Babylon”. So it is established that “The Way of the Sea” is the way to Babylon, and in the case of Israel, the way into captivity in Babylon.

Beyond Jordan- the Assyrians also subdued this territory, the Eastern side of the Sea of Galilee which also saw activity by Christ as He crossed the Sea on various occasions.

Galilee of the Gentiles- because of its position on a major trade route, the area had been much influenced by Gentile culture, and so became known as Galilee of the Gentiles, not because it was governed by Gentiles, (it was in the jurisdiction of Herod, Luke 23:6,7), but because of the influences at work there. It is significant that the Lord should choose this part of the Land, for He ever longed to bless the Gentiles also. Simeon had said by the Spirit that Christ would be “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel”, Luke 2:32. Even though He came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, He did not turn away Gentiles who came to Him.

It is interesting to notice that Isaiah mentions both Zebulon and Naphtali as being part of Galilee. When he was alive it was not so, for it was only after the captivity that Zebulon became incorporated into Galilee, and remained like that until Christ came.

4:16
The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

The people which sat in darkness saw great light- Matthew now sees the people as back in the land after the captivity. They are no longer walking as captives into Babylon, but sitting in the land. However, they are still in darkness. Perhaps there is a hint that because it is Galilee of the Gentiles now, the influence of heathen culture is strong. With the coming of Christ great light dawned upon them, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and fear. The light is that of “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”, 2 Corinthians 4:6. A great light indeed.

And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up- those who looked fearfully down The Way of the Sea, wondering whether the enemy was about to invade again, and thus sat in the shadow of death, found that a mightier conqueror had come from the opposite direction, with an opposite intention. Instead of the darkness of a miserable captivity, there was the prospect of a bright hope. John the Baptist’s father said that “the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace”, Luke 1:78,79. So both Zecharias and Matthew see the fulfilment of Isaiah 9:2 in Christ. The dayspring is normally the dawn, as the sun rises above the horizon, but this is different, for it is from on high, from heaven.

We could contrast the coming of the Assyrian on the Way of the Sea to the coming of Christ along the same road:

1. The Assyrians were noted for their cruelty, but Christ is noted for His gentleness and kindness.

2. The Assyrians came to bring the darkness of despair, but Christ brought the light of God’s glory.

3. The Assyrians came to destroy, but Christ came to save.

4. The Assyrians came as the expression of God’s anger towards the people, whereas Christ came as the expression of God’s love and grace.

5. The Assyrians came to take into captivity, but Christ came to “preach deliverance to the captives”, Luke 4:18.

6. The Assyrians brought fear, but Christ is the Prince of peace.

  1. The Assyrians came to deprive Israel of their earthly inheritance, but Christ came to bring into a spiritual inheritance.

4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

From that time Jesus began to preach- His visit to Galilee before had been more personal, at the marriage in Cana, and speaking to Nicodemus; now He begins His preaching. Even though at His baptism He was anointed to preach, He has waited for John to be imprisoned, lest it be thought that John’s ministry needed to be supplemented. The fact is that John’s ministry was the last of the law-age, but Christ had come in grace, and they must not be confused.

And to say, Repent- just because He came in grace it did not mean He would not condemn men’s sins. He came with the same message in that regard as John did, Matthew 3:1,2. The light not only shone in blessing, but also to expose men’s sins. They must turn from them if they are to enter the kingdom of heaven. They had been taught by the Rabbis that if they were descended from Abraham and had been circumcised, they were sure of entering the kingdom. Now they have to learn otherwise, for the question of sin must be dealt with.

Repentance is a change of mind about self, sin, Christ, and God. It is a rejection of self and results in a turning from sins. John challenged his hearers to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, 3:8. If there are no results, then there has been no repentance. If there is no repentance, there will be no entry into the kingdom.

For the kingdom of heaven is at hand- The Lord taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come”, 6:10, so it is going to arrive. It is not heaven, but heaven’s rule on the earth, so that God’s will as done in heaven, and God’s will as done on earth, will coincide. The kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom consisting of heaven, (any more than the kingdom of God is the kingdom consisting of God), but is the sphere of those who profess to know God. That some who are in this kingdom are not genuine believers is seen from the fact that some “sons of the kingdom” are cast out into outer darkness, Matthew 8:12.

As for the kingdom of God, only true believers are found there, whereas some who are in the kingdom of heaven are not true believers. As the Lord said to Nicodemus, “Except ye be born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of God”, John 3:3. It is this truth that is one of the major mysteries of the kingdom, as set out in parable form in Matthew 13, for the Jews thought they were in the kingdom because they were Jews.

Here the Lord warns the people that the kingdom of heaven is just about to appear, if they will prepare themselves for it. In the event, however, instead of welcoming the King, they crucified Him. As events unfold, and as we read the rest of the New Testament, we discover that it was always God’s intention to insert a period of time between the crucifixion of Christ and His coming to set up His kingdom on earth. A reading of Ephesians 3 will show that the present church age is that period.

(c) Verses 18-22
The turning-point for the apostles

Special note on the call of the apostles
There are five stages to the call of the apostles, as follows:

1. As disciples of John they had been baptised with his baptism, and as such had been called to repentance.

2. When John announced Christ as the Lamb of God, they were attracted to Him, for they realised that He was the long-promised Messiah. they left John and followed Jesus, John 1:37. This was their call to personal faith in Him. They already believed in God, but now they believed also in Him, John 14:1.

3. In the incident we are about to consider, we shall find that they are called to follow Him. They leave their fishing temporarily.

4. In Luke 5:1-11, (assuming it to be a different incident to the one here), they hear a call to catch men, (meaning to evangelise), and they forsake all and follow Him.

5. In Matthew 10:1-4 they are called to apostleship with its consequent responsibilities.

4:18
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother- it is very probable that when the Lord Jesus moved to live in Capernaum, Peter invited Him to stay in his house. We read that when they left the synagogue on one occasion, they went straight to Peter’s house, which was also the house of Andrew his brother, 8:14 with Mark 1:29.

Andrew and Peter had no doubt followed the Lord when He went to Cana of Galilee as recorded in John 1:43-2:11. Then they followed Him to Capernaum, John 2:12. As devout worshippers they were found in Jerusalem with Him at Passover time, John 2:17. They no doubt went with Him to Judea to baptise near to where John the Baptist was, 3:22, and then followed Him as He went through Samaria, 4:8,27. Presumably they returned with Him to Galilee, 4:45.

Casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers- they may well have returned home to ply their trade sometimes in between these events. This is the first time we have been told how they made a living. They are industrious and brave men, and energy and bravery are going to be needed in later days as they go into the world to preach. They are busy men, and the Lord cannot use lazy people. The apostle Paul exhorts us to “Be not slothful in business”, Romans 12:11. Elisha was called when he was busy ploughing, 1 Kings 19:19.

4:19
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men- here is their call to catch men. As they well knew, fishing took skill, persistence, courage and resilience. These are the qualities that are needed in evangelism. It was also a trade where success and disappointment were both experienced, and they would know these feelings also as they went forth with the gospel. Only the Lord Himself, the Supreme Evangelist, can make them into fishermen of this sort. They would later learn that partial obedience results in calamity, for the Lord commanded Peter to cast nets into the sea, and he only cast one. It was no surprise that the net brake, Luke 5:4-6. They would also learn that to be successful, they must fish at His direction, or else they will toil all night and catch nothing, John 21:1-6.

4:20
And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

And they straightway left their nets, and followed him- here are other features that evangelists need, quickness to respond, and commitment to Him. It is the Person who calls them who is the incentive, not the work itself, as if it is a career.

4:21
And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.

And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother- these four men are used to working together, for they are all partners in the same fishing business, Luke 5:7,9. Taking all these characteristics together, they are fit men to follow Christ and carry out His bidding.

In a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them- James and John would be used to obeying the bidding of Zebedee their father. And because there were hired servants in the business, too, Mark 1:20, they would be used to organising others to get the work done. They were mending their nets, showing they had the skill to catch fish successfully, even to the point where the nets could not stand the weight of the fish. They are called from a profitable business to follow and serve Christ. It will take self-sacrifice to do this, for He guarantees them no wages down here. When Elisha obeyed the call of God, he took a pair of oxen and slew them, (was it the pair he was ploughing with?), made a fire of the yokes, and cooked the meat and then gave it to others. He was finished with his former life, and was now dedicated to serve God and also do good to men, 1 Kings 19:19-21.

4:22
And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him- as with Peter and Andrew there was an immediate response to the call. This is not their call to salvation, but to service. Matthew is careful to tell us they left their father. This assures us that they did not leave their parents destitute, for Zebedee was able to carry on the business, assisted by his hired servants. It also tells us that these brothers are prepared to put the Lord first even before their own father. The Lord would say to these men later on, “Whoso loveth father and mother more than me is not worthy of me”, Matthew 10:37. But He also insisted that children should care for their parents, and not make the service of God an excuse for neglecting them, Mark 7:10-13.

So we are introduced to two sets of brothers, the nucleus that will later form the apostolic band. Just as David had His mighty men, to the greater King has His men, ready to fight for Him in a spiritual battle. These four are seen again together on the Mount of Olives when the discourse on the end times is given, and the King tells the events prior to His coming to sit on His throne of glory; it is these four men that are with Him, Mark 13:3. Zechariah tells us that God is going to bring the third part of the nation of Israel through the fires of tribulation to enter the kingdom, Zechariah 13:9. So significantly, on a mountain, (symbolising the kingdom), and that the Mount of Olives, (reminding us His kingdom will not only be literal, but also spiritual), there is found with Christ one third of the apostles, representing the preserved remnant of Israel.

Special note on miracles
The remaining verses of this chapter are a summary by Matthew of the teaching and miracle-working ministry of the Lord Jesus. It is a suitable place, therefore, to consider these two aspects of Christ’s work. Luke links them together when he opens his second book, the Acts of the Apostles, and writes, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach”, Acts 1:1. And John writes of “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes”, 1 John 1:1. So there is a close connection between what He did, (“which we have seen with our eyes”), and what He taught, (“which we have heard”).

The Lord Jesus linked the two together in John 15, as follows:

John 15:22
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin- in the context the sin referred to here must be the “know not him that sent me”, of the previous verse. It was excusable for men to not know God as Father, and as the Sender of the Son, until He actually came. But after He has come and explained His relationship with God, they have no excuse for not knowing the Father. As John wrote, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him”, John 1:18. Now that the declaration has been fully made, there is no reason why men should not know the Father.

But now they have no cloak for their sin- they are exposed as unbelievers, and their sin stands fully revealed, for the Father has been fully made known and they have not received it. Nothing they might do or say can disguise this plain fact. If Christ could not give proofs of His Deity, they were right to hate Him, for He would have been a rival to their God. To recognise His claim to Deity was in their eyes to say there was another god apart from the God of Israel, and would constitute Him one who said, “Let us go after other gods”, Deuteronomy 13:2. All such were to be put to death in Israel. But it is otherwise, so they are guilty of the sin of rejecting Him.

15:23
He that hateth me hateth my Father also.

He that hateth me hateth my Father also- because the Father is fully manifested by the Son, He being equal with Him, John 5:18; 10:33, and one with Him, then to hate Him is to hate the one He represents, so united are they in essence and aim. And when He came and spoke to them, He made this relationship very clear so that they knew what they were doing when they hated Him. They were hating the God of Israel! No amount of religious observance can cloak that sin; it stands exposed in all its wickedness. Something of the hurt the Son felt because of this is seen in that He calls the Father “My Father”.

15:24
If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

If I had not done among them the works which none other man did- just as in John 14 there was a vital link between words and works, so here. In that chapter the Lord said to them, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake”, verse 11. So the works demonstrated that He was “in the Father”, meaning that He had an unique relationship with Him, for there is no point at which they diverge, whether it be in nature, character, will, or action. The Father is in Him in the sense that all that the Father is and does is expressed perfectly in the Son. To see and know one is to see and know the other.

When the Old Testament prophets worked miracles, as they occasionally did, they were not demonstrating that they were one with God. They simply carried out His directions, and were given the power by Him to do the miracle. But when the Son worked miracles at Passover time, John 2:23, He was showing Himself equal to the one who did signs in Egypt before the Israelites were brought out. When He healed the impotent man on the Sabbath day, John 5:8,9, He was affirming that just as God worked on the Sabbath, so did He. When He fed the five thousand, John 6:11, He was showing that just as God in the Old Testament gave them manna in the wilderness, so He could do the same. Just as God made man with eyes at the beginning, so could He give a man his eyesight back, perhaps by making him eyes from clay, John 9:6,7,32. And just as God quickened the dead in the Old Testament, so He can do the same, John 11:41-44. He was justified in saying, therefore, that they were works that none other man did, even though Moses and Aaron brought the plagues over the land of Egypt, and Elisha fed the prophets, and Elijah raised the dead.

They had not had sin- here is the same expression as in verse 22. There it was in connection with the words He had spoken; here to do with the works He had done. This is to be expected, for His works were visible representations of His words. So the healing of the impotent man is expounded in the rest of John 5, and the feeding of the five thousand is explained in the rest of John 6. To see the works was to see an exposition of the words, and to not believe in the one or the other was to sin. It is not, of course, that before He came they were sinless, but that they had not had opportunity to reject His words and works. Now they have had that opportunity, and rejected Him, they stand convicted.

But now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father- they saw the miracles, and they saw what He meant by His doctrine, but rejected both, and responded to them with hatred towards Him, which was the same as hatred towards His Father who was doing the works through Him. As He said, “but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works”, John 14:10.

The primary purpose for the miracles, then, was to demonstrate the unity between the Father and the Son. As He Himself said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work”, John 5:17. John tells us that the reason he records his selection of the miracles, is “that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and believing ye might have life through his name”, John 20:31.

Another purpose was to demonstrate the love and kindness of God. As Peter said to Cornelius, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him”, Acts 10:38. His only miracle of judgement was on a fig tree. For men there was nothing but kindness.

A third reason for the miracles was to demonstrate that He was indeed the promised Messiah. The prophets had told of the Messiah as one who would come to bring in what the Jews called “the age to come”, when He would reign over them from Jerusalem. Hebrews 6:5 describes the miracles of Christ as the “powers of the world (age) to come”. Isaiah had written that in the time of the kingdom, “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as the hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing”, Isaiah 35:5,6. The fact that these things did indeed happen when Christ was here, is positive proof that He is the Messiah.

When He comes to reign, the bondage of corruption that currently holds creation in its grip will be removed, and the curse God was forced to pronounce on everything because of Adam’s fall, will be removed, see Romans 8:19-21. The miracles of the Lord Jesus were works of power and restoration, showing Him to be competent to deliver creation in a day to come.

The miracles of Christ were also a demonstration that His power was superior to the power of the devil. As we have already noticed, Peter described those the Lord healed as being “oppressed of the devil”, Acts 10:38. He did not mean that they were all demon-possessed, but that, as a result of the fall of man, brought about by the cunning of the devil, creation has been disrupted, and disease is the result. Those who blame God when they are ill should look elsewhere for the cause. The apostle John wrote, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil”, 1 John 3:8. Whilst the main thought in this verse is the matter of sins, nevertheless the diseases of men come into the category of “works of the devil”.

But what exactly are miracles? These may be defined as “exceptions to normal events, which occur due to the intervention of a power beyond natural power”. We must beware of devaluing the word miracle by using it of happenings which are either simply out of the ordinary, or merely coincidences, or take place at a particularly opportune moment. We must also beware of labelling as miraculous events which would have occurred anyway. An example of this would be illnesses that are known to go into remission naturally. Nor does an event become a miracle because it is an answer to prayer.

So we may say that a miracle is an event beyond the normal, with an effect beyond the usual, giving expression to things beyond the natural.

The apostle Peter coupled three words together in the phrase “miracles and wonders and signs”, Acts 2:22. The second of these words expresses the effect the miracle had upon those involved. At best, in the case of miracles wrought by Christ and the apostles, those around would be constrained to believe on the Lord Jesus. As He said in John 14:11 “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake”. (Note that belief in Himself is the goal in each case; it is not “believe Me or else believe the works”). At worst, there were those who responded to Christ’s miracles by wanting to make Him king simply because He could multiply loaves. He withdrew from such, John 6:15.

Peter also referred to miracles as signs, which reminds us that the miracles had a lesson to teach, they had sign-ificance. They were not simply acts of mercy and compassion, but doctrine made visible in vivid ways. We see this for instance in John 6, where the Lord’s long discourse on the Bread of Life is based on His miracle of feeding the five thousand.

(d) Verses 23-25
The territory His ministry affected

4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues- it was the custom to ask a visiting preacher to address the synagogue, if the rulers had confidence in him, and this is the case here.

And preaching the gospel of the kingdom- as He will explain in the parable of the sower, the kingdom is not going to be established by force of arms. It is the sowing of the seed of the word of the kingdom that produces those who are fit for that kingdom, Matthew 13:19.

And healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people- the miracles the Lord Jesus did are called the powers of the age to come, (a reference to the time when the Lord Jesus shall reign on the earth), and He is here demonstrating that He is the Coming King, and nothing is too hard for Him. He does not mix with the men in palaces, but is among the people, for they are potentially His subjects.

The word sickness emphasises the badness of the condition, whereas the word disease has the idea of a condition that weakens.

4:24
And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

And his fame went throughout all Syria- this was a territory extending from the north of Galilee right up to the river Euphrates. David had extended his kingdom this far, 2 Samuel 8:3, but he had done it by warfare, whereas Christ’s conquests were over the hearts of men. He did not need to advance with an army to gain a victory, like David, for the people were attracted to Him and came to Him.

The word fame is used of both David and Solomon. Of David it is said, “And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations”, 1 Chronicles 14:17. And it is said of Solomon. “For he was wiser than all men…and his fame was in all nations round about”, 1 Kings 4:31. So the fame of David was because of his power, the fame of Solomon because of his wisdom. But these two things combine in a better way in Christ, for He is the power and wisdom of God, 1 Corinthians 1:24. So the influence of David and Solomon extended to the Euphrates river, as God had promised to Abraham, Genesis 15:18. So this also shall be the extent of the land under the Messiah, but He shows His moral right to govern by the influence for good He had upon men as they came to Him.

And they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments- we read of David that he said, “‘Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain’. Wherefore they said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house'”, 2 Samuel 5:8. So we learn that David despised the lame and the blind, those who could not fight. It is noteworthy that this attitude of David is omitted in the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 11:4-6. This is because the Books of Chronicles were written by Ezra to encourage the remnant of Israel that had returned to the land. He records only the history of the kings of Judah, those who sat upon the throne of David, and omits those features about them that were not like Christ.

When the Lord Jesus was in the temple just before He died, Matthew tells us that “the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them”, Matthew 21:14. So whereas David hated the blind and the lame, and banned them from the temple, the Lord Jesus was the opposite. Furthermore, there were two pairs of blind men that appealed to the Lord Jesus, Matthew 9:27; 20:30,31. On both occasions they called Him Son of David. They had come to know that His attitude to the blind was different to David’s, even though He was heir to David’s throne.
And those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them- notice that Matthew carefully distinguishes between the demon-possessed and the lunatick. He is the only one to use the word lunatick. The latter word is based on the word for the moon, and would refer to the fact that those who are mentally deranged are affected by the phases of the moon. So one is controlled by the devil, and the other is influenced by the moon, yet Christ’s power is superior to both.

The word palsy is “paralutikos”, which literally means “loosened, relaxed, enfeebled”. Such a person is totally helpless, as is seen in the incident when four friends brought a man sick of the palsy to Christ, Matthew 9:1-8. When He forgave him his sins, and the scribes were shocked, He healed the man of his palsy as well, “that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins”, verse 6. The powerless man becomes the means of displaying Christ’s power, not only in the physical realm but also in the spiritual. This is the sort of King the Lord Jesus is, with authority over everything.

4:25
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan- coupled with Syria in verse 24, this is the territory of the kingdom of David and Solomon, and gives a foretaste of a coming day when the true King will reign. There is a noticeable omission of Samaria, perhaps because that was the centre of the ten-tribed part of the nation who broke away from Judah and Benjamin. Does Matthew in this way show his disapproval of them, just as he did of certain kings in chapter 1?

So Christ attracted all sorts of men to Himself. There were the sophisticated city-dwellers of Jerusalem, and the rustic country-men of Galilee. There were the legalistic men from Jerusalem and Judea, and those whose attitude was more spiritual in Galilee. Whoever they were, and wherever they came from, Christ had time for them, and sought both their spiritual welfare and their physical good.

ISAIAH 52:13-53:12

NOTES ON ISAIAH 52:13-53:1-12

Subject of the passage

The Jewish Midrash or commentary on 1 Samuel 16:1 states, “King Messiah, of whom it is written, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions'”. So there was a recognition by some Jews at least that Isaiah 53 was about the Messiah.

Philip the evangelist made it very clear to the eunuch from Ethiopia, who was reading from Isaiah 53, that the prophet was speaking of the Lord Jesus, and not himself. We read, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus”, Acts 8:35. And the apostle Paul confirms this, for when he is thinking of the unbelief of the nation of Israel, and their refusal to obey the gospel of Christ, he quotes the words of Isaiah when he asks, “Who hath believed our report?”. Clearly the apostle believed the report Isaiah gave was about Christ. The apostle John also believed the passage was about the Lord Jesus, for in 12:38 he quotes Isaiah 53:1, then in verse 40 he quotes Isaiah 6:9,10, and then comments in verse 41, “These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of Him”. So Philip, Paul, and John combine to assure us that the passage refers to the Lord Jesus.

Survey of the passage

We come now to the final Servant passage in Isaiah. In Isaiah 42:1-9 we learn of the delight the Servant brought to God. In 42:19-21 His determination to not be tempted, and stray from the path of obedience. In 49:1-12 the diligence of the Servant is to the fore. In 50:4-11 it is His doctrine. But in this passage it is His destiny that is in view.

We may look at it as the future response of the nation of Israel to the One whom they crucified centuries earlier. At present they are cast off by God for having crucified His Son, (although individual Jews can be saved if they repent and believe the gospel). All this will change in the future, however, for God will pour out upon them “the Spirit of grace and supplications; and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn”, Zechariah 12:10. At last they will realise their mistake, and will find that what their Messiah did on the cross is for their benefit, since, as Isaiah says in this very passage, “for the transgression of my people was He stricken”, 53:8.

Structure of the passage

The whole may be divided into five sections, as follows:

(a) 52:13-15 Christ’s highest exaltation and deepest humiliation
(b) 53:1-1-3 Christ’s humble background
(c) 53:4-6 Christ’s sufferings in the hours of darkness
(d) 53:7-9 Christ’s arrest, trial, execution and burial
(e) 53:10-12 Christ’s achievements in resurrection

Each of these sections begins with introductory statements, as follows:

(a) “Behold, My servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high”. This gives us the assurance that God’s Servant will work in accordance with God’s will, and will be rewarded with the highest honours.

(b) “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” This introduces us to the idea that the initial response of the nation of Israel to God’s Servant will be one of unbelief.

(c) “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”. This section deals with the misunderstanding of the nation as to the nature and cause of His sufferings.

(d) “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth:” The prophet takes us through the process by which the Messiah was eventually executed, and shows that in His burial God intervened.

(e) “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief:” Despite appearances, the sufferings of the Messiah were not the result of His faults, but God’s determining will. They have been followed by compensating glories and achievements.

These five sections are designed to answer questions the nation of Israel may have about Jesus of Nazareth. They have their reasons for not believing in Him. Are those reasons valid?

First reason
He did not defend Himself when He was unjustly treated, as might be expected of a powerful Messiah.
Explanation, 52:13-15. It was God’s will that this should happen so that the wickedness of ignorant men might be exposed.

Second reason
His lowly circumstances and obscure life do not suggest that He was the Messiah.
Explanation, 53:1-3. The prophet Micah had said that He would be born in Bethlehem, but isaiah indicated that He would be hidden in God’s hand until His manifestation to Israel, Isaiah 49:2. They misunderstood the prophecy that “the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple”, Malachi 3:1. That is a reference to His coming in judgement, not His first coming in grace.

Third reason
Normally, sufferings are the result of sin, so why did He suffer so much if He was sinless?
Explanation, 53:4-6. He was wounded for our transgressions, not His own. The Old Testament establishes the principle that God accepts a substitute for sinners, either in the form of an animal, or a sinless mediator.

Fourth reason
A process of arrest, trial, sentence and execution was gone through with, why should anyone complain?
Explanation, 53:7-9. That process was flawed, for He was “oppressed”, “afflicted”, shorn of dignity, and deprived of just judgement. Finally, He was “cut off” without just reason, being sentenced by the representative of Rome who had three times declared His innocence.

Fifth reason
Nothing has been seen of Him since His burial, and the reports of His resurrection are mostly from women, who were not allowed to testify in Jewish courts.
Explanation, 53:10-12. There is precedent for God’s man not being received by the people the first time he came, but received when he comes the second time. Stephen spoke of this when he cited Joseph, Acts 7:9-16, and Moses, 25,35, both of whom were received after they had been rejected. The report about Christ must be received by faith, and does not depend on how things look to us. The fact that the reports are mainly from women shows that the gospels are not forgeries, for a fraudster would avoid their testimony because he knew it would be discounted. The gospel writers were confident they wrote the truth, being acquainted with many male eye-witnesses, as well as the women.

First section

(a) 52:13-15 Highest exaltation and deepest humiliation.

52:13 “Behold, My servant shall deal prudently, He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high”.

Behold- in the first Servant passage, God exhorted Israel to behold His servant. They were to realise that as a nation they had failed to be faithful in their service for God, and He was going to introduce one who would not fail at all. They must turn their eyes upon Him. Here, however, the emphasis is on what He will achieve as God’s prudent servant, even though at times it would seem He was not God’s servant at all.

My servant shall deal prudently- He will be marked by wisdom, and as a consequence, He will prosper in that which He does in God’s service. The reason He will truly prosper is because it is the pleasure of the Lord that prospers in His hand, 53:10. This is the secret of true spiritual prosperity, even the doing of the will of God.

He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high- each of these descriptions has the idea of being lifted up. The majority of this whole passage up until 53:9 emphasises how He was humbled in different ways, whether by the circumstances of His upbringing, the reception He received generally, the experiences He had on the cross, or the way men treated Him at His trial and execution. However, we learn here that the exaltation of the Servant is assured, even though we have not yet been told how He was humbled.

As He Himself said, “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”, Luke 14:11. The apostle Paul reminds us that Christ Jesus “humbled Himself…wherefore also God hath highly exalted Him”, Philippians 2:9.

We might think of Him as being exalted, (for He has “ascended up far above all heavens”, Ephesians 4:10), compared to His low estate upon the earth. He is extolled, (having been given “a name which is above every name”, Philippians 2;9), compared to the despising of Him upon the earth. He has been made very high, (for God has set Him “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come”, Ephesians 1:21), compared to the low place men gave Him as they rejected Him and crucified Him.

Another feature of these three expressions is that they are all ascribed to God by Isaiah, (“high and lifted up”, 6:1; “High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity”, 57:15). This reminds us that the one who is in the form of a Servant, is also in the form of God, as the apostle Paul makes clear in Philippians 2:6,7. We are assured by this that despite appearances, and despite His wholesale rejection by men, His claim to equality with God is valid.

52:14 As many were astonied at Thee; His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:

As many were astonied at Thee- the “as” of this phrase has its counterpart in the “so” of the next verse. The measure of astonishment at what happened to Him at His first coming, will be matched by the reaction of the nation at His second coming. What happened was truly astonishing, as the rest of the verse explains. We could see the connection between the two words by thinking of the rest of this verse as a parenthesis, as follows, “As many were astonied at Thee; (His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men:) so shall He sprinkle many nations”.

His visage was so marred more than any man- this is a reference to the blows that were inflicted upon the Servant when He was in the high priest’s palace. Luke tells us, “And the men that held Jesus mocked Him, and smote Him. And when they had blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face, and asked Him saying, ‘Prophesy, who is it that smote Thee?'”, Luke 22:53,54. The word Luke uses for “smote” means “to flay, beat, scourge, strike, smite, or thrash”. This is no mild blow therefore, but vicious and brutal. No doubt this is the same treatment that Isaiah has already told us about when he records beforehand the words of Christ Himself, “I gave…My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair”, Isaiah 50:6. The wounds He received far exceed what has been meted out to any other man; He stands out in His suffering, and He will stand out in His glory, for no man shall be glorified as much as He.

Remember this is in the palace of Caiaphas, the high priest, who stands by whilst his officers inflict these blows to His face. It is not the whim of the bystanders, but the deliberate maltreatment of the prisoner. And prisoner He was, for John specifically tells us “Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest”, John 18:24. The emphasis in that sentence is on the word bound, and John is pointing out the seriousness of the situation, for it was not lawful to bind a prisoner before he had been found guilty, and it was certainly not lawful to smite a bound prisoner.

Jacob, as he lay dying, and as he looked into the future, said of Levi, the tribe from which the priesthood would come, “Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations…cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel”, Genesis 49:5,7. Remember that the blows to the face of Christ are inflicted in the high priest’s palace, Matthew 26:57,58. So Jacob’s prophecy is coming true, for the instruments of cruelty are in his house. He who should have been officiating at the altar, using the holy instruments of sacrifice in the House of God, is allowing the use of instruments of cruelty in his own house.

But why is it this marring of the visage that is highlighted here? Remember this chapter is designed to bring the nation of Israel to repentance. They have convinced themselves that they were right to condemn Him for blasphemy, but those who think deeply about what happened at Christ’s trial, may very well harbour misgivings at the way they treated Him. This could be God’s shock treatment of them, bringing home to them in this dramatic way the wickedness of what they did. They will move from thinking about how they treated Him, to thinking about how they tried Him.

And His form more than the sons of men- so His form was marred, as well as His face. This would be a reference to the scourging ordered by Pilate. Ordered, we should remember, after he has pronounced Christ innocent. We read that Pilate said to the chief priests, “Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and behold, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him…I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him”, Luke 23:14,16. Then again, “I have found no cause of death in Him: I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go”, verse 22. So he ordered the scourging knowing full well that He was innocent. It is true Pilate was required to scourge a prisoner, but only after he had been convicted, and was about to be crucified. To scourge an innocent man and then intend to release Him, or worse still, to scourge an innocent man and then crucify Him, is an flagrant outrage, and the gravest miscarriage of justice there could be. This would be the case with any man, but in the case of the Son of God it is an affront to heaven.

It is said that in the excavations beneath Jerusalem, where the Roman garrison was situated, there are rooms whose ceilings are supported by pillars. There is one room, however, where there is a pillar in the middle of the room, that does nothing to support the roof. Is this the pillar where the prisoners were tied when they were being scourged?

So it was that the Lord Jesus was subjected to what was called “the intermediate death”, a beating so cruel and vicious that many did not survive it. Trained and brutal soldiers would take it in turns to thrash the prisoner with lashes to which pieces of bone or jagged iron were attached, which would rip away the flesh from the upper part of the body. As the psalmist said, “The ploughers ploughed upon my back: they made long their furrows”, Psalm 129:3. So it came to pass that God’s Servant could say, “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair”, Isaiah 50:6.

Jew and Gentile combined to maltreat God’s servant. We recall the words of Peter on the Day of Pentecost, as he accused the nation of crucifying their Messiah, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”, Acts 2:23. So the Jews took Him, but they handed Him over to wicked or lawless hands. The hands of the Gentiles were not restrained by God’s law as the hands of the Jews were. So it was that Christ was crucified lawlessly. But because the Jews did the handing over, (which they did because they could not inflict capital punishment, but were determined to see Him crucified), they were alike guilty. Both sections of humanity have come together in a common desire to rid themselves of God’s Christ. This is what the psalmist said would happen when he wrote, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us'”, Psalm 2:1-3. See also Acts 4:25-28.

So we are presented in this verse with the sight of a man deprived of justice, and maltreated in the process. Now the Jews still believe they were right to crucify Jesus of Nazareth because He claimed to be the Son of God, and this was, they believed, blasphemy, since they did not accept His claim to be equal with God, (even though He gave more than ample proof that this was the case). But what they may very well have misgivings about is the way this was done. And the marring of the visage and the form in such a cruel way was gratuitous violence, and should have had no place in the process they followed. Their system of justice was normally heavily weighted in favour of the accused, as we shall see later on, but this was the exception. So it is this aspect of the treatment they gave to God’s Servant that is being used here to highlight their guilt.

52:15 So shall He sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at Him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

So shall He sprinkle many nations- the first use of this word ‘sprinkle’ is in Exodus 29:21, when Aaron and his sons were sprinkled by Moses with the blood of consecration and the oil of sanctification. It is used later on when a leper was sprinkled with the water of purification that was stained with the blood of a bird, so that he could be pronounced clean, Leviticus 14:5-7. The Levites also were sprinkled with the water of purifying that was mixed with the ashes of the red heifer, Numbers 8:7. And a person who had contracted defilement through contact with a dead body was also sprinkled with this water, Numbers 19:17-19. The other instances of the use of this particular word for sprinkling are in relation to the altar, the tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant, and the tents of those who are defiled. In other words, the sprinkling of objects, not people.

So the response of God’s Servant to the wicked treatment He received at His first coming, is to make available the remedy for their sin as a nation. Zechariah says, “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness”, Zechariah 13:1. The day referred to being when they look upon the one they pierced long centuries before.

So it is that Israel will be “priests of the Lord”, for the blood of Christ will consecrate them, and “ministers of our God”, for they will be purified from the sin of their evil dealings with their Messiah long ago, Isaiah 61:6. Moreover the stroke of spiritual leprosy that is upon them for crucifying their Messiah, and the defilement they have contracted by their dispersion amonst the Gentiles, will be dealt with in a holy way.

It is said of the ashes of the red heifer that a clean person was to “lay them up without the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin”, Numbers 19:9. Such was the provision in the Old Testament, but in the Epistle to the Hebrews we read, “For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” Hebrews 9:13,14. Notice that in Numbers the ashes are laid up outside the camp, so to benefit from their spiritual counterpart, Israel must “go forth unto Him without the camp”, as they were exhorted long ago, Hebrews 13:13. That is where the blessing is. It is not limited to Israel however, for it is many nations that shall be sprinkled. The word ‘from’ is found in the Hebrew text, so the idea is of that those from the Gentile nations shall come into the good of His work at Calvary.

The kings shall shut their mouths at Him- Isaiah has already told us that “kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship”, 49:7. Instead of standing before Pilate, and being judged by him, Christ shall be the one who sits on the throne, and kings and princes will stand before Him to be judged. The psalmist foretold that “all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall serve Him”, Psalm 72:11. The kings of the earth rose up at the crucifixion, “For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate. With the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together”, Acts 4:27. Soon it will be Christ who is in the ascendancy.

For that which had not been told them shall they see- the apostle Paul used these words in connection with those who had not heard the gospel, and his desire to preach to the unevangelised, Romans 15:21. The last view of Christ that the world had was of Him hanging, dead, upon a cross, and then being laid in a sepulchre. But He rose again, appeared to His own, and then ascended to heaven. The gospel bears testimony to this, and many have seen Him by faith. These spoken of here have not been told of His ascended glory, but when they see Him coming to earth in His glory, they will realise the gospel of an ascended, glorified Christ, is true. We should remember that the kings of the earth will largely be in league with the Antichrist, and God will “send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”, 2 Thessalonians 2:11. These kings are not said to believe, but simply see what they had not seen before, a glorified Christ, and consider what they had not heard before, the reasons for His death. They are the moral descendants of those who crucified Him, and they must be confronted with the consequences of what they did to Him.

And that which they had not heard shall they consider- the apostle Paul states with regard to the wisdom of God “which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory”, 1 Corinthians 2:8. This is a staggering statement. The apostle is not saying that if the princes of this world knew about Christ better, they would not have crucified Him, out of reverence for Him. Rather, he is saying that if the princes had known the outcome of the work of Calvary, they would have sought to frustrate that outcome by not crucifying Him; not because they wished to act in mercy, but because they were hostile to the purpose of God through a crucified Saviour. So these kings now realise what the purpose of the death of Christ was, and consider its implications without necessarily repenting and believing.

Second section

(b) 53:1-3 Christ’s humble background.

53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

Who hath believed our report? The form of this question expects the answer, “Not many”. This is how the apostle Paul used the words. He writes about Israel, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, ‘Lord, who hath believed our report?'” Notice that Paul is telling us, by the Spirit, to whom Isaiah addressed his question, even the Lord. He was conscious that the report he gave was the report that came from God, and Paul took up that thought in Romans 10:14-17, as we shall see.

The reasons for the large-scale unbelief that are implied in the prophet’s question are given in the next verses, beginning with “for”, or because. It is the task of the prophet to counteract this spirit of scepticism. He does so by facing up to the facts about Christ’s experiences, but giving rational reasons why these things took place. Having told us that even when Christ comes in glory the kings will only see and consider, and will not necessarily believe, is it any surprise that when He is absent, having been crucified, men do not believe in Him? Isaiah is writing as if he has projected his mind to the future, when Israel will be converted, and as he looks back from that vantage point he has to conclude that the results have been sparse, for comparatively few from amongst the nation have believed during this present age. Paul called them “a remnant according to the election of grace”, Romans 11:5. Immediately before those words, he had referred to the fact that Elijah thought he alone remained true to God, but it was not so, for God had reserved to Himself “seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal”, verse 4. Even so it is now, and just a few from Israel have believed. We should remember that although the nation has been judicially blinded by God for rejecting and crucifying His Son, individuals from the nation are free to accept the gospel; the apostle himself, a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, (and therefore not a proselyte from among the Gentiles), was testimony to that, Romans 11:1.

The unbelief of men, Jew or Gentile, is all the more serious because the gospel is a report, and forms the link between the mind and heart of God and the mind and heart of man. Faith cometh by hearing, (the word is the same as ‘report’), and hearing (the report) by the word of God, Romans 10:17. The preacher hears the word of God, to prepare him for his task, and he passes it on to those who are inclined to listen, and what he has heard from God now becomes a report to men. If they accept it, then it is because the report has convinced them; faith has come through the agency of the authentic report of the gospel.

And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Having spoken of the lack of belief on the part of Israel, and of men generally, the prophet now comments on the Divine side of things, that of revealing Christ to men. On the face of it, viewing the passage as a whole, we might think that the nation of Israel could not be expected to believe in Jesus of Nazareth. He was of humble circumstances, despised and rejected during His life, and finally hung upon a cross of shame after being tried by the courts of Jews and Gentiles. How could they be expected to welcome such an one as their Messiah? But as the prophet will show, things are not what they seem, and Isaiah will give to us God’s view of the whole matter. It is up to men whether they are prepared to accept that side of things by faith. If they are, then to them is the arm of the Lord revealed.

The arm of the Lord is not physical, of course. God is spoken of as having eyes and ears and arms in what is called the language of accommodation, where our inability to understand is helped by the use of figurative language. The arm is a metaphor for power, and Christ is called the power of God, 1 Corinthians 1:24. But this seems to make things even more difficult, for a man brutally ill-treated, and then crucified on a cross, is not what the natural man would think of as a powerful figure. And the nation of Israel consisted largely of natural men, whatever they would say otherwise.

The prophet has a difficult task before him, then, as he faithfully records the way in which the Lord Jesus was rejected by the nation to which He belonged, and to which He came. But he has been encouraged at the outset by God’s word to him, that the Servant of whom he writes will be exalted, extolled, and made very high, 52:13. The end is certain, therefore, and Isaiah can tell us of the humiliation of God’s Servant, knowing that He will be exalted by God, even though men will seek to drag Him down.

53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant- when the prophets wished to portray the greatness of Gentile rulers, they spoke of them as mighty cedars, seemingly immovable and mightily impressive. How great the contrast here! Not a massive towering figure, apparently, but a tender, seemingly vulnerable plant. The prophets sets the tone by saying that this plant grows up before God. That is the key to the matter. It is God’s view of things that is vital, and the difference between faith and unbelief is that faith accepts God’s estimate of things, and unbelief accepts man’s opinion. If the nation of Israel is to move from unbelief to faith in Jesus of Nazareth, and accept Him as their Messiah, then they must accept what God says about Him here. After all, Isaiah’s prophecy is part of the oracles of God, which they claim to cherish.

The word used here for tender plant is “the sucker or twig of a tree felled, but sprouting”. Isaiah had said previously, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him…and He shall smite the earth with the breath of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked”, Isaiah 11,1,2,4. In the previous verses the Assyrian, an enemy of Israel, is described as if he were a tree, whose branch the Lord will “lop with terror”, and “the high ones of stature shall be hewn down”, Isaiah 10:33. By contrast, the branch out of the roots of obscure Jesse shall slay the wicked, meaning the final Antichrist. So this tender plant is the means whereby great and powerful things are going to be done, but before that He must take the low place, for it is “he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”, Luke 14:11. In other words, He is, after all, the arm of the Lord, through whom the power of God shall be known.

At present, the tree of the House of David is felled, for Judah, David’s kingly tribe, has been taken into captivity, and what Hosea prophesied has come to pass, for he wrote, “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king and without a prince”, Hosea 4:4. At the time of the captivity, God began to be known as “the God of heaven”, for He had abandoned His capital on the earth, Jerusalem, and it lay in ruins. This was the signal for the Times of the Gentiles to begin, and they continue still.

The psalmist Ethan the Ezrahite lamented the way God had dealt with the house of David, for he said that He had “been wroth with Thine anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant of Thy servant: Thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground”, Psalm 89:38,39. However, Ethan was encouraged by the fact that God said, “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips. Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven”, verses 34-37. David himself, in a psalm that anticipated the reign of the Messiah, called Him the King’s Son. And this is how the New Testament opens, with Matthew writing, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham”, Matthew 1:1.
However, Job said, “For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof shall not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant”, Job 14:7-9. And so it came to pass, for the Holy Spirit is often symbolised as water, and we read in Matthew 1:18 that Mary was “with child of the Holy Spirit”. And Luke gives more detail, for he records the words of the angel to Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”, Luke 1:35. So it was that the fallen tree of David’s House is given hope, through the scent of water, and the resulting branch out of his roots.

Interestingly, the word Isaiah used for “branch” in 11:1 is netser, and many believe that this is the basis of the name Nazareth. So every time the Lord Jesus was addressed as Jesus of Nazareth, there was testimony, unwittingly, that He was the glorious Messiah. Men thought it was a title of disgrace, but it is otherwise. And He was pleased to identify Himself by that name to Saul on the road to Damascus, Acts 22:8, for He is waiting for His revelation to Israel still.

We read that when Joseph returned with the child Jesus and Mary from Egypt, “being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene'”, Matthew 2:22,23. This may read rather strangely to us, for although Matthew does not tell us where Joseph and Mary lived before they were married, Luke does, and it was Nazareth, Luke 1:26, (Mary), and 2:4, (Joseph). And yet Matthew seems to write as if when they came out of Egypt they intended to live in Judea, but God instructed them to go to live in Nazareth, as if it was the first time they had lived there. Perhaps they were concerned that the people of Nazareth might gossip about the circumstances surrounding the birth of their child. They would be despised and rejected of men in Nazareth. But it was God’s will that His Son should grow up in a place of no repute, (“Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” John 1:46). So Matthew is justified in saying that the things the prophets spoke about Him as a despised one, would be symbolised by Him being an inhabitant of Nazareth, the despised place. Notice Matthew does not quote a specific prophecy in one place in the books of the prophets. He refers to what the prophets, (plural), said, not what they wrote. This was the general tenor of their speaking of the Messiah. So we might think of the fact that he seems to suggest Mary and Joseph were not at Nazareth before, as a literary device, to make Nazareth His own city in a particular way, and not simply that it was where Joseph and Mary lived before.

And as a root out of a dry ground- so He is not only going to grow up before God as a tender plant, but also as a root. Here we are introduced to the secret of the Messiah’s Person, for as the tender plant out of the stock of Jesse He possesses real manhood. But as the root He is seen to have Godhood too. The Lord Jesus described Himself as “the root and the offspring of David”, Revelation 22:16. Thus He claimed not only to be Son of David, but David’s Lord, the originator of the Davidic line. When the learned ones in Israel came to question Him towards the close of His ministry, having answered their questions, He had one for them, and it was this, “‘What think ye of Christ? Whose son is He?’ They say unto Him, ‘The son of David’. He saith unto them, ‘How then doth David in Spirit call Him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool? If David then call Him ‘Lord’, how is He his son?” And no man was able to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more questions”, Matthew 22:41-46. So even in far-off Old Testament times, recorded in Psalm 110:1, the fact was known that there was one who shared the name of Lord with God.

Now every godly Jew would recite the words of Deuteronomy 6:4,5 every day, saying, “Hear O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might”. There was constant testimony in Israel to the fact that there was only one Lord, and yet there was testimony through David by the Spirit that there was another who could be rightfully called Lord also. How is this apparent contradiction resolved? Only by recognising that Jesus of Nazareth is Lord, equally with the Father and the Spirit in the Godhead. When confronted with this undeniable truth, the Pharisees had nothing to say, for they were not prepared to recognise the Deity of Christ.

So Jesus of Nazareth grows up before God as a root out of dry ground. His Father recognises His Deity, even if men generally do not, for after His time of obscurity in Nazareth, He is hailed as His Beloved Son, thus showing the Father’s acknowledgement of Him.

But the root is out of a dry ground. Dry ground does not produce for God; it is barren and useless. Such was the nation of Israel spiritually; such was the House of David also, for he himself said, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God…although my house be not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation and my desire, although He make it not to grow”, 2 Samuel 23:3,5. In Isaiah 53 we learn, however, that God did eventually make David’s hopes to grow, and the tender plant sprang up.

He hath no form nor comeliness- the word translated ‘form’ here is the same as is found in 52:14, where the reference is to the bodily frame of the Lord Jesus. The word ‘comeliness’ has to do with glory and magnificence. We are never told any details as to the features of the Lord Jesus, only in figurative language. We know that He grew in wisdom and stature, Luke 2:52, and every stage of His growing up was perfect, without being outlandish. His physical frame, however, did not appeal to Israel as being that of a king. Nor had He the bearing of one who seeks to dominate men. He had made Himself of no reputation, and was content to live amongst men as one who did not stand out, even though He was the Son of God.

When Israel chose Saul to be their king they were governed by their natural reasoning, so they chose one who was head and shoulders above everyone else, “every inch a king”, they might have said, 1 Samuel 10:2,3. So it was that when Samuel was instructed to go to anoint Saul’s replacement, he was told, when Eliab was brought before him, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for man seeth not as God seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart”, 1 Samuel 16:7. So it was that David was chosen, and God described him as “a man after Mine own heart”, Acts 13:22. So Israel are making the same mistake as when they chose Saul, for they are looking on the outward appearance, and they dismiss Christ as unsuitable.

And when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him- so there comes a moment when He emerges out of obscurity, and Israel sees Him. That moment was His baptism, and Mark tells us that “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in Jordan”. So even though He has come out from the despised place, He still takes the low place, for the Jordan Valley is the lowest place on earth. The apostle Paul referred twice to this moment. In the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, he described it as “His coming”, Acts 13:24. He also wrote to the Philippians that having been found in fashion as a man, (a reference to His life in Nazareth), “He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”, Philippians 2:8. His willingness to be baptized was a further stage on His path to the cross, and represented His commitment to Calvary.

Sadly, however, the decision of the nation at large when “He came unto His own”, was to receive Him not, John 1:11. He was not the warrior-king they were expecting, who could overthrow the Romans and give them freedom. The reason they thought like this was they had ignored the passages like Isaiah 53 which spoke of a suffering Messiah, and only concentrated on the glorious king aspect of the prophetic writings. As the Lord Jesus said to the two on the road to Emmaus, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” The word ‘ought’ has the sense of obligation. The Lord was under obligation to suffer, for He was set on a path that would fulfil eternal counsels. Peter spoke of the “sufferings of Christ”, 1 Peter 1:11, and the preposition he used signifies the sufferings that belong to Christ- they are His by Divine decree. The beauty the nation was looking for was the “outward appearance” God warned Samuel about. They had no interest in the superb moral beauty of Christ.

53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

He is despised and rejected of men- not content with merely ignoring Him, the nation actively despised Him for His character and His teaching. Whilst many in Israel believed on Him, the rulers were against Him, and plotted His death. As a previous Servant passage has said, He is “Him whom men despiseth”, and the one “the nation abhorreth”, Isaiah 49:7. The underlying reason for this is that darkness hates the light, “For this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved”, John 3:19,20. The light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ repulsed the sinners in Israel.

A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief- this is not to say He was miserable. A miserable person dwells upon himself; Christ was sorrowful because of the sorrows of others. He looked out on a world of sadness and grief, and sympathetically associated with it all. Sorrow came in with the fall of man, and He had come to deal with the root cause of sorrow. His was no passing contact with the griefs of men which themselves caused Him grief. He was the acquaintance of grief, its lifelong companion.

He knew sadness because of the sin and unbelief of men; disappointment when His disciples made such slow progress in Divine things; grief as He wept over the city that would soon reject Him, and condemn itself, as a consequence, to be levelled to the ground. Think of the grief of heart when His loyalty to God, His desires to be subject to Divine purpose, His confidence in Divine promises, were all called into question by the Devil in the wilderness.

Despite this, He could speak of His joy, John 15:11, a joy that was specially and uniquely His, for He was conscious all the time that He was in the line of His Father’s will. Nothing could take away from that, not even sympathy for the griefs and sorrows of men.

And we hid as it were our faces from Him- this is the measure of their hatred of Him. They could not stand the sight of Him, for His life and His teaching condemned them utterly, and instead of realising their sinfulness, and repenting of it and coming to Him in faith, they reacted by refusing even to look at Him. If they had done so, they would have seen the glory of God in His face, 2 Corinthians 4:6. It was not that they hid their faces because they were afraid to look upon God, (God said to Moses,”for no man shall see Me and live”, Exodus 33:20), for they did not believe He was the Son of God. They did not wish others to see them looking at Him as if they were admiring Him, for they found Him an embarrassment.

He was despised, and we esteemed Him not- notice the different tenses the prophet uses. “He is despised…He was despised”. As he projects his mind forward to the days of the Messiah, Isaiah says, “He is despised”. But then he tells us beforehand of the reaction of the nation of Israel in the future, and in a repentant spirit they admit that He was despised when He came to them the first time, and they did not esteem Him as they should. Their thinking about Him was gravely wrong. This is why they will have to repent, for their thinking about Him will need to radically change.

Third section
(c) 53:4-6 Christ’s sufferings in the hours of darkness.

One of the things that caused Christ grief was His impending sufferings. He said, as He neared the cross, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death”, Matthew 26:38. Even the prospect of the coming agonies caused Him to have a near-death experience. What would it be like when, on the cross, He felt the full weight of Divine wrath? As with the first two sections, the prophet gives us a one-verse introduction, summing it up by telling of the bearing of griefs and carrying of sorrows.

53:4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows- in their fullest meaning, these words refer to the sufferings of Christ in the hours of darkness upon the cross. Peter alludes to them when he writes, “Who His own self bear our sins upon the tree”, 1 Peter 2:24. But Matthew also makes reference to them, in a limited way. His words are, “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses”, Matthew 8:16,17.

This might seem to indicate a final fulfillment, until we remember that there are three ways in which quotations from the Old Testament are introduced by writers in the New Testament, as follows:

1. Where the Greek word “ina” is used, then it is “in order that it might be fulfilled”, and the prophecy has been finally fulfilled.

2. Where the word “tole” is found, then it is “was fulfilled”, and indicates that the event was merely a case in point, and what happened was an illustration of what was said in the prophecy, and it might be “fulfilled” in that way on another occasion.

3. Where the word “opus” is used, as is the case in Matthew 8:17, it is “so that it might be”, and the fulfilment is not complete, but an event which was within the scope and intention of the prophecy.

So Matthew is not saying that sins were borne during the life of the Lord Jesus, but he is saying that there was an event that was included in the scope of the prophecy of Isaiah, but which did not exhaust its meaning. So when the Lord Jesus healed a person, He lifted the load in deep sympathy, thus removing the griefs and sorrows that the illness caused, so that instead of the ill person bearing those sorrows, the Lord Jesus bore them for him. Coupled with this, virtue or power went out from Christ to heal the disease that caused the sorrow, see Luke 8:46.

The Lord Jesus healed all manner of diseases, Matthew 4:23, and the power of the Lord was present to heal all who were sick, even Pharisees, Luke 5:17. The miracles that are recorded in detail are those that present to us some spiritual lesson, and illustrate some particular sinful condition of man. For instance man is blind, unable to perceive the truth of God, deaf to the voice of God, dumb in the praise of God, lame as to the ways of God, defiled as to the holiness of God, and so on. Those that are recorded in detail, however, are but a sample from the full range of disease that was dealt with by Christ. There was nothing too hard for the Lord to deal with.

This is not to say that Christ transferred the actual sickness and infirmity onto Himself. It was the griefs and sorrows of men that He sympathetically bore, not in some detached way, for Matthew says “Himself”, indicating deep personal involvement in the thing. But He did carry sickness and infirmity in the sense He took control of them, and transformed them into wellness and strength. We remember His own words when the woman with the issue of blood was healed, “I perceive that virtue is gone out from Me”, Luke 6:46. So there was a two-way exchange, sickness from the sufferer to Him; healing from Him to the sufferer.

But Isaiah is speaking of the ultimate healing, when the root cause of sickness and infirmity is dealt with by His work at Calvary. These things came in when man sinned, and creation, including man, was subject to bondage, and groaned and travailed in pain. He is the Second man, however, who is come to “restore that which He took not away”, Psalm 69:4. So the ultimate bearing of griefs and carrying of sorrows relates to the bearing of the things, even sins, which cause the grief and sorrow. By carrying away the greater, sins, He deals with the lesser, griefs and sorrows. When it was a question of bearing sins, Peter indicates that it was in His own body when He was on the tree. Matthew does not say that the sicknesses and sorrows were borne in His body, as if He became ill, but simply that He bore them.

Yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted- as they ponder what happened to Jesus of Nazareth, how He was hung upon a cross to suffer and die, they realise that their estimate of what was happening was completely wrong. To them, as Jews, suffering must be the consequence of sinning. He suffered much, He must have sinned much. Had He not been tried by their court, and that of Pilate, and sentenced to be crucified? When He was upon the cross the chief priests virtually called upon God to authenticate His claim to be Son of God, and prove them wrong. They said, “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, ‘I am Son of God'”, Matthew 27:43. When David was in extreme difficulty, he records that God “sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: But the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me because He delighted in me”, 2 Samuel 22:17-20.

No Divine hand reached down to rescue Christ, however, and his enemies concluded that God was judging Him for making such a daring and, (to their way of thinking), blasphemous claim, to be the Son of God. He is stricken and smitten of God, they say, for God has struck Him down in judgement because of His bold claims, using the Jewish nation to effect this. As a result He is afflicted, a word which suggests humbling. His high claims, they judge, have been refuted and proved wrong, and now He is given His proper place, amongst the transgressors. Little did they realise then that He humbled Himself, and became obedient even to the extent of being crucified on a cross. Far from cancelling His claims, His sufferings vindicated them. And further vindication would come when He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead”, Romans 1:4.

53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.

But He was wounded for our transgressions- the ‘but’ introduces us to their changed view of things, as the Spirit of God works upon the nation of Israel in the future to produce repentance and faith. The real reason for the striking and the smiting is now given to us. It is not that He was suffering for His own sins, for He had none; He was pure in thought, word, deed, and nature. His sufferings were vicarious, endured on behalf of others. The nation of Israel in the future will realise that, appalling as His physical wounds were, they did not tell all that was happening at the cross. There were deeper and more profound things taking place. We could think of the wounding as corresponding to Him being stricken; the bruising to Him being smitten, and the chastising to Him being afflicted.
Transgressions are expressions of rebellion, the acts of those who have broken away from just authority. Such persons deserve to be struck down by the authority they have risen up against. The Lord Jesus was “numbered with the transgressors”. He who had always obeyed, and in whom was no element of rebellion, either against God or man, was numbered with those who were guilty. We have already heard Him say, “I was not rebellious, neither turned away back”, Isaiah 50:5, and this was true.

It is interesting to notice that the stubborn and rebellious son was to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 21:18-21. But then we are immediately told that one who had committed a sin worthy of death, and who had been put to death, was to be hung up on a tree, verses 22,23. The apostle Paul quotes these words in relation to Christ, Galatians 3:3. The Jews could not stone Him to death because the Romans had withdrawn the right to carry out the death penalty from them, but they did deliver Him into the hands of wicked, Gentile men, who executed Him by hanging Him on a tree, the judgement of a transgressor.

He was bruised for our iniquities- man is not only a transgressor, he is full of iniquity. This means he is crooked and perverse, not only rebelling against the right way as a transgressor, but walking in the wrong way. We read in verse 10 that it pleased the Lord to bruise Him, so this establishes that the wounding and the bruising are from God, not from men. The primary meaning of the word translated ‘bruise’ is to crumble, and it is translated elsewhere as ‘break in pieces’, or ‘crush’. There is a thoroughness about this word, telling us of the way God dealt with our sins. He left nothing not dealt with, but judged Christ in detail for every one.

The chastisement of our peace was upon Him- Pilate said to the Jews, “I will chastise Him, and let Him go”, Luke 23:22. But that chastisement, which took the form of cruel scourging, was as nothing compared to the scourge of God. We were rebels against God, and the only way for us to be at peace with Him was for our substitute to endure the penalty for our sins. And this He did.

And with His stripes we are healed- stripes are the wound-marks left when blows have been inflicted; they are the evidence of the severity of the treatment. We need to be careful about how we understand the fact that healing comes through His stripes, for there are those who believe this to relate to physical healing, and they wish to use this expression to support their supposed ability to heal illness today.

We do well to note the following considerations:
First, there was no physical healing for the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16, despite the fact that iniquity, transgression, and sin were dealt with then.

Second, every cell in the believer’s body is subject to decay and replacement, for the redemption of the body has not yet taken place, Romans 8:23. If we gain complete healing at conversion, then there is no “bondage of corruption” to be delivered from in the future.

Third, believers should not expect ever to be ill if the healing is physical, for the word is “were ye healed”, so it is complete, and in the past. The prophet is not talking about an ongoing process.

Fourth, when Paul’s “thorn”, (whatever it was), was not removed, he was told that the Lord’s grace was sufficient, enabling him to bear the burden, 2 Corinthians 12:9. He was not told to claim healing. He learnt to glory in infirmities, and did not fret because they had not been removed.

Fifth, those who had the gift of healing were never instructed to only heal unbelievers; so it is envisaged that believers would be ill.

Sixth, the apostle Peter does not cite “By whose stripes ye we were healed” as an incentive, as if it is something to be gained subsequent to conversion. His exhortations to live as those dead to sins, and live to righteousness are followed by the mention of healing, for the fact believers have been restored to the right path is seen in what follows, for they had returned to their shepherd. They had been healed of their backslidings.

In the context of Isaiah 53, the wounding was for our transgression, the bruising was for our iniquities, the chastisement (implying the rod of correction) was for our peace of conscience, and with His stripes we are healed, so the sufferings mentioned are spiritual, and from God. “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him”. If we say the stripes were physical, then we have to say that there was bearing of sins before He hung on the tree, for He was ill-treated on several occasions and by different groups of people before He was taken out to be crucified. But if the stripes are spiritual, then so must the healing be. Note that the prophet immediately speaks of sheep going astray, and this is the thought behind the need for healing, as we see from the following scriptures:

Isaiah 57:17,18, “And he went on frowardly (perversely) in the way of His heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him”.
Jeremiah 3:21,22, “for they have perverted their way…return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings”.
Hosea l4:1,4- “O Israel, return unto the Lord…I will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely”.

Hebrews 12:13, “and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed“.

So we see the connection the prophets make between going astray, and being healed. This is why the apostle Peter, having quoted Isaiah’s words about healing, 1 Peter 2:24, goes on to quote his words about going astray, verse 25.

The remembrance of the way the Lord Jesus suffered when “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him”, would be a great encouragement to the slaves Peter was seeking to encourage, who were perhaps smarting under the lash of their cruel masters. Their physical suffering from men was as nothing compared to the suffering their Saviour endured so that they might be healed in soul.

53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

All we like sheep have gone astray- in the context in which Peter uses these words, it is clear that he is implying that servants who have to suffer for evil-doing, and those who revile their tormentors, are in a backsliding condition. The remedy is for them to return to their shepherd, who suffered for sins not His own, and who brings back the wanderer. Peter had also been in a backsliding condition, having denied his Lord, but he returned to the shepherd of his soul, who said, “Feed My sheep”, John 21:16, at the fire of coals. Charcoal can be revived, even after it has grown cold and dull. Peter had burned brightly when the Lord was by His side, but had grown cold in the High Priest’s Palace, and denied Him. His experience by the fire of charcoal warms him again. This could be the experience of these backsliding ones too. They could return to the shepherd and bishop of their souls. As the shepherd, the Lord Jesus cares for us, as Peter heard Him say in John 10:9,10. As bishop, the Lord Jesus watches over us and our interests, as Peter saw Him do in John 18:8,9; see also John 17:12. Note that the welfare of the soul is His major concern, without which health of the body is valueless. On the other hand, if as slaves they were battered in body, then they could bear this since they were restored in soul. As the Shepherd He goes before the flock, setting them the example, and leading them in “the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”. As Bishop, (the word gives the idea of looking or watching over), He watches over the flock, so that all His sheep are before Him and under His eye, as they “lie down in green pastures”.

The nation of Israel went astray when they rejected the Good Shepherd and crucified Him. He waits to receive them back, however, for Isaiah tells us that when He comes again as the Chief Shepherd, “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young”, Isaiah 40:11. The only way they can be brought back like this is because He gave His life for them, and suffered to deal with the things that caused them to go astray.

We have turned every one to his own way- whilst restoration for Israel will be national, that does not mean they will not need to personally repent and believe, admitting they have gone their own way, in particular, preferring their carnal thoughts about Jesus of Nazareth to what God said about Him.

And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all- this is pure grace. Instead of final judgement for the nation, they are presented with one who had laid on Himself their dreadful load of iniquity. They had been perverse and crooked in the dealings with Him, and yet that very crookedness was taken upon Himself. Could there be a greater exhibition of love to the nation? The High Priest laid the sins of Israel figuratively on the head of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, but this verse tells us of the reality, and it is God who lays the sins upon Christ, and He carries them “as far as the east is from the west”, Psalm 103:12.

Fourth section

(d) 53:7-9 Christ’s arrest, trial, execution and burial

We come now to an examination by the prophet as to how it was that the Messiah was found on a cross at all. They might think that His arrest and execution was done in accordance with their law in a fair way, but the prophet will show it was otherwise, and they consequently need to rethink their position about Him.

53:7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.

He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth- the idea of being oppressed is that of being under a taskmaster, like Israel were in Egypt. The idea of being afflicted is that of being humbled, as Israel were in the wilderness. The response of Israel to both these experiences was to murmur and complain. But the sinlessness of the Messiah is seen in that, despite being oppressed and afflicted unjustly, He did not complain, and opened not His mouth. His burden was far greater than Israel’s was in Egypt, and His afflictions were of another order altogether.

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter- the word used here very rarely means a sacrificial slaughter, so the emphasis is on the fact that He was arrested so as to be killed. The authorities would be satisfied with nothing else. Caiaphas was judge of the proceedings, but he had already expressed what his verdict would be, so he was not an unprejudiced judge. He had said, when told about the raising of Lazarus, “it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not”, John 11:50. John adds, “And this spake he not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation”, verse 51. Then we read, “Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death”, verse 53.

And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth- there were times when the Lord Jesus did speak during His so-called trials, but there were other times when He remained silent. The difference is this, that when He was silent, it was because He was being shorn of His glory, and He is like a sheep before its shearers, making Himself of no reputation. When He spoke it was to defend the interests of others, whether it be His Father, or His disciples. This is how the matter unfolded:

1. Before Annas and Caiaphas He was asked about His doctrine and His disciples. He takes control of the conversation, and speaks of His doctrine, but is silent about His disciples, to defend them from the authorities, John 18:19-24.

2. Before Caiaphas, the scribes and the elders, He is accused by false witnesses, but “Jesus held His peace”, Matthew 26:63. He will not give any credence to false witness, for it was contrary to God’s Law. He will allow Himself to be “shorn”, before doing that.

3. When put on oath by the High Priest, He answered, for that was required by God, and He would defend God’s interests at all times.

4. When He was blindfolded by the servants of the high priest, and asked to prophesy as to who was smiting Him, there was no response, Matthew 26:67,68. He was indeed a prophet, and knew all things, but He would not use this knowledge to alleviate His sufferings, nor seek glory for His prophetic ability.

5. When asked by Pilate if He was the King of the Jews, He answered, for to not answer would be thought of as insolence, and rebellion against the authority of Rome, vested in Pilate, Matthew 27:11. Those who resist the authority of God’s rulers resist the ordinance of God, Romans 13:2.

6. When, immediately after, He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing, Matthew 27:12. They were not acting justly, for they had changed the charge on which they had condemned Him, and He would not co-operate in their injustice.

7. Herod “questioned Him with many words”, Luke 23:9, “But He answered nothing”. This was a strong rebuke for Herod’s treatment of John the Baptist. He had refused to listen to his rebukes, he would certainly not listen to Christ, who would have said the same things as John had said.

8. Finally, before Pilate again, who asked, “Whence art Thou”? John 19:9, “But Jesus gave Him no answer”. He has already virtually answered the question anyway, and Pilate has scourged Him even though he stated He was innocent. To answer in such circumstances would be to collude with wickedness.

53:8 He was taken from prison and from judgement: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken.

He was taken from prison and from judgement- the Lord Jesus had prophesied that He would be “delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him”, Mark 9:31, and so it came to pass. Having been betrayed by Judas, He was arrested and bound, John 18:12,24. He is brought to slaughter, and men sought to shear Him of His glory. Now the word ‘prison’ has the idea of restraint, and highlights the fact that the arrest and trials of Christ were riddled with illegality. Consider the following things:

1. The arrest should have been done voluntarily by those who were witnesses to the crime. It was illegal for the temple guard acting for the High Priest to make the arrest.

2. The arrest should not have been at night, and constituted an act of violence. This is why the disciples were preparing to prevent it. Malchus was probably one of those foremost in the arrest. If Peter had been preventing a legal arrest, he himself should have been arrested. The fact that he was not, shows that the authorities knew they were in the wrong.

3. The prisoner was bound, which was unnecessary violence, since He was surrounded by only a few men, and the arrest party consisted of many, perhaps hundreds.

4. The prisoner was taken to Annas first, but he was not the proper magistrate.

5. He was interrogated at night, which was prohibited by law.

6. He was detained in a private house.

7. He was struck gratuitously before any charges had been brought, John 18:22.

8. This happened when He was bound, another violation. John highlights it by saying, “Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest”, John 18:24, the emphasis being on the word ‘bound’. They struck a bound prisoner, and Caiaphas looked on and did nothing.

When the first trial before Caiaphas, the chief priests and the elders of the people took place, the following was true:

1. The trial was conducted by Caiaphas, who was prejudiced, because he had already said that it was expedient for one man (meaning Christ), to die for the nation, John 11:49-52.

2. Caiaphas acted as judge and accuser.

3. Witnesses should come forward voluntarily, but these were “sought”, after the attempt to find honest witnesses against Christ was unsuccessful, Matthew 26:59,60.

4. Witnesses who did not speak the truth were to be stoned to death.

5. If witnesses did not agree, the case was to be dismissed immediately. This did not happen.

6. To put a prisoner on oath, and therefore, in effect, to force him to incriminate himself, was illegal. Christ responded to the oath only because it was “by the Living God”.

7. The confession of an individual against himself should not decide a condemnation.

8. If the accused wished to speak, he was to be given the most profound attention.

From the foregoing it is very evident that His trials were illegitimate and invalid. Yet they were undeterred by any such considerations. As we shall see, the proceedings had a profound effect on Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, and they come to represent the nation of a day to come who shall realise that their Messiah was executed illegally, and for motives other than strict justice.

So it did come to pass that He was bound, and taken from one place to another. To Annas first, then Caiaphas, then the Council, then to Pilate, then to Herod, back to Pilate, who spoke to Him on two occasions, and finally sentenced Him to death. He was taken from prison.

But He was also taken from judgement. First, the judgement of Annas, although we do not know what it was, then the judgement of Caiaphas on his own. Then the judgement of the council, of Pilate, of Herod, and finally of Pilate again. And all the time the judgement is biased and faulty. It is not simply that He is taken from one judgment place to another, and from one charge to another, but in a moral sense He was separated from true judgement by the perverted opinions of men about Himself.

No wonder Peter said “ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of Life”, Acts 14,15. In this way he pointed out the difference between their unholiness and injustice and the character of the one they were condemning. What greater perversion of justice could there have been than when the Son of God was executed, and a murderer went free in exchange?

He was also taken from judgement in the sense that the accusations against Him were changed according to who was the judge, and what he considered expedient.

The first charge was brought by false witnesses, who said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days'”, Matthew 26:61. This charge was dropped because the witnesses did not agree amongst themselves, Mark 14:59.

The second charge was that He claimed to be Christ, the Son of God, Matthew 26:63,64. On the basis of an admission by Christ that this was so, the Sanhedrim’s sentence was, “He is guilty of death”.

But when the led Him to Pilate they knew that he would not be interested in such a charge, so they substituted another, and began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a king”, Luke 23:2. Now the charge that He tried to prevent giving tribute to Caesar is clearly a bare-faced lie, and unworthy of any administers of justice, but more so because it is a Jewish religious body that is making these outrageous statements.

Pilate goes to the heart of the matter and asks Christ the direct question, “Art Thou the King of the Jews”? The Lord answers in the affirmative. Having questioned Him further, John 18:33-38, Pilate comes to his conclusion, “I find in Him no fault at all”. Nevertheless, wishing to close the proceedings, he “delivered Jesus to their will”, Luke 23:25.

Thus it was that He was charged with two offences, namely, claiming to be Son of God, and also to be King of the Jews. The ram caught in a thicket on Moriah was held by its two horns, Genesis 22:13, and God’s appointed sacrifice is the same. His two powerful claims are fastened on by the wicked, and serve to bring Him to death. But by being held by its horns, the ram in the thicket was unspoiled as to its fleece, and so was Christ unspoiled. Men might have sought to shear Him of His glories, but God raised Him from the dead and decisively vindicated Him.

And who shall declare His generation? for He was cut off out of the land of the living- as Son of God and King of Israel the Lord Jesus had a double generation. He is the Only begotten Son of God, and He is the true Son of David. But these things were denied by the rulers of the nation, and He was cut off out of the land of the living, where those things should be known and recognised. How will they be declared? The answer is in resurrection, for the gospel makes known that He was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”, Romans 1:3,4. So the answer to the prophet’s question. “who shall declare His generation?” is, “Those who preach the gospel will declare His generation, for it is at the heart of the gospel message”. Even His cutting off showed Him to be the Messiah the Prince of whom Gabriel spoke, Daniel 9:26. Moses had offered to be blotted out of the book that God had written, meaning the book of those who living upon the earth. In other words, he offered to die for the people. This was refused however, lest anything detract from the death of Christ for the nation. He really was cut off.
For the transgression of My people was He stricken- the prophet is quick to tell us why He died. Not because of rebellion against authority, but the rebellion of those who accused Him, and the rest of the nation besides. God has used their wickedness to further His goodness. As Joseph said to his brothers after they had been put through tribulation for having betrayed him, and after they had realised that he was lord, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive”, Genesis 50:20.

53:9 And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.

And He made His grave with the wicked- verses 7 and 8 have described the way men treated the Lord Jesus. They oppressed and afflicted Him, sought to destroy His character, and at last took Him and slaughtered Him on a cross. In all this it seemed as if they were in control, and that He was the helpless victim of circumstances, but this verse tells us it was not so. The apostle Peter emphasised this on the day of Pentecost when he declared that the nation of Israel had by means of the wicked hands of the Gentiles crucified Him, and allowed that crucifixion process to continue until He was slain, Acts 2:23; they callously allowed Him to suffer, and only planned to curtail His sufferings because the feast day was near. There was another dimension to this, however, as Peter points out at the same time. The fact is that He was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Men were only allowed to do what they did because it was part of God’s plan. Indeed, the basis of God’s plan. Now Isaiah 53:10 tells us that the pleasure of the Lord prospers in the hand of the Lord Jesus. As God’s Firstborn Son, as well as His Only begotten Son, He was charged with the task of administering God’s affairs. Not in any dispassionate way, but personally, and a major part of those affairs involved Him in suffering of different sorts. He suffered in life, as earlier verses of the chapter have told us; He suffered in the three hours of darkness, as verse 5 has told us; He suffered injustice and cruelty at the hands of men, as verses 7 and 8 clearly show. But He not only suffered in these ways, as He carried out the will of His Father, He was in control as He did so. So, for instance, we find verses 7-9 alternate between passive and active. He was oppressed…He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. Passive in oppression and affliction, but active in not opening His mouth. He is brought…He is dumb. Men bring Him, and He passively allows this, but He actively remained as dumb. So also in verse 8. He is taken…He was cut off…stricken. But then the active, He made. Each time the active is the answer to the passive. So when He made His grave with the wicked, He was responding to something that He had passively allowed, but during which He was totally in control.

The question is, of course, in what way was He in control so that He made His grave with the wicked? And if He was in control in this matter, why did it not happen? And how can He make His grave with the wicked and with the rich at the same time? So tightly interwoven is this prophecy that it can be fulfilled in the experience of only one man.

We need to notice that the word wicked is in the plural, and the word rich is in the singular. So there are wicked men, and there is a rich man. The word for wicked used here is an actively bad person. We know that all have sinned, but not all set out to be actively bad. We are told in verse 12 that the Lord Jesus was “numbered with the transgressors”, and the word transgressors means persons who have broken away in revolt against just authority. The words are quoted by Mark when he describes the Lord Jesus being crucified between two thieves. So we begin to see a picture building up of Christ in some way making His grave with wicked men by being crucified. He submitted Himself to arrest, trial and execution, knowing that normally the end result of that process was to be flung unceremoniously, (and in company with the others crucified with Him), into a pit dug at the foot of the cross. But even though it is true that He submitted Himself to the process of arrest and all that followed, nonetheless He was in complete control of the situation. He did not call for the legions of angels that were at His disposal, Matthew 26:53. He did not allow His followers to try to prevent His arrest, and rebuked Peter for attempting it, and remedied the damage he had done with his sword. He could at any moment have passed through the midst of them and gone His way, as He had done several times during His ministry when the crowds were hostile. He did none of these things. And by thus not resisting He ensured that His grave would be with the others crucified with Him, even though this was a distasteful prospect, and normally to be avoided at all costs.

It is interesting to notice that the words “He was numbered with the transgressors” are quoted twice in the gospel records. Once by Mark as he records the crucifixion, as we have noted, but prior to that by the Lord Jesus as He is about to leave the Upper Room and make His way to Gethsemane, Luke 22:37. So these words bracket together the whole series of events from the arrest in Gethsemane, to the crucifixion at Golgotha.

There is a big problem, however, with this situation, and it is this. It is vitally important that the Lord Jesus be put in an easily identified and publicly-known grave, and, moreover, is put there on His own. If He is buried at the foot of the cross with the two thieves, who is to know whether He has risen from the dead? In theory those near of kin to the thieves could even come to the place, remove the body of their relative, and claim he had risen from the dead! And even if this is unlikely to be attempted, the followers of the Lord could be accused of doing the same, and pretending that He had risen.

There is also the consideration that the psalmist prophesied by the Spirit that God would not suffer His Holy One, meaning the Messiah, to see corruption, Psalm 16:10. There would certainly be corruption in a grave at the foot of the cross, with the remains of many criminals mingling together there. Now of course whilst the whole of creation is in the bondage of corruption, nonetheless only humans are morally corrupt. So the requirement is that the Lord Jesus must be buried in a marked grave, which has had no-one else in it before, and has no-one else in it whilst He is there. Only in this way can it be sure that the One who was put into it is the One who came out.

And with the rich in His death- how is this situation going to come about? It will be necessary for this grave to be more than a marked grave in the ground. It will need to be secure and unused. This involves expense, and the Lord Jesus had not the material resources to arrange for this to happen. Yet our passage says “He made His grave…with the rich in His death.” It is certainly not that He had influential friends who could rise to the occasion in this matter. His followers were poor, as He was. And yet in a real sense He does arrange this matter, for our passage says “He made His grave…with the rich”.

In the event, the rich individual pinpointed in this passage was Joseph of Arimathea. He was not a prominent member of the disciples that followed the Lord. In fact, he was only a disciple secretly, because he feared the Jews, and what they would think of him. For he was a counsellor, meaning that he was a member of the Sanhedrin, and as such was one of those spoken of in John 12:42,43, which reads, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God”. Luke records that “the same had not consented to the counsel and the deed of them”, Luke 23:51. The “them” referring to his fellow-members of the Sanhedrin.

He was assisted by a Pharisee, Nicodemus, who also was a secret disciple, and who is designated by John as “he that came to Jesus by night”, reminding us of his conversation with the Lord Jesus in John 3. He presumably was a member of the Sanhedrin since he is described as a ruler of the Jews, John 3:1. He seems to have had great influence amongst them as we see from John 7:45-53. The chief priests and Pharisees had sent officers to arrest the Lord Jesus, no doubt on the pretence that He had interrupted the temple services by crying out, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink”, verse 37. The officers returned without Him, and when the Pharisees protested at this, Nicodemus said, “Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? Thus he showed himself to be prepared to defend the interests of Christ in a small way, and to appeal for justice to be done. Things have changed, now, however, for he has to make a decision. He cannot be neutral about Christ any longer, and something makes him side with Christ publicly, like Joseph of Arimathea.

We might well ask ourselves what it is that convinced them of the genuineness of Christ’s claims. Remember, our answer must be in line with what the prophet said, which was, “He made His grave…with the rich in His death”. We notice that the words “in His death” are only applicable to His grave with the rich. The prophet did not say “He made His grave with the wicked in His death”. So to all intents and purposes He was destined for a grave with the wicked; but in the event, and by His own ordering, His grave was actually with the rich in His death.

We are told several things about the character of Joseph.

First, that he was a good man, the direct opposite of the wicked men between whom the Lord Jesus was crucified.

Second, that he was just man, meaning he was diligent in trying to keep the law, in direct contrast to the transgressors, who rebelled against all law. Third, he waited for the kingdom of God, showing that he had a longing for the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah.

Fourth, he was a rich man, so is a candidate for the role marked out in Isaiah 53.

Fifth, he was an honourable counsellor, which implies that, (as indeed was the case), there were members of the Sanhedrim who were not honourable. Sixth, he was prepared to make sacrifices, for he gave up his own tomb in favour of the carpenter from Nazareth.

Seventh, he came from secret discipleship to open and bold discipleship at last.

It is the first three qualities that we need to focus on. Now a reading of the gospel records will show that the whole council, meaning the Sanhedrin, of which Joseph was a member, were present at the first trial before Caiaphas. Matthew 26:59 reads, “Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death”. Here is the first test for Joseph. He is a just man, and he must ask himself whether justice is being done here. He is a good man, and must ask himself if the prisoner is being treated respectfully.
Now at some time during these proceedings Joseph made a stand. We read that he “had not consented to the counsel and deed of them”, Luke 23:51, the “them” meaning the other members of the Sanhedrim. Their deliberations, and what they had done, both by sins of omission and by commission, he disagreed with strongly. But there was more than the breaking of rules involved here. The prisoner is special, and is making dramatic claims. There was something about the way those claims were made that convinced Joseph. What that was is told us in the next phrases in Isaiah 53:9.

Because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth- the reason why Joseph came forward to offer his tomb, is because there was no violence with Christ, and because he came to believe that when He testified as to His person, there was no deceit in His mouth.

Peter tells us that “when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He suffered He threatened not”, 1 Peter 2:23. There was something about the way Christ presented Himself, His poise, His calm, His answers, and His restraint under the most intense provocation that so impressed Joseph, that he was resolved to distance himself from the decision of the Sanhedrim. It is too late to resign membership, but he can “bring forth works unto repentance” by honouring Christ in His death, and dustance himself from dishonour done to Him in His life by the nation.

The testimony of the Lord Jesus revolved around His claim to be the Son of God, and the Messiah, and the Son of Man. Joseph comes to believe that His claims were true, and resolves to act accordingly. His mind is made up, he must absolve himself from complicity in the crime of murdering the Son of God, by repentance and faith in Him, as Peter exhorted the rest of the nation to do at Pentecost, six weeks later.

Now this is very powerful testimony from within the council-chamber itself, and from one who was present as a member of that council. It is also a powerful rebuke for those who remained steadfast in their hostility towards Christ after His resurrection.

So it is that after the Lord Jesus had died Joseph steps boldly forward. And he becomes a strong incentive for the nation of a future day to reconsider their position, and do as he did, honour Christ as He should be honoured, by recognising His claims.

We ought to notice that when Peter quotes these words he enlarges them by the same Spirit who inspired Isaiah. Peter, who had been with the Lord Jesus through many experiences, says, “Who did no sin”, 1 Peter 2:22. It was not just violent sins that were absent; it was all sins altogether.

Fifth section
(e) 53:10-12 Christ’s achievements in resurrection.

53:10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt 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.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him- the word ‘yet’ takes us back in thought to verse 5, “He was bruised for our iniquities”, and also introduces a contrast to verses 7-9, where man seemed to be in control of events. As Peter pointed out on the Day of Pentecost, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain”, Acts 2:23. Men thought the arrangements were theirs, but it was far otherwise. Well before they had made their determinations, in eternity in fact, He had made His, and it was these that were carried out. In accordance with this prior determination, it was His good pleasure to bruise His Servant. It is true that men bruised Him physically, but this is bruising in the judicial and moral realm, a bruising for our iniquities, as verse 5 has told us. Of course, this does not mean that it gave God joy to deal with His Servant thus. But just as in our country certain criminals are detained “at the Queen’s pleasure”, meaning for as long as she sees fit, so Christ was dealt with in relation to our criminality, in the way our God saw fit.

He hath put Him to grief- the carrying of our sins, (that is, the taking responsibility for them), caused the Servant much grief. The load was heavy, and the grief bowed down His soul, but He accepted it, for it was His Father who was subjecting Him to it. Men caused Him grief to satisfy their wicked designs, as they tortured Him physically and mentally, but God put Him to grief to satisfy His eternal designs, as He gave Him the task of dealing with the sins of men. The nation of Israel will learn this in a day to come, and realise that Jesus of Nazareth was the object of eternal counsels, and that He was serving God in the matter of bearing sins, as no one else could. Far from being bowed down with His own sins, (as they thought), He was bowed down with theirs.
When Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin- the particular word for offering here is trespass offering, a form of sin offering which specially emphasised the idea of treachery and unfaithfulness. That treachery has been outlined in verses 7-9. How appropriate this is, for the nation of Israel, represented by its rulers, were guilty of the worst kind of treachery, the betrayal of the Son of God. It was Judas who acted for them and led them to Christ so they could arrest Him, but really, they were the betrayers. And Stephen, the first Christian martyr told them as much, for he said, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers”, Acts 7:52. Yet in the wonderful grace of God, the very one whom they betrayed, is the one who can forgive their betrayal of Him, for He has become their trespass offering, if they will have it.

He shall see His seed- on the basis of the fact that God bruised Him, put Him to grief, and made Him the effectual trespass offering, seven things result, (as indicated by the use of the word “shall”), and this is the first. It was always a cause of sadness to Israelites if they had no son and heir. We remember Abraham’s sad lament in Genesis 15:2, “I go childless”; that is, he was about to die, (or so he thought), and leave no heir. All that he had built up in his lifetime would be dispersed, and go to others. This was no doubt in the minds of those who looked on at Calvary. A young man dying childless, with no one to benefit from His life’s achievements. But how different it was to their view of it! Dying childless, yes; but with no one to benefit? Definitely not! He shall see His seed, but not physical children. We get a glimpse of this in John 21:5 when the Lord Jesus, raised from the dead, called out to His disciples as they came into shore in their boat, “Children, have ye any meat?” And in Hebrews 2:13 we hear Him quoting the words of Isaiah, “Behold, I and the children which God hath given Me”. This is a quotation from Isaiah 8:18. Isaiah had the task of warning the wicked king Ahaz of impending captivity at the hands of the Assyrians. As a sign to Israel, Isaiah was instructed by God to name his two sons in a particular way. One was to be Shear-jashub, a name which means “A remnant shall return”, and the other, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which means “In making haste to the spoil he hasteneth the prey”. So when Isaiah said to the nation, “Behold, I and the children which God hath given me”, they were a “sign and a wonder” to Israel. Maher-shalal-hash-baz was testimony that the Assyrian would indeed hasten to invade the land, and take them as a prey. The other son, however, was God’s promise that even though that happened, a remnant would return from captivity. So during the present age, believers from the nation of Israel are likewise a testimony to coming judgement on the nation in the form of the Great Tribulation, (and to a lesser extent the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70), and also to the fact that God will be favourable to His people and ensure that a remnant of them will know His salvation. And that remnant will constitute the seed who will inherit the promises to Abraham.

So He was “cut off out of the land of the living”, but in resurrection He has a spiritual seed, those to whom He passes on the benefits of that which He did in His life and His death. It is interesting to notice that the section of the trespass offering passage that deals with unfaithfulness and treachery, Leviticus 6:1-7, only allows a ram for an offering. Of course, if the ram dies, the line ends, and there will be no more additions to the flock by him. But in resurrection Christ takes up His life again, and can have a seed, for He does not abide alone, but brings forth much fruit, John 12:24.

He shall prolong His days- here is the second ‘shall’. Men cut Him off in the prime of life, but He will have a prolonging of life. And for how long? Psalm 21:4 says, “He asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it Him, even length of days for ever and ever”. There are two reasons why He lives for ever. First, because He has died unto sin once, and has robbed it of its power to dominate either Him or His people. He now lives only to God, the question of sin forever settled at Calvary, Romans 6:10. Second, having willingly subjected Himself to death, He has reasserted His Divine right to live for ever. As He said to John, “I am He that liveth”, (which means He is the living one, not simply that He is alive now- He is eternal life personified, 1 John 1:2). “And was dead”, (temporarily and necessarily, so as to deal with death, and sin its cause); “and behold, I am alive for evermore”, (for He has taken His life again, never to relinquish it), Revelation 1:18. He who is “the Same”, the unvarying and eternal one, is the same “yesterday”, when He was on earth, “today”, now that He is in heaven, and “for ever”, when heaven and earth have passed away, Hebrews 13:8.

And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand- the third ‘shall’. At the outset of the Servant passage we were told that “My Servant shall deal prudently”, where the thought is that He would so deal with His master’s matters that they would prosper. And here we are told that in resurrection, as in life, the Father’s interests would be faithfully served by His Servant. We read that “the Father loveth the Son, and hath committed all things into His hand”, John 3:35. As God’s firstborn, He is charged with the duty of administering the Father’s affairs, and this He has done, and will do, effectively and faithfully, so that those affairs prosper. We read several things about the hands of Joseph, and the first one is that “the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand”, Genesis 39:3. This is a faint foreshadowing of how Christ would be. The Lord Jesus has still much to do, and here is the assurance that all to which He sets His hand will prosper.

53:11 He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.

He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied- we come now to the fourth ‘shall’. Travail means hard work, and does not refer to childbirth. The Servant has been diligent, and now He can see the results of His labours. The first recorded words of the Lord Jesus were, “How is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?”, Luke 2:49. These words were spoken before He had embarked on His public ministry, but nonetheless His life was devoted to the interests of His Father. This is one reason why the commendation came to Him at His baptism, “well pleased”, for He had shown Himself to be faithful in obscurity. He showed Himself faithful amidst publicity, too, so that just before He delivered His spirit to God He could say, “It is finished”. All that the Father had given Him to do up to that point had been faithfully carried out.

Note that it is the travail of His soul. Three times over we read of the soul of the Lord Jesus in this passage. In verse 10, “Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin”. In verse 12, “He hath poured out His soul unto death”, and this verse speaks of the travail of His soul. Since the other two references are to His death, it is likely that this one is too. As He contemplated Calvary, the Lord Jesus said, “Now is My soul troubled”, John 12:27. And in another place He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death”, Matthew 26:38. We learn from this how keenly He felt the burden that was His to bear. His was no casual labour. He loved the Lord His God with all His soul, Deuteronomy 6:5, and this was seen in the diligence of His service, even though the task was difficult.

When the nation of Israel has come into the good of what their Messiah did for them at Calvary, then He will see the result of His work. His heart shall be fully gratified as they turn to God in repentance and faith.
But we should remember that the great desire of this Servant is to please His God, and it is the pleasure of the Lord that shall prosper in His hand, verse 10. So the greatest soul-satisfaction that He shall enjoy is the knowledge that He has pleased His God in all things. We hear Him say, as He muses upon Calvary, “Now is My soul troubled: and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this cause came I unto this hour. ‘Father, glorify Thy name’. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again'”, John 12:27,28. Since the Father has indeed glorified His name through the death of His Son, then we may say that even now He sees the results of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied, and that satisfaction shall last for all eternity.

By His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many- the fifth ‘shall’. The Servant’s work was intelligent, as He dealt with the question of sin. He had Divine insight into the demands of God’s throne in regard to sin, and was uniquely placed to satisfy those demands. This He did, and those who believe are “justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”, Romans 3:24. It is appropriate that the one who is charged with the task of bringing in justification, should be described as God righteous servant. He can be relied on to act in righteousness in the matter. His death at Calvary was an act of righteousness, this being the meaning of the word ‘righteousness’ the apostle Paul used in Romans 5:18, where he wrote, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life”. In great contrast to the offending act of Adam when he sinned against God, the righteous act of Christ when He died for sins brings righteousness within the range of all men. When they believe, righteousness is imputed to them, and God’s reckoning of what they are can justly change. We should be truly grateful that grace reigns through righteousness, Romans 5:21, for that means that all Christ’s dealing in relation to the matter of sins, have been on a righteous basis. We may rest in His work with confidence, knowing that there is no matter outstanding to be settled later.

Not only is this great blessing available to men now, as the gospel of God’s grace is preached, but it will be available to the nation of Israel in the future. At present, they are “ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God”, Romans 10:3. But one day they will learn that “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth”, verse 4.
For He shall bear their iniquities- the sixth ‘shall’. We learn here that the basis upon which righteousness can be imputed is the sin-bearing of Christ at Calvary. The prophet has already told us that at the Calvary, “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all”, verse 6. Iniquity is perverseness, a departure from the right way, so we immediately see the connection between ‘not going right’, and ‘being reckoned right’. The apostle Peter made that connection when he wrote, “Who His own self bare our sins in His body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: ‘By whose stripes ye are healed’. For ye were ‘as sheep going astray’; but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls”, 1 Peter 2:24,25. Our response to Him bearing our sins, should be to live unto righteousness. Our Shepherd leads in the paths of righteousness, Psalm 23:3, and delivers us from moving in the wrong paths, the paths of perversity and iniquity. So being reckoned righteous has its practical day-by-day implications.

53:12 Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong- we now come to the final ‘shall’ of the end of the passage, and learn that as a result of God doing something, the Servant does another. The thing that God does is divide Him a portion with the great; the thing He does is to divide the spoil with the strong. These two things happen for four reasons, with which the passage closes.

It is only to be expected that God, having been served so well by His Servant, should recompense Him. The passage had begun with a description of the servant as one exalted in position, extolled in praise, and very high in honour. But who are the ‘great’ and the ‘strong’ mentioned here? Some say this is a general statement, simply meaning that just as victors gain and divide the spoil, so He is the same. But we should remember the context of this chapter. It has in view the conversion of the nation of Israel as they at last realise that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed their true Messiah. In Daniel Chapter 7 we learn about the way the Lord Jesus will utterly destroy Gentile dominion, and set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. Daniel learned that “the Son of Man came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there will be given unto Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”, Daniel 7:13,14. Yet we read in verse 18 that “the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever”. And then in verse 27 we find that “the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him”.

Now it is true that elsewhere in the Book of Daniel, in the next chapter for instance, the word saint is used of an angel; see also the references to holy ones in 4:17,23, where the same word is being translated. But it is also true that Scripture is definite that “unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come”, Hebrews 2:5. So we know that those who receive dominion in Daniel 7 are men, and not angels. They are described in a two-fold way, firstly as “the saints of the Most High”, verse 18, and then, “the people of the saints of the Most High”, verse 27, the word for people being in the singular. The title Most High is used of God in reference to His total supremacy, especially when it will be manifest during the reign of Christ on the earth. So the saints of the Most High are believers, and they reign for a thousand years with Christ. To identify them, an angel informed Daniel that they were a definite people, the people (consisting of) the saints of the Most High. This enables us to say that the reference is to the nation of Israel, restored and reconciled to their Messiah. And with this agrees the word of Revelation 20:6, which refers to those who have part in the first resurrection, and “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years”. The fact that they are priests explains why they are called saints, (for Aaron the high priest was called “the saint of the Lord”, Psalm 106:16), and the fact that they are kings explains why they take the kingdom.

So returning to Isaiah 53, we now know that God will divide to Christ the portion that is His due, and He, in turn, will divide the spoil with the strong. For His people will be willing in the day of His power, Psalm 110:3. How characteristic of Him to wish to share the results of His work with others.

Because He hath poured out His soul unto death- there are four reasons why God will honour Him in this way, and this is the first one, His total surrender of Himself to the death of the cross. He was “obedient unto death”, Philippians 2:8; not in the sense, of course, that He obeyed death in some way, as if under obligation to it, but rather, He was obedient to His Father even to the extreme of going to the death of the cross.

The expression “poured out His soul” would remind us of the words of God in Leviticus 17:11. After forbidding the Israelites to eat blood, He gives the reason, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”. So the blood is for the altar, for God, and not for the use of man. The reason being that it is the life of the animal. So when we read that the Servant poured out His soul unto death, we are to understand it to mean that He gave His life in sacrifice. His was total surrender to the will of God, with no holding back, or reserving of anything to Himself. The shedding of blood and the pouring out of the soul mean, for Him, the same thing.

The four expressions that conclude this Servant passage have a certain connection. They sum up what happened at Calvary. He poured out His soul in death; He was crucified between two thieves, and therefore numbered with the transgressors; He bare the sin of many in the hours of darkness on the cross; and He made intercession for the transgressors, praying, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do”. We may relate these things to what happened on the great Day of Atonement, which has future application to the nation of Israel, when they come into the good of Calvary. First, a bullock and a goat were slain before the Lord, meaning at the door of the tabernacle near the altar of burnt offering. The method of killing would comply with the requirement of Leviticus 17:11 quoted above, so that the blood was shed and collected in a bason. This blood would be taken and sprinkled on the Mercy Seat upon the ark, in the very presence of God. So the killing is before the Lord, and the sprinkling is in His presence also. So it was that at Calvary Christ was acting before the Lord, and the effect of what He did reached right into the presence of God.

And He was numbered with the transgressors- this phrase would emphasise that He was crucified, corresponding to the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell. We read, “And with Him they crucify two thieves; the one on His right hand, and the other on the left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors'”, Mark 27,28. Now the doctrine behind the crucifixion of Christ is that it is the setting aside of that which is of Adam, (represented by the two thieves), so that what is of God may take its place, as a result of the resurrection of Christ. When the Romans crucified a man they were saying, in effect, that they would not allow such a person in their society. Because man is a sinner, God cannot allow him into the society of heaven; he must be crucified. But that only cancels out what he is as a person, it does not admit to heaven. Something else is necessary. Those who gain heaven do so because they are associated by God with Christ in His crucifixion, when they believe. They are co-crucified with Christ. He was numbered with the transgressors that the transgressors, if they believe, may be numbered with Him.

And He bare the sin of many- here is the counterpart of the work of the scapegoat, upon whose head the sins of the nation of Israel were laid, figuratively, and who bare them into a land not inhabited. We are here reminded of the work of Christ during the hours of darkness, as He took responsibility for the totality of man’s sins, and endured the loneliness of the “land not inhabited” as a result, being forsaken of His God.

And made intercession for the transgressors- we read, “And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do'”, Luke 23:23,24. No doubt He was praying for the men who actually crucified Him, for they did not realise the implications of what they were doing. They were simply obeying orders. But there is surely a wider scope to His prayer. Why was He being crucified at all. It was because the princes of this world were ignorant, 1 Corinthians 2:8. As Peter would say later, “I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers”, Acts 3:17. And as Paul testified, as he described himself before he was saved, “but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief”, 1 Timothy 1:13. And herein lies hope for the nation of Israel, for the trespass offering was specifically said to be God’s provision for sins of ignorance, Leviticus 5:14. They may avail themselves of the sacrifice of their Messiah, encouraged by the fact that even when being crucified He had prayed for them. One of the uses to which the blood of the offering on the Day of Atonement was put was to sprinkle it upon the Altar of Incense which was before the Lord, Leviticus 16:18,19. See also Exodus 30:10. Incense was a symbol of prayer, (see Psalm 141:2), and the blood of Christ has secured the effectiveness of the prayers of the Messiah for His people.

“Behold, He cometh with clouds;

and every eye shall see Him,

and they also which pierced Him:

and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.

Even so, Amen”,

Revelation 1:7.

THE PERSON OF CHRIST His childhood

Luke2:40-52

This passage in Luke is the only inspired account of the boyhood of the Lord Jesus, giving insight into His attitude and behaviour as a youth.

The account corrects the apocryphal gospels that were written afterwards, in which fantastic and outlandish achievements were attributed to Christ. The apostles were led into all the truth by the Holy Spirit, John 16:13, and therefore during their lifetime no such gospels would be accepted. Once the true gospels had been written, the spurious were exposed as false, and rejected. Men like to drag them up in our day, in many cases basing popular and profitable novels and films on them. This is one of Satan’s ways of confusing men, and seeking to discredit the truth.

There were, according to Luke 1:1, those who with good intentions had written accounts of the Lord’s life. The four gospels replace these, and being sanctioned by the apostles, are the only ones inspired of God.

The passage includes the first recorded words of the Lord Jesus, and as such has special interest.

This event is the last at which Joseph is personally present, although he is mentioned later on, Matthew 13:55; John 6:42. It is suggested that he had died by the time Christ began His public ministry, although John 6:42 does indicate the people knew him. It does look as if Joseph was not alive at the time of the crucifixion, not only because he is not recorded as being there, whereas Mary was, but also because the Lord committed His mother to John, as if she had no husband to care for her.

The features that Luke notices about Joseph and Mary give some indication as to the sort of home in which the Lord Jesus and the other children of Mary grew up.

The Lord Jesus has left us an example that we should “follow His steps”, 1 Peter2:21. He is the perfect expression of that new sort of person our God expects us to be since we have “put on the new man”, Ephesians 4:24.

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE CHAPTER 2, VERSES 39 TO 45

2:39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.

2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.

2:41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.

2:42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

2:43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of it.

2:44 But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

2:45 And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

 

2:40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him.

And the child grew- so the Lord Jesus, brought back from being presented to the Lord at 40 days old, now grows up in every way in Nazareth. He grew physically as every normal child would be expected to do. God cannot be contained by even the heaven of heavens, 1 Kings 8:27, so there is no room for expansion with God as to His essence. But for the Lord Jesus, God manifest in flesh, there is. He grows because He is truly man.

And waxed strong in spirit- His enthusiasm and zeal for all things right and good was outstanding.

Filled with wisdom- intellectually and spiritually He was complete for each stage of His life. He was not “old before His years”, or “an old head on young shoulders”, but perfectly proper in His development at every period of His life. At each stage of His development He was as mature as He should be. There was no lapse, and yet neither was there anything of the prodigy about Him, so as to make Himself of reputation. Adam had never grown up, so He is superior to Adam even in this regard, and knows every experience we may know, from birth, (and perhaps even before, if the incident concerning the unborn John the Baptist in Luke 1:41 is a guide), through childhood and youth, until full-grown manhood.

And the grace of God was upon Him- this is the result of the foregoing. God looked upon Him with favour and approval. He was growing up before God as a tender plant, and as a root out of the dry ground of Israel, Isaiah 53:2.

2:41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.

Now His parents- Joseph and Mary were His legal parents, for they had married before He was born. The relationship was unique, however, and this is brought out and insisted upon by the Lord in verse 49. Luke and Matthew give to us insights as to the character of Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a just man, but also caring and considerate, Matthew 1:19. He was quick to obey God, 1:24, and was prepared to accept the reproach that being married to Mary involved. As for Mary, she was clearly pure, and chaste; she was well versed in the Old Testament, as her song shows, Luke 1:46-55. She was willing to accept the stigma of bearing a child whose father, as far as men were concerned, was not known. Yet for all that she sang praise to God in the midst of it all. They were a remarkable and godly couple, and well-fitted for the task of bringing up the Lord Jesus.

Went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover- this shows they were devout Israelites, appreciating that God had placed His name at Jerusalem, Deuteronomy 16:6, and careful to observe the law which required them to be present at the feasts three times a year, Deuteronomy 16:16. When God said “three times ye shall…” He was referring to three seasons, for the feasts of Jehovah were in three sets, and Israelites were expected to be present at them all. Not all the women in Israel went up to the feasts, for God had said “all the males”, but Mary was clearly not content to stay behind.

2:42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast.

And when He was twelve years old- it was at the age of 13 that Jewish boys had what was known as Bar Mitzvah, and they became “sons of the Law”. A ceremony was enacted, at which the young boy would read from the law, and other procedures would take place which formally introduced him into the public life of the nation. Significantly, Luke does not tell us about this, but rather tells us what took place before.  He was writing of one who, although subject to the Law of God, had come in grace to redeem from the Law, Galatians 4:4,5.  It was not unusual  for boys to go for the first time to the Passover a year or two earlier than age 13, and this is the case with the Child Jesus, as Luke calls Him in the next verse. He was eager and willing to accept the responsibilities that being a male in Israel brought.

They went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast- thus showing themselves to be careful observers of all that God had required of the nation. They were grateful for His deliverance at the time of the original Passover, and now they go to express their appreciation by taking a lamb to be offered on the altar. Notice that it is not said He was taken to Jerusalem; it is almost as if it was a foregone conclusion that He would go. So “they” means the three of them. The three of them had gone to Jerusalem when He was 40 days old, but then it is said He was brought, Luke 2:22.

They went according to the custom of the feast. In after years, the Lord Jesus went into the synagogue “as His custom was”, Luke 4:16; into the Mount of Olives to pray “as was His custom”, Luke22:39. So whether it was to worship, to listen to the word of God and teach it, or to pray, His were holy habits. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, “as the manner (the word is the same as custom) of some is”, Hebrews 10:25. Some attend as a matter of custom, which is good, whereas others absent themselves as a matter of custom, which is not good.

2:43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of it.

And when they had fulfilled the days- there was nothing half-hearted about their attendance. They were eager to stay as long as the ceremonies continued, lingering in the courts of the Lord as those who loved to be there. This is not to say that the worshippers were required to spend the whole of the seven days of the feast in Jerusalem, for the main events took place at the beginning, with the offering of the Passover lambs. So most would go home, as Mary and Joseph did.

The psalmist exclaimed, “My soul longeth, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, Psalm 84;2, and reckoned that to spend one day there was worth more than a thousand days elsewhere, verse 10. We do well if we capture something of their enthusiasm. As the pilgrims made their way to Jerusalem they would sing psalms, and in particular the Psalms of Degrees, Psalms 120-134.

As they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and Joseph and His mother knew not of it- despite the zeal of Joseph and Mary, it was exceeded by the Lord Jesus. Indeed, it was said of Him later that the zeal of the Lord’s house had eaten Him up, John2:17.

2:44 But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance.

But they, supposing Him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey- this is a very telling insight into the character of the Lord Jesus. Clearly, for 12 years the Lord had never given Joseph and Mary any cause for alarm. He had always acted responsibly, and could always be relied upon and trusted. He never got into mischief, nor did He lead others into it. It was because they knew this that his parents assumed he would be in the company, by which is meant the caravan of people returning to Nazareth from the feast.

And they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance- this shows that He had never been known to get into bad company. There was plenty of this in Nazareth, but He had always kept Himself separate. So His parents are confident that they will find Him amongst their relatives and friends, fellow devout worshippers who have been to Jerusalem with them.

2:45 And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

And when they found Him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking Him- having been unable to find Him in the company, they naturally return to Jerusalem, no doubt by this time very worried. Many thoughts must have raced through their minds. Has He proved Himself an unfaithful son after all? Has He been intercepted, perhaps by Herod’s soldiers, as the circumstances of His birth are recalled, and the claim that He was King of the Jews remembered? Mary may also have thought of the words of Simeon about the sword piercing her soul, Luke2:35, and feared the worst. They would reproach themselves also for not having guarded Him as perhaps they should.

 

THE WORDS OF THE BIBLE, THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES, AS FOUND IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE CHAPTER 2, VERSES 46 TO 52

2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

2:47 And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

2:48 And when they saw Him, they were amazed: and His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

2:49 And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?

2:50 And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them.

2:51 And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

 

2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

And it came to pass, that after three days- they went a day’s journey before they discovered He was not with them, verse 44. They would take almost a day’s journey to return, (even though no doubt they walked more quickly now, as they began to panic). Now the third day has arrived. According to Jewish reckoning a part of a day was counted as a whole day.

They found Him in the temple- when He came into the world, “He came unto His own”, John 1:11. This means His own things. He had come to His own land, for it was Immanuel’s land, Isaiah 7:14, 8:8, and He was Immanuel, Matthew 1:23. He came to His own throne, for He was sole heir of it, but He was refused as King. He now comes to the temple, which is His Father’s House, John2:16, and yet does not assert Himself as He will do when He purges it twice over during His ministry, John2:14-16; Matthew21:12,13.

Sitting in the midst of the doctors- these were the teachers of the law of Moses. He was not admiring the architecture, as the disciples did later, Matthew24:1. His primary interest was in the law of the Lord, as Psalm 1:2 said, “In His law doth He meditate day and night”. He was not a half-hearted bystander, merely curious about what was going on, for He was in the midst, for those who had an interest were no doubt invited to come closer, and this He did. On the Sabbaths and feast days the rabbis came out onto the terrace in the temple courts to teach any who cared to listen. This shows that Joseph and Mary did not stay the whole seven days of the feast, for this teaching would not have been taking place after the feast was over.

Both hearing them- He does not attempt to teach, for His public ministry had not begun. Then it would be said that “He taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes”, Matthew 7:28,29. They “marvelled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth”, Luke 4:22, and on another occasion said, “Never man spake like this man”, John 7:46. On another occasion the authorities were baffled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned”, John 7:15. He did not attend the Rabbi’s classes, and therefore in their eyes was unlearned. They dismissed the common people as those who know not the law and are cursed”, John 7:49, and He would be reckoned one of the common people. The difference between Himself and the scribes was that He was God’s Son, and spoke the words His Father wished Him to speak, John 8:26-28.

In His ministry the Lord Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of those in authority in Israel, Matthew 15:7-9, but He never tried to prevent the people listening to them. His words were, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not”, Matthew 23:2,3.

And asking them questions- He is genuinely interested in their opinion on the various aspects of the law they would have been discussing. We must not think that because He is God, then He as man “knows it all”, for that would detract from the reality of His true manhood. One of the best ways to learn is to ask questions, as long as it done in the spirit of genuine enquiry, and not in a spirit of unbelief like Satan in Genesis 3:1.

2:47 And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.

And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers- there was not one of the learned doctors that was not impressed with the fact that by His questions it was obvious that He thought deeply about the Scriptures. They could tell by the nature of His enquiries that His was no casual interest and insight. Not only was it the practice to allow questions from those learning, but also to ask questions, so that it could be assessed how much was being taken in. When this was done it became obvious that His answers disclosed a deep knowledge of the things of God. For a carpenter’s son from Nazareth, as they though Him to be, this was remarkable.

2:48 And when they saw Him, they were amazed: and His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing.

And when they saw Him, they were amazed- as bystanders, Joseph and Mary look on at this remarkable scene. They seem not to have had any inkling that He had these abilities, for He had made Himself of no reputation, even with them. Strangely, they do not seem to think that His being with the doctors was an explanation for His staying behind when they left to go home after the feast.

And His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us?- their anxiety, panic, frustration, and self-reproach now changes to a feeling of slight censure. By her question Mary implies that He had not dealt with them as He should.

Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing- can it be that the one who has always been such a model son, all that godly parents could wish for, has now shown Himself less than thoughtful? They need to learn the perfect balance He keeps between duty to His parents, and duty to His God. He will not allow anything to detract from the latter. It is right to have natural affection, for the absence of it is one of the evil features of the last days, in2 Timothy 3:3, but love to God must come first.

There are two elements in this question from Mary that need a response. The first is “Thy father”, and the second is “sought Thee”.

2:49 And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me? wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?

And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me?- the two matters that need addressing in Mary’s remark are dealt with together. How is it that you have been so long in finding Me? Should you not have come first to the temple where I was most likely to be? It is a challenge to every believer to ask, “If others knew not where I was, where would they look first?”

Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?- “wist” means “to know without being told”. They should have known by His previous history that that was where His interests lay. And as for “thy father”, meaning Joseph, the Lord is quick to safeguard His unique relationship with God. Really speaking He knows but one Father. To further His interests and to be involved in them, even when not publicly manifested to Israel, was His delight. This is the first recorded statement from the lips of the Lord Jesus, and is characteristic of Him. He had come into the world with the words, “Lo, I come to do Thy will”, Hebrews 10:7, and one of His last sayings on the cross was, “It is finished”, John 19:30. Notice the perfect balance between His responsibility to parents and to His Father in heaven. He gently reminds them of His prior commitment to His Father in heaven. He obviously was confident that His previous life in the home had given them no cause for concern, so why should this incident be any different? Especially as they knew that a visit to the Temple would produce in Him devout feelings.

2:50 And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them.

And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them- the idea of God as Father was not well known to them. It is true that the psalmist likened the care of Jehovah for His people to the pity a father has for his children, Psalm 103:13, but the concept of God as Father was unknown. They might have deduced it from Proverbs 30:4, “What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, if thou canst tell”, but they clearly had not. Nor had they taken account of the words of the angel to Mary, “Therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”, Luke 1:35. They perhaps connected it with the word of God about Solomon, (since David was His father, Luke 1:32), “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son”, 2 Samuel 7:14. The idea of their boy being God manifest in flesh is not revealed to them yet. The eternal life which was with the Father is not yet manifest, for the beginning of that was at His baptism, when the Sonship of Christ was clearly made known from heaven in the ears of men.

Understood not- perhaps not until stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and claimed to be Messiah.

2:51 And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

And He went down with them- it is entirely appropriate for Him to do this now that His Father’s interests have been fostered. To have gone down with them when they left Jerusalem after the feast, would clearly have been wrong.

And came to Nazareth- He exchanges the holy precincts of the temple, with its worship and sacrifices, for the everyday life of Nazareth, yet He was able to grow up before His Father as a tender plant in both places.

And was subject unto them- He does not become subject unto them, as if His stay behind at Jerusalem was an example of insubjection. The verb “subject” is in the middle voice, telling us that it was an action He initiated Himself willingly. Subjection has the idea of obedience linked with it, so He kept the balance between obedience to His Father, and to His parents.

2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

And Jesus increased- this word means literally “to progress as a pioneer”. It speaks of steady and purposeful advance on the part of one who is earnest and determined.

In wisdom and stature- there was a perfectly balanced development of all His faculties, both mental and physical. This is the normal development of a real person. He had taken part of the same flesh and blood as other men, and yet He was at the same time God manifest in flesh. This, however, did not prevent Him being real man, sin apart. There are some who think that being God, the Lord Jesus did not need to learn. That He knew the alphabet without learning it, and so on. This verse refutes that idea, for He increased in wisdom.

Favour with God and man- the wise writer of the Book of Proverbs exhorts “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the table of thine heart: so shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”, Proverbs 3:3,4. It was not until His public ministry began, and His preaching exposed the sin of men, especially the ruling classes, that He began to be despised and rejected.

SPECIAL NOTE:

When God made man in the beginning, He made Him in His image and after His likeness. As the image of God Adam was to represent God to the rest of creation. As one after God’s likeness, he was to replicate God’s character. As such he had spirituality, able to appreciate Divine things, and relate to God in a meaningful and worshipful way. He also had rationality, with the ability to reason, decide, discriminate and advance in truth. He had personality, conscious of his relationship with God, and also self-conscious, aware of His responsibilities to the rest of God’s works. He had morality too, the ability to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong.

 Sadly, Adam sinned, despite these great abilities, and he no longer represented God adequately. This is why there needed to be the introduction of the “second man”, the Lord Jesus. He is “the image of the invisible God”, Colossians 1:15, and He displays perfectly the features of God, for He is “God manifest in flesh”, 1 Timothy 3:16. We see this illustrated in the account we have just looked at. We see His spirituality as He gravitates towards those who taught the law of God in the temple. His rationality as He astonishes the learned doctors with His understanding and answers. His personality is clearly seen as He carefully and respectfully sets the record straight with regard to His relationship to God His Father, and Mary and Joseph His parents. His pure morality is seen in that, despite going back to live in Nazareth, (“Can any good thing come out of Nazareth”? John 1:46), He lived there as one in favour with God, an impossible thing if He was anything less than impeccably upright.

At last there is Man upon the earth who pleases God totally. Yet there is placed upon His people of seeking to be like this, for they are to put on the new man, (likeness to Christ), having been created in righteousness and true holiness.