Scripture References: Isaiah 53.10-12

In this chapter we find bound together the humiliation and exaltation of our Lord. Typical of the prophets as they spoke of His coming, Isaiah wrote:

He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. . . . Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong. – Isaiah 53:7, 12.

The same marvelous depiction of our Savior as being humble and exalted is found in the apostles. Typical of the presentation is the passage of Scripture found in Philippians:

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. – Philippians 2:5-11.

In Revelation the Apostle John says:

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. – Revelation 1:17-18.

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” – Revelation 5:11-13.

The Suffering Lamb

Our highest imagination cannot enter into the glory nor comprehend the exaltation from where He came. The immeasurable distance between the glory of our Lord in heaven and the shame to which He descended in earth is beyond human understanding. He was made in the form of a man who is composed of the dust of the ground. He became a servant. Finally, our Lord was sentenced to execution in a death reserved for criminals and felons. He was raised between the heaven and the earth as though both heaven and earth rejected Him.

As though abuse were not vile enough, the cruel jeering crowd covered Him with spittle. They also plucked out His beard. Going further, they crowned Him with thorns, and as though the thorns were not agonizing enough, He was pierced through with a Roman spear. It was the earth’s saddest hour and it was humanity’s deepest, darkest day. At about 3:00 P.M. it was all over. The Lord of life bowed His head and the light of the world flickered out.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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