Isa 53:1 | MHM | STEP | The Humiliation of the Messiah. This section of Isaiah foretells how the Messiah would be received. In the previous chapter, Isaiah predicted that the Gentiles—people who had never heard about the Messiah—would welcome his message eagerly. But now, Isaiah is amazed that the Jewish people, who had many prophecies and the chance to know the Messiah personally, would not believe in him. The focus here is on how the message of Christ and the person of Christ would be rejected, despite every reason to accept him. v. 1 : Isaiah wonders, "Who has believed our report?" . Even though the gospel was proclaimed openly, very few truly believed it. This was fulfilled in Jesus’ time when most Jewish leaders, and only a few people, followed him (John 12:38 ). The same thing happened when the apostles spread the gospel—only a few accepted the message (Romans 10:16 ). Isaiah says that people do not believe because the arm of the Lord —God’s power—is not revealed to them. They do not recognize God’s power in the gospel or experience the work of the Spirit in their hearts. Some reject the light they have and, as a result, miss out on God's grace. This should make us sad and move us to pray, because it is tragic that such a valuable message is ignored and people miss the chance for salvation.

‏ Isaiah 53:1

The Humiliation of the Messiah.

This section of Isaiah foretells how the Messiah would be received. In the previous chapter, Isaiah predicted that the Gentiles—people who had never heard about the Messiah—would welcome his message eagerly. But now, Isaiah is amazed that the Jewish people, who had many prophecies and the chance to know the Messiah personally, would not believe in him. The focus here is on how the message of Christ and the person of Christ would be rejected, despite every reason to accept him.

v. 1: Isaiah wonders, "Who has believed our report?" . Even though the gospel was proclaimed openly, very few truly believed it. This was fulfilled in Jesus’ time when most Jewish leaders, and only a few people, followed him (John 12:38 ^a). The same thing happened when the apostles spread the gospel—only a few accepted the message (Romans 10:16 ^b). Isaiah says that people do not believe because the arm of the Lord—God’s power—is not revealed to them. They do not recognize God’s power in the gospel or experience the work of the Spirit in their hearts. Some reject the light they have and, as a result, miss out on God's grace. This should make us sad and move us to pray, because it is tragic that such a valuable message is ignored and people miss the chance for salvation.