Why is a text like this one particularly timely to meditate on at Christmas time?
According to Isaiah 53:2, Jesus came into the world as an ordinary, typical, not-that- impressive, poor person. Why do you think that He did that? What are the implications of this reality for us?
According to Isaiah 53:3-4, Jesus was despised and rejected. Why do you think that being rejected by others is such a painful part of the human experience? Why do you think that Jesus entered into this particular part of the human experience?
Isaiah 53:4 seems to attribute Jesus’s death not primarily to the Roman soldiers, or civil governors, or to the Jewish religious leaders, or to Satan - but rather to God Himself. Why is this significant? Why does it matter?
Isaiah 53:5-7 uses verbs like stricken, smitten, afflicted, pierced, crushed, chastised, wounded, and oppressed, when describing Jesus’s death for sin. What kinds of emotional responses do these words evoke?
Isaiah 53:10-11 seems to anticipate that Isaiah’s servant will live again, after he dies as a sacrifice for his people. How does Jesus fulfill these verses? Why is Jesus’s resurrection such an important part of the gospel?
Isaiah 53:12 uses the illustration of a warrior returning from battle, and enjoying the spoils of victory. How does this illustration describe Jesus, and what He accomplished on the cross?