Judas Iscariot is typically remembered for one thing:
his betrayal of Jesus.
He was one of the twelve disciples who lived with and followed Jesus for three years. He witnessed Jesus’ ministry, His teaching, and His many miracles. He was the treasurer for the group and used this trusted position to steal from their resources (John 12:6).
Judas was a common name in that era, and there are several other Judases mentioned in the New Testament.
One of the other disciples was named Judas (John 14:22), and so was one of
Jesus’ own half-brothers (Mark 6:3).
To differentiate, John 6:71 and John 13:26 refer to Christ’s betrayer
as “Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.”
Scholars have several ideas about the derivation of the surname. One is that Iscariot refers to Kerioth, a region or town in Judea. Another idea is that it refers to the Sicarii, a cadre of assassins among the Jewish rebels.
The possible association with the Sicarii allows for interesting speculation about Judas’ motives for his betrayal, but the fact that he made a conscious choice to betray Jesus (Luke 22:48) remains the same. The surname Iscariot is useful, if for no other reason, in that it leaves no doubt about which Judas is being referred to.
Here are some of the facts we glean from key verses about Judas and his betrayal:
Money was important to Judas.
As already mentioned, he was a thief, and, according to Matthew 26:13–15, the chief priests paid him “thirty silver coins” to betray the Lord.
Jesus knew from the very beginning what Judas Iscariot would do.
Jesus told His disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). And at the Last Supper, Jesus predicted His betrayal and identified the betrayer: “Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon” (John 13:26).
Jesus said that Judas Iscariot was not “clean”; i.e., he had not been born again and was not forgiven of his sins (John 13:10–11). In fact, Judas was empowered to do what he did by the devil himself: “As soon as Judas took the bread [that Jesus had given him], Satan entered into him” (John 13:27).
The other disciples had no clue that Judas Iscariot harbored treacherous thoughts. When Jesus mentioned a betrayer in their midst, the other disciples worried that it was they who would prove disloyal (John 13:22). No one suspected Judas. He was a trusted member of the Twelve. Even when Jesus told Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly,” (John 13:27), and Judas left the Last Supper, the others at the table simply thought Judas had been sent to buy more food or to give something to charity (verses 28–29).
Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord with a kiss, perfectly in keeping with his brazen duplicity (Luke 22:47–48). After committing his atrocious act, Judas “was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders” (Matthew 27:3). But we learn that remorse does not equal repentance—rather than make amends or seek forgiveness, “he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
Judas Iscariot fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (cf. John 13:18). Yet Judas was fully responsible for his actions. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Matthew 27:6–8 reports that the chief priests took the “blood money” from Judas and bought a potter’s field as a place for burying foreigners (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12–13). Acts 1:18–19 continues the story of what happened after Judas’ death and gives some additional information. Luke reports, “With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.” The additional detail we learn from Luke is that, after Judas hanged himself, his dead body fell into the very field purchased with his ill-gotten gains.
Given the fact of Judas’ close proximity to Jesus during three years of ministry, it is hard to imagine how he could follow through on such a dastardly betrayal. Judas’ story teaches us to guard against small, gradual failings that gain strength and power in our lives and that could open the door to more deadly influences. His story is also a great reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Jesus taught, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly,
"I never knew you."
Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22–23).
While we cannot be absolutely certain why Judas betrayed Jesus,
some things are certain. First, although Judas was chosen to be one of the Twelve (John 6:64), all scriptural evidence points to the fact that he never believed Jesus to be God. He even may not have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (as Judas understood it).
Unlike the other disciples that called Jesus “Lord,” Judas never used this title for Jesus and instead called him “Rabbi,” which acknowledged Jesus as nothing more than a teacher.
While other disciples at times made great professions of faith and loyalty (John 6:68; 11:16), Judas never did so and
appears to have remained silent.
This lack of faith in Jesus is the foundation for all other considerations listed below.
The same holds true for us. If we fail to recognize Jesus as God incarnate, and therefore the only One who can provide forgiveness for our sins—and the eternal salvation that comes with it--
we will be subject to numerous other problems
that stem from a wrong view of God.
Second, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ,
but he also had little or no personal relationship with Jesus.
When the synoptic gospels list the Twelve, they are always listed in the same general order with slight variations (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16). The general order is believed to indicate the relative closeness of their personal relationship with Jesus.
Despite the variations, Peter and the brothers James and John are always listed first, which is consistent with their relationships with Jesus.
Judas is always listed last, which may indicate his relative lack of a personal relationship with Christ.
Additionally, the only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas involves Judas being rebuked by Jesus after his greed-motivated
remark to Mary (John 12:1-8),
Judas’ denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25),
and the betrayal itself (Luke 22:48).
Third, Judas was consumed with greed to the point of betraying the trust of not only Jesus, but also his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5-6. Judas may have desired to follow Jesus simply because he saw the great following and believed he could profit from collections taken for the group. The fact that Judas was in charge of the moneybag for the group would indicate his interest in money (John 13:29).
Additionally, Judas, like most people at the time, believed the Messiah was going to overthrow Roman occupation and take a position of power ruling over the nation of Israel. Judas may have followed Jesus hoping to benefit from association with Him as the new reigning political power.
No doubt he expected to be among the
ruling elite after the revolution.
By the time of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus had made it clear that He planned to die, not start a rebellion against Rome. So Judas may have assumed—just as the Pharisees did—that since He would not overthrow the Romans, He must not be the Messiah they were expecting.
There are a few Old Testament verses that point to the betrayal, some more specifically than others. Here are two:
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9, see fulfillment in Matthew 26:14, 48-49). Also, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’--the handsome price at which they priced me!' So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter” (Zechariah 11:12-13; see Matthew 27:3-5 for the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy). These Old Testament prophecies indicate that Judas’ betrayal was known to God and that it was sovereignly planned beforehand as the means by which Jesus would be killed.
But if Judas’ betrayal was known to God, did Judas have a choice, and is he held responsible for his part in the betrayal?
It is difficult for many to reconcile the concept of “free will” (as most people understand it) with God’s foreknowledge of future events, and this is largely due to our limited experience of going through time in a linear fashion.
If we see God as existing outside of time, since He created everything before “time” began, then we can understand that God sees every moment in time as the present.
We experience time in a linear way--
we see time as a straight line, and we pass from one point gradually to another, remembering the past we have already traveled through, but unable to see the future we are approaching.
However, God, being the eternal Creator of the construct of time, is not “in time” or on the timeline, but outside of it.
It might help to think of time (in relation to God) as a circle with God being the center and therefore equally close to all points.
In any case, Judas had the full capacity of making his choice—at least up to the point where “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27)—and God’s foreknowledge (John 13:10, 18, 21) in no way supersedes Judas’ ability to make any given choice. Rather, what Judas would choose eventually, God saw as if it was a present observation, and Jesus made it clear that Judas was responsible for his choice and would be held accountable for it. “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me” (Mark 14:18).
Notice that Jesus characterizes Judas’ participation as a betrayal. And regarding accountability for this betrayal Jesus said, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!
It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). Satan, too, had a part in this, as we see in John 13:26-27, and he, too, will be held accountable for his deeds.
God in His wisdom was able, as always, to manipulate even Satan’s rebellion for the benefit of mankind. Satan helped send Jesus to the cross, and on the cross sin and death were defeated, and now God’s provision of salvation is freely available to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
A number of years ago, a chaplain in a prison was preaching a message and he asked again and again this probing question, "Who killed Jesus?" And it was one of those kind of Bible studies and messages where there were some give and take. So the prisoners volunteered some of the information, one of them said, "It was the Jews or maybe the Jewish leaders that killed Jesus. It was the Romans or Pontius Pilate killed Jesus. It was, it was Judas Iscariot that killed Jesus." And the pastor, the chaplain said, "You know, all that's true at one level, but ultimately it was his own father that killed him."
And the text he was looking at was Acts 2:23, it says there, Peter and the Pentecost sermon said that Jesus was "delivered over by God's set purpose and foreknowledge." his own father killed him, delivered over by his purpose. And the text we're looking at here, it says, that it was God's pleasure to do so. God was pleased to do this. To crush him and cause him to suffer." How can we understand these words? How can we understand a father who would take delight in the torturous death of his own Son? Why was it the pleasure of God to do this?
Well, we're going to answer that today in the text, but I can just say right away what the reason was, it was because of all the eternal glory that would come from that crushing and the incalculable joy that that crushing would win for you and me as children of the living God. It brought God pleasure to be exalted and glorified and magnified by that crushing and it brought God pleasure to
save a multitude from all over the world by that crushing.
In Isaiah 53, we have plainly, Jesus, the suffering servant cut off from the land of the living in Verse 8, and buried in Verse 9, assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. But then we see just victory and triumph flowing in these verses, just the triumph of all of this.
In Verse 10, "He will see his offspring, his children, the fruit of his labors, prolong his days." In Verse 11 he will see the light of life, and he will be satisfied with what he's done. In Verse 11, again, "He will justify many and he will bear their iniquities." In verse 12, "He will divide the spoils with the strong." An incalculable, just river of blessings flowing from this crushing, this the single greatest act in all of history. Christ took on Satan's dark kingdom and defeated it.
Christ took on the holy law of God, which was set against us and condemned us, and he satisfied its demands. Christ took on the dark realm of the grave and rose triumphant from it.
Christ, the victor will receive the spoils for all eternity. We get to Verse 12, "Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great and he will divide the spoils with the strong."
Now, no chapter in the Bible so clearly predicts the spoils of that victory as Isaiah 53. But no chapter in the Bible, I think so clearly depicts the spoils as Revelation 5. And there in Revelation, you know that God the Father has the scroll, the title deed of the Earth sealed with seven seals, and no one is worthy to take the scroll or open it and then suddenly behold the lamb slain, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed, we're told. He is able to take that scroll and its seven seals and open it. And they sang a new song in that chapter, "And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.' Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"
That's why, that's why it was the Lord's pleasure to crush him.
A river of glory for God,
and joy and satisfaction for us, the redeemed.
So this now is the third sermon on this amazing prophecy. Isaiah 53 is the clearest chapter in the Bible. Old Testament or New Testament, on the central mechanism of our salvation, which is substitutionary atonement. The idea that our sin, our guilt, our wickedness can be transferred to a substitute, and his suffering death can completely atone for it all, that's the center piece of our salvation.
This eternal gospel, this timeless message of salvation through a substitute sent by God was proclaimed with crystal clarity 700 years before Jesus was born.
his betrayal of Jesus.
He was one of the twelve disciples who lived with and followed Jesus for three years. He witnessed Jesus’ ministry, His teaching, and His many miracles. He was the treasurer for the group and used this trusted position to steal from their resources (John 12:6).
Judas was a common name in that era, and there are several other Judases mentioned in the New Testament.
One of the other disciples was named Judas (John 14:22), and so was one of
Jesus’ own half-brothers (Mark 6:3).
To differentiate, John 6:71 and John 13:26 refer to Christ’s betrayer
as “Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.”
Scholars have several ideas about the derivation of the surname. One is that Iscariot refers to Kerioth, a region or town in Judea. Another idea is that it refers to the Sicarii, a cadre of assassins among the Jewish rebels.
The possible association with the Sicarii allows for interesting speculation about Judas’ motives for his betrayal, but the fact that he made a conscious choice to betray Jesus (Luke 22:48) remains the same. The surname Iscariot is useful, if for no other reason, in that it leaves no doubt about which Judas is being referred to.
Here are some of the facts we glean from key verses about Judas and his betrayal:
Money was important to Judas.
As already mentioned, he was a thief, and, according to Matthew 26:13–15, the chief priests paid him “thirty silver coins” to betray the Lord.
Jesus knew from the very beginning what Judas Iscariot would do.
Jesus told His disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). And at the Last Supper, Jesus predicted His betrayal and identified the betrayer: “Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon” (John 13:26).
Jesus said that Judas Iscariot was not “clean”; i.e., he had not been born again and was not forgiven of his sins (John 13:10–11). In fact, Judas was empowered to do what he did by the devil himself: “As soon as Judas took the bread [that Jesus had given him], Satan entered into him” (John 13:27).
The other disciples had no clue that Judas Iscariot harbored treacherous thoughts. When Jesus mentioned a betrayer in their midst, the other disciples worried that it was they who would prove disloyal (John 13:22). No one suspected Judas. He was a trusted member of the Twelve. Even when Jesus told Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly,” (John 13:27), and Judas left the Last Supper, the others at the table simply thought Judas had been sent to buy more food or to give something to charity (verses 28–29).
Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord with a kiss, perfectly in keeping with his brazen duplicity (Luke 22:47–48). After committing his atrocious act, Judas “was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders” (Matthew 27:3). But we learn that remorse does not equal repentance—rather than make amends or seek forgiveness, “he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).
Judas Iscariot fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (cf. John 13:18). Yet Judas was fully responsible for his actions. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).
Matthew 27:6–8 reports that the chief priests took the “blood money” from Judas and bought a potter’s field as a place for burying foreigners (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12–13). Acts 1:18–19 continues the story of what happened after Judas’ death and gives some additional information. Luke reports, “With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.” The additional detail we learn from Luke is that, after Judas hanged himself, his dead body fell into the very field purchased with his ill-gotten gains.
Given the fact of Judas’ close proximity to Jesus during three years of ministry, it is hard to imagine how he could follow through on such a dastardly betrayal. Judas’ story teaches us to guard against small, gradual failings that gain strength and power in our lives and that could open the door to more deadly influences. His story is also a great reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Jesus taught, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly,
"I never knew you."
Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22–23).
While we cannot be absolutely certain why Judas betrayed Jesus,
some things are certain. First, although Judas was chosen to be one of the Twelve (John 6:64), all scriptural evidence points to the fact that he never believed Jesus to be God. He even may not have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (as Judas understood it).
Unlike the other disciples that called Jesus “Lord,” Judas never used this title for Jesus and instead called him “Rabbi,” which acknowledged Jesus as nothing more than a teacher.
While other disciples at times made great professions of faith and loyalty (John 6:68; 11:16), Judas never did so and
appears to have remained silent.
This lack of faith in Jesus is the foundation for all other considerations listed below.
The same holds true for us. If we fail to recognize Jesus as God incarnate, and therefore the only One who can provide forgiveness for our sins—and the eternal salvation that comes with it--
we will be subject to numerous other problems
that stem from a wrong view of God.
Second, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ,
but he also had little or no personal relationship with Jesus.
When the synoptic gospels list the Twelve, they are always listed in the same general order with slight variations (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16). The general order is believed to indicate the relative closeness of their personal relationship with Jesus.
Despite the variations, Peter and the brothers James and John are always listed first, which is consistent with their relationships with Jesus.
Judas is always listed last, which may indicate his relative lack of a personal relationship with Christ.
Additionally, the only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas involves Judas being rebuked by Jesus after his greed-motivated
remark to Mary (John 12:1-8),
Judas’ denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25),
and the betrayal itself (Luke 22:48).
Third, Judas was consumed with greed to the point of betraying the trust of not only Jesus, but also his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5-6. Judas may have desired to follow Jesus simply because he saw the great following and believed he could profit from collections taken for the group. The fact that Judas was in charge of the moneybag for the group would indicate his interest in money (John 13:29).
Additionally, Judas, like most people at the time, believed the Messiah was going to overthrow Roman occupation and take a position of power ruling over the nation of Israel. Judas may have followed Jesus hoping to benefit from association with Him as the new reigning political power.
No doubt he expected to be among the
ruling elite after the revolution.
By the time of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus had made it clear that He planned to die, not start a rebellion against Rome. So Judas may have assumed—just as the Pharisees did—that since He would not overthrow the Romans, He must not be the Messiah they were expecting.
There are a few Old Testament verses that point to the betrayal, some more specifically than others. Here are two:
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9, see fulfillment in Matthew 26:14, 48-49). Also, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’--the handsome price at which they priced me!' So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter” (Zechariah 11:12-13; see Matthew 27:3-5 for the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy). These Old Testament prophecies indicate that Judas’ betrayal was known to God and that it was sovereignly planned beforehand as the means by which Jesus would be killed.
But if Judas’ betrayal was known to God, did Judas have a choice, and is he held responsible for his part in the betrayal?
It is difficult for many to reconcile the concept of “free will” (as most people understand it) with God’s foreknowledge of future events, and this is largely due to our limited experience of going through time in a linear fashion.
If we see God as existing outside of time, since He created everything before “time” began, then we can understand that God sees every moment in time as the present.
We experience time in a linear way--
we see time as a straight line, and we pass from one point gradually to another, remembering the past we have already traveled through, but unable to see the future we are approaching.
However, God, being the eternal Creator of the construct of time, is not “in time” or on the timeline, but outside of it.
It might help to think of time (in relation to God) as a circle with God being the center and therefore equally close to all points.
In any case, Judas had the full capacity of making his choice—at least up to the point where “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27)—and God’s foreknowledge (John 13:10, 18, 21) in no way supersedes Judas’ ability to make any given choice. Rather, what Judas would choose eventually, God saw as if it was a present observation, and Jesus made it clear that Judas was responsible for his choice and would be held accountable for it. “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me” (Mark 14:18).
Notice that Jesus characterizes Judas’ participation as a betrayal. And regarding accountability for this betrayal Jesus said, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man!
It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). Satan, too, had a part in this, as we see in John 13:26-27, and he, too, will be held accountable for his deeds.
God in His wisdom was able, as always, to manipulate even Satan’s rebellion for the benefit of mankind. Satan helped send Jesus to the cross, and on the cross sin and death were defeated, and now God’s provision of salvation is freely available to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.
A number of years ago, a chaplain in a prison was preaching a message and he asked again and again this probing question, "Who killed Jesus?" And it was one of those kind of Bible studies and messages where there were some give and take. So the prisoners volunteered some of the information, one of them said, "It was the Jews or maybe the Jewish leaders that killed Jesus. It was the Romans or Pontius Pilate killed Jesus. It was, it was Judas Iscariot that killed Jesus." And the pastor, the chaplain said, "You know, all that's true at one level, but ultimately it was his own father that killed him."
And the text he was looking at was Acts 2:23, it says there, Peter and the Pentecost sermon said that Jesus was "delivered over by God's set purpose and foreknowledge." his own father killed him, delivered over by his purpose. And the text we're looking at here, it says, that it was God's pleasure to do so. God was pleased to do this. To crush him and cause him to suffer." How can we understand these words? How can we understand a father who would take delight in the torturous death of his own Son? Why was it the pleasure of God to do this?
Well, we're going to answer that today in the text, but I can just say right away what the reason was, it was because of all the eternal glory that would come from that crushing and the incalculable joy that that crushing would win for you and me as children of the living God. It brought God pleasure to be exalted and glorified and magnified by that crushing and it brought God pleasure to
save a multitude from all over the world by that crushing.
In Isaiah 53, we have plainly, Jesus, the suffering servant cut off from the land of the living in Verse 8, and buried in Verse 9, assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death. But then we see just victory and triumph flowing in these verses, just the triumph of all of this.
In Verse 10, "He will see his offspring, his children, the fruit of his labors, prolong his days." In Verse 11 he will see the light of life, and he will be satisfied with what he's done. In Verse 11, again, "He will justify many and he will bear their iniquities." In verse 12, "He will divide the spoils with the strong." An incalculable, just river of blessings flowing from this crushing, this the single greatest act in all of history. Christ took on Satan's dark kingdom and defeated it.
Christ took on the holy law of God, which was set against us and condemned us, and he satisfied its demands. Christ took on the dark realm of the grave and rose triumphant from it.
Christ, the victor will receive the spoils for all eternity. We get to Verse 12, "Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great and he will divide the spoils with the strong."
Now, no chapter in the Bible so clearly predicts the spoils of that victory as Isaiah 53. But no chapter in the Bible, I think so clearly depicts the spoils as Revelation 5. And there in Revelation, you know that God the Father has the scroll, the title deed of the Earth sealed with seven seals, and no one is worthy to take the scroll or open it and then suddenly behold the lamb slain, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has triumphed, we're told. He is able to take that scroll and its seven seals and open it. And they sang a new song in that chapter, "And they sang a new song: 'You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.' Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!' Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"
That's why, that's why it was the Lord's pleasure to crush him.
A river of glory for God,
and joy and satisfaction for us, the redeemed.
So this now is the third sermon on this amazing prophecy. Isaiah 53 is the clearest chapter in the Bible. Old Testament or New Testament, on the central mechanism of our salvation, which is substitutionary atonement. The idea that our sin, our guilt, our wickedness can be transferred to a substitute, and his suffering death can completely atone for it all, that's the center piece of our salvation.
This eternal gospel, this timeless message of salvation through a substitute sent by God was proclaimed with crystal clarity 700 years before Jesus was born.
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