The third section deals with the Messiah’s exemplary life. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.” I take this as pointing to the character of His life, because that is precisely the way Peter takes it in his first letter, chapter 2, beginning in verse 19.

If you look at what is probably the most important verse in Isaiah 53, verse 5, you will discover that in this one verse the vicarious or substitutionary atonement of the Messiah is stated four times: 1) “He was pierced for our transgressions,” that is, He was wounded not for his own sins but for ours; 2) “He was crushed for our iniquities”; 3) “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him”; and 4) “By his wounds we are healed.”

Many of the phrases in verses 1–3 speak of the Messiah’s humble origins, but the one that strikes me particularly is in verse 2: “He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.” That is an unusual expression, is it not? A root out of dry ground! Growing up like a tender plant! That is not what one might expect to find.

I would like to take you through Isaiah 53 section by section, showing how this chapter traces out the coming, death, resurrection, and future glory of our Savior. I want to do it in five parts.