HOLY COMMUNION SERMON [Isaiah 53, 54] ~ Pastor Biakson
Around the time of 680 B.C. Prophet Isaiah foretold the birth and suffering of Jesus Birth. This was 700 years before the actual birth of Jesus. And It doesn’t sound like a prophecy but more like an actual account of what had happened during Isaiah’s time. Saint Augustine described it as the Gospel and Martin Luther remarked that every Christian should learn the verses of the book. For the Jews it is also called the Lamentations. Isaiah 53:13-14 describe the horrific suffering of our savior Jesus Christ. His face was distorted and he faced the worst of human experience. Isaiah 53:1 talks about the lowly and humble life of Jesus. Even the prophets couldn’t believe the manner in which Jesus would be born into this world. Our Savior was born in a cow shed which may not be the best environment. The unpleasant smell and stink aroma would have been unbearable. He was despised, mocked and underestimated for your sake so that he can understand you.
The price we have to pay for our sins is carried by Jesus Christ. He picked it up by himself and not because we lay it on him. The suffering we have to bear (not just death) is being carried by our savior Jesus Christ. For the transgression and sins that we have committed, the lord has been hurt and pierced through his heart. It was all because he loved us. For our iniquities and hypocrisy he was beaten to death and stained with blood. When you should be waking in shame and sentenced to death he laid the burden on himself and paid it on the cross. And his forgiveness is not based on how much we can ask or pray. Even while not remembering the sins we have committed the Lord forgives us. The lord took all our sins away from us and laid it on Jesus Christ and he has paid the price for all our sins at the cross. The Lord is rejected and tried in every way before the law so as to get hanged at the earliest time. This is unlike the Jewish customs and tradition of trying convicts. But the Lord remained silent and did not complain a thing as he knew he is sent to atone for our sins. Martin Luther said that Isaiah chapter 53 could well be written by the writer at the spot where Jesus was hanged.
