Isaiah 53 Bible Prophecy Fulfilled by Jesus Christ

Bible prophecy is continually being fulfilled on a regular basis. Perhaps the most compelling is Jesus’s fullfilment of the Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy.

There are numerous Old Testament Bible prophecies which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ during his ministry on earth. But perhaps the most compelling prophecy fulfillment is found in the book of Isaiah. Jesus’s fulfillment of the Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy is hard to overlook.

 

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Isaiah 53 Bible Prophecy Fulfillment by Jesus

 

1) He hath no form nor comeliness

 

Isaiah 53:2

² For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

This text predicts that Jesus would have the physical appearance of an average man of that time. The verse explains that he would have no distinguishable beauty or attractiveness, and that he would look like an ordinary Jew. This is quite a powerful prophecy of the coming Messiah, in that he would not appear in the glory of a king or a god, but rather a normal human being.

 

Isaiah 53 Physical Appearance Fulfillment:

John 8:59

⁵⁹ Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

This New Testament verse in the book of John confirms the prophecy found in verse Isaiah 53:2. When the Jews were about to stone Jesus, he was able to escape and blend into a crowd, because he was an average looking man. Had Jesus been a beautiful, awe-striking man, the Jews would have been able to pick him out of the crowd of people.

 

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2) Despised and rejected of men

 

Isaiah 53:3-4

³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

This verse predicts how Jesus would be rejected by his people as the Messiah, and that they would not respect him.

 

Isaiah 53 Rejected by the World Fulfillment:

Jesus Christ was clearly reject by the Jewish people when he was tried and crucified. His charges were blasphemy, because of the claims he made of deity. We can clearly see from the crucifixion that Jesus was neither accepted nor respected by his people as the Messiah.

 

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3) He was wounded for our transgressions

 

Isaiah 53:5-6

⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

This Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy predicts the sacrifice that Jesus Christ would make on the cross for our iniquities.

 

Isaiah 53 Crucifixion Fulfillment:

Christ would be “wounded” for our transgressions by being crucified by the Romans. The Lord would put the punishment for our sins on Jesus’ shoulders.

 

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4) He opened not his mouth

 

Isaiah 53:7

⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

This is perhaps the most specific Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy that Jesus fulfilled. Verse 7 predicts that Jesus would not speak, and not defend himself. Just like a “lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb” Christ would not defend himself when on trial. The passage predicts that he would remain silent, accepting his fate.

 

Isaiah 53 Silent Sacrifice Fulfillment:

Matthew 27:11-14

¹¹ And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

¹² And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

¹³ Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

¹⁴ And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.

As we can see in the book of Matthew, Jesus Christ did not defend himself against the accusations of the chief priests and the elders. Jesus fulfilled this Isaiah 53 prophecy by remaining silent at his sentencing. Like a lamb to the slaughter, Christ made no defense.

 

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5) He was cut off out of the land of the living

 

Isaiah 53:8

⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

Isaiah 53 Crucifixion Fulfillment:

Jesus would obviously fulfill this Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy of being “cut off out of the land of the living”, by dying on the cross. He would no longer be in the “land of the living” because he would die a gruesome and horrible death.

 

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6) He made his grave with the wicked

 

Isaiah 53:9

⁹ And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

This prophecy from Isaiah 53 is two fold. First, the prophet predicted that Jesus would make his grave with the wicked, meaning he would die with the unrighteous. Secondly, this verse predicts that Christ would live a sinless life, doing no violence nor lying.

 

Isaiah 53 Sinless Life & Crucifixion Fulfillment:

The first part of the prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified with two thieves on the cross. With this, Jesus “made his grave with the wicked” being killed with two unrighteous criminals.

The second part of the Isaiah 53 Bible prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus lived a sinless and blameless life. He did no violence nor lied about who he was. Because Jesus had no “deceit in his mouth”, everything he said about his deity was true. Isaiah 53 in turn confirms his deity by declaring he did not lie, hence everything he claimed was true.

 

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7) Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin

 

Isaiah 53:10-11

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

¹¹ He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

This prophecy predicts that Jesus would be offered as a sacrifice – a sacrifice for sin. The purpose of Christ’s death on the cross was to atone for the sins of the world and of man. Isaiah 53 predicts that the Messiah would be sacrificed because of the issue of sin.

 

Isaiah 53 Atonement For Sin Fulfillment:

1 Peter 3:18

¹⁸ For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

This Isaiah 53 Bible Prophecy fulfillment is confirmed by so many verses in the New Testament, however 1 Peter 3:18 is one example. Jesus’ death was a sacrifice because of sin, so that we may be right with God in the day of judgement. There is no amount of good deeds or works man can do to be in good standing with a perfect and holy God. So in an act of unconditional love and sacrifice, God sent his only son into the world to pay the price that we could not.

 

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Conclusion:

It is hard to read Isaiah 53 and not see the direct correlations between the passage and Jesus Christ. With one chapter having so many prophecies fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament, one can not ignore the implications. First, that the Bible is more than a mere book, and that it contains precise and accurate prophecies about the future, written in the past. Second, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfilled every single Isaiah 53 Bible Prophecy.