Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5)
Since we are living in a day when animal sacrifices are not performed, it’s necessary that we familiarise ourselves with what that meant in Scripture. Chances are good that most people have never even seen such a thing . . . though in biblical times such sacrifices were observed on a daily basis.
Even though the idea of offering up sacrifices seems strange to us, it was as common to people in the early days as the courtroom scene is to us today. You can hardly read a newspaper without reading of some courtroom scene. It’s a daily affair—like reruns of the crime drama “Perry Mason” on American television.
The sacrifices in ancient days were also daily affairs. Blood flowed freely out of places of worship. Deep-red bloodstains marked altars of stone and wood. For centuries sheep could be heard gagging and dying as priests slit their throats and poured the blood over an altar. You see, in those days they had priests in places of worship, just as we have attorneys in courtrooms today. In those days they followed the laws of Moses, just as we today obey the laws of state and of our federal government.
But that which tied people together with the living God was blood sacrifice. Because it was so important, I want to familiarise you with some things that perhaps you haven’t thought about before—and certainly things you’ve never seen before.
In the Old Testament there are two great predictions of Jesus’ death on the cross—lengthy predictions. One is in Psalm 22, and the other one is in Isaiah 53. Psalm 22 emphasises His person. Isaiah 53 emphasises His work. Psalm 22 helps us hear the agony of Christ on the cross. Isaiah 53 causes us to appreciate the completed work of Christ which was predicted by the prophet. Isaiah’s words describe our condition as well as the solution to our dilemma.
