Isa. liii. 3-5.—John xix. 5.
There is a great deal said in the Old Testament about the Reign of
Christ as King; but though the Jews read these Scriptures every Sabbath
day, they did not notice that it was written in a number of places that
before He was crowned King He was to suffer and die.
Why did He die? The reference quoted at the head of this page, written
by Isaiah so long before, tells us why it was.
"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. 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."
Jesus Himself said: "I lay down My life for the sheep . . . No man
taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay
it down, and I have power to take it again. This Commandment have I
received of My Father."
Isaiah tells us "He was despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief." And when the council of the Jews had judged
Him, and condemned Him to be worthy of death, they handed Him over to
Pilate, the Roman governor, to execute the cruel death which they could
not carry out themselves.
And so the soldiers mocked Him and platted that crown of thorns, and
Pilate brought Him out wearing the royal robe that the soldiers had put
upon Him in mockery. But not satisfied with the cruel death He was to
die, Pilate ordered Him to be scourged, all the time protesting that he
found no fault in Him.
Thus those words in Isaiah liii. 8 were fulfilled: "He was taken from
prison and from judgment . . . for He was cut off out of the land of
the living: for the transgression of My people was He stricken."
And then He was taken to the Cross.