Dear Cornerstone Family,
Of all the Old Testament prophets, it’s likely the prophet you know best is Isaiah. For every Christmas, we return to prophesies like...
“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and his name shall be called Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Then, a few months later on Good Friday, we return to Isaiah and read...
“Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Though ministering roughly 700 years before the incarnation, Isaiah writes with tremendous clarity and specificity about Jesus Christ. So much so, that some of the early church fathers refer to his prophesy as the fifth gospel. Meaning, if we did not have Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we would know a fair amount about Jesus Christ simply by reading the prophecy of Isaiah.
It’s true—just ask the Ethiopian eunuch. In Acts 8, Philip is instructed by an angel to go to Gaza. When he arrives, he meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians. Having worshipped in Jerusalem, the eunuch is making his way home. But as Philip finds him, he’s stopped on the side of the road seated in his chariot reading the Scriptures. Led by the Spirit, Philip approached him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Humbly, the Eunuch responded, “How can I, unless someone guides me.” At the invitation of the eunuch, Philip climbed into the chariot and looked over the text he was reading...
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth...” (Isaiah 53:7-8)
Puzzled, the Eunuch asked, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Taking a page out of Jesus’s own approach to interpreting the Scripture (see Luke 24:27), Philip unfolded the Scripture and explained from Isaiah 53 the good news about Jesus Christ.
As we begin a five-week series in Isaiah’s prophecy, focusing our attention of the four servant songs (Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-7, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12), join me in praying that together we might be struck afresh with the good news about Jesus Christ and worship him accordingly.
Your servant,
