53:1 Who
has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?
2 For
He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry
ground.
He has no form or
comeliness; and when we see Him,
there is
no beauty that we should desire Him.
The Bible doesn't
tell us much about Him during the years between his visit to the Temple and
the beginning of his three - year ministry. But God gave the prophet
Isaiah insights into the coming Savior that is mentioned no where else.
3 He
is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief....
He was despised, and we did
not esteem Him.
4 Surely
He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him
stricken,
Smitten by God, and
afflicted.
5 But
He was
wounded for our transgressions,
He was
bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for
our peace was
upon Him,
And by 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 has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all.
7 He
was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His
mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter,
And as a sheep before its
shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
...
11 He
shall see the labor of His soul, and
be satisfied.
By His knowledge My
righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their
iniquities.
12 Because He poured out His
soul unto death,
And He was numbered with
the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of
many,
And made intercession for
the transgressors.
"When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not
sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the
flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)