The writers of the New Testament, in proclaiming the gospel, point back to Isaiah 53 many, many times. The New Testament writers refer to virtually every verse in this chapter. It contains the sum and substance of the gospel, and to reject Christ is to reject the clear testimony of history, fulfilling every detail in this prophecy.

You could be in awe of the history. You could be amazed that detailed prophecies concerning a person’s life and death and resurrection could be predicted 700 years before the person arrived — and you should be. You could be in awe of the fact that no man could know that and therefore Scripture is authored by the only one who knows the future, and that’s God, who not only knows it but determines it.

But that’s not where you want to stop, because there’s a bigger, grander question than that. What does it mean to you? What does it mean to me and everybody else?

The truth of this ancient prophecy and its fulfillment in Jesus Christ answers the most crucial question that can ever be asked by any human being. It is the most necessary question; it is the most determinative question, and it is, frankly, the most avoided question. It transcends all other questions infinitely, and yet it is almost non-existent on people’s priority list.

What is the question? Here it is: How can a sinner be right with God so as to escape hell and enter heaven? How can a holy God declare a sinner righteous?

This is the great moral dilemma that exists in the world. It is precisely to answer that question that the Bible was written. It is precisely to answer that question that Isaiah 53 was written.

And here is the answer: A sinner can be right with God and escape eternal hell and enter eternal heaven because the Servant of Jehovah became a substitute and suffered the judgment of God in the sinner’s place. God spent His wrath toward sinners on the Servant as a substitute.

This section we’re in in Isaiah runs from chapter 49 to 57 and deals with salvation from sin. And this poses a very important question: Why does God need to save His people from their sins?

This was the issue with the Jews. They were not convinced that they needed a savior. They thought they just needed a righteous king. They thought that by virtue of their Abrahamic descent, by virtue of the covenants and the promises, by virtue of their goodness and their religiosity, by virtue of their efforts at religious activities, they had earned their favor with God.

So this message about a savior to deliver us from our sins is a foreign language to them. But it shouldn’t have been. Isaiah is trying to communicate the message to them. Look back at Isaiah 1:

Alas, sinful nation,
People heavy with iniquity,
Seed of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have forsaken Yahweh;
They have spurned the Holy One of Israel;
They have become estranged from Him.

Where will you be stricken again,
As you continue in your rebellion?
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart is faint.
From the sole of the foot even to the head
There is nothing sound in it,
Only bruises, wounds, and raw wounds,
Not pressed out, not bandaged,
Not softened with oil. (Isaiah 1:4-6)

They desperately needed salvation. They were a wicked people. So when we come to the servant songs of Isaiah beginning in chapter 42, God promises that He’s going to bring salvation:

Thus says the God, Yahweh,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
“I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness;
I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You,
And I will give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who inhabit darkness from the prison. (Isaiah 42:5-7)

He’s talking to the Servant, the Messiah. The Lord is going to bring salvation to His people through Him. See the next chapter:

But now, thus says Yahweh, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
For I am Yahweh your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place. (Isaiah 43:1-3)

God says, “I’m going to be your Savior. I’m going to be your Redeemer.” Did they need salvation? Yes. The diagnosis is given in chapter 1.

By what means will God save His people? By what means will He forgive their sins? By the substitutionary, vicarious death of His Servant, His Slave, the Messiah, the righteous king. And that one will fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 53. This text points to the Lord Jesus Christ so clearly as to be unmistakable.

You can find more insights into Isaiah 53 in Dr. MacArthur’s book “The Gospel According to God: Rediscovering the Most Remarkable Chapter in the Old Testament.” For a limited time, the book is available for 25% off from The Master’s University’s bookstore, here.

This post is based on a sermon Dr. MacArthur preached in 2012, titled “The Astonishing Servant of Jehovah.” In addition to serving as the pastor of Grace Community Church and the voice of Grace to You, Dr. MacArthur is the chancellor of The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, Calif. You can learn more about TMU at masters.edu.