Summary

“In his humiliation justice was denied him” has also been translated as he was humiliated, and no justice was done to him or by an unjust sentence he was taken away. “Taipeinoosis” means humiliation. Think of the humble estate of Mary (Luke 1:48), and of Christ who humbled himself (Philippians 2:8) in suffering and death.

Who can describe his generation? Who will write of those who come after him? For his life is taken away from the earth or for he does not live on earth anymore. “Diѐgѐomai” (ESV: describe) means to tell, to report (see also Luke 8:39 and Luke 9:10). Luke opens his first book, Luke, with a word derived from this: “diѐgѐsis” meaning narration, a report of all that has happened (Luke 1:1).

“Genea” means generation, contemporaries (see also Luke 7:31; Luke 11:29; Acts 2:40), those who come after (Luke 1:48, Luke 1:50), those who came before (as in Matthew 1:1–17 and Luke 3:23–38) or times gone by (Acts 14:16; Acts 15:21).

“Airo” (ESV: taken away) means to take (up), to carry (away), to raise, to take forcefully, to kill, just like the people shouted: Away with him, away with him (John 19:15) and Paul also got to hear away with him (from the earth) (Acts 21:36; Acts 22:22). Twice we read the same verb (“airo”): the judgment over him is taken away and his life was taken away.

His life is taken from the earth. In the quote it is about the lamb that was led to the slaughter and so lost its life. Isaiah points to the violent and unlawful death of the innocent servant of God.
There is also an explanation which explains judgment (“krisis”) as the punishment that Jesus endured in his humiliation on the cross, so that God’s judgment over us—our death sentence—was taken away. Jesus is rehabilitated publicly by his Father at the resurrection: God has accepted his sacrifice and the judgment has been carried out!

It seems as if his way is literally a dead-end, and that after him everything dies, because there is no longer anyone who is talking about him, telling people about him. And yet, there are spiritual descendants—all those who believe in Jesus and follow him! In Isaiah 53:10 we read that the suffering Servant will see a lot of offspring; the children from the restored Zion, from Israel, and from the nations (the ends of the earth, see Isaiah 52:10 and Isaiah 45:22 and Isaiah 49:6).

The quote ends halfway through this verse, but we must read it in the broader context of Isaiah 53:1–12. Isaiah 53 continues with he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. And they made his grave with the wicked…although he had done no violence (Isaiah 53:8–9). God’s hand is behind this: “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10). The Servant Jesus suffers while he is innocent and receives the death sentence—what an injustice!

At the same time, he gives himself as a sacrifice, to reconcile the people with God! In that way, his work will bear fruit. He made sinners to become children of God—those will be his offspring worldwide. He makes many righteous, and so fulfills God’s plan of redemption. The offspring have become followers of Jesus: from Israel and from the ends of the earth, as this Ethiopian was!

From our knowledge of Christ, we can—in hindsight, in faith—still discover yet a deeper layer of the resurrection and ascension of Christ. His life is not found on earth anymore, but it is found in heaven! His mission has therefore not failed but continues! There proves to be offspring, as God had promised: “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you…so shall he startle many nations” (Isaiah 52:13–15).

The suffering Servant sacrificed his life for the debt of his people, and he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days (Isaiah 53:10). His way did not become a dead-end, through his death he gives life to many who believe in him, as Jesus himself has said as John writes about the dying of a kernel so that it may bear much fruit. When I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. With that he pointed to the manner in which he would die (John 12:32). It is as if Isaiah, as a fifth evangelist, stood by the cross!

For his suffering, Jesus himself also points to the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12: he…was numbered with the transgressors (Luke 22:37). An allusion to Isaiah 42:1 is discovered at the baptism of Jesus by John (Luke 3:22). The inaugural sermon of Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth starts with a referral to Isaiah 61:1–2 (in Isaiah 61:1–2: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing!) The suffering Servant of the Lord is also applied to God’s servant Jesus Christ (in Acts 3:13, Acts 3:26; Acts 4:27, Acts 4:30). He carries our illnesses and sins (Isaiah 53:4). When Jesus is busy doing his work in Capernaum (the service of healing and redemption), Matthew refers in Matthew 8:17 to the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 and in Matthew 4:14–16 to the fulfillment of Isaiah 8:22 – 9:1.

This quote in this passage from Isaiah 53:7 and especially Isaiah 53:8 presents several difficulties linguistically and exegetically, which we will not go into here. In my opinion, the tenure of the quote is as follows: this fourth prophecy about the Servant of the Lord makes clear that the Man of sorrows in his deep suffering shows to be the Lord of glory indeed (Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12). Who would have thought that this humiliated person would be so exalted? And that he, as underdog so blemished and mistreated, would still become so fruitful? Once humiliated by his own people, and convicted, and later admired by the nations as the Saviour, because he carried away the sins of the world. He was beaten and punished because of our sins, that which we had deserved. In this strange exchange we see our Deputy, our Mediator! In this way, the Lord made our guilt come down on him. And also the judgment, that we deserved, lay on him. God himself takes the initiative to redeem and to make everything well.

Philip’s explanation is completely in line with how Jesus himself—also on his way!—explains things to the two men travelling to Emmaus. They knew him, but they had not believed what the prophets had told them. Jesus starts with Moses and the prophets and explains to them what is written about him in the Scriptures (Luke 24:25–27). Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory (Luke 24:26)?

Summarized:

In Isaiah, the Spirit of Christ points to the way of the Mediator, who goes from suffering to glory, takes away the sin, and conquers over death (compare 1 Peter 1:10–12). Philip lets the Ethiopian hear that mighty gospel—a beautiful synopsis of the good news that Jesus fulfills the Scriptures, a nice example of the core of the first Christian evangelization! An important hermeneutic key to explain the Old Testament well: focused on Christ, salvation historic, promises are being fulfilled! As Jesus himself said in John 5:39 the Scriptures…bear witness about me!