One Perfect Life: the complete Story of the Lord Jesus
John macArthur
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One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of THE LORD Jesus © 2012 by John MacArthur All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Special thanks to Nathan Busenitz and also to the team at Thomas Nelson for their help in the completion of this project. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Unleashing God’s Truth One Verse at a Time® is a trademark of Grace to You. all rights reserved. Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com. Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Printed in the United States of America 12 13 14 15 16 [ QG ] 6 5 4 3 2 1
PART I
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Anticipating the Lord Jesus Christ
1. Jesus Christ— the Preexistent Creator and Savior Gen. 1:1; John 1:1–5a; 1 cor. 8:6; eph. 1:3–5; col. 1:15–18; 2:9; 2 tim. 1:9; titus 1:2; heb. 1:1b–3a in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Jn in the beginning was athe Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. he was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made. 1cOr There is one God, the father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord Jesus christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live, heB whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, cOL is the image of the invisible God, bthe firstborn over all creation. Gen
a the worD. this title refers to Jesus christ, the Second Person of the trinity, who was in intimate fellowship with God the father throughout all eternity. the phrase, “the Word was God” emphasizes the fact that the Son is equal in his essence, character, and being to the father. the apostle John borrowed the use of the term Word not only from the vocabulary of the Ot but also from Greek philosophy, in which the term was essentially impersonal, signifying the rational principle of “divine reason,” “mind,” or even “wisdom.” John, however, imbued the term entirely with Ot and christian meaning (e.g., Gen. 1:3 where God’s Word brought the world into being; Pss. 33:6; 107:20; Prov. 8:27 where God’s Word is his omnipotent self-expression in creation, wisdom, revelation, and salvation) and made it refer to a person, i.e., Jesus christ. Strategically, the term Word serves as a bridgeword to reach not only Jews but also the unsaved Greeks. John chose this concept because both Jews and Greeks were familiar with it.
the fIrstborn over all creatIon. the Greek word for firstborn can refer to one who was born first chronologically, but most often refers to preeminence in position, or rank (cf. heb. 1:6; rom. 8:29; Ps. 2:7). in both Greek and Jewish culture, the firstborn was the ranking son who had received the right of inheritance from his father, whether he was born first or not. it is used of israel who, not being the first nation, was however the preeminent nation (cf. ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:9). Firstborn in this context clearly means highest in rank, not first created (cf. Ps. 89:27; rev. 1:5). Jesus is the firstborn in the sense that he has the preeminence (v. 18) and possesses the right of inheritance “over all creation” (cf. heb. 1:2; rev. 5:1–7, 13). he existed before the creation and is exalted in rank above it. b
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For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. JN In Him was life, and cthe life was the light of men. COL For in Him dwells all the dfullness of the Godhead bodily. EPH Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 2TIM who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus ebefore time began. EPH He chose us in Him fbefore the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved, TITUS in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.
the life. John uses the word life about thirty-six times in his gospel, far more than any other NT book. It refers not only in a broad sense to physical and temporal life that the Son imparted to the created world through His involvement as the agent of creation (John 1:3), but especially to spiritual and eternal life imparted as a gift through belief in Him (John 3:15; 17:3; Eph. 2:5).
c
fullness of the Godhead bodily. Christ possesses the fullness of the divine nature and attributes (cf. Col. 1:19; John 1:14–16). In Greek philosophical thought, matter was evil; spirit was good. Thus, it was unthinkable that God would ever take on a human body. Paul refutes that false teaching by stressing the reality of Christ’s incarnation. Jesus was not only fully God, but fully human as well. d
before time began. God’s plan of salvation for sinful mankind was determined and decreed before man was even created. The promise was made by God the Father to God the Son (cf. John 6:37–44; 17:4–6; Eph. 1:4–5). e
before the foundation of the world. The doctrine of election is emphasized throughout Scripture (cf. Deut. 7:6; Isa. 45:4; John 6:44; Acts 13:48; Rom. 8:29; 9:11; 1 Thess. 1:3; 4 2; Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10). The form of the Greek verb behind “chose” indicates that God not only chose by Himself but also for Himself to the praise of His own glory (cf. Eph. 1:6, 12, 14). Through God’s sovereign will before the creation of the world and, therefore, obviously independent of human influence and apart from any human merit, those who are saved have become eternally united with Christ Jesus (cf. 1 Peter 1:20; Rev. 13:8; 17:8). However, God’s election or predestination does not operate apart from or nullify man’s responsibility to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior (cf. Matt. 3:1, 2; 4:17; John 5:40). f
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2. The Fall of the Human Race into Sin Gen. 3:1–12; John 8:44; 1 cor. 11:3b; 1 tim. 2:14b; James 1:13–15; rev. 20:2b now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LorD God had made. reV that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, Jn was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. Gen And he said to the woman, “has God indeed said, ‘you shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” then the serpent said to the woman, “a you will not surely die. for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 1cOr the serpent deceived eve by his craftiness. Gen So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. 1tim the woman being deceived, fell into transgression; Gen she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. then bthe eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the LorD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LorD God among the trees of the garden. then the LorD God called to Adam and said to him, c“Where are you?” So he Gen
you wIll not surely DIe. Satan, emboldened by her openness to him, spoke this direct lie. this lie actually led her and Adam to spiritual death (separation from God). So, Satan is called a liar and murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). his lies always promise great benefits (as in v. 5). eve experienced this result—she and Adam did know good and evil; but by personal corruption they did not know as God knows in perfect holiness.
a
the eyes of both of theM were openeD. the innocence noted in 2:25 had been replaced by guilt and shame (vv. 8–10), and from then on they had to rely on their conscience to distinguish between good and their newly acquired capacity to see and know evil.
b
c “where are you?” the question was God’s way of bringing man to explain why he was hiding, rather than expressing ignorance about man’s location. Shame, remorse, confusion, guilt, and fear all led to their clandestine behavior. there was no place to hide; there never is (cf. Ps. 139:1–12). Adam’s sin was evidenced by his new knowledge of the evil of nakedness, but God still waited for Adam to confess to what God knew they had done. the basic reluctance of sinful people to admit their iniquity is here established. repentance is still the issue. When sinners refuse to repent, they suffer judgment; when they do repent, they receive forgiveness.
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said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “d The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” JAS Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, ebrings forth death.
The woman whom You gave. Adam pitifully put the responsibility on God for giving him Eve. That only magnified the tragedy in that Adam had knowingly transgressed God’s prohibition, but still would not be open and confess his sin, taking full responsibility for his action, which was not made under deception (1 Tim. 2:14). d
brings forth death. Sin is not merely a spontaneous act, but the result of a process. The Greek words for “has conceived” and “brings forth” liken the process to physical conception and birth. Thus James personifies temptation and shows that it can follow a similar sequence and produce sin with all its deadly results. While sin does not result in spiritual death for the believer (because he or she has been forgiven), it can lead to physical death (1 Cor. 11:30; 1 John 5:16). In the fall of Gen. 3, the result of Adam’s sin brought both physical and spiritual death to the entire human race (cf. Rom. 5:12–21). e
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3. The Curse upon Creation Gen. 3:13; Ps. 90:10; 144:4; eccl. 1:2b; 3:20; 12:7; rom. 8:2b, 20a, 22; Gal. 4:4–5; 1 John 3:8b the LorD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” the woman said, “the serpent deceived me, and i ate.” So the LorD God said to the serpent: Gen
“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And i will put enmity Between you and the woman, And abetween your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise his heel.” for this purpose the Son of God, was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. GAL When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under rOm the law of sin and death. Gen to the woman he said: 1Jn
“i will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
a between your seeD anD her seeD. After cursing the physical serpent, God turned to the spiritual serpent, the lying seducer, Satan, and cursed him. this “first gospel” is prophetic of the struggle and its outcome between “your seed” (Satan and unbelievers, who are called the Devil’s children in John 8:44) and her Seed (christ, a descendant of eve, and those in him), which began in the garden. in the midst of the curse passage, a message of hope shone forth—the woman’s offspring called “he” is christ, who will one day defeat the Serpent. Satan could only “bruise” christ’s heel (cause him to suffer), while christ will bruise Satan’s head (destroy him with a fatal blow).
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Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it. ECCL Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. ROM For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. PS Man is like a breath; His days are like a passing shadow. ECCL All are from the dust, and all return to dust. PS The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. ECCL Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. GEN And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made btunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. ROM
tunics of skin. The first physical deaths should have been the man and his wife, but it was an animal—a shadow of the reality that God would someday kill a substitute to redeem sinners.
b
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4. Mankind’s Need for a Savior Ps. 7:11; isa. 53:6a; 64:6; ezek. 18:20a; rom. 1:18–21; 3:10–18, 23; 5:12, 18–19; 6:23a; 1 cor. 15:21; eph. 2:1–3 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. for since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that athey are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. PS God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day. rOm As it is written: rOm
“there is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. they have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one. their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known. there is no fear of God before their eyes.”
they are wIthout excuse. God holds all men responsible for their refusal to acknowledge what he has shown them of himself in his creation. even those who have never had an opportunity to hear the gospel have received a clear witness about the existence and character of God—and have suppressed it. if a person will respond to the revelation he has, even if it is solely natural revelation, God will provide some means for that person to hear the gospel (cf. Acts 8:26–39; 10:1–48; 17:27).
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All we like sheep have gone astray; ROM for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ISA We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. ROM Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and b thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. EZEK The soul who sins shall die, ROM for the wages of sin is death. EPH And you were cdead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. ROM Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be dmade righteous. 1COR For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. ISA
b death spread to all men. Adam was not originally subject to death, but through his sin it became a grim certainty for him and his posterity. Death has three distinct manifestations: (1) spiritual death or separation from God (cf. Eph. 1:1–2; 4:18); (2) physical death (Heb. 9:27); and (3) eternal death (also called the second death), which includes not only eternal separation from God, but eternal torment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–15). Because all humanity existed in the loins of Adam and have through procreation inherited his fallenness and depravity, it can be said that all sinned in him.
dead in trespasses and sins. A sobering reminder of the total sinfulness and lostness from which believers have been redeemed. “In” indicates the realm or sphere in which unregenerate sinners exist. They are not dead because of sinful acts that have been committed but because of their sinful nature (cf. Matt. 12:35; 15:18–19).
c
made righteous. The believer is clothed in Christ’s righteousness, which was manifest in His perfect obedience (cf. v. 19; Luke 2:49; John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38), culminating in the greatest demonstration of that obedience, His death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). The expression “made righteous” refers to one’s legal status before God and not an actual change in character, since Paul is contrasting justification and condemnation throughout this passage, and he has not yet introduced the doctrine of sanctification (coming later in Rom. 6–8), which deals with the actual transformation of the sinner as a result of redemption. d
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5. The Promised Seed of Abraham Gen. 12:1–3, 7, 22:1–18; matt. 1:1; Acts 3:24–26; rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:16, 19b; heb. 11:8–9, 17–19 Gen
now the LorD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country, from your family And from your father’s house, to a land that i will show you. i will make you a great nation; i will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. i will bless those who bless you, And i will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham believed God, and it was aaccounted to him for righteousness. heB By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Gen now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “here i am.” then he said, “take now your son, your only son isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which i shall tell you.” heB By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “in isaac your seed rOm
accounteD to hIM for rIGhteousness. Abram’s belief was in response to God’s promise in Gen. 15:4–5, a reiteration of his promise in Gen. 12:2–3. used in both financial and legal settings, the word accounted means to take something that belongs to someone and credit it to another’s account. it is a one-sided transaction—Abraham did nothing to accumulate it; God simply credited it to him. God took his own righteousness and credited it to Abraham as if it were actually his. this God did because Abraham believed in him. Abraham was a man of faith, but faith is not a meritorious work. it is never the ground of justification—it is simply the channel through which it is received, and it, too, is a gift (cf. eph. 2:8).
a
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shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead. GEN And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering binstead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son—blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” GAL Now to Abraham and his cSeed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. ACTS And all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold MT of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham—GAL till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. ACTS You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
b instead of his son. The ram was offered as a substitute for Isaac. In this way, the ram pictures Christ’s substitutionary atonement. Though sinners deserved death, Christ took the punishment, as the perfect Substitute, for all who would believe in Him. c Seed. The singular form of the Hebrew word, like its English and Greek counterparts, can be used in either an individual or a collective sense. Paul’s point in Gal. 3:16 is that in some OT passages (e.g., Gen. 3:15; 22:18), “seed” refers to the greatest of Abraham’s descendants, Jesus Christ.
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6. The Coming Messiah as Prophet and King Gen. 49:10; num. 24:17b; Pss. 2:11–12; 72:2; 89:3–4; 110:1; isa. 7:14; 9:6–7; 11:1–2; 42:1; 52:13; Jer. 23:5–6; Dan. 7:13–14; mic. 5:2; Zech. 9:9; Acts 3:22– 23; 10:42b–43; rom. 1:2–3 for moses truly said to the fathers, “the LorD your God will raise up for you a aProphet like me from your brethren. him you shall hear in all things, whatever he says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.” iSA the Spirit of the LorD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LorD. PS he will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. Gen the bscepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the people. num A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of israel. iSA there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. Jer “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LorD, “that i will raise to David a c Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. in his days Judah will be saved, and israel will dwell safely; now this is his name by which he will be called: the LOrD Our riGhteOuSneSS. mic “But you, Bethlehem ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the One to be ruler in israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. iSA “Behold! my Servant whom i uphold, my elect One in whom my soul delights! i have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” ActS
prophet. this prophecy comes from Deut. 18:15. moses was revered by the Jews as their first and greatest prophet, and the Jews viewed the Prophet “like him” to refer to the messiah. a
b scepter shall not Depart froM JuDah. As strong as a young lion and entrenched as an old lion, to Judah’s line belonged national prominence and kingship, including David, Solomon, and their dynasty (640 years after this), as well as “the one to whom the scepter belongs,” i.e., Shiloh, the cryptogram for the messiah, the One also called the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (rev. 5:5).
branch. the messiah is pictured as a branch (lit. “shoot”) out of David’s family tree (cf. Jer. 23:5; 33:15, 16; isa. 4:2; 11:1–5; Zech. 3:8; 6:12–13), who will rule over God’s people in the future.
c
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“I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’” PS
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this, ROM which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh. ISA The Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, dthe virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name eImmanuel. ZECH Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and f riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. ISA Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. PS The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” DAN Behold, One like the gSon of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. ISA
d the virgin. This prophecy reached forward to the virgin birth of the Messiah, as the NT notes (Matt. 1:23). The Hebrew word refers to an unmarried woman and means “virgin” (Gen. 24:43; Prov 30:19; Song 1:3; 6:8), so the birth of Isaiah’s own son (Isa. 8:3) could not have fully satisfied the prophecy. e
Immanuel. The title, applied to Jesus in Matt. 1:23, means “God with us.”
riding on a donkey. Unlike Alexander the Great, this King comes riding on a donkey (cf. Jer. 17:25). This was fulfilled at Christ’s triumphal entry (Matt. 21:1–5; John 12:12–16). The Jews should have been looking for someone from the line of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 17). Four elements in this verse describe Messiah’s character: (1) He is King; (2) He is just; (3) He brings salvation; and (4) He is humble.
f
Son of Man. The Messiah (cf. Dan. 9:26), Christ is meant; He often designated Himself by this phrase (Matt. 16:26; 19:28; 26:64). “The clouds of heaven” are seen again in Rev. 1:7. Here He is distinct from the Ancient of Days, or Eternal One, the Father, who will coronate Him for the kingdom (Dan. 2:44). The picture of old age is not that of being feeble, rather it highlights eternality and divine wisdom to judge (as in Dan. 7:9–10).
g
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T h e C o mi n g M e s s i a h
as
Prophet
and
King
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. hKiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. ACTS It is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. PS
h Kiss the Son. This symbolic act would indicate allegiance and submission (cf. 1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Kings 19:18). The word for “Son” here is not the Hebrew word for “son” that was used in Ps. 2:7, but rather its Aramaic counterpart (cf. Dan. 7:13), which is a term that would especially be suitable for these commands being addressed to “nations” (Ps. 2:1). The imagery fluidly moves from the lesser David through the Davidic dynasty to the Greater David—Jesus Christ.
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7. The Coming Messiah as the Suffering Ser vant Pss. 16:10; 22:1, 13–14, 16b–18; 118:22–23; isa. 11:10; 53:3–5, 6b–12; Dan. 9:25–27a; Zech 12:10b; Acts 26:22–23; rom. 11:25b–27; 1 Peter 2:23 “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until messiah the Prince, there shall be aseven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the sixty-two weeks messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. iSA he is bdespised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem him. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was cwounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. PS they gape at me with their mouths, like a raging and roaring lion. i am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it has melted within me. iSA the LorD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. he was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet dhe 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. 1Pet When he DAn
a seven weeks anD sIxty-two weeks. these are weeks of years, whereas weeks of days are described in a different way (Dan. 10:2–3). the time spans from the Persian Artaxerxes’ decree to rebuild Jerusalem, ca. 445 Bc (neh. 2:1–8), to the messiah’s kingdom. this panorama includes: (1) seven weeks or forty-nine years, possibly closing nehemiah’s career in the rebuilding of the “street and wall,” as well as the end of the ministry of malachi and the close of the Ot; (2) sixty-two weeks or 434 more years for a total of 483 years to the first advent of messiah. this was fulfilled at the triumphal entry in AD 30. the messiah will be “cut off ” (a common reference to death); and (3) the final seven years or seventieth week of the time of Antichrist (cf. v. 27). roman people, from whom the Antichrist will come, will “destroy the city” of Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70. b DespIseD anD reJecteD. the prophet foresees the hatred and rejection by mankind toward the messiah/Servant, who suffered not only external abuse but also internal grief over the lack of response from those he came to save (e.g., matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34).
wounDeD for our transGressIons. this verse is filled with the language of substitution. the Servant suffered not for his own sin, since he was sinless (cf. heb. 4:15; 7:26), but as the substitute for sinners. the emphasis here is on christ being the substitute recipient of God’s wrath on sinners (cf. 2 cor. 5:21; Gal. 1:3–4; heb. 10:9–10).
c
openeD not hIs Mouth. the Servant will utter no protest and will be utterly submissive to those who oppress him. Jesus fulfilled this (matt. 26:63; 27:12–14; mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:9).
d
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T h e C o mi n g M e s s i a h
as the
S u f f e r i n g S e r va n t
was reviled, [He] did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. ISA He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. PS They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. ISA They made His grave with the wicked—but ewith the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. PS f My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? ISA When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. PS For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You gallow Your Holy One to see corruption. ISA By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong. PS The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. ISA He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and hmade intercession for the transgressors. ACTS Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come—that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first
e with the rich at His death. Because of the nature of His disgraceful death, Roman law dictated that the Servant should have a disgraceful burial along with the thieves (but cf. Jewish law, Deut. 21:22–23; also cf. John 19:31). Instead He was buried with “the rich” in an honorable burial through the donated tomb of rich Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57–60; Mark 15:42–46; Luke 23:50–53; John 19:38–40).
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? The repeated noun of direct address to God reflects a personal molecule of hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. Forsaken is a strong expression for personal abandonment, intensely felt by David and supremely experienced by Christ on the cross (Matt. 27:46). f
allow Your Holy One to see corruption. These words expressed the confidence of the lesser David, but were applied messianically to the resurrection of the Greater David (the Lord Jesus Christ) both by Peter (Acts 2:25–28) and Paul (Acts 13:35). g
made intercession for the transgressors. This speaks of the office of intercessory High-Priest, which began on the cross (Luke 23:34) and continues in heaven (cf. Heb. 7:25; 9:24).
h
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John MacArthur
to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. ROM Blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” ZECH Then they will ilook on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. ISA In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, who shall stand as a banner to the people; for the Gentiles shall seek Him, and His resting place shall be glorious.
i look on Me whom they pierced. Israel’s repentance will come because they look to Jesus, the One whom they rejected and crucified (cf. Isa. 53:5; John 19:37), in faith at the Second Advent (Rom. 11:25–27). When God says they pierced “Me,” He is certainly affirming the incarnation of deity—Jesus was God (cf. John 10:30).
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