Sunday
Morning Bible Study
April 9, 2000
Introduction
We have started one of those most amazing passages in the Bible. The passage started in 52:13, as Isaiah began
to describe the Suffering Servant.
:3 He is despised and rejected of
men
despised – bazah – hold in contempt; (Niphal)
to be despicable; to be vile, worthless
rejected – chadel – rejected, fleeting, lacking; Literally, “He who ceases from men, “ that is, is no longer
regarded as a man”
:3 a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief
sorrows – mak'ob – pain, sorrow.
acquainted – yada` – to know; learn to know; to know by experience; familiar by
constant contact with
grief – choliy – sickness; (NIV) “suffering”
Lesson
Jesus understands pain
Some people don’t know how to relate.
They just have a hard time understanding what you’re talking about.
Illustration
I think I have seen a difference in how people treat their waiters or
waitresses at a restaurant. It seems to
me that generally those who have worked in a restaurant tend to be more
considerate and kind to their waiter than those who have never worked in a
restaurant. If you’ve worked as a
waiter, you know just how rude and inconsiderate people can be. You identify with your waiter and tend to be
more pleasant and leave a bigger tip.
If you’ve ever tried sharing a problem or concern with someone who can’t
relate to what you’re talking about, you know the frustration.
Lesson
Pray.
(Heb 4:15-16 KJV) For we have
not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. {16} Let us
therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus has been there. He knows what
pain and sorrow are all about. And He
knows how to help too.
As we begin to realize that Jesus knows exactly
what we’re going through, the proper response on our part is to then come to
Him in prayer.
Don’t underestimate the power of prayer. Did you know that there is actual, scientific
proof that prayer works?
Illustration
Dr. William Harris published an article in The Archive of Internal Medicine on
October 24, 1999 concerning a 50 week study he conducted at Kansas City’s
Mid-America Heart Institute involving 990 heart patients. In the study, he had a group of people from a
wide variety of Christian groups (35% non-denominational, 27% Episcopalian, and
the remainder as other Protestant groups or Roman Catholic) who agreed to pray
for these patients. Intercessors were
given only the first name of patients whom they had never met and told to pray
daily for the next 28 days for a “speedy recovery with no complications” and
anything else which seemed appropriate to them.
Neither the patients nor the attending physicians knew that the prayer
was going on. Only Dr. Harris’ team and
the hospital administration knew the study was being conducted. At the end of the study, the patients who had
been prayed for had shown an 11% reduction in their heart assessment scores
over those who had not received prayer.
Imagine that! That
was with the patients not even knowing they were being prayed for!
Full article:
From Alternative
Therapies, January 2000, Vol.6; No. 1; pg.28 –
STUDY SHOWS PRAYER IS POWERFUL MEDICINE
A leading lipid
researcher based at Kansas City’s Mid-America Heart Institute (MAHI), St.
Luke’s Hospital, has replicated the most celebrated prayer study of the
century. Published in the October 24,1999, issue of The Archive of Internal Medicine, research by William S. Harris, Ph.D.,
and colleagues shows
statistically significant beneficial effects for cardiology patients who
received intercessory prayer (IP), similar to the famous 1988 study by Randolph
Byrd, MD).
“We wanted to see
whether praying for the sick makes a difference,” Dr Harris told Alternative Therapies in Health and
Medicine. “The study was done as rigorously as possible to remove as much
bias as possible.” Dr Harris hopes his work will encourage people who already
believe in prayer and provide a stimulus for more studies on prayer.
Entitled, “A
Randomized, Controlled Trial of the Effects of Remote Intercessory Prayer on
Outcomes in Patients Admitted to the Coronary Care Unit,” the 50 week study
involving 990 patients confronts the question of distant healing influences in
the form of IP and is conducted in a double-blind, controlled environment. It overcomes the Usual complaints about
prayer studies such as the perennial “positive thinking” and placebo effects,
differing from the Byrd study – conducted at San Francisco General Hospital –
in that patients and physicians did not know a study was taking place. Researchers obtained an exemption from the
requirement to obtain informed consent from patients, as there are no known
side effects from positive intercessory prayer. It was believed that the
invitation to participate could have added unneeded stress to some
patients. “This is big news on the
spirituality-and-medicine front,” said Larry Dossey, MD, executive editor of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
and author of 3 book on prayer and healing. “The study follows elegant, precise
methodology and arrives at a statistically significant finding for prayer. It
was done by a respected scholar in the field of cardiovascular disease and
lipid research. Skeptics always say good journals won’t publish prayer studies
because the studies are worthless. So much for that.”
A key tool in the
IP study was the creation by Dr Harris and colleagues of a weighted and summed
scoring system called the MAHI-CCU score. .’This was a categorical measurement
of efficacy with our CCU system of scoring,” Dr Harris said. “We felt the score
was intuitively reasonable and was applied equally to both groups” including
those who did and those who did not receive prayer. The MAHI scoring system is
a continuous variable measurement which assessed outcomes from excellent to
catastrophic. Using this system, patients that developed an unstable angina,
for example, received a score of 1, while a patient who suffered a cardiac
arrest would receive a score of 5. Researchers found an 11% reduction in scores
in the IP group compared to the group that did riot receive prayer.
The work,
conducted by 2 Ph.D.s, 5 MDs. and statistician and hospital chaplain Jerry V. Kolb, was Dr
Harris first venture into the realm of IP research. “I’m a Christian and I believe in prayer, but
it wasn’t until I moved to St. Luke’s Hospital that I felt the environment was
amenable for this type of a study. Plus,
at St. Luke’s we have a huge cardiac population.”
The intercessors
represented a cross-section of the Christian traditions with 35%
non-denominational, 27% Episcopalian, and the remainder as other Protestant
groups or Roman Catholic. Intercessors
(87% of which were women) reported at least weekly church attendance. Intercessors were given only the first name
of patients whom they had never met and told to pray daily for the next 28 days
for a “speedy recovery with no complications” and anything else which seemed
appropriate to them.
Dr. Harris says he
was only mildly surprised at the results.
“Everyone was on pins and needles because we had already agreed ahead of
time to publish regardless of our results.
This made some hospital administrators a bit nervous, wondering, “Will
we be the ones who publish a study that says prayer doesn’t work?”
But Dr. Harris,
Chaplain Kolb, and colleagues stepped out on faith and landed on solid
ground. “We received no specific
instructions from above,” Dr. Harris laughs.
“I just wanted to show that if God is real, there ought to be a way to
see Him in the real world. I’m not
saying God can be measured, but if God is real and He tells people in the Bible
to pray for the sick, there ought to be a measurable impact.”
(James 5:13 KJV) Is any among you afflicted? let him pray…
:3 and we hid as it were our faces from him
The idea is that of hiding our faces
because of disgust, because of how horrible He looked. We talked last week
about how Jesus was beaten for us
(Isa
52:14 NLT) Many were amazed when they
saw him--beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know he was a
person.
In context, the idea here is that Jesus would be so beaten and bloodied
that the people would turn their faces away in disgust.
Lesson
Love the unlovely
I think there’s a sense in which we need to be careful that we don’t repeat
this mistake.
(Mat 25:44-45 KJV) Then
shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or
athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister
unto thee? {45} Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
When we do it to the least of these, we do it to Jesus.
It’s something that we seem to pick up in grade school, deciding who is
cool and who isn’t. It seems to get
worse when we hit Jr. High, with all of those questions about ourselves ringing
in our ears about whether we’re going to be accepted or liked, and so we put
others down, ridicule them, or just walk away.
Jesus was willing to love the unlovely. He was willing to talk to the woman
who was the outcast of her community (John 4). He was willing to touch those
that were untouchable (Mark 1:40-41).
So, here is Jesus hanging on the cross.
His face is bloody and disfigured from the beatings He’s suffered. His back has been shredded by the
whipping. Will you look at Him? Will you love Him?
If so, will you love those of whom others “esteem not”?
:3 he was despised, and we esteemed
him not.
despised – same as above, vs. 3
esteemed – chashab – to think, esteem,
calculate, make a judgment, count
Lesson
Jesus turned rejection into
forgiveness
(John 1:11 KJV) He came unto his own, and his own received
him not.
Jesus came for the Jews, but they would reject Him.
Yet even in rejection, Jesus would not become bitter, but would
forgive. On the cross, after having been
betrayed and crucified by His own people, He would say,
(Luke 23:34 KJV) …Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do…
Illustration
The story of Joseph in the Bible
(Gen. 37-50) is also a story of rejection and forgiveness.
Joseph was not liked by his brothers.
They were jealous of all the attention that their father Jacob gave to
this younger brother. The day finally
came when they decided to do something about the brat, and they sold him as a
slave. He ended up in Egypt where he was
a good faithful servant, until his master’s wife ended up getting him thrown
into prison unjustly. And there he
rotted for three years. Because of the
rejection of his brothers, he had gone from favored son to servant, and from
servant to prisoner. Through all his
hard times, God was with Joseph. There
came a day when he had the opportunity to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh,
and he ended up being promoted to the second highest position in Egypt. Through it all, he could have remained bitter
and angry at his brothers for their rejection.
When he was finally reunited with his family, he had the chance to get
even with his brothers, but he didn’t.
(Gen 50:19-20 KJV) And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I
in the place of God? {20} But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God
meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people
alive.
Jesus too was rejected, but like Joseph, He didn’t let his life become
consumed with bitterness, but chose to forgive instead.
If you are struggling with the feeling of rejection, let it go. Don’t become consumed with anger. Choose to forgive.
:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:
Even though we despised and rejected him because He was a “man of sorrows,
and acquainted with grief”, He went on to take on our griefs and sorrows.
borne – nasa' – (Qal) to lift up; to bear, carry, support,
sustain, endure; to take
griefs – choliy – sickness, bodily pains
carried – cabal – to bear a load
sorrows – mak'ob – pain, sorrow, pains of the mind.
Matthew says that Jesus was fulfilling this prophecy when He healed people:
(Mat 8:1-6 KJV) When he was
come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. {2} And, behold,
there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst
make me clean. {3} And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I
will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. {4} And Jesus
saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, show thyself to the
priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. {5}
And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching
him, {6} And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy,
grievously tormented.
{:13-17} And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou
hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the
selfsame hour. {14} And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his
wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. {15} And he touched her hand, and the
fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. {16} When the even was
come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast
out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: {17} That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare
our sicknesses.
One of the things He came to do was to bring healing, both to the pains in
our bodies and the pains in our minds.
:4 yet we did esteem him stricken,
smitten of God, and afflicted.
esteem – chashab – to think, make a judgment, imagine, count
stricken – naga` – to touch, reach, strike
smitten – nakah – to strike; (Hophal) to be smitten; to receive a blow; to be
wounded; to be beaten; to be (fatally) smitten, be killed
afflicted – `anah – to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down
The idea is that the people would make
a judgment against Him, deciding that He was being punished by God for His sins, when He was being punished by
God for our sins.
This was in the mind of the Sanhedrin
when they condemned Him to death.
(Mat
26:65-66 KJV) Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken
blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard
his blasphemy. {66} What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of
death.
They thought that He was worthy of
being condemned to death because they saw Him as an ordinary man claiming to be
the Son of God. But He was the Son of God.
This was in
the mind of the people as they taunted Him while on the cross.
(Mat 27:39-43 KJV)
And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, {40} And
saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save
thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. {41} Likewise
also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, {42} He
saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now
come down from the cross, and we will believe him. {43} He trusted in God; let
him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
They thought
that if He was the Son of God, that God would rescue Him, yet why would God
stop the very thing that He sent Jesus to do?
God sent Jesus to earth to die on a cross and take the punishment for
our sins.
:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions
I think this is one of the most important verses in the entire Bible. This is what puts the whole thing together,
explaining the very reason why Jesus came and died.
Again, there is irony here. Even
though the people thought He deserved to be put to death, the fact was that
when He was killed, He would be wounded for the sins of the people, not for His
own sins.
wounded – chalal – to wound (fatally), bore through, pierce. It speaks of a bodily wound, not just mental
anguish. What an appropriate word to describe the One whose hands, feet, and
side were pierced.
David prophesied
Ps
22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the
assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they
pierced my hands and my feet.
Zechariah prophesied about how Israel
would respond when Jesus comes back,
(Zec
12:10 KJV) And I will pour upon the
house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and
of supplications: and they shall look
upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one
mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is
in bitterness for his firstborn.
The ancient Jews understood this of the Messiah. They write, “chastisements are divided into
three parts, one to David and the
fathers, one to our generation, and one to the King Messiah; as it is
written, “he was wounded for our
transgressions; and bruised for our iniquities”:” (John Gill, quoting Mechilta apud Yalkut, par. 2. fol 90. 1.)
The Messiah would be wounded, pierced for us. Who could this be talking about? Is there any doubt? God told the Jews through Isaiah 700 years
before it would happen.
for our transgressions – pesha` – transgression, rebellion
Lesson
The Gospel
The Bible says that all of us are
sinners. We have all rebelled against
God.
(Rom
3:23 NLT) For all have sinned; all fall
short of God's glorious standard.
The Bible says that our sins bring a
separation between us and God. Isaiah
writes,
(Isa
59:1-2 NLT) Listen! The LORD is not too
weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call.
{2} But there is a problem--your sins have cut you off from God. Because of
your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
In order for there to be a restoration
of communication between us and God, someone would have to pay the price to
remove our sins. This is what Jesus did,
dying in our place.
Illustration
Drawbridge Parable.
A man had the duty to raise a drawbridge to allow the steamers to pass on
the river below and to lower it again for trains to cross over on land. One
day, this man's son visited him, desiring to watch his father at work. Quite
curious, as most boys are, he peeked into a trapdoor that was always left open
so his father could keep an eye on the great machinery that raised and lowered
the bridge. Suddenly, the boy lost his footing and tumbled into the gears. As
the father tried to reach down and pull him out, he heard the whistle of an
approaching train. He knew the train would be full of people and that it would
be impossible to stop the fast-moving locomotive, therefore, the bridge must be
lowered! A terrible dilemma confronted him: if he saved the people, his son
would be crushed in the cogs. Frantically, he tried to free the boy, but to no
avail. Finally, the father put his hand to the lever that would start the
machinery. He paused and then, with tears he pulled it. The giant gears began
to work and the bridge clamped down just in time to save the train. The
passengers, not knowing what the father had done, were laughing and making
merry; yet the bridgekeeper had chosen to save their lives at the cost of his
son's.
:5 he was bruised for our iniquities
bruised – daka' – (Pual) to be crushed, be shattered.
The word seems to speak of both inward and outward pain, both mental
anguish and physical pain.
iniquities – `avon – perversity, depravity
Some have
made the terrible mistake through the centuries of blaming the Jews for the
death of Jesus.
What put
Jesus on the cross?
Jesus was
dying for my sins.
If anyone is
to “blame” for Jesus’ death on the cross, it is all of us. He died to pay for all of our sins.
:5 the chastisement of our peace was
upon him
chastisement – muwcar – discipline, chastening, correction. This is the correction inflicted by a
parent on a child for their good, like spanking or a time out.
peace – shalowm – completeness, soundness, welfare, peace
Our sins brought us into a state of war
with God. The thing that was required to
make peace, the chastisement for our sins, was put upon Jesus.
(2 Cor
5:21 NLT) For God made Christ, who never
sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God
through Christ.
When we come to ask God for forgiveness
and we come to trust that He has forgiven us because of the sacrifice of Jesus
for us, we have peace with God.
Ro
5:1 Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
:5 and with his stripes we are healed.
stripes – chabbuwrah – bruise, stripe, wound, blow. The
marks of a whip across a person’s back.
Not only has Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be “pierced”, but he has
now said that Jesus would be whipped, or, scourged.
Mt 27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when
he had scourged Jesus, he delivered [him] to be crucified.
healed – rapha' – to heal, make healthful
1Pe
2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in
his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Lesson
Receive healing
I believe that in the context of the passage the healing that Jesus makes
available to us is both spiritual and physical.
He has borne our illnesses. He
was pierced for our sins. All that really
remains is for us to receive. He may not
always heal you physically, but He will always heal you spiritually.