The word “incredible” means “impossible to believe, difficult
to believe, extraordinary.” It is not uncommon for us to describe
something that is extremely out of the ordinary as “unbelievable”
or “incredible.” Sometimes we will say “You are not going to
believe this…” right before we tell what seems like a far-fetched
story. But then there are times that we know that someone is
skeptical, so before we tell them something we say, “I know
you may not believe this, but…”
The Prophet Isaiah was called by God to prophesy to the
Israelites at a time in their history when many people did
not believe God’s word. They were skeptical of its truth.
Perhaps they thought it was too far-fetched. Maybe they
just thought it was irrelevant or perhaps they thought that
it was all a bunch of nonsense. Because of this attitude
toward God’s word, much of what Isaiah said fell on
deaf ears.
It is no wonder then that Isaiah 53 begins with the
question, “Who hath believed our report?” What
follows that rhetorical question is one of the most
detailed descriptions of the Messiah’s suffering for
the sins of the world in all of the Old Testament. As
we read through the chapter, there are more than a
few statements that might lead us to exclaim, “That’s
incredible!” When the Messiah comes, He will have
“no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him,
there is no beauty that we should desire him”? That’s
incredible! The coming Savior will be “despised and
rejected of men”? Unbelievable! “It pleased the LORD
to bruise him; he hath put him to grief”? That’s hard to believe!
While it may be hard for many to believe, the fact is
that God the Son came to earth, suffered in the flesh
for our sin, died and rose again to satisfy God’s holiness
and justice and make a way for us to be saved from our sin.
The Gospel is incredible, but we must believe it, and when
we do, God will save us from our sins.