Isaiah 53 is prophesy about Jesus, the Messiah. It declares powerful truth about what Jesus experienced for us.

“He was oppressed and afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off from the land of the living
For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due?
And His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the Lord desired
To crush Him, causing Him grief;
If He renders Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
For He will bear their wrongdoings.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the plunder with the strong,
Because He poured out His life unto death,
And was counted with wrongdoers;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the wrongdoers.”

Isaiah 53:7-12 NASB

Jesus’ sacrifice is SO incredible! He “…poured out His life unto death…” (vs. 12). What amazing love! Jesus gave His life for us, and we should do the same for Him. We are called to be living sacrifices, fully devoted to Him.

In Romans 12:1, the Bible says: “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

Jesus died for us, and He calls us to live for Him. This means that we crucify our fleshly desires—lust, anger, hatred, greed, and any worldly urges—and live a new life, following Jesus. Just as Jesus was crucified, then raised from the dead, so we crucify our fleshly desires—our old, sinful nature—and live a new life in Christ.

This change—this rebirth—is symbolized in water baptism. After we choose to follow Jesus, we follow His example by being baptized in water. From a physical view, baptism involves briefly immersing a person under water, then immediately raising them up. From a spiritual view, when the person is under the water, it represents the death of the old, sinful nature. When they are brought up, it represents rebirth in Jesus Christ—the beginning of a new life. It is a public declaration of a person’s decision to follow Jesus and a beautiful page in their journey with God. When Christ followers are baptized, it is in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus died for us. Let’s live for Him! Let’s follow His example in everything we do. Let’s love others as He loved, serve as He served, walk as He walked, and be a living sacrifice fully devoted to Him. Let’s obey His words and do what Jesus calls us to do in Matthew 28:19-20:

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Jesus is with us—the One who conquered death, healed the sick, cleansed leapers, opened blind eyes, and so much more! We can share His love boldly, knowing that He is with us. The wonderful gift of salvation made available through His loving sacrifice is available for all who accept Jesus as their Savior.