The Silent Sheep that got the attention of the World

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
    yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
    so he opened not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7 ESV

This verse, written by Prophet Isaiah, caught the attention of a high-ranking official of the Ethiopian Queen 2000 years ago. The official was on his journey back from Jerusalem after worshipping at the temple when he came across this verse. However, the words of the Prophet didn’t seem to make sense to the Queen’s officer, despite his knowledge of the Scriptures, the temple, and his powerful position.

The prophet wrote about the Suffering Servant of the Lord, but even for the Israelites it was written for, it didn’t make sense. When the Anointed One came, they didn’t recognize him and didn’t hesitate to kill him. The Ethiopian eunuch was also wondering about whom the prophet was speaking. God sent the evangelist Philip to meet him along the Jerusalem-Gaza highway. Philip clarified the message and the revelation of the real Suffering Servant was so eye-opening that the officer accepted him with a joyful heart.

A sheep that stands in silence may not be an image that comes to mind when thinking of God. However, it is a prophetic image of Jesus Christ, who silently endured torture and accusations. This is an extraordinary depiction of God as a silent sheep. When Jesus was manifested, He stood silently like a sheep to take away our sins. The message of the gospel is beautifully represented in Isaiah 53, where Jesus took our place and suffered affliction and rejection in place of our sins. It is a marvelous thing that the accuracy and details in the description of the Suffering Messiah that the prophet wrote hundreds of years before it happened.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly the prophet starts the chapter thus –

Who has believed what he has heard from us?^[a]
    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Isaiah 53:1, ESV

The readers have been warned about the element of surprise in the events that will happen to the servant. Unfortunately, this has also been the case with God’s people throughout history. Even in this day and age, millions of people cannot accept the Lord because they cannot understand the wonderful work of the Lord on the cross or accept the God who was despised and rejected on their behalf. However, the silent sheep, who is Jesus Christ, has got the attention of the world through the way he lived, died, and rose again. You may have heard, read about, and known about Jesus Christ, but have you recognized him as your Savior?

1 Man of sorrows what a name
for the Son of God, who came
ruined sinners to reclaim:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

2 Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned he stood,
sealed my pardon with his blood:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

3 Guilty, helpless, lost were we;
blameless Lamb of God was he,
sacrificed to set us free:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

4 He was lifted up to die;
“It is finished” was his cry;
now in heaven exalted high:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

5 When he comes, our glorious King,
all his ransomed home to bring,
then anew this song we’ll sing:
Hallelujah, what a Savior!

P.P Bliss (1838-1876)