Isaiah 52:14 RSV — As many were astonished at him–his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men–
Isaiah 53:2 RSV — For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
Revelation 5:6 RSV — And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth;
Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12 remarkably predicts the coming and suffering of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 52:13 RSV — Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
Crucifixion didn’t exist at the writing. This phrase must have been a mystery to Isaiah. Jewish texts will ponder these verses for 700 years before Christ is born.
Depictions of Jesus always show us a healthy, strong man. But we are meant to worship the Jesus who was beaten into a horrid state before being hung on a cross and stabbed through with a spear.
That’s a dark vision of the Messiah.
I think that vision has kept me ready for the tragedies of life. Maybe not “ready,” but unsurprised at how dark reality can become.