Discussion: The Burial of the Servant

53:9
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

53:10
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

Initial Post

These verses are predicting Jesus' crucifixion. In the discussion forum below, respond to the following: 

• Verse 9 can also be translated, "He was assigned a grave with the wicked but was with the rich in his death." What part of Jesus' story do you think that is describing?
• Imagine you are an Israelite living in Isaiah's day, hearing these words for the first time. Does anything strike you as strange about these verses?

Follow-up Post

Read through the other posts by your peers, then respond to your original post answering the following:

• Read Matthew 27:38 and Matthew 27:57-60.
• What do you think the Roman soldiers had planned to do with Jesus' body after he died?
• What actually happened?
• How does that help us understand Isaiah 53:9?
• Look again at these verses: the Servant is being "assigned a grave" in verse 9, but is going to "prolong his days" in verse 10. In light of Jesus' story, how do we reconcile what seems to be a contradiction in Isaiah's prophecy?