Jesus Christ tells His followers that He would be “numbered with transgressors”. He was crucified between two thieves, but that is not the impact of what this fulfilled prophecy means.
Isa 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
- Isaiah had prophesied that He was numbered among the transgressors or lawbreakers.
Prophesied: ISA 53:12 Fulfilled: LUK 23:32-33
Isa 53:12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors.
He was to take on the iniquities of the transgressors as a means to defeat the enemy and free the transgressors.
Isa 53:12b Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors;
“Poured out” = he‛ĕrâh,(from ârâh) means to strip or empty, or pour clean out, even to the very last remnant.
Psa 22:16 For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
One of the most dishonorable ways to die in the ancient world was to be devoured by dogs,
1 Kg 14:11, 16:4, 21:19,23; 2 Kg 9:10.
1 Ki 16:4 Anyone of Baasha who dies in the city the dogs will eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat.”
2 Ki 9:10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’
“Thrown to the dogs “is an old idiom used meaning = To throw away as useless, to cast out from one’s protection (in society), as into the streets.
Those who live by violence are described as dogs, Ps 59:6,14-15.
Psa 59:6 They return at evening, they howl like a dog, And go around the city.
Psa 59:14They return at evening, they howl like a dog, And go around the city.
15They wander about for food
And growl if they are not satisfied.
Luke 11:54 plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say.
Luke 20:20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, in order that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.
The religious leaders and many of the legalistic people, always saw Jesus Christ as a criminal and troublemaker.
Transgressor = pâsha‛ (paw-shah')
A primitive root meaning to break away (from just authority), that is, trespass, apostatize, quarrel: - offender, rebel(ion), one that revolts.
As Jesus Christ who control history, He voluntarily, and by obedience to the Father, permitted Himself to be reckoned with malefactors or transgressors.
Jesus was to be looked at as more likely to be an offended criminal, worse then the other two, thus given that center-middle position.
The Suffering Servant (TLJC) was delivered up to death as a wicked apostate and transgressor of the law.
Luke 23:32 Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.
Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
Mark 15:27 They crucified two robbers with Him, one on His right and one on His left. 28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with transgressors.”]
In ancient times, Capital or public punishment for breaking the law was a great deterrent to the people; especially those places under Roman rule!
Mat 20:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.
Mat 27:25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
Barabbas was put in election with Jesus to the favor of the people, and carried the connotation that Jesus was seen as a despised transgressor;
for they would not have Jesus released, but Barabbas. In Luke’s account it says,
Luke 23:25 And he (Pilate) released the man (Barabbas) they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he (Pilate) delivered Jesus to their will.
They called and accounted Jesus as:
a Sabbath-breaker; John 5:16, 9:16, Luke 6:2,7,
Mar :2, Mat 12:2,10.
John 5:16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.
They called and accounted Jesus as:
a drunkard, Mat 11:19, Luke 7:34.
Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard,
They called and accounted Jesus as:
a friend to publicans and sinners, Mat 11:19, Luke7:34.
Luke 7:34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’
They called and accounted Jesus as:
being possessed, demonized, Mat 9:34, 12:24,
Mar 3:22, Luke 11:15, John 8:48, 52
Mark 3:22 The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
John 8:48 The Jews answered and said to Him, “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
They called and accounted Jesus as:
And being insane, John 10:20
2 Co 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was 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.
Mark 14:61 But He kept silent and did not answer. Again, the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
Tit 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Tit 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Luke 22:37 For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.”
Luke 23:39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!”
Luke 23:40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?
Luke 23:41 And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”
Luke 23:42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Romans 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Heb 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
1 Pe 1:10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
1 Pe 1:11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
1 Pe 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
The Importance is to see that Jesus would be placed in the category of a transgressor.
Jesus gave of Himself, the righteous for the unrighteous that the transgressor may be reunited with God.
The depravity of man shows its evil face in an attitude through this statement:
The World hates Christ and all His followers.
John 15:18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
John 15:21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
John 15:23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
John 15:25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’
Psa 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.
The pages of this book, the Bible,
weave together so beautifully, we can see,
God is the Grand Weaver of His-story.
The Cosmos vs Bible Doctrine,
which are at eternal odds with each other.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”