The fifty-third chapter of Isaiah is a fascinating description of the cross given hundreds of years before Christ came in human form. The prophet wrote, "They made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death" (Isaiah 53:9). He hung on the cross between two thieves, fulfilling the first part of that prophecy, and was buried in a rich man's tomb, fulfilling the second part of that prophecy (John 19:17, 40-41; Matthew 27:55-60).
The Jewish people taught that righteousness brought material wealth. Riches were a kind of proof of a person being blessed by God. So the prophecy in Isaiah must have been a kind of thorn in their theological side. How could the Christ be counted with the wicked and still be buried with the rich? But looking at it after the fulfillment, all the pieces of the puzzle fit nicely into place.
Some of what we read in scripture puzzles us in the same way the people before the cross were puzzled over the apparent contradictions concerning the glory and the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 1:11). The cross teaches us that all God has said will come to pass, will come to pass. Every seeming contradictory or confusing thing written about the second coming of Christ will piece together in perfect harmony with each detail God has given to us.
