The Portrait of a Paradox

THE PORTRATE OF A PARADOX Spring Valley Mennonite; February 12, 2023; Isaiah 53:1-3; John 12:37-40 In the 53rd chapter of Isaiah, we find a portrait of the coming Messiah. The Jews in Babylon, to whom this prophesy was written, could not help but be puzzled by what they read. While it is clear that Isaiah is describing the Messiah, this description was very much contrary to all expectations. And this is what Isaiah himself asks: "Who can believe what this message contains?" How could it be imagined that when the Messiah came, the One sent by God to deliver their nation; who could imagine that He would be rejected and despised? Who could believe when God and man came face to face that man would turn away? And even more puzzling was that the awesome strength of God would be clothed in weakness-yet would prove to be an amazing expression of power. We term such a situation a paradox, defined as "a seemingly self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true." A suffering Messiah certainly was the ultimate paradox to Isaiah's audience. Of course, we have the perspective of time and New Testament revelation on our side. Yet this passage teaches us much about the Lord Jesus Christ and His life. This section of Scripture began in chapter 52 with the last three verses giving a summary statement of the exaltation of Jesus following His humiliation, of victory after extreme suffering. In the first three verses of chapter 53, Isaiah speaks of the Person of the Servant. Rather than focusing on the death of Christ, these verses speak of Messiah's life. Turn to Isaiah 52 (Read vv. 1-3) We observe first: I. STRENGTH DISGUISED IN WEAKNESS These verses give us insight into what Jesus was truly like. The expression "Truth stranger than fiction" describes the life of Jesus. "Who has believed our message?" What a great question! Isaiah is writing in what is called the "historical present," projecting himself into the future and writing from the perspective that the actions have already transpired. It is if Isaiah is watching the life and ministry of Jesus, seeing the response of people to the Savior, then reporting it to us. His summary statement gives us this sense: "Who would believe what God would do, and how He would do it, and who would believe how people would respond to it?" The New Testament, in quoting this verse, speaks first of the Jewish response to the Messiah, and secondly, the response of the Gentile world. Turn to John 12:37-40 (Read.) Israel had the light among them but refused to believe. Their darkened eyes were so blinded that they could not see the noon blaze of truth. But it isn't just the Jews that reject the light of truth, for Paul uses this verse in Romans 10:15 to describe the worldwide response to the Gospel: "And how shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tiding of good things!' However, they did not all heed the glad tidings; for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?' So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." "Who has believed our message?" we ask today. Why would anyone pass up eternal life and the forgiveness of their sin? Belief or faith is the necessary response when one hears the Gospel, as Paul said to the Philippian Jailor who asked, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." But the world is blinded and deceived by the god of this age and chooses to believe his lies rather than the truth. Isaiah follows up his first question with a second one: "To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" What is meant by the 'arm of the Lord?' The arm of the Lord is always used as a symbol of the active presence of God. God's strength and power is demonstrated when, as it were, 'God pushes back His sleeves and bares His mighty arm in preparation to act.' God did this in bringing Israel out of Egypt. Isaiah 40:10: "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him." Isaiah 52:10: "The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God. It is a puzzlement and paradox that the mighty and powerful Servant of God, the Messiah, would be disguised in the frailty of human flesh, in the person of Jesus; but even more of a mystery was the manner in which salvation was accomplished through the Cross. The 'Arm of God' is a person. 1 Corinthians 1:23: "But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God..." Absolute power would be disguised in human flesh. Yet this is one of the most profound of Biblical principles: God's strength is best displayed in human weakness. We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the greatness and power of God might be clearly seen. When Paul prayed three times for his thorn in the flesh to be removed, God replied, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Answering Isaiah's question, 'To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' I would say 'To each one of us who believe in Jesus as Savior. At our conversion, the arm of the Lord was revealed; and God's mighty arm is also revealed by all who humbly realize that we are clay pots, which by grace, are being used to hold the precious treasure of a redeemed soul, guaranteed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. To those who humbly trust, the arm of the Lord is revealed daily. In our weakness, we can see God's strength. I remember sitting with a dear lady who had just been informed that her husband had died. She remarked, "The Lord is doing this" referring to her peace and calm. She was very surprised herself. At a time when the weakness of our flesh was so clearly demonstrated in death, the mighty arm of the Lord was revealed; first in the unseen world as her husband was presented in heaven clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and secondly in the faith of his widow. And as we trust in the trials of life, each one of God's children can cry out in reply to Isaiah's question 'To whom has the arm of the Lord revealed' "TO ME! TO ME IN MY WEAKNESS; I KNOW THE POWER AND STRENGTH OF THE LORD!" At the incarnation, omnipotence clothed itself in the weakness of human flesh. At conversion, each believer receives the indwelling Holy Spirit-once again, GOD DWELLING IN HUMAN FLESH! What an awesome miracle! The mighty power of God revealed in us! As we continue in verse 2, we see that the Servant Messiah would come: II. FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS The Messiah would be a man who would be born and grow like any other person. At Christmas we think about the might of omnipotence being clothed in a tiny baby. That baby would grow up and would mature like all humans. He would be like a tender shoot, literally, a "frail suckling." The picture is of a tiny, tender and frail plant pushing its way out through the hard soil. Back in Isaiah 11, the Messiah was said to come from the "stump of Jesse." He would be from the Royal family of King David, but that family would be like a mighty tree which had been cut down. During his lifetime, Isaiah would know Judah's Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh, all of which were from the family of David. But the Babylonians seriously weakened the tree, and by the time Jesus was born, Judea was ruled by a Roman political appointee, a half-Jew named Herod. The dynasty of King David was like a tree cut down, leaving only a stump, only a fond remembrance of the Jewish Golden Age. But from that stump of Jesse the Lord Jesus was born, of the family and lineage of David. The tender shoot would grow up before God, the "Him" of verse 2. God was closely looking after and controlling events during these developmental years of Jesus' life. Although we have not been given details of Jesus' childhood, we can be assured that the Father was ordering all the minute circumstances of Jesus' life. The terms "before Him" gives this idea of watchful care. This certainly describes the earthly life of Jesus, both of the physical circumstances as well as the spiritual climate of His home. But there was very little spiritual vitality in Judea. Although King Herod had built a magnificent Temple structure in Jerusalem, it was "all show and no go!" Although the daily sacrifices and festivals of the Law were observed, such as Passover, there was very little genuine spiritual life. For example, one needs only to look at the office of High Priest, occupied by men like Annas and Caiaphas. They were not even of the priestly family of Aaron, but were, like King Herod, political appointees! The presence of the Lord had departed from the Temple in the days of Ezekiel, and never had returned. Otherwise, men like Annas or Caiaphas would never have survived the once-a-year ritual of the Day of Atonement. Jewish spirituality was defined by keeping the hundreds of minute rules formulated by the Pharisees. Religion for most was only empty ritual. God had not spoken through a prophet for 400 years. There were few people who truly followed God. Jesus called these religious leaders "blind leaders of the blind" and "whitewashed graves, full of dead men's bones." Jesus came into an arid and dry spiritual environment like a "shoot out of dry ground." "Dry ground" also describes the physical situation into which Jesus was born, not in terms of rainfall, but in a spiritual sense. Galilee was far from the mainstream of Jewish life. Nazareth was a small, obscure village with a poor reputation because of the strong Gentile presence in the area. "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" was a common saying because of this heavy Gentile influence. The family to which Jesus was born was not affluent, but of a common working class, Joseph being a simple carpenter. Jesus' birth in a stable set the tone for the humble life He experienced. He certainly did not have a pampered childhood. Life would have been difficult, made even so by the social stigma occasioned by the virgin birth. Most would have view Mary and Joseph as that "couple who had to get married." Yet once more we seen the paradoxical nature of God's Servant in that the most humble of backgrounds would produce the Savior of the world. From obscurity came greatness. How often do we see it demonstrated that adversity strengthens those who overcome it" Worldly advantage is at best a neutral force in God's eyes. More often, what the world would term an advantage, like wealth or noble ancestry is a hindrance. Yet Jesus did have the advantage of a godly family, of hard-working and conscientious parents who were willing to be obedient to God's leading; parents who were willing to sacrifice reputation and well-being for the sake of following God. In God's eyes, Mary and Joseph were the perfect guardians and mentors for His Son, regardless of social status and living on the "wrong side of the tracks." In this passage we are even given some information about Jesus' physical appearance. Verse 2 tells us: III. HIS LOOKS DID NOT MAKE HIM STAND OUT Artists for many centuries have tried to capture what Jesus might have looked like. I think most of those portrayals make Jesus appear much too attractive. Isaiah tells us that "He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him." Jesus certainly didn't look like royalty. There was nothing which made Him stand out in a crowd. There was nothing about His appearance which identified Him as the King. Recall Pilate's words when seeing Jesus: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus relied upon His common appearance to advantage when He was able to "melt into the crowds" and escape His enemies. When people came seeking Him, He had to be pointed out-"There, that one who has people surrounding Him; no, the ordinary looking one." His true identity was visible only to the discerning eye of faith. It was His words of life, His message and acts of love, hope, and compassion that attracted the crowds, not His appearance. I do think when one observed His eyes, they would have seen His incredible love and compassion. His physical appearance was nothing special. I must take the opportunity to point out how far our culture has drifted from biblical values regarding personal appearance. Unlike man, God puts no premium on physical appearance. I think we should do the best with what we've been given, but it is an abomination to God to judge someone by how closely they fit some arbitrary standard of attractiveness. While physical attractiveness soon fades, the inward beauty of spiritual maturity will benefit us for all eternity. In choosing David over his older brothers, God told Samuel, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Verse three speaks of: IV. THE SERVANT'S RECEPTION BY MEN These three verses primarily describe the earthly life and ministry of our Lord, not His suffering on the cross; the cross was just the culmination of what went before. How did men respond to the Son of God? Through the eyes of prophesy, Isaiah was appalled by what he saw: instead of mankind welcoming the Messiah, the Savior of mankind; instead of prompting praise and rejoicing, Jesus produced the response of either animosity-or a yawn. "He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face. He was despised and we did not esteem Him." The Holy One, the Messiah, the Son of God came to earth and declared Himself clearly and strongly. "He who has seen Me has seen the Father. I and the Father are One." He healed the sick, made the lame to walk, the blind to see, and even raised the dead. He proved He was the Messiah by His miracles. He fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah. Never was such compassion and love demonstrated among men. Yet, even seeing the miracles, people chose to not to believe. During His ministry Jesus experienced contempt, misunderstanding, rejection and ridicule. He truly was a man of sorrows. But lest we think that these verses refer only to Jesus' trials and crucifixion, even a casual glimpse of His ministry reveals an undercurrent of grief. He clearly knew His mission, yet He faced rejection and opposition by the Jewish establishment. Jesus was the most sensitive, sympathetic, compassionate, merciful, and holy person who ever walked upon this dark planet; would He not be more affected by seeing the destructive results of sin than anyone? Are you not grieved when someone you love foolishly chooses the pathways of sin? Isn't your heart troubled by the sinful perversion, lack of morality, violence, and lack of the fear of God in our culture? Think of Jesus' perfect and deep love for all men when He saw, not only the sinful choices made and their consequences, but also the absolute horror of their fate? Would not the magnitude of His sorrow be unfathomable? Consider perfect holiness living in the midst of absolute depravity; imagine being rejected by those who you came to redeem. Such thing could not help but produce intense mental and spiritual sorrow. Jesus truly was a man of sorrows to the extent that no other human being could understand. In the moment of His greatest need, His disciples first fell asleep, then ran away leaving Him totally alone. He was like one from whom men hide their face, epitomized on the cross, as Isaiah 52:14 describes: His appearance was marred beyond recognition. What makes us look away when we pass someone? I thought of several reasons which would apply to the Lord Jesus. Perhaps these are some reasons why people even today turn away from Jesus: * (First) We simply don't know someone, and don't wish to know them. It is a form of dismissal- "you are obviously not important to me, and I choose to dismiss and ignore you; you are a non-person to me." Like today, many people were so preoccupied with the trivia of their lives that they simply had no time for Jesus. That is all too often the case in our busy culture. Everyone is so occupied with building their castles of sand that they ignore the incoming tide. Believers who should know better also can fall into the "I'm too busy for Jesus today." We need to ask, "Too busy doing what? Building castles? Building bigger barns?' * (a second reason that people turn away from Jesus:) Faces are turned away when we see something unpleasant. Something grotesque or deformed makes us turn away. One suggested explanation of this verse is that, like someone having a hideous disease which makes people turn away in horror or disgust, people turn away from Jesus because they perceive that the lifestyle He offers is something unpleasant. Their eyes are so blinded to their own woundedness and the misery of their sinful life that they choose to reject the only solution to that misery. They perceive that following Jesus and the life of sacrifice and service is unpleasant. How wrong they are! Fulness of Joy, satisfaction in life, genuine love and forgiveness, a new beginning in life comes only as we surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. Though many turn away from the Lord, may we persevere in the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. 2