Jesus: The Suffering Servant

Introduction: Unmistakeably Jesus

What if I told you that there was a “forbidden chapter” of the Old Testament? A chapter that rabbis have been forbidden from reading aloud in Synagogues. What is this heinous infamous passage you might ask? Our passage for this morning: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 (ESV)

Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.

As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— so shall he sprinkle many nations.

Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.

Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Any guesses as to why this chapter of the Bible isn’t read aloud in Jewish Synagogues? Probably because of all the passages of the Old Testament and especially of those that have historically been considered to be about the Messiah, Isaiah 53 is the one the most completely and obviously fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ of Nazereth.

So then it has been an obvious “must preach” passage for this sermon series where we find Jesus in the Old Testament. It just leaps out to us how perfectly this fits Jesus, and how perfectly it teaches the gospel message that the humble Messiah came to die for our sins and then raise exalted from the grave.

In fact this passage so perfectly describes the crucifixion of Jesus that for a long time a great many people believed and taught that Christians inserted it into the Old Testament. They were so convinced that there was no way this could have been written by a person 100s of years before the fact. Look at the details, “he was pierced for our transgressions”? That’s obviously crucifixion, a method of execution that didn’t exist in the time of Isaiah, when the proscribed way to kill a criminal was by throwing stones at them. “Like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth”? Obviously that’s a reference to Jesus’ refusal to defend Himself in court. To top it all off how could the specific prophecy about dying with criminals but being buried in a rich man’s grave not have been inserted after the time of Jesus. So they came up with their conspiracy theories and for a while there was no good way to disprove their theories because the earliest manuscripts of the Old Testament that we had were from a couple hundred years after the time of Jesus.

Well times change. We have since discovered even older copies of translations of the Old Testament that have Isaiah 53 clearly in them, and even some Hebrew texts found near the dead sea (appropriately called “the dead sea scrolls) that feature the chapter prominently. It’s now clear beyond a reasonable doubt that this detailed discription of Jesus’ death on our behalf was written 100s of years before Jesus was born.

The fact that this passage predicts Jesus’ crucifixion is not missed by the authors of the New Testament. According to Warren B. Weirsbe

This chapter is the very heart of Isa. 40–66, and it takes us to the cross. That these verses apply to Jesus Christ is proved by John 12:38, Matt. 8:17, Acts 8:32–35, Mark 15:28, Luke 22:37, Rom. 10:16, and 1 Peter 2:24. Isaiah 53 is quoted or referred to at least eighty-five times in the NT.

Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), Is 53.

In fact some claim that even if we had no surviving copies of this chapter of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible we could almost entirely reconstruct it just from the quotes of it we find in the new testament.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, God made His Messiah unmistakeable so that those who reject Him will have no excuse at all. I find especially the bit about His burial to be compelling. This prophecy is fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60

Matthew 27:57–60 (ESV)

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.

And in case you think that the author of this scripture just made that up to make it sound more like Jesus was fulfilling Isaiah, well guess what? The fact that Jesus was buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb is actually one of the most well attested historical facts even as far as scholars who are critical of the Bible are concerned. This is because of what historians call “the criterion of embarrassment” which basically is the idea that if a writer records something that is embarrasing to himself or his colleagues it’s more likely to reflect historical truth because they have something to lose in recording it. The disciples would have been embarrased by the fact that they had abandoned Jesus in His death and left his burial to someone else.

So on top of the imense confidence it should give us in the truth of the gospel, what should we take away from this chapter of the Hebrew Scriptures? What does it teach us about our Messiah Jesus? Well I believe it teaches us about:

The Humility of Jesus

The Humiliation of Jesus

The Exaltation of Jesus

1. The Humility of Jesus

The first thing that stands out to me is the amazing humility of Jesus that’s show in this passage. Think about who we know Jesus to be. This is God Himself, the Messiah, perfect in every way and given authority over the entire universe and over all kings and angels and nations. Yet here we read in Isaiah these verses:

Isaiah 53:1–3 (ESV)

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Now a lot of paintings and movies don’t get this part right. Perhaps out of reverence or fear that others would misunderstand Jesus is often portrayed as this incredibly handsome guy, not “he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”

Think about this fact for a second: Jesus is the only person in the history of humanity who had complete control over His appearance. He could have showed up and been the most good looking impressively built man to have ever lived. He CHOSE to be plain and unremarkable in appearance.

Not only that but He chose to live a life of poverty and servanthood. Like He Himself says in Mark 10:45

Mark 10:45 ESV

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus goes on to illustrate His attitude of humility and service when He washes the feet of His disciples in John 13:1-7

John 13:1–7 ESV

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

And so the King of Kings and Lord of Lords shows us the prime example of what it means to be humble. How could we as His disciples do any less? Paul makes the connection between Jesus’ humility and our call to humility explicit in Philippians 2:1-8

Philippians 2:1–8 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

So we should be focused on others rather than on ourselves, the true definition of humility. Not seeking our own glory but seeking to love and serve the people that God has put into our lives. We can do this because Jesus did it first and gives us the Holy Spirit to grow in grace and in humility.

Where better does Jesus express His humility that submitting to death, the same connection Paul makes in the proceeding Bible verse.

2. The Humiliation of Jesus

It can be hard sometimes when you’re consistently attending church services and reading scripture and hearing from Christian sources to keep the sacrifice of Jesus fresh in your mind. It just sort of becomes this given that we live with. We say all the time that we are giving thanks for His sacrifice and that it changed everything and was the most important moment in history, but when was the last time you really had your heart wrecked by the realization of what Jesus suffered on our behalf?

I was in middle school when the movie “The Passion of the Christ” came out in theatres. Now the movie isn’t perfect and no film or tv show could ever really fully capture what Jesus did for us, but I remember coming out of that movie just an emotional mess. I had heard before about Jesus’ death on the cross and that He paid the penalty for our sins, but to actually see a visual representation of the torture and execution He experienced was a whole different level.

The crazy thing is that that movie despite its reputation for being violent and hard to watch probably doesn’t fully represent how harshly Jesus was treated. Did you know that Jesus was actually beaten on three different occasions leading up to the crucifixion?

Isaiah 52:14 (ESV)

As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

Or in other words Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be so harshly beaten that his face wouldn’t even be recognizably human. So we are understandably moved to great emotion at the thought, but how great our sorrow when we realize that we are the ones responsable for His death.

Isaiah 53:4–9 (ESV)

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

So although many of His people in the moment of His death thought that He must have been rejected by God or otherwise He wouldn’t be suffering, it turns out that it was our sin that brought Him there.

In the word’s of Stuart Townsend’s phenomenal song “How Deep the Father’s Love For Us”

Behold the man upon a cross My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished

The death of Jesus was necessary because we were all living on death row. The penalty for sin is death, and so a God who is perfectly just and holy requires a life in payment for the sins that we have committed. Jesus was the only son of God and perfectly Holy Himself, and so was the only one who could die for the rest of us because He was the only one who wasn’t guilty of His own sins and therefore He wasn’t already deserving of death. 1 Peter 2:24

1 Peter 2:24 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

I sometimes wonder if when I preach so often about the message of the gospel and of Jesus’ death for our sins if this just seems really repetitive, but remember this message isn’t just for you. We’re coming together to learn from scripture so that we can be better disciples, but also so that we can better MAKE disciples. This passage is an amazing testimony of news so good it cries out to be shared.

In fact this passage is what inspires the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-35

Acts 8:26–35 (ESV)

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

Remember the early Christians when they witnessed about Jesus they didn’t have a New Testament to quote, especially as early as the account of Acts. So when they witnessed to people it was from the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament. This was possible because of passages like this one that hundreds of years before Jesus was born gave the good news of salvation that was coming not just for Isreal but for the whole world.

Yet this is not how the story ends. We aren’t sent out alone to testify to a dead Messiah who simply paid the penalty for our sins. No we go out in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the living Messiah with the whole world who is seated at the right hand of the Father in Glory and waiting to come back in that Glory to judge the world. He has by His death and resurrection proved His worthiness which brings us to the third point of this sermon.

3. The Exaltation of Jesus

I always think it’s a fun exercise to read these prophecies like we’re living in the time of Isaiah and not on the other side of Jesus’ coming. What would we make of his prophecy? If we look at it closely there seems to be some contradictory ideas in there. Like how in verse 8 he says that the servant was “cut off out of the land of the living.” Well if you aren’t in the land of the living, where are you? The implication is pretty clear. The servant died. Which is why he can talk in the next verse about how they “made his grave with the wicked.” Also in verse 10 Isaiah says that the servant is made an offering. I don’t know if you know this, but no animal ever survived the Jewish way of being made an offering. So it’s pretty clear, right? He died.

Well let’s read the rest of verse 10 and continue to verse 12:

Isaiah 53:10–12 (ESV)

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Wait a minute, he’s going to die but then “he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days”? How will he, if he’s dead, “divide… a portion with the many” and then “[make] intercession for the transgressors.”? Well the explanation in hindsight is pretty clear. After the Messiah comes to suffer and die for all of our sins He will live again. We are His offspring, and His days will never end.

In the words of the author of Hebrews

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus went to the cross to suffer and die because of His great love for us and the twin joys of seeing us redeemed and seeing His kingdom come.

Not only has Jesus received glory in exchange for His humiliation, but He shares that glory with us. We read in Romans 8:14-17

Romans 8:14–17 ESV

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

But we don’t get our glory the way the world does. We don’t earn glory by mighty acts, great wisdom or eloquent words but by suffering with Christ. Which is good news, because I don’t know about you but if it was up to me I wouldn’t be getting any glory on account of my own ability. In the words of 1 Cor 1:27

1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

So that’s why he chose me.

Conclusion: How to be Accounted Righteous

So then, what do we do differently as a result of exploring this text together? How does Isaiah 53 make us better disciples? How does it help us make disciples?

Well, first of all the humility of Jesus should likewise inspire humility in each of us. If the rightful king of the universe acted in humility, so should we, hence why Paul uses the example of Christ’s self emptying in Philippians. So we shouldn’t think to highly of ourselves and instead should focus on how we can serve and help and love other people.

The humilition of Jesus should move us to repentance. Knowing what He suffered because of our sins shows us the seriousness of doing wrong. The forgiveness of Christ is not an easy flippant thing but was bought a precious terrible price, and we should treat His sacrifice with the attitude that it deserves, which is submission and confession and begging forgiveness.

Finally Jesus’ death and resurrection should inspire us to bring Him glory in the world and share the good new with others. This is the application Paul sees for this passage in Romans 15:20-21

Romans 15:20–21 (ESV)

and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul sees our efforts to evangelize the world as fulfillment of the prediction of Isaiah 53 about the world hearing the truth about the Messiah. And if we are to reach the world effectively for Christ we need to intercede for the world even as Christ intercedes for us. I’ll leave you with this quote:

Just as the servant was numbered with transgressors before he could make intercession for them, even so must our own intercessory prayer include more than a benevolent attitude toward those in need. True intercession is always more than prayer, although it includes prayer. It really involves a way of life, for one cannot offer intercessory prayer unless he is living an intercessory life. One cannot address God on behalf of the needy unless he is willing to become involved in their situation, sharing in their griefs and bearing their injuries. Otherwise such prayer becomes a sham and a mockery. Perhaps this explains why the church so rarely engages in intercessory prayer. This kind of prayer is terribly costly.

Page H. Kelley, “Isaiah,” in Proverbs–Isaiah, ed. Clifton J. Allen, Broadman Bible Commentary (Broadman Press, 1971), 345.