Sermon of the Servant: Proclaiming the Lord's Favor

In the latter portion of Isaiah, there have been four passages known as “Servant Songs.” These have come to be known, through the revelation of the New Testament, as songs of the Messiah. They are chapters 42, 49, 50, and 53. In those songs, the Servant is described as being chosen by God, called by God, Obedient to God, and finally rejected by men and Crushed by God for the iniquities of the people. The theme of the Servant, the Messiah, is arguably the richest truth that we get from Isaiah’s prophecies. They point to Christ, as do all the scriptures, and give us a “behind the scenes” look at what Jesus would be doing when He would arrive on the scene.

Isaiah 61, while not seen as one of the traditional Servant Songs, is really a Servant Sermon. Here, while the word “Servant” is not used to describe the author, the speaker is the one who is specially “anointed by God” to bring this special message to people. This anointed one speaks of his responsibilities to God’s people - responsibilities that are remarkably similar, in fact really identical, to the work of the Servant in previous references. This messianic message also seems to continue though chapter 63:6.

This anointed one brings a message of salvation, restoration, healing and peace. It is primarily a message of God’s favor, although it does include a warning about God’s vengeance. This is closely connected also to the end of chapter 59. As we noted last week, chapters 57-59 were scathing reminders to the people of their sin. Chapter 60, in turn, was a message of hope and a prophetic look into the distant future of God’s people in the New Jerusalem, where God’s glory will be the joy and satisfaction of those who trust in Him. Chapter 60 seems to be a parenthesis - a joyful interjection, like “don’t forget that this is coming one day!” before going on with the message.

Think of it this way. Chapters 57-59 exposed the poor, the broken, the sinful, the hopeless and laid out their position for them. Chapter 60 is almost a teaser - a “look what is available for God’s people!” sort of headline. In chapter 60, the Glory of God has already ben set upon his people, and they are enjoying the eternal benefits promised. Chapter 61, though, is a message directly to those broken, poor, suffering individuals who are licking their wounds from sin and separation from God. These people are broken-hearted, struggling with their bondage - and not just physical bondage, but their bondage of unrighteousness.

Another reason we can say for certainty that this message finds its timing before chapter 60, before the New Jerusalem, is that Jesus made it very clear that He was the one to fulfil this teaching. He began to read from this passage in the Synagogue in Luke 4, and said to the listeners, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” It is very fitting that Jesus is this “anointed one” preaching the message of the Lord’s favor. He came as the messiah, the Christ - the very meaning of which is “anointed one.” He came preaching the year of the Lord’s favor, freedom, healing comfort and peace. This is the message he proclaimed, and this message is what we also proclaim as His body continuing on earth.

Behold the Messiah, the first and great Preacher, proclaiming the Lord’s Favor.

1 - His Message Proclaims Transformation - 1-4

Verses 1-4 give a detailed account about the speaker, and what his message would accomplish. I say detailed, because the details are clues as to who this person would be. The immediate question is this: is the description simply speaking of Isaiah? Is Isaiah writing in the first person, referring to himself? Or is his first person language prophetic in nature.

As mentioned in the introduction, the role and responsibilities of this person allude to similar roles that are taken by the Divine “Servant” in other chapters. Similarly, other Servant or Messianic prophecies include the link that is also here, that this person is specially endowed with God’s Spirit.

An additional clue given is the fact that this speaker is the Anointed one. Anointing signified a special calling out, a blessing, a setting apart for Holy ordination, as it were.

If any one of these things were given as qualifications - if it were just his message, just his Spirit-empowerment, just his anointing, then perhaps the identity would be more ambiguous. However, there is another clue, a decisive one, that we receive in the New Testament concerning this speaker.

Luke 4:16–21 ESV

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

We find then, that this prophecy by Isaiah, although possibly true of Isaiah or other prophets in a small sense, is specifically and inescapably linked to the Servant, The Anointed One, The Messiah, Jesus Christ.

This, of course, is in keeping with Jesus self-identification as the one to whom the Old Testament scriptures point. He said in John 5:39, speaking to the Jewish leaders who were well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures;

John 5:39 ESV

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,

Jesus made a similar statement, after His Resurrection, in a remarkable meeting with two men walking to a town called Emaus. They were discussing the recent events in Jerusalem, the crucifixion of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. They explained what had happened, and their hopes that this man would be the redeemer of Israel - not knowing that they were talking to Jesus himself. Jesus gave some words of explanation, and then we have this note.

Luke 24:27 ESV

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Yes, I say, the Servant in Isaiah, The promised seed of the Woman in Genesis. The blessing of the nations promised to come through Abraham. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. The True and better David, the true and better Moses, the Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the the anointed one, the speaker in Isaiah 61 - it is Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Knowing, then, that the speaker is more than just another prophet, but THE prophet. More than just an anointed one, but THE anointed one, then these words take on more significance than promises simply directed to a people at a point in time - in Christ they find their relevance and significance, their importance and their meaning stretched beyond Israel in Babylon, stretched beyond Isaiah’s lifetime, stretched beyond the Hebrew Scriptures and into the time that is called here “the year of the Lord’s Favor.”

His words are transformational, because of their promised effects. But also, we know they are transformational due to the keeping of this promise in the life and ministry of Christ. Lets look at some of these results.

Bring good news to the poor - (not just monetarily poor, truer form is afflicted)

This is the same good news that was brought in Isaiah 40 and also in Isaiah 52.

In Isaiah 40:9, the message of the herald of good news was “behold your God!” In Isaiah 52:7 the one who published good news cried out, “your God reigns!”

To those who are afflicted, poor, seemingly helpless, the good news is this - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the covenant God, the creator God, he reigns, and he knows your situation.

Bind up the brokenhearted.

Healing, in the truest sense.

Malachi 4:2 ESV

But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

healing is physical in its most apparent sense, and there is no doubt that Jesus healed the physical maladies of many people. But here, his good news, his message is healing for the brokenhearted. The heart is the seat of the emotions. A broken heart is a malady that affects every other part of life. May I say to you, that even the Devil himself can counterfeit certain miracles, even physical healings can be faked - but there is only one who can bind up and heal a broken heart.

Proclaim Liberty to the Captives

In the context of Isaiah, this message would have brought great hope to those who were in Babylon. In the context of Jesus, however, the people were not really enslaved and captive in a physical sense. Sure, Israel was under Roman rule and had been for such time. But Jesus did not come to deliver them from that experience. This liberty is in keeping with the healing - it is a deeper, spiritual liberty. It is described, really, in the next phrase “the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

It should be noted, that when Luke records Jesus quoting this passage, he does not quote it word for word out of either the Hebrew or Greek text of the Old Testament. He seems to do something that He does often, and give an interpretive reading. In this portion, Jesus quotes it as saying “recovering sight to the blind.”

This difference was apparently not a problem for Jesus, it probably was intended. Perhaps it explains to us a little better what is intended here behind the idea of captivity. Jesus certainly did heal the physically blind of their impaired vision. But blindness is used all throughout scripture to describe a spiritual condition. Jeremiah and the Psalmists speak of people who “have eyes but cannot see.” Interestingly, that is also the way that Jesus describes some of the Jewish leaders of his day. They were in blindness, and in their blindness, they were in captivity - the freedom and truth being right in front of them, but the hardness of their hearts made them incapable of reaching it.

But this anointed one, this Messiah, would proclaim liberty from that captivity, and opening the eyes of that blindness.

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

Also, “The acceptable year of the Lord.” What is this day of the Lord’s Favor? What is this acceptable time? It is the time of salvation. The term “year” here is poetic, it simply refers to a period of time. A period of time where God’s favor is on display. A period of time where his benevolence is seen and shown.

Paul refers to this time when writing to the Corinthians in this way.

2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV

For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Beloved, we are in the year of the Lord’s favor - we are in the acceptable day of the Lord. The Grace of God has been made manifest through Jesus Christ, this Divine servant. I implore you, as Isaiah did in a previous chapter - seek the LORD while he can be found - call upon Him while he is near. The time is now, but it is not a limitless opportunity.

When I say it is not a limitless opportunity, I say that because of the next words of the message. While this message proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor, that is followed by a day of vengeance of our God.

Interestingly, when Jesus read this in the synagogue, he stopped short of this portion. Is that because He did not believe in the vengeance of God? Of course not - Jesus spent as much time, if not more time, speaking about the judgment of God as he did any other topic. Jesus first coming is fulfillment of this message of healing, of salvation. But the day of vengeance is reserved for his second coming.

This hearkens back to our discussion of the Justice and Mercy of God, how they are met joyfully in Christ. Jesus came to call out a people, a righteous people. He came to declare the greatness of His Kingdom and invite people to live as spiritual citizens of that Kingdom. But Jesus will also rule and reign one day having won victory over his enemies. His enemies will be made a footstool. While the judgment is not the main idea of this message of the anointed one, it is warned against and promised.

2 Peter 3:10 ESV

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

This is all the more reason to rejoice in the fact that we are in the year of the Lord’s favor. Do you know Christ? Has Christ become to you a wonderful savior, a healer of your broken heart, a liberator of your captive soul, the opener of your blind eyes to see the wonder of his Mercy? Come to Him - he proclaims that this is the year of the Lord’s favor.

To Comfort all who mourn - this promise precedes the description of the people “rebuilding” the devastation of many generations. God’s people, at least from after the time of Solomon, were in what seemed to be a downward spiral of devastation. It was always a looking backward, back to when the Glory of God filled the place. Back to when peace ruled and reigned. But this message would bring comfort for those who mourn that destruction, that spiritual dearth due to sin.

Oil of gladness, garments of praise - the Divine “replacement” therapy. Replacement therapy from a human standpoint is often artificial and ineffective, but when the Lord replaces our mourning with joy, it is genuine. And when he replaces our weariness with praise, it is effective.

“oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD” - this idea of being planted and grown as God’s people is repeated in the end of the chapter, but the mention of Oaks here is significant. In former chapters of Isaiah, (chapter 12 and chapter 57) was in reference to false worship - but here, those oaks have been redeemed to truth worshippers, oaks of righteousness.

This is the transformational power of His message.

Good news,

healing

liberty,

sight,

a time of favor before the vengeance,

comfort,

and righteousness.

And this message is the message of Jesus.

2 - His Promise is Restitution - 5-7

The Messiah promises restitution in the best sense. Human restitution often involves a simple 1/1 repayment of wrongs done. But this restitution follows the transformational nature of the message proclaimed.

5 - strangers and foreigners.

Israel had been strangers and foreigners in captivity. They had tended the flocks of other nations, plowed their fields and dressed their vines.

Now the promise is that the role would be reversed - but would it really be a reversal?

These strangers and foreigners are not spoken of as slaves and captives - that would be human revenge. This is divine restitution. These strangers and foreigners are willing servants.

These foreigners and strangers who would come to God’s people would see it as an opportunity of worship. God’s people would be seen as priests and ministers. And isn’t that just the way it was intended to be?

Exodus 19:5–6 ESV

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

God always intended Israel to be a kingdom of priests, a nation that would display His holiness to all those around. We see here in this Messianic message that it was never intended to be an “us vs. them” mentality, but a situation where God’s name and renown would be shown to all people.

The fulfilment of this priesthood of Israel comes fully in the Gospel of Christ. The Israelites, the ones who God gave the covenant, and the promises. The ones through whom the seed of the Messiah would come, existed to proclaim this great message to all people. The promise has come through them, but as Paul recounts in Romans 9, it is not simply the children of the Flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise. And now this promise extends to all those in Christ, redeemed through this transformational message and work that he brings.

This restitution also includes a better inheritance. vs. 7

Israel’s land had been taken in times of history. They had been plundered and shamed. But here a “double portion” is promised. But as we saw in Chapter 60, there is a grand and glorious future for Zion. The New Jerusalem, a time of bliss and, as described here, everlasting joy.

The “double portion” reference also goes back to the patriarchal blessings of the firstborn. The firstborn was the one who the blessing passed through, and they recieved a “double blessing.” The messianic promise to His people is that they are still in that place of blessing, that symbolic “firstborn” position.

3 - His People Experience Recognition - 8-9

The fact that the Lord loves justice is evidenced in all the previous verses, in all the ways he shows that justice. His Justice includes favor and vengeance as we saw in verse 2. Here, we have a link that goes back to that message of both the year of favor and of the day of vengeance. God is slow to anger, he is patient, he is longsuffering and kind, but ultimately, he will repay those who are not repentant, including all those who oppressed His people Israel.

There is really a tie to the “double portion” in verse 7 to the promises of verse 8. The double portion is not just a land promise, but it includes the Lord’s justice, his faithful recompense, and is exhibited in his everlasting covenant with them.

In this covenant, there is promise for descendants and offspring. This is related and a reference back to Isaiah 59:21, where there was also a promise of covenant, a covenant that extended beyond the first recipients to their offspring. They will be acknowledged among the people. They will be seen as an offspring that has been blessed by the LORD. I believe we see a tie back to the Abrahamic covenant, that covenant that preceded the Mosaic covenant that the people were currently in. In that Abrahamic covenant, the promise was that in His seed, in his offspring, all the nations would be blessed. This is a renewal - a promise that the nations will look at God’s people and say “look what God has done!”

4. His Work Brings Fruition - 10-11

The last section is a song of rejoicing, its also a song of acceptance. In Isaiah 50, the Servant gave a testimony in verses 4-9 of the Lord’s provision in his task, and here we find the same thing.

It doesn’t seem to me that the speaker has changed here. This is the Servant, the Anointed one, and There is rejoicing by this Anointed one, because the work is a work of the Lord! Now, we can share in this rejoicing and rejoice in the same things - but it is even more incredible to read the words that the Messiah rejoices over.

The provision is twofold. There is a provision of Robes and a provision of Results

Robes

This anointed one is commissioned and fitted with the necessary provision for his saving work. The garments of Salvation here are not salvation for the one wearing them, rather, they are the garments of one who brings salvation. In our case, when we are clothed with righteousness and salvation, it is evidence of our transformation. In the case of the messiah, however, it signifies his office and his task - his work is spreading salvation and righteousness.

It is poetic in a beautiful way. Just like a groom, we see at the end of verse 10, just like a groom wears the appropriate wedding attire to “fit the part” so to speak, so the anointed one wears the clothes that fit the part. Just like the bride wears beautiful jewelry on her wedding day, so the savior puts on the beautiful garments of his office. Salvation, even more than a wedding day, is a grand and glorious work. Righteousness, even more than the beauty of a bride, is a magnificent gift. The clothes don’t make him the savior, and they don’t make him righteous, but he is set apart as a righteous savior.

Results

the anointed one also rejoices because He knows that His work will not be futile.

Here a natural illustration is given. There is fruit from gardening. There is wonderful results from the labor of sowing and reaping. Earlier, God’s people were described as “the planting of the LORD. that he may be glorified.”

If we can see results from our earthly gardens, how much more does God see results from his planting? If we rejoice in a harvest of beautiful vegetables, how much more joy is there for Jesus as he sees the garden of God spring forth with beautiful fruit, people of righteousness, people of praise for the Glory of God.

This is wonderful news, because the work of the Gospel is garden work. We plant seeds, seeds of the word sown in the hearing of those we know. We plant seeds, seeds of the Gospel spread through our ministries and literature and missionaries and bible studies. We plant seeds, seeds of righteousness, we hope, by the way we live our lives to glorify God. But we are not the gardeners. At the end of the day, there is great joy, because the LORD brings forth great fruit in his garden. There is great joy for the Messiah because he knows his message and his work are not empty and futile, they are works of the LORD God and there will be beautiful fruit.

There is also great joy for us in this. For often times we plant, and water, and see no apparent results. Often we spread the seeds of truth and righteousness, but see no growth as a result. We must take heart. I give you the words of Paul to the Corinthians on this very topic. There was a division in the Corinthian church about personality. Some wanted to be known as Paul’s disciples. Some wanted to be known as Apolos’s disciples. Paul graciously reminded them that we are mere workers in God’s garden, but He is the master gardener.

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 ESV

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Take heart, dear one. Keep one doing the planting and the watering. These are blessed tasks. These are needed tasks. God has ordained that we, his people, would spread the seeds of truth and righteousness. We too, as Paul says, are part of God’s field. We are the results of seed being sown, but more importantly, we are the results of God bringing the increase.

So we can rejoice with the messiah. Jesus was the true and great preacher of “the day of the Lord’s favor.” We, too preach that message. And we, too, can take great joy because God is causing righteousness and praise to sprout up in His great garden.

Behold the Messiah, the first and great Preacher, proclaiming the Lord’s Favor.