The Suffering Servant of Isaiah

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 ESV

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. 14 As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— 15 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. 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 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. 3 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. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 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. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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? 9 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. 10 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. 11 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. 12 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.

Who is the Servant?

In Acts 8, Philip, one of the first deacons, went to Samaria to preach the Gospel. On the road, he met a man who was a eunuch from the Ethiopian region. This man was reading from the same chapter that we are studying today. And he asked Philip the most important question.

Acts 8:34–35 ESV

34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.

That question is extremely important to understand this section of scripture. Some claim that the Servant in this section is some remnant people of Israel who remain faithful to God. Some also believe that this Servant is a person yet to be revealed on some future date. But the whole New Testament affirms that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Old Testament. We affirm that Jesus Christ is the Servant of Isaiah 53. Today as we look at this text, see how many parts that you recognize that point to Jesus.

Behold the Servant: Jesus

The verses begin and end with a solid declaration by God that the Servant will be successful and exalted. (This is our first fulfillment of Jesus. High-lifted up-exalted = Resurrection-Ascension-Seated at the right hand of God). This exaltation will cause many people to marvel at God’s plan. Some were amazed at God’s choice and blessing of Covenant Israel. So too will many marvel at the life of the Servant. The amazing part is that the Servant’s exaltation is connected to a tragic life. He will be marred and so disfigured beyond human recognition. How could this suffering and rejection bring about anything good or beneficial? How could his extreme suffering affect the whole world so that the kings of the nations know about it? Only by God’s plan could this be full of purpose and meaning. The shocking part of this prophecy is that his suffering will be a “sprinkling”. This is a term used to make atoning sacrifices at the temple. And this is where we find any meaningful purpose. The Servant suffers for a sacrificial purpose toward sin. Only the strong arm of the Lord could accomplish something like this.

Why should the Servant suffer?

In the verses, the Servant grew up like a root out of the dry ground. Already we see that His life will not be an easy one. He will grow up to be despised and rejected by people. His road in life would lead to him suffering death and burial in an unjust manner. The Servant accepts this suffering and does not resist it. But that is not the end of the story. Remember, the Lord promised that the Servant promised and exaltation. But the big question is why? Why should the Servant have to suffer? The answer is that God allows it and ordains it to be, not because the Servant is guilty, but because we are guilty of sin. We deserved it, not Him.

Last week we looked at the topic of God’s wrath. God’s wrath is the appropriate response to sin. God is the only one who can express wrath in a holy, just, and perfect way without sin. Don’t expect any of us to be able to do that. Our wrath is often without reason and unmeasured. God has every right to express wrath because His wrath is always toward sin. God’s wrath requires that He punish sin. Sin causes separation of us from God.

Some might object and ask, “If God is all-powerful and in charge, why can’t he just wave his hand and make it all go away?” Couldn’t God say, “It’s all good.”? From our perspective, that seems like a good idea, but here is what we are missing.

God’s punishment of sin affirms his statement that sin causes death.

Genesis 2:15–17 ESV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

God’s punishment of sin affirms that sin is a real threat and problem for humans.

God’s punishment of sin affirms that righteous or sinful actions bring specific consequences.

God’s punishment is a cooperative attribute with His other attributes of righteousness, justice, and holiness. And we must never forget the God’s grace and mercy are greater.

Psalm 30:5 ESV

5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

He delights in extending mercy toward the humble and repentant. God extends his mercy even to those who choose to reject him. God truly loves the world by providing the solution for sin through the Suffering Servant. He takes it all upon himself for others. Christ Jesus suffered for you and me.

Are we like sheep?

Isaiah 53:6 reminds us that our sin is the reason that the Servant suffers. We are like sheep that go astray. Frank reminded me that sheep often go astray gradually. They might start eating some grass in one safe area but eventually move around noticing more grass. After some time, that wandering tendency takes the sheep far from the safety of the shepherd.

The Story of Brodie the Dog

We might conclude that such actions of a sheep or dog are somewhat harmless, maybe even cute, but this is not the perspective of Isaiah. The description is of a rebellious creature who has said, “I will go my way even if the Shepherd gives me boundaries or a path to follow.” The term transgression emphasizes the willful choice to ignore, disobey, or reject God. Sheep may be curious and wayward by nature, but they also make a choice to do so.

You may wonder, “Am I like the sheep of Isaiah?”If we are honest, we would have to conclude that we are. And that may cause you to feel the guilt of sin. That is a good thing to recognize, for if we never recognize our sinfulness, we will never see our need for the Suffering Servant. We may never see our need for God to save us. The cross and suffering that Christ experienced will not make much sense. Let us recognize that God has made Christ our solution for our sinful nature and sinful choices. We really are that sinful that Christ should be made to suffer for us. But let us also recognize that we are that so valuable that Christ should be made to suffer on our behalf. Herein rests our value before God. You are loved. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Exaltation

But let us not forget that the suffering of Christ is not the full story. It is the beginning and middle, but the end of the story is glorious. Isaiah reminds us that God will exalt Jesus Christ as Our Savior and Lord. Look at the description we find in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 5:8–14 ESV

8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

This is Jesus Christ. He is Lord of All. Therefore, if we have an exalted Savior that all of heaven worships, then we too should humble ourselves and give God thanks and worship. We should also recognize that He who has conquered sin is for us and not against us. Christians should be the most fearless of all people, for we know how the story ends. We need not fear anything. Do not forget that the exalted Lord is Your God. He is Your Shepherd. He is Your God Almighty. Do not live in fear but in full confidence that God is on the throne.

Final Thoughts

As you reflect upon these verses, I encourage you to attempt to write down or discuss all the ways Jesus fulfills these words. And do not forget the importance of God’s word in your life. The eunuch wanted to find out about God, and so he went to Jerusalem to worship. He made sure to have a copy of God’s word. He read it and asked good questions. And the Holy Spirit led Philip to discuss.

Acts 8:29–31 ESV

29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

May you learn to seek God through the study of His Word. And may God direct you in the immediate future to reach out to someone who is asking similar questions. God has the answers. Let’s lead others to Him.