Sermon Tone Analysis

A Tender Plant

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

Isaiah 53:2

Read Isa 53:1-2 “1 Who hath believed our report?

And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, And as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”

Isaiah asked two rhetorical questions: “Who has believed our message?”

and “To whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

The questions anticipate a less-thanideal reception for God’s servant.

Were someone to answer the questions in light of what follows, the answers would be something like this: (1) “Very few people” and (2) “The Lord’s arm (i.e., his work) was revealed widely through the servant, but few believed the Lord would work in that way.”

Now the report about the Servant begins by referring to his origins (2a) and his appearance (2b).

He is compared to a young “shoot” (yônēq) and a “root” (šōreš) coming out of the ground, a metaphor that stands in sharp contrast to other metaphors that could be used (a stately grand oak).

The coming of Jesus was like a tender plant in the midst of a parched ground.

Parched ground offers little hope for survival; it is dry and too hardened to allow most plants to penetrate its crust.

Yet Jesus was prophesied as a tender plant that would break through the hostile soil and overcome the dry and lifeless environment in order to bring life.

It is dangerous to read too much into each aspect of the symbolism, but certainly dry soil is not fertile ground and a person usually does not find lush plants growing in places where there is no water (contrast Ps 1:3).

Such imagery might refer to the lowly background of his parents or the lowly state of the nation when he was born.

At minimum, this kind of symbolism suggests that this person was not born in a palace of a world empire with all the luxuries that are usually afforded to persons of royalty.

In spite of these lowly images, the Servant grew up “before him” (before God, referring back to 53:1),356 which suggests a close relationship to God or at least God’s careful attention to what was happening in his life.

When Jesus was born, His people were hardened to God's Word.

There is no written record of God's having spoken to His people for four hundred years.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had studied and memorized the Scriptures, but the words were lifeless to them.

So hostile had they become to the truth that when God's Son came to them, they killed Him.

Nevertheless, despite the enmity of the people, Jesus brought life to all who believed in Him.

Jesus is capable of bringing life to any person, society, or culture no matter how hardened or hostile they have become to the gospel.

Even the most calloused sinner will discover that Jesus knows how to penetrate the heart and bring life where there was only bitterness.

The work of Jesus in a person's life may seem fragile at first; but like the mustard seed, it will eventually grow into something strong.

As you pray for someone you care about, don’t be discouraged if this person has not responded to Jesus.

Just as a tender plant finds a way to grow in a hard and unreceptive environment, so the love of Jesus has the ability to emerge in a life that seems completely unresponsive.