What Makes the Gospel Difficult to Believe?

Introduction:

Last week, we learned of a conflict in Israel:

God found them a disingenuous and disgusting people.

He was no longer going to accept any of their sacrifices or religious festivals/rituals.

A real problem has now arisen, namely, that God promises deliverance and removal of their sin.

But, how is that possible if he will no longer finds pleasure in their sacrifices and religious rituals?

How could this situation be resolved?

Here, we must exercise caution.

It may seem obvious what God would, and we struggle to understand how Jesus’ generation or, for that matter, our own, could miss the Messiah.

We should not be quick to assume we would not have been in the crowd calling for Jesus’ crucifixion.

We are reminded, today, of how God differs from us:

The human struggle to see the Messiah for who He is has been structured into the gospel message on purpose.

A Servant of Unexpected Origins:

The focus of this statement appears to be on the servant and God.

Yet, it is the reaction to the message that Isaiah also works presents in his initial statement (see Is. 53:1).

“And (maybe indeed) like a sapling he will shoot up in his face, even like a root from dry earth (ground).”

The point of these statements is how the servant comes up in front of “him.”

He is tender, young, a sapling.

He is from dry ground, not an origin that we would expect.

A Servant of Unattractive Appearance

The “form” of the Messiah becomes the focal point.

Isaiah shifts between “him” and “we/us.” One seems to justify the reaction of the other.

“For him, no form and no magnificence”

Notice the absence of stateliness. There is nothing majestic about the physical appearance of this individual.

“and we will see him”

While this structure is awkward in English, the point appears to be that the absence of outward beauty and physical majesty results in Israel not seeing or looking at him.

Nothing draws the eye to him as obviously the servant of God.

“and no appearance, and we will long for him.”

His outward appearance offers little attraction to please the eyes.

Isaiah describes an individual who lacks majesty and the appearance to go with it.

The focus on appearance and form throws us back to the individual introduced in Isaiah 52:13. They are the same person.

A Servant of Little Human Worth

Whereas the previous statements focused on appearance, the descriptions in this verse stress value, or the absence of it.

Twice the servant is described as “one being despised.”

Isaiah uses the same participle twice (נִבְזֶה֙) to describe this individual as of little worth.

This verb indicates considering something as worthless; in the OT it is usually used in passages about people treating valuable things in a worthless manner.

People leave him alone.

We could even think of this as people intentionally shunning this person.

Notice this has an answer or a repetition in the below phrase, “like a hiding of faces from him.”

He is a person of pains.

He knows wounds, sickness or illness.

“We did not value him.”

Israel does not value him.

Isaiah writes this from the perspective as though this has already happened.

Is it a wonder he marvels in Isaiah 53:1?

An essential part of Messianic prophecy is his rejection.