"The Sufferring Servant... Irony at Its Best?"

Introduction

The “Suffering Servant”. If you read it for what it says… it’s not an ironic statement. It’s simply factual. On the other hand… if you look at the context of these passages, Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12, it’s a confounding idea.

You see, there’s something significant about how we envision a victor; a hero or a “winner.” In all honesty, we live with an inner conflict of defining a hero. Are they someone who “was made for this moment” or an underdog whose “sacrifices brought them to this moment?”

Those two perspectives are not entirely different… but they are nuanced.

It’s safe to say that Jews anticipated a Messiah that would be BOTH a victor and viewed as a “made for this moment” man of prestige. In the servant songs, what Isaiah described was a bit of an oxymoron to his listeners. The servant was someone who would be “oppressed,” “afflicted,” “silent before his accusers,” “judged,” “cut off out of the land,” and “stricken”… And yet... it was by way of those defaming characteristics that the servant would be a victor! Would be satisfied! Exulted and lifted up! (Quotes are snippets of Isaiah 53:7-12 and Isaiah 52:13).

That didn’t seem possible.

But, it’s what made for Isaiah’s listeners a “Behold! Our God” moment! Only God could fashion a plan for redemption that would take a servant destined for punishment and yet innocent; rejected by men yet bearing their very iniquity; pouring out his soul unto death and yet interceding for his transgressors… Only God could fashion such irony into salvation.

Today, we spend a little time in the suffering servant passage of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. We’ll see how God was satisfied to crush his servant and how that sacrifice forever atoned for our salvation!

Submission is NOT a popular position!

Story of being a little tike; playing football, desperately needing some size and strength. Get to the point where you would not listen to your dad to lift weights and carry that little body a bit more effectively! Because at this point, if I wasn’t carrying the football, whoever was… they were hung out to dry!

This morning, I want to break down these sections of chapter 3 into a few summary statements. Then, in light of our time, I’d like to focus primarily on the theme of submission and the irony of this suffering servant.

The content of the Suffering Servant actually begins here in chapter 52:13-15.

Isaiah 52:13–15 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.

At this point, we know that the servant is successful, lifted-up among the people; exulted in their eyes… and, at the same time, his exultation is unlike the Western world’s highest accolades for exultation - beauty, sensuality, fame, and fortune… Instead, the suffering servant is nothing much to look at. He’s in fact, appalling in their sight! Yet, he catches the attention of the Kings of the world and enlightens them - sprinkling them (perhaps as blood was sprinkled during a priests sacrifice) to set them apart and make them holy. The Kings will understand the work of being set apart by way of the servant.

Isaiah 53:1-3 gives us a brief Description of the Servant.

Isaiah 53:1–3 ESV

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.

In this section we learn the servant has no value in the eyes of those he serves. Unimpressive, undesirable, despised, and sick. People turned away from him, the passage states.

Ironically, the servant has a special role to play in the lives of those who found him unimpressive, undesirable, despised and sick… and it’s an essential role. The text gives the first indication at this point that the servant’s actions have an impact on his audience. Notice the emphasis... turns from descriptions of what the servant is like and how others view him… to what the servant does and how those actions affect his audience.

Next, we see the Deeds of the Servant

Isaiah 53:4–6 (ESV)

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. (Emphasis mine.)

6 times the writer refers to the servant’s impact on our (his audiences) situation. All of the sudden, this undesirable, unesteemed, “afflicted” servant takes on the role of an intercessor for the sins and iniquities of his audience. Everyone else benefits from the servant’s actions.

Return to the text...

Isaiah 53:7-9 speak of the Servant’s Suffering and Response

Isaiah 53:7–9 ESV

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.

There’s nothing enjoyable or provocative about the servant’s situation! And, unfortunately, no one in his generation cares! His situation is filled with irony. He couldn’t have worse circumstances… yet, in the midst of those circumstances, his actions all benefited someone else!

Now… at this point in the text, we are going to slow down just a little bit. Verses 10-12 especially connect with the focus of today’s message. The previous sections are billowing with content; begging for elaboration. But, let’s focus out attention on these next 3 passages and make our pivot toward to the purpose of the content...

Isaiah 53:10-12 The Servant’s Submission

Isaiah 53:10–12 ESV

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.

There is much to be said about it being the will of the LORD to crush him” that is the servant. However, I want to on these two things… that the servant would “bear their iniquities” and that he “was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

At this point, one begins to hear the resonance of the Servant’s role. It is humble… and it is priestly. While some have debated since the mid-1800’s whether this servant could be any number of people, the fact that he takes on the practices of a priest… and does so in a way that is distinct from the Israelite priests of the Old Testament… narrows the possibilities quickly!

The books of Leviticus and Hebrews help us define the role of this servant; this priestly individual. By highlighting the guilt offering and the sin offering and the role of the priest to present those offerings on behalf of his audience… The writer of Hebrews makes is clear that only One could play the role of such a servant. Only One could bear the sins of many. Only One could intercede for transgressors AND do so without having to continuously offer sacrifice after sacrifice, day after day; year after year.

Let’s look at Hebrews 9 as a way to sum up the connection between the books of Hebrews and Leviticus...

Hebrews 9:11–14 ESV

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

You see… the author immediately compares the work of Christ to the work of the high priest! And the work of the high priest is identical to the work of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53!

The sprinkling of blood to make restitution for sins under the Levitical priest is seen in the servant’s suffering for transgressors. It is exulted to it’s highest degree when we see Jesus Christ as high priest… greater than the priests of old… through a more perfect sacrifice than the sacrifices of old… He did NOT use the blood of bulls and goats… rather he used HIS OWN BLOOD!

The scriptures teach us that under the law, almost everything had to be purified by blood; that without blood there was no remission (forgiveness) of sins. And fresh sacrifices, of perfect animals, from priests whose sins were sprinkled for forgiveness before they could ever represent their congregants… had to be made.

But, in Jesus, there were no longer “priests” that were needed… only ONE PRIEST!

He remained forever and never gave up His priesthood.

In the old priests a sin offering was chosen and its blood was spilled. In Jesus… HE WAS THE OFFERING… AND HIS BLOOD WAS SPILLED. NOT AN ANIMAL OFFERING… BUT A HUMAN OFFERING!

Jesus submitted to suffering - once and for all!

Hebrews 9:24–28 ESV

24 For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

You see… in the Suffering Servant, Jesus was prophesied as the one who would willingly submit to his death! One who was, ironically!, counted among the very rebels whose sin He would bear and then His sacrifice would stand forever to intercede for them!

Finish the story. Dad connected me with my uncle. I lifted weights. I gained some strength. I was better than a one-trick pony! I could block… FOR the team!

The irony was, I NEEDED WEIGHT - MUSCLE - TO BE AN ASSET TO THE TEAM! My fear was that it would actually hinder my role as a team player.

consider the suffering servant, the priest bearing our sin, the person of Christ as the one interceding for rebellious people like ourselves. You and I are among those rebels. We are the mockers and the scoffers of Isaiah 53… we we in need of the same kind of blood sacrifices as the worshipers under the Old Testament Law. But, God saw fit to CRUSH His servant - ONCE … FOR ALL TIME - so that the sins of many would never have to be born again! Rather, now, we await his appearing to save all who eagerly wait for Him!