| Knox, Port Carling & Zion, Torrance Presbyterian Charge

Sunday June 7, 2020

Message: Jesus, the Suffering Servant

Reverend Glynis Faith
Isaiah 53:1-12 (The Message)
 Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.

7-9 He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn’t true.

10 Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him.

11-12 Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he’ll see that it’s worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many “righteous ones,”
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I’ll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn’t flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

 MESSAGE

Is it possible to read this passage from Isaiah and not see Jesus?

The book of Isaiah, written roughly 700 years before the birth of Jesus, foretells of Jesus, the suffering servant. Long, long before the Messiah comes, Isaiah tells the people the Christ would be:

Born of a virgin (7:14)
Immanuel ~ God with us (7:14)
God & man (9:6)
The Spirit would be upon Him (11:1-2)
He would heal the blind, lame and deaf (35:5-6)
A forerunner would proceed Him (40:3)
He would be a light to the Gentiles (42:6)
His own people would despise Him (49:7)
He would be whipped and beaten (50:6)
A guilt offering for sin (53:10)
Resurrected and live eternal (53:10)

And our reading from Scripture today paints the image of a

Suffering Servant.

We can read these words and see Jesus written all over the passage, but the people who Isaiah wrote to could not. The people of Isaiah’s time were not much different than today. There was great wealth contrasted with dire poverty. There were people of privilege and people living in the margins. Some lived in gated safety while others lived in fear for their lives and the lives of their families. There were some good leaders, but there were also some very poor leaders. Some, like Isaiah were called to speak up, to call the people back into covenant with God, and to let people know trouble was brewing. Some spoke up, while others remained quiet, not wanting to get involved.

Isaiah, like many of God’s prophets spoke directly to the kings – the leadership of the day. God’s message was clear – lead with justice and compassion – return to God’s ways.

But the kings and nobles refused to listen, they continued to lead the people into the oncoming chaos and they persecuted the prophets who dared speak God’s truth.

The prophet is called by God to speak a message of truth and a message of hope. The chances were slim that those in power were going to submit, so God sent a message through the prophets: when the inevitable occurs – when war breaks out and there is chaos in the streets – when it looks like the whole world is falling apart, know that God is in control and will bring a Saviour. That is the message in a nutshell. Whatever mess we make, due to our actions or our inactions, God is still in control.

But what does it mean that God is in control? If God is in control, why do terrible things happen? What are innocent people killed? Why do people feel the only way to get justice is to protest? Why are the largest number of deaths due to Covid-19 the very people God’s Word calls us to care for and protect? Why are we so divided as a people on which is more important – physical safety or financial security?

To this I might ask, If we were living by God’s Laws would not all people be treated equal? (love your neighbour as yourself) Would the care of the elderly and vulnerable not already be top priority, with sufficient funding to meet their needs? (care for the widows and elderly) And would we not always put human life and flourishing above economic prosperity and growth? (the disciples sold their belongings and each was provided for as they had need)

God is in control, and God works through our messes, not by power and not by forcing people to do what is right. The chaos of this world is our mess, but God will work through it to bring about good.

This is the message from Isaiah. God will restore the people – God will send a Saviour – Although the people’s behaviours are leading them into a time of great trial and sorrows, God is in control, preparing to restore them after they have fallen.

Jesus is not the image of the Saviour the people were looking for. What we often look for is someone bigger than the bully that is making our life difficult. We look for power, influence, muscle, pizzazz! But if we get what we are looking for, what are the chances that sooner or later someone bigger, more powerful and influential will come along and bully them out?

That is one of the biggest problems when we put our trust in power and might, someone more powerful and mightier can replace them. We might win a battle, but if our faith rests in power and force, our victory is short lived.

Isaiah tells us of a suffering servant who will save us. Using Eugene Petersons translation, The Message, we are told the God’s saving power would:

Be a servant – a scrawny seedling – a scrubby plant
He never hurt a soul and said one thing that was not truth
Not physically attractive
He would be looked down on
He would know pain first hand
Be beaten, mocked, tortured and would die without a thought for His own welfare (He was focussed on our welfare)
And if his torture and death were not humiliation enough, He would die between criminals and then be buried in a borrow grave

This does not sound like a Messiah, and it certainly did not

sound that way to the people when Isaiah spoke these words. Yet this is the perfect description of Jesus, the One who would face death for us. Through humility and sacrifice Jesus came face to face with death, and through humility and sacrifice Jesus defeated deaths grip on us.

Like the people of God so many centuries ago, we have stepped away from our call to love our neighbours as ourselves, to care for the elderly, the widows, the vulnerable, and to distribute the worlds resources and wealth equitably.

I believe the growing chaos around the world is our prophetic wake up call. We are called, not to power, but to humility (confess our sins). We are being called to take action, not with force but through peaceful encounters. Friends, we are being called to live out our Christian vows to follow Jesus and live by God’s Laws.

Let us return to God’s will – let us love our neighbours as ourselves – let us be generous with all our blessings, remembering our blessings belong to God – let us stand up for the oppressed – let us never be quiet when our brothers and sister are treated unfairly. May we never bow to the false gods of power and prosperity, but always take a knee before our Creator, Redeemer and Sustaining God.

Friends, the message in Isaiah is that our sins have resulted in chaotic and painful times, but there is hope ahead. Let us together live out our hope in Jesus, our Suffering Servant, who died that we might live.

All praise and glory be to the Lamb of God. AMEN

Please pray with me:

Jesus, you have taught us how to love, live and honour God. You have shown us what loving our neighbour looks like. Through your life, death and resurrection we know hope, and we are called to share that hope with all our brothers and sisters. Jesus, give us the strength to stand up for injustice and to model peace and humility in our lives. We pray this in Your precious Name. AMEN