The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53

Jesus

Wouldn’t stick out in a crowd

or become a popular influencer. 

He was plain.  Not particularly attractive. 

Not wealthy.  Humble. 

Remarkably unremarkable.

Basically undesirable.

But gentle.  Non-violent. 

A preacher of truth,

He never spoke a single deceitful word.

You and I

Are often just dumb,

like sheep ignorantly wandering down a treacherous path. 

Like headstrong bulls,

we are stubborn and rebellious.

We hear Jesus preach the Truth

and put our hands over our ears. 

We see Jesus point the Way and say,

No thanks, I’ll go my own way, do my own thing. 

Not interested, Jesus.

The Sufferer

Though not violent,

endured much violence:

Jesus was struck brutally, smitten repeatedly,

pierced deeply, chastised thoroughly.

Crushed, oppressed, afflicted. 

His appearance became disfigured,

even beyond the likeness of a human being. 

Shockingly unrecognizable.

Hideously humiliated.

A man of immeasurable sorrows,

Intimately acquainted with grief.

The Shepherd

Became a sheep

and was led to the slaughter.

Can a sheep argue about that?

 Jesus didn’t either.

Can a sheep reason its way out

of death?

Jesus didn’t either.

He remained silent before His accusers

and did not revile those who nailed Him

to the cross.

Utterly tight-lipped.

Righteously restrained.

You and I

Are positively appalled. 

We turn our faces away

in horror

and disdain. 

No, I’m not one of His disciples.  

No, I don’t know Him. 

We reject, deny, even despise Him. 

The Servant

Though innocent

became the guilt offering.

The Father laid the iniquity of us all

on His Beloved Son.

The perfect God-man

bore the iniquities of imperfect mankind. 

His body was broken

and His blood spilled out. 

Willingly crucified. 

The Father’s wrath satisfied.

The Savior

Interceded for rebels

like you and me.

When rebels are redeemed,

He declares us justified:

Righteous! Clean!

Forgiven! Saved!

Thoroughly purified.

Wholly sanctified.

After the suffering of His soul,

the Righteous Servant emerged

from the darkness of the tomb

and saw the light of life!

The King

Is lifted up and exalted to the highest place. 

From anguish to ascension. 

Humiliation to exaltation.

Triumphantly glorified.

Eternally enthroned.

Kings of the earth will shut their mouths

because of Him. 

But they will open them one day

to confess: You are Lord! 

On that day,

every knee will bow before the King,

even we who despised, rejected, and crucified Him.

I

Am redeemed

because He was rejected.

I feel His delight

though He was despised.

I’m made whole

through His wounds.

Because He was punished,

I have peace.

I’m counted with the righteous

because He was counted with rebels.

I am saved

through the suffering

of the Servant.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

John 1:29

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