As you all are aware, in this part of the world, we recognize four relatively distinct seasons each year; there is winter, spring, summer, and fall. Of course, each season has its characteristic traits related to the weather or the blossoming of certain plants or the coming or going of foliage. And right now, obviously, we are deep in the barren chill of winter. Well, just as there are seasons of the natural year, there are also seasons of the church year. And currently, we find ourselves in the midst of what is called the “Season After Epiphany.” Of course, Epiphany itself is the day we observe the arrival of the wise men at the baby Jesus’ home, and their recognition and worship of him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Well, the “Season after Epiphany” extends from Epiphany to Ash Wednesday, and it is during this time that the church celebrates the fact that God is manifest in the human being named Jesus of Nazareth. Quite simply, in these weeks, we take an extended look at how Jesus is revealed and illumined as the true Son of God, Savior of the World, and King of the nations.
So it is that we come this morning to this text from Isaiah. Quite often, we identify biblical texts by their book, chapter, and verse, but in this case, Isaiah 49: 1-7 is also known as “The Second Servant Song.” There are four servant songs in Isaiah, and of course they are all prophecies, just as all of Isaiah is a prophecy. As Christians, we understand the “Servant” described by Isaiah in these “Servant Songs” to be Jesus Christ. What’s interesting and unique about this Second Servant Song, though, as you may have noticed, is the fact that it’s not entirely clear who exactly the servant is. The song begins as if the servant himself is speaking, “The Lord called me before my birth.” But then it is reported that God said, “You are my servant Israel.” And later on, the name of Jacob is mentioned. The final portions of this song only say “You.”
Obviously, with this kind of ambiguity, it drives the biblical scholars about nuts, and everyone has a different opinion about who exactly this servant is. Some say that in this song, the servant is Jacob himself, who of course is named Israel after he wrestles with God. Others say that the servant is all of Israel, a sort of collective or communal identification of God’s servant. There are others who consider the prophets’ roles of speaking truth into the present situation, and so they consider the servant to be one of the Israelite kings around the time Isaiah was prophesying. Then there are those who of course identify the servant as the coming Messiah, Jesus the Christ.
As a Christian looking at this passage, I join those who identify the “servant” as Jesus Christ. In this season of Epiphany, these words from Isaiah illumine for us who Jesus is and why God sent him to live the life of a human on earth. But I also believe that by being quite ambiguous here, God, speaking through his prophet Isaiah, is also telling each of us something else about his nature, about Jesus, and about each of us. I think God wants us to understand that while Jesus is the one perfect servant, Jacob is a servant too, and all the people of Israel, from the kings to the lepers, are servants as well. And all of that can only mean this; we are servants, too. I think we find it hard to believe that this passage could be about us, but I think that’s exactly what God wants us to know.
When God spoke these words through Isaiah, it was a calling to all nations, but also a calling to every individual. God called Christ before he was born and even named him in his mother’s womb. But the Bible tells us that God calls us and claims us before we are born, too. And certainly, God sent Jesus as a light to the nations and the savior of all the world, even to the ends of the earth. But what did Jesus tell his followers in the sermon on the mount? He said, “You are the light of the world.”
My friends, we come this morning once again to one of those Biblical passages that is so easy to “gloss over,” and yet which contains such a great challenge for all of us. When we read this “Servant Song,” most of us probably think to ourselves, “Yep! That’s Jesus! Savior of the world! Light to the nations! Ain’t he grand?!?” But God has so much more in mind, because God has called us and claimed us, too. God intends that we, too, will be a light to the nations; reflecting Christ’s own light into the world around us. It may seem hard for us to believe, but God wants this for every one of us. We are servants, too!
You know, there is so much darkness in this world, isn’t there? At times, we believe that things cannot get any worse for us. We watch helplessly as family members and loved ones slowly wilt away under the agony of terminal illness. We watch the horrors of addiction rip apart families and ruin lives. Or perhaps we have lived through the horrific temptation of addiction ourselves. We struggle in the darkness of mental illness, depression, or anxiety. We set aside careers, ambitions, and sleep so that we can care for our children with life-long illness, or our aging parents. We feel our spirits empty as we watch loved ones shipped off to fight a war we don’t understand. We cringe when the news reports yet another senseless shooting in the region. We worry and wonder and stress nearly every single day as we think, “there must be a better way.”
Indeed, there is a better way. That’s why Jesus came; so that we could know there is a better way. Jesus came so that he could shine light in the darkness of our lives as he shows us the path to the infinitely loving Father. That’s why Jesus is the greatest servant of all. But one of the many wonderful truths of the Bible is the fact that God calls each of us to follow in Christ’s footstepls. God calls our names even when we are in our mother’s wombs. God considers each of us to be a sign of his glory! Isn’t that an amazing thing? We messed up, broken, struggling, stressed-out people are a sign of God’s glory! God wants us to be a light shining in the darkness of this world, even as Christ has been a light shining in the darkness of our lives.
If you don’t believe me, listen to this. In this very same passage from Isaiah, the servant doubts his abilities to fulfill God’s calling and claim on his life. He says, “I have wearied myself in vain. I have used up my strength for nothing.” Yet still this servant, full of doubt, is to be a light to all nations. Listen again to God’s response to these excuses. Isaiah reports: “Now the Lord has decided—the one who formed me from the womb as his servant—to restore Jacob to God so that Israel might return to him. Moreover, I’m honored in the Lord’s eyes; my God has become my strength.” Have you ever had that feeling of complete failure? You’re absolutely convinced that you can do nothing right, and you doubt if anyone will ever find any worth in your at all? Well, this is what you need to hear this morning; these words from God, shared with us by the prophet Isaiah. God has a plan for us; God wants even more from us than we can imagine. God wants us to be a light to ALL nations because we are honored in God’s sight.
You know, whether we say it out loud or not, we are all more than aware of that simple truth in life that you typically don’t ask something of someone unless you know they are capable of doing it. In other words, you don’t ask a lawyer to perform your upcoming brain surgery. You don’t seek out a car salesman when you need a birthday cake. Typically, it’s not the kindergartners who are researching the Higgs-Boson theory, or testing new cancer drugs. Ken and I often say to a skeptical Mary Ellen, “We wouldn’t ask this if you if we didn’t think you could do it.” And that’s true of all of us in every walk of life. We pursue certain paths of study and certain careers; we get married and establish families, and through it all, we are working within a reasonable framework based on our particular abilities.
It seems hard for us to imagine that we might be called by God to be a light to all nations. “Surely not,” we think, “that’s why Jesus came.” Well, my friends, that’s true. That is why Jesus came, to be a light shining in the darkness. But what Isaiah teaches us this morning is that in God’s kingdom, there is more than one servant. Jesus was just the first among many. There’s also Clair, and Lindsey, and Jeff, and Sharon, and Joe, and Cheryl, and Thomas, and Kila. Every single person sitting in this room, and many millions more in this world have been called by God by name to share his light in this world. And God never would ask this of us if he did not KNOW that we can follow through. God never would have claimed us if we did not bring him honor. God never would have called us if he did not know that we could bring him glory; beautiful, bright, radiant glory.
The Lord called you before your birth. He claimed you while you grew in your mother’s womb. He saw in you glory and honor. And God has sent you to be a light to the nations. Yeah, he’s talking to you!
