Series: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH (A study of Isaiah 53)
Message: “Behold, My Servant”
Scripture: Isaiah 52:13-15
Majesty! Worship his majesty!
Unto Jesus be all glory, honor, and praise.
Majesty! Kingdom authority,
Flow from his throne, unto His own;
His anthem raise!
In Colossians 1:16, Paul says: “For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.” There are a host of scriptures, terms, names & titles in the New Testament that refer to the majesty of Jesus Christ. The word majesty is defined as “impressive stateliness, dignity, or beauty”. We would all agree that this this definition certainly applies to Jesus. However, this majesty, this impressive stateliness, dignity, and beauty stands in contrast to the description that is provided by the Prophet Isaiah. He described the Promised Messiah as having “no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (Isaiah 53:2)
As Christians we are convinced that Jesus is the Alpha & Omega, the Almighty God, the Author & Finisher of our Faith, the Captain of our Salvation, our Great High Priest, the Great I Am, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and so much more. However, it is interesting that when Jesus described His purpose for coming to earth, He did not point out the reality that He is the King of the Ages, rather, He declared that He came to earth as a slave. He said in Mark 10:45, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Sometimes when reading the scriptures we can become so amazed by Jesus’ majesty that we overlook His ministry. But the Gospels are saturated with the reality that much of our Lord’s time on earth was spent serving others. He healed the sick, fed those who were hungry, and He showed compassion & extended love to the outcasts of society (e.g. despised tax collectors, lepers, adulterous women, those possessed by demons, etc.). None of us are any more deserving of Christ’s compassion, love, & forgiveness than the stories that are recorded in the Gospels. But thankfully, we have a Lord who served us, sacrificed His life for us, and ultimately saved us!
One of the many great examples of the humility and service of Jesus Christ is recorded in John chapter 13. Jesus was fully aware that “the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God”. Regardless, the very Creator of the Universe “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.” (John 13:3-5) What makes this event even more astonishing is the fact that in ancient Jewish society, washing the feet of others was a task typically associated with slaves. Furthermore, some Jewish traditions held that Jewish slaves should not be required to wash the feet of others, reserving that task for Gentile slaves.
What Jesus did for His followers in the Upper Room also serves as a fantastic illustration of His entire life and ministry. Jesus humbled Himself, left Heaven and came earth to do the will of the Father. He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy and proved to be the Suffering Servant that we read about in Isaiah 53. The Hebrew word for “Servant” in 52:13 is “ebed” which literally means “slave”. A slave is one who lives to please his master; he has no will of his own; his purpose is to work hard and obey the demands of his master. Jesus left Heaven and came to earth not to do His own will, but the will of the Father, He declared in John 6:38, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
There are several noticeable parallels between what Jesus did in washing the feet of His Disciples there in the Upper Room and what Paul had to say about the Savior’s life, ministry, death, and exaltation in Philippians 2:5-11. Notice: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Paul was looking back as he described the Savior’s life, ministry, death, and exaltation. Fascinatingly, his report perfectly corresponds with Isaiah’s prophecy that was given over 700 years before Jesus was born. Through His prophet, God declares that His Servant would honor and obey Him, He would suffer severely, He would be successful, and ultimately He would be exalted.
The word “Behold” is the English translation of a Hebrew word that means “full attention”. God demands that His people turn their full attention to the message that He reveals concerning His “Servant”. I would like for us to obey this command and give our full attention to God’s message concerning His Suffering Servant. Join me as we consider the phrase “Behold, My Servant”.
The closing verses of Isaiah 52 reveal the submission, suffering, and ultimately the splendor of God’s Servant. Let’s look to verse 13 and examine:
I. THE SUBMISSION OF GOD’S SERVANT
v13a Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;
Here we have the promise that God’s Servant “shall deal prudently”. Other versions translate this as “will be successful”, “shall act wisely”, or “will prosper”. “The idea here is that the Servant will wisely discern and perform God’s will. The Gospels provide us with countless examples of the ways that God’s Servant dealt prudently throughout His earthly ministry. His prudence is seen in His preaching of the Gospel throughout the region of Galilee and beyond. It is seen in the way that He answered the questions of His disciples, and the way He responded to the temptations of Satan, and the challenges of His enemies. There are countless other examples of how Jesus “dealt prudently” throughout His time here on earth. Our Savior wisely discerned and performed God’s will until His work was complete. Jesus “dealt prudently”, He submitted to God’s will.
- The submission of God’s Servant led to:
II. THE SUFFERING OF GOD’S SERVANT
v14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;
Here Isaiah presents information concerning the crucifixion (still some 700 years in the future) as if he were sitting in between Mary and the Apostle John there at the foot of the Cross. God uses His chosen prophet to illustrate the visage of the Suffering Servant after He was stripped, beaten, scourged, mocked, crowned with a cruel crown of thorns, and crucified. Consider:
A. THE EXTENT OF HIS SUFFERING
Isaiah declares that the Servant’s “visage (appearance) was marred more than any man”. His face was no doubt swollen, covered with bruises, lacerations, and dripping with blood. He goes on to say that “His form (was marred) more than the sons of men”; the body of our Savior was bruised and battered. Due to the scourging, the flesh on His back was ripped and torn. Long spikes were driven through His hands and feet. Then, after His death a Roman solider pierced His side with a spear to ensure that He was dead. Jesus’ face and body were so marred that those who saw Him could not believe that He was even a man. Moreover, the Jews could not believe that this Man could be their Messiah.
There is no way for our finite minds to fully comprehend the severity of Christ’s suffering at Calvary. Equally as incomprehensible is:
B. THE INTENT OF HIS SUFFERING
The context of this chapter makes it clear that Jesus endured the sufferings of Calvary to honor, obey, and glorify the Father. But we cannot overlook the realty that He suffered on our behalf. Jesus’ death was vicarious; vicarious is a word that speaks of “something that is done for another.” Jesus Christ needed no atonement for sin, for He was sinless. Therefore, His atonement is vicarious in that it was done for us, our Savior died in our place.
The doctrine that teaches that Christ died in our place, and for our sins is called “penal substitutionary atonement”. Penal is a word that references the due penalty of man’s sin. Substitutionary speaks to the fact that Jesus died in our place. Atonement speaks of the fact that through His sinless sacrifice and ultimately His death, Jesus has satisfied the justice of God.
Jesus laid aside the glories of Heaven and took on a robe of human flesh. That condescension in itself is beyond our comprehension. Even more astonishing is the reality that He did this knowing that He would face rejection, suffering, and ultimately death. Perhaps the most amazing truth is that He did it for us. Paul teaches us in Romans 6:23 that the “wages” of sin is “death”. This is not just physical death; it is a reference to spiritual death and the resulting condemnation. Each and every one of us is deserving of death, for we have all sinned. Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Of all of the astonishing truths surrounding the Crucifixion of Christ, perhaps the most amazing is the fact that He endured such suffering and shame willingly. The religious and government leaders sought the death of Jesus long before it happened, but they were prevented time after time because “His hour had not yet come”. When the hour did come, they did not have to aggressively seize Him, He went willingly.
After 6 hours suffering in agony on the Cross, when all things were accomplished, Jesus said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus’ head did not fall down because He died, Jesus purposely bowed His head and willingly “gave up His spirit”. Up to the very moment that He drew His last breath; Jesus retained the ability to call to His Father who could have sent legions of angels to prevent His death; but this was the reason that He came.
Our Savior laid down His life on His own accord and He did so to secure our salvation. Jesus paid the ultimate price to atone for our sins and to reconcile us to God. Through His work of propitiation, Jesus satisfied the wrath of God and reconciled us to Him. Therefore, we now have access into the Kingdom of God, and we have been saved from the due penalty of our sins. This is only possible because of the submission and suffering our God’s Servant, our Savior, Jesus Christ!
- God’s Servant’s submission led to suffering and His suffering led to splendor. Let’s examine:
THE SPLENDOR OF GOD’S SERVANT
v14b He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
“Splendor” refers to something that is magnificent or grand. Though Isaiah said God’s Servant “had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him”. And though “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”; though our Savior was spat upon, mocked, stripped, beaten, scourged, and crucified, His story did not end in that borrowed tomb.
Because of His obedience, God’s Servant would be “exalted and extolled and be very high”. At Calvary, just before His last breath, Jesus cried “it is finished” (John 19:30). The work of God’s Servant was complete and three days later He was “exalted” in resurrection; afterwards He was “extolled” (lifted up in glory) at His ascension, resulting in Him being “very high” (or “greatly exalted”).
As fascinating as this exaltation is, it is not yet complete, for there will come a day when God’s Servant will rule over His Kingdom. When this takes place EVERYONE will recognize the effectiveness of His reign. (Philippians 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name, which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.)
Because God’s Servant (Jesus) is glorified, we who are in Him will also experience our own personal glorification. Someone has defined glorification as “the culmination of sanctification”. In sanctification the Holy Spirit purifies our hearts so that we will reflect God's image; essentially sanctification is a process of spiritual growth where the Christian continually becomes more like Christ.
Because we are in Christ, we are assured that one day we will too be glorified. We still live in the midst of a fallen creation and every day we are tempted to sin and burdened by its consequences. Though we enjoy a new life in Christ, our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. When we are glorified, that will change; Paul said, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known” (I Corinthians 13:12)
One day God will finally and completely remove all sin from our lives. We will not only be delivered from the penalty and power of sin; we will also be delivered from the very presence of sin. God’s glory will be revealed in us. Paul said in Romans 1:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us”.
This same Servant who suffered for the redemption of God’s people will one day return to earth in power and glory. When He comes, His honor, praise, majesty, & holiness will be realized in us. On that day we will no longer be mortals burdened with a sin nature; instead we will be transformed into holy immortals with direct and unhindered access to God’s presence and we will enjoy holy communion with Him throughout eternity.
It is fascinating to know that one day we will be powerfully and eternally glorified. However, we must never lose sight of the fact that our personal glorification is only possible because of the work of God’s Servant who suffered and died for us. Jesus Christ is the blessed hope of the Saints and it is only through faith in Him that we have been justified, it is only through Him that we are being sanctified, and it is only through Him that we will be glorified.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2)
When you examine the sacrificial work of God’s Servant, you see a sacrifice that was made to God for us. Jesus gave His life to satisfy the wrath of God, and in His sacrifice the Father was glorified. We must never forget that it was the Father who sent His Son to be that perfect sacrifice that we so desperately needed. Therefore, we should ever be grateful for the Father’s love for us, and His willingness to sacrifice His only begotten Son so that we could be redeemed.
Isaiah speaks of the astonishment of those who saw the Suffering Servant, and multiple other scriptures point to the reality that many will be astonished by the splendor of the Sovereign King. We should be astonished by the sacrificial work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and as a result we should worship His majesty!
So exalt, lift up on high the Name of Jesus!
Magnify, come glorify, Christ Jesus the King.
Majesty, worship His Majesty;
Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings!
“Majesty” – Lyrics by Jack Hayford
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