Sermon Preached at Grace Community Church (EPC)
Sun City Grand, Surprise, AZ
Sunday, January 2, 2005
by the Reverend Cooper McWhirter
Through the Eyes of a Prophet: “A Tender Shoot” [Part Two of Five]
Isaiah 53:1-3
In his book titled, The Major Prophets, James E. Smith writes: “For the Christian, the Book of Isaiah is extremely important. Forty-seven chapters of this book were quoted either directly, or alluded by Christ Himself or by one of His apostles. The book of Isaiah is second only to the Psalms as the most cited book in the New Testament.
In this book, we find many predictions concerning the coming of the Messiah, ranging from His virgin birth, His earthly ministry, His suffering and death. Isaiah is second only to the Psalms in the number of Messianic prophecies.
But, in order for us to appreciate Isaiah’s prophecies, it’s important for us to understand that Isaiah’s predictions were recorded from about 740 to 680 B.C., a period of some 60 years. From the time of Isaiah’s writings to that of Jesus’ birth, which occurred in about 6 B.C., there was a span of some 700 years!
To give you some perspective that’s more than three times longer since the founding of our nation. It’s nearly a third longer than the time when Johann Guttenberg first began publishing the Bible (September, 1452) to our present day. If we went back in time some 700 years ago, the Roman Catholic Church had commenced its final crusade with the suppression of the Knights Templar. In a time span of 700 years, you could retrace your ancestry almost eighteen generations. Now that’s a long time by anyone’s standards! Even so, Isaiah’s prophecies are amazingly accurate in depicting the Lord Christ.
So, for the next four weeks, we’re going to explore this one chapter, chapter 53, which scholars call the “Suffering Servant Poems”. In this one chapter, we will see a painting unveiled as on a canvas. First, we get a peak at the “Rejected Servant” in verses 1-3. Next, we view a pencil sketch of the “Suffering Servant” in verses 4-6, followed by a landscape of the “Despised Servant” in verses 7-9. Finally, we catch a glimpse of the finished portrait of the “Victorious Servant” in verses 10-12.
Isaiah begins this treatise by asking, “Who has believed our message?” Isaiah is asking this question of his fellow countrymen centuries before Jesus came to earth. Paul addresses this same question, posed by his fellow Jews, in his letter to the Romans where it says: “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed … And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Paul then admonishes God’s chosen people where he writes: “However, they did not all heed the glad tidings for just as Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our report?’ ” [Romans 10:14, 15].
This reminds me of the story of a soap manufacturer and a pastor who were walking down a street in a large, metropolitan city. The soap manufacturer remarked glibly, “The gospel you preach hasn’t done much good, has it? Just observe. There’s still a lot of wickedness in the world, and a lot of wicked people, too!” The pastor spoke not a word until they passed a dirty little boy making mud pies in the gutter. The pastor, seizing the moment, said: “And I see that soap hasn’t done much good in the world either; for there is much dirt, and many dirty people.” By way of a rebuttal, the soap manufacturer retorted, “Well, soap is only useful when it is applied.” To which the pastor nodded in agreement saying, “Precisely! And so it is with the Gospel.”
Isaiah then moves on from his urgent plea, and begins to delve into the physical appearance of the Messiah. Herein lies both an interesting as well as a provocative annotation. Nowhere else in Scripture do we read or hear about Jesus’ physical appearance. And why do you suppose that is? Perhaps it’s because we spend an inordinate amount of time looking at a person’s outward appearance, as opposed to his inwardness. In other words, the depth of his being. Which begs the question: “What does Isaiah want us to know about the Person of Jesus?”
Allow me to suggest there are three points to ponder: First, JESUS’ CHILDHOOD WAS NOT EXTRAORDINARY. Secondly, JESUS’ MANLY APPEARANCE WAS NOT EXTRAORDINARY. Thirdly, JESUS’ ANGUISH AND SORROW WAS EXTRAORDINARY.
The first point being: JESUS’ CHILDHOOD WAS NOT EXTRAORDINARY (repeat).
Verse two begins with this most unusual expression. “For He grew up before Him like ‘a tender shoot’ …” Since there are various interpretations, let me preface my remarks by saying that this is both a prophetic, as well as a Messianic reference, to Jesus’ childhood. Both Jeremiah and Zecharaiah refer to the coming Messiah as One who would come forth as the “root” or “branch” from out of Jesse. An obvious reference to David’s lineage whom God had promised would never be broken.
The Hebrew word used here is semah, which literally means “branch” or “root.” In other words, through the root of Jesse, the Davidic lineage would remain unbroken until the birth of Jesus. From our series entitled, “Humble Origins”, we learned that Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, was from the tribe of Judah. Thus, Josepth was a direct descendant of David.
Little is written about Jesus’ childhood. What we do have are two very brief references from the Gospel of Luke. The first one says: “And the Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him” [Luke 2:40]. Then, when Jesus was twelve years of age, He stayed behind in Jerusalem for three days following the feast of the Passover. During which time He conversed with the priests and scribes at the temple. And we read that: “He both listened to them and asked them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers” [Luke 2:46-47].
For the most part, Jesus grew up in much the same way as any Jewish boy during that era. He would have been assigned chores to do around the house. When He was older, Jesus would have helped His father in his carpentry trade.
On the subject of child-rearing, Harry S. Truman once remarked: “I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want to do and then advise them to do it.” No doubt at a tender age, like that of a “tender shoot”, Jesus would have come to realize, at least in part, what His heavenly Father had called Him to do. This much we do know. Jesus was unquestionably obedient to His heavenly Father throughout His earthly life.
Then, too, JESUS’ MANLY APPEARANCE WAS NOT EXTRAORDINARY (repeat).
The second verse continues by saying, “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him. Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
This statement goes far beyond doctrinal beliefs, creeds and confessions. It cuts to the quick. Like it or not, all of us are prejudicial. We have our “like’s” and “dislikes” whether we’re talking about government, politics, social concerns, music, the arts, entertainment, etc. Needless to say, we express our preferences in a variety of ways.
But being prejudicial can, and often does, prove harmful to others just as it can prove detrimental to our own well-being. When we discriminate against someone solely on the basis of their: color, gender, language or culture, then the results can be devastating.
Let me illustrate. Close your eyes and try to keep them closed. When you see nothing but a blank background, begin to picture yourself standing alone. Slowly, an image appears ever so dimly. It’s an image of a person standing far off. At first, the image is unrecognizable. But then as the figure draws closer, you recognize that He’s a man. As He walks slowly towards you, you see He’s wearing a robe. The robe hides many of His features and the hood hides His face from view. Suddenly, you find Him standing next to you. He removes his hood and immediately you’re drawn to those piercing eyes, which seem to penetrate to your very soul! He then smiles at you. Immediately, you’re disarmed; all fear and apprehension have been erased form your mind. He’s not as tall as you might have imagined Him to be. As for His features; He’s less stately. He’s really quite ordinary. Yes, He’s typical of many Middle Easterner’s who would have spent a lifetime in hot desert climates, working under harsh living conditions with few luxuries. His skin is weathered and dark; his manly features are almost non-descript. If it weren’t for His eyes you would not recognize Him. But He obviously knows you…He knows you…intimately. You find yourself irresistibly drawn to Him in spite of His common physical features. Now, you can open your eyes.
When Israel wanted an earthly king, God solicited Samuel to find a man who had a stately appearance. His name was Saul. In 1 Samuel we read: “And when he (Saul) stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward … surely there is no one like him among all the people” [1 Samuel 10:23, 24]. But Saul only appeared to look like a king.
Once God rejected Saul, He instructed Samuel to look for God’s anointed one and here in 1 Samuel 16 we read: “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him (a reference to Saul); for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” [1 Samuel 16:7].
And so it is with the Lord’s manly features. We’re not being drawn to Him because of what we might have invisioned Him to look like. Instead, we’re drawn to Him because of who He is!
But, in spite of Jesus’ childhood. And, in spite of His manly appearance, which was rather ordinary; JESUS’ ANGUISH AND SORROW WAS EXTRAORDINARY.
Verse three tells that “He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” If true, some would argue this would necessarily diminish the image of Jesus as a sovereign deity. I reject such a notion. Jesus came to us as one of us. After all, what kind of God would He be, if He retained His divine attributes without ever having shared our humanity? Tell me, what better way could He have related with us?
Many of you have experienced the loss of a loved one. Many of you have known what it’s like to suffer excruciating pain. And many of you have known what it’s like to be allienated, rejected or even persecuted.
No one can ever fully appreciate what you have experienced, unless they, too, have gone through similar traumas. But you can, and you should, appreciate the fact that we worship this morning the One and only God who really knows the magnitude of your grief and sorrow. No one, not even you, have suffered what our Lord suffered. Not one of you has ever experienced rejection like He did. All of us, at one time or another, have hidden our faces from Him. At one time or another, we have reviled and hated Him. Perhaps not in words, but assuredly in wrongful deeds.
Yet, through it all, He loves us with an everlasting love! The God of my sorrow is indeed a “Tender Shoot.” There is no one like Him; nor could there ever be.
Let us pray…
