Isaiah 42:1-9
1. "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4. he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope." 5. This is what God the LORD says-- he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6. "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7. to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. 8. "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. 9. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
CALLED TO BE A COVENANT PEOPLE
Text: Isaiah 42:1-9
Today’s text comes from what many call one of the four Servant songs. The message seems to be about the nation of Israel at face value. However, the message can be applied to when Jesus came in the first advent. Jesus literally embodied what this text meant as a prophecy that was fulfilled through Him.
John’s Gospel mentions how Jesus was involved in the creation of the world in John 1:1-3: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made” (ASV). Jesus is not only the Savior, but He demonstrated the example of humility in service (Philippians 2:6-8) that He wants all of those who follow Him to exemplify. Jesus wants us to be like Him by humbly emptying ourselves in service to others (Philippians 2:7). Jesus came to set people free from being slaves to sin.
THE SAVIOR’S EXAMPLE
How many of us lead by example? Jesus did and He calls us to do the same. We often think of role models as leaders.
1) Celebrity ideals?: There are many celebrities who are role models. How many of them are good models? How many of them pout when they do not get their way?
2) Secular righteousness: There are many who appeal to a secular version of righteousness. Which poses the question, what does real righteousness look like in God’s eyes? What would you call a secular version of righteousness?
3) Babylonian ideal: Would you call it Babylonian ideal being modeled in the same man- made way that the tower of Babylon was? Doesn’t God embody the answer to this question in Jesus Christ?
Why is this passage of scripture so important when it comes to the Baptism of the Lord Sunday?
1) Spotlight living: It is opposite to the way that the world lives! Religious or not, it is human nature in us all that seeks the approval or praise of others. The Pharisees were religious leaders, who like the praise of others.
2) Living humbly: Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus does not make a scene to call attention to Himself. This scripture tells us that the servant of this “Song” ----Jesus will avoid the things describes in verse 2 that would draw attention.
3) Messianic secret: Remember the story about when Jesus cleansed the leper and asked him to keep quiet (Mark 1:40 – 45)? This insistence of Jesus to keep silent is what scholars call the "Messianic secret" wherein Jesus wanted to keep his identity concealed enough so that he could preach the word in as many places as possible. Jesus could not have done what God sent Him to do by drawing attention to Himself.
What was the example Jesus was supposed to set? Jesus came to help the weak, lame bruised, the least, the lost, the last. Verse 4 hints at the fact that Jesus would not lose strength until He had accomplished His mission!: “He shall not fail nor be discouraged until He has set judgment in the earth; and the coasts shall wait for His Law” (MKJV). A smoldering wick is symbolic of someone who is losing heart (Albert Barnes).
Have you ever heard someone who was supposed to be setting an example that they contradicted? “At the 1993 annual meeting of the American Heart Association, 300,000 doctors, nurses, and researchers met in Atlanta to discuss, … the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy. Yet during mealtimes, they consumed fat-filled fast food--such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries--at about the same rate as people from other conventions. When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied, "Not me, because I took my name tag off." (David P. Barrett. ed. More Perfect Illustrations For Every Topic And Occasion.. [Citation: Boston Globe (11-10-93); Stephen Nordbye; Charlton, Massachusetts. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2003, p. 135). As Christians, we cannot just set aside our responsibility and remove our “name tags” because to do so would be to contradict ourselves.
A COVENANT PEOPLE
In the New Testament, Paul speaks about being baptized into the likeness of Jesus. Consider Romans 6;3-4: “Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life” (ASV). We walk in the “newness of life” as baptized believers simply because as baptized believers we are supposed to have died to our sins (Romans 6:2). There is also another passage of scripture where Paul explains the meaning of our baptism concerning our “newness of life”. Jesus demonstrated how He identified with those who were being baptized when Jesus Himself was baptized. Jesus demonstrated how we are called to love and serve one another after His example (Isaiah 49:1, 3).
Baptized Christians are called to be a covenant people. “Covenant. The entering into and committing oneself to a continuing relationship. Christians see themselves as a people of a covenant with God”. (Alan K. Waltz. Dictionary For United Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991, p. 72). As baptized Christians, we are “bound to God and to each other” because we are all one in Jesus Christ! Again, as baptized Christians, we are a covenant people. As a covenant people, we are ambassadors for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Baptized Christians as a covenant people are called out of the world to be different than those in the world. Being a Christian makes us resident aliens because we live in the world but we are not of the world. We are called to let our light shine before others (Matthew 5: 14-16). We are called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). We are called to be loving----to our friends as well as our enemies. We are called to pray for our enemies also. We are called to take up our crosses and follow after Jesus. We are called to turn the other cheek. “According to Rick Warren, [the author of “The Purpose Driven Life”] there are two basic reasons people don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior: (1) they have never met a Christian; and (2) they have met a Christian. Christian influence is no small matter”. (Raymond McHenry. ed. McHenry’s Quips, Quotes And Other Notes. [quoted from: Rick Warren. "Taking God Seriously." The Encouraging Word, 1992] Third Printing. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2004, p. 152).
Jesus set the example He wants us to follow. Jesus tells His disciples then and now that we are to pick up our crosses and follow Him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). Jesus also said that those who do not pick up their crosses and follow Him cannot be His disciple(s) (Luke 14:27). As God’s adopted children, we as Christians are called to follow the example of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
