The Resurrection Of God's Servant

THE RESURRECTION OF GOD'S SERVANT

Isaiah 53:10-12

Isaiah prophesied that God’s Servant would one day come to earth; He would live, please the Father, accomplish the plan of redemption, and ultimately be “exalted and extolled and be very high.” However, with all of the evidence before them, the Messiah would be “despised and rejected by men.” When Jesus arrived, His people “hid their faces from Him.” He was “despised,” they “did not esteem Him.” Despite all of the prophetic fulfillment that was seen throughout the life and ministry of God’s Servant, He was rejected. This rejection led to His suffering and death. Thankfully, even though “they made His grave with the wicked, but with the rich at His death” , His story did not end in Joseph’s tomb.

God promised that His Servant would “see His offspring.” As Christians we are Jesus’ offspring! We rejoice today because our Savior is not in some cold dark tomb; He is seated on His throne and He sees us, He is with us, and because of His resurrection we are assured that we will be with Him throughout eternity!

God also declared that His Servant “will prolong His days.” Jesus will live forever since He has defeated death once and for all. Paul said in Romans 6:9-10, “Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”

Isaiah says concerning God’s Servant, “the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” Jesus’ life, ministry, suffering, and death were all pleasing to God. As a result of His acceptable sacrifice God has “highly exalted Him.”

The Apostle John spoke of a time during the Revelation that he received where he “wept much.” The reason was because after an extensive search, “no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” But, then one of the elders said, John “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” Though He has been and continues to be “despised and rejected of men,” Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority in History. One day, all will see Him for who He is!

- On this Resurrection Sunday I would like for us to examine “The Resurrection Of God’s Servant.”

Long before the week of His Passion, Jesus told His followers that there would come a time when He would suffer and die. Mark 8:31 says Jesus, “began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” In spite of this clear warning, the Disciples of the Lord could not comprehend His teaching.

It is easy for us to trust in the teaching of the Resurrection because we have the written testimony of the witnesses (and the assistance of the Holy Spirit). But as Jesus lay in the grave for three days, the Disciples did not know that they were going to be eye witnesses of the risen Christ. That fact is evident based on their actions on resurrection morning. If they really believed what Jesus had been teaching them about His death, burial, and resurrection, they would have been camped out at the tomb instead of hiding in fear. If the women who were the first at the tomb had believed His teaching, they wouldn’t have been preparing to anoint His corpse.

Though these were the darkest days in the lives of Christ’s followers, something amazing was about to take place. Very early on Sunday morning there was a great earthquake, an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. He rolled the stone away from the opening of the tomb and sat down on it. The soldiers who were guarding the tomb were understandably terrified and they became like dead men.

Shortly thereafter, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome made their way to the tomb as the sun was rising. While on their way they said to one another “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” (Mark 16:3) Upon their arrival they saw that the stone had already been rolled away. Mary Magdalene left the others and ran to tell Peter and John. She didn’t run to them with the news that Christ had been raised from the dead, when she found them she said franticly “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”