Behold, My Servant Series

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.”