Suffering Servant

In last week’s sermon (3-9), I talked about the suffering servant in Isaiah 52.13-53.12.

There are four sections of scripture that deal with the servant (42.1-4; 49.1-6; 50.4-9; 52.13-53.12). As I stated two weeks ago, there is a lot of debate on the identity of the servant. Some say Israel, others say the prophet (Isaiah), still others say Jesus and Jesus alone. No doubt, we can see Jesus in many of these verses but not all. And we can see the prophet, especially in Isaiah 50.4-11, though this is debated. And we have to take the community in Exile (Israel) as an option because the prophet identifies Israel as the servant in 41.8, 44.1-2, 49.3. Also, Isaiah often refers to other communities in the third person singular as he might be doing here (40.1-3, 47.1-4). It’s the latter belief—that these texts first refer to Israel but are bigger than Israel--that seems to receive the most attention these days. It fits well with the context. Isaiah is speaking to those in exile, to those who’ve suffered the brunt of God’s judgment against the entire nation. Part of his message is that Israel’s time of suffering has ended, God is doing a new thing, and that their suffering has been redemptive in nature.

But taking Israel as the servant seriously doesn’t exclude all the other options. What I’ve come to believe is that this servant imagery is a rich symbol. It describes a vocation. Nothing fits perfectly; but all the options give us a glimpse of what it means to follow God—the God who revealed himself through Jesus, the Christ. The last statement is crucial because at the end of the day we see Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of many of these words. He did for the world what Israel or anyone else never could.

All of this led me to believe that the rich imagery of Isaiah 52.13-53.12 is a powerful story that can be told over and over again in countless ways. Let’s remember the entire message to Israel in Isaiah 40-55. Isaiah has preached that God is doing something new, that he has not forsaken Israel (Isaiah 40). Furthermore, the message seems to be that God has been at work in their suffering. This truth takes on a renewed force in the words spoken here. Those in exile have suffered for the sins of the entire nation, including their forefathers. This makes the exiles a rather undesirable group (53.1-3. They don’t have majesty or glory on their side. But God has still been at work. Their suffering has been redemptive (53.4-7). God is going to restore the entire nation (53.81-12).

Now once we say this, I believe we have to acknowledge how others have played the role of a suffering servant in our own life or in the life of the world. I gave some examples on Sunday but there are many more. The point is the same. Suffering can be redemptive in nature. We’re often called upon to bear the sins and infirmities of others for their own sake or for the sake of the world. My wife bore my infirmities for my health. The civil rights movement bore--nonviolently-the hatred of a corrupt ideology to reveal the darkness of prejudice. Parents suffer through the rebellion of their children, praying for their safe return. Again these are not perfect fits with the text, but I believe, right now at least, they illustrate the nature of this mysterious role.

Furthermore, this should not shock any of us, because we serve a Savior who tells us to take up our cross and follow him. The cross is not just for Jesus. We too are called to embrace a sacrificial way of life for the other (without endorsing further abuse of the victim). We’re called to follow Jesus, to be his body in the world, to suffer sacrificially for the salvation of others--to forgive, to love, to stand up for the victims of our world, to swallow our pride for the unity of the church. All of these actions embrace a form of suffering for the other. Paul understood this. He said, “I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s affliction for the sake of his body, that is the church” (Colossians 1.24, NRSV). What a mystery! What a call! Peace.

See also Dennis Bratcher's website: http://www.crivoice.org/isa53.html