The Suffering of the Servant

So let's now read together from Isaiah 53. Let's hear God's word.

Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.

The punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away, yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgression of my people he was punished.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.

Though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth,

yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer.

And though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied.

By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

and made intercession for the transgressors.

So we will think about the first six verses today,

this famous servant song in Isaiah 53,

and we'll think particularly about the suffering of the servant

from those first six verses.

You are perhaps familiar with the phrase

that one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist,

the point being that one's perspective and point of view

influences how we view particular characters and their actions.

We can think of Nelson Mandela,

we can think of Martin Luther King,

and many others.

We recognise too, don't we, I think,

that our perspectives on a person or on a situation can become fixed,

especially if it's connected to our view of the world

and how the world works.

And we see that in a very polarised world that we live in today.

People find themselves in camps,

and it's really hard to even understand how the other thinks.

Well, we're going to spend three weeks in this remarkable chapter

with a remarkable perspective.

What we have is Isaiah, led by the Spirit,

700 years before the death of Jesus,

and it's as if he, led by the Spirit,

is overhearing eyewitnesses to the events

around the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

And he hears them confess.

We thought one way, but we got it wrong.

We were wrong about Jesus.

So as he is being revealed, this prophecy,

Isaiah transports his first hearers forward 700 years,

and he then transports us back some 2,000 years,

back to the suffering and the death of Jesus

so that we might be able to answer,

what is my perspective?

What is my verdict on Jesus and what he came to do?

You've perhaps heard people talk about being on the wrong side of history,

particularly in the world of politics.

You know that there is an important issue,

and the logic goes that if you find yourself on the wrong side of that issue

or that policy, you will, and your party will lose out in the end.

Well, in a sense, we hear that principle being applied by the apostles

in the Book of Acts.

The crucial event is the sending of Jesus

and his work on the cross and his resurrection.

And the apostles will say,

if your verdict on Jesus does not match up with God's,

then you are on the wrong side and you will lose out,

and you will lose out eternally.

So in Acts chapter 2 and at verse 36,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Peter says,

God has made this Jesus whom you crucified.

There's the world's verdict.

God has made him both Lord and Messiah.

There's God's verdict.

Acts chapter 3 that we read,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

you killed the author of life.

There's the world's verdict.

But God raised him from the dead,

and he glorified him.

And we are witnesses of this.

There's God's verdict.

So this unique voice,

this unique perspective from Isaiah 53

brings us a really vivid description

of Jesus' suffering and death and resurrection.

We'll see that in those three weeks running up to Easter,

and we're called then to share the Lord's verdict on Jesus

and to help us to do that,

we're going to focus today

on what Isaiah says about Jesus suffering in his life

and Jesus suffering in his death.

So first of all, in the first three verses,

two perspectives on the suffering of Jesus in his life.

So here's Isaiah's prophecy

in which he is revealing to us

what contemporaries of Jesus might have said

after the cross,

after they have witnessed those events.

And in view here are those who have now come to faith

in the Lord Jesus.

In verse 1,

these people say,

who has believed our message?

They have come to believe the message of Jesus

and now they're sharing that message,

but they are finding themselves resisted,

being resisted rather.

So as they share their testimony,

what is their approach?

Their approach is very much

there's a before and there's an after.

We used to think this way about Jesus,

but now with God's revelation,

we think differently.

So their perspective on Jesus suffering life before faith,

let's look at verse 2.

They regarded Jesus as nothing special.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot.

Jesus was fragile.

Jesus was weak.

Think about perhaps the spring flowers in your garden,

knowing that all it would take would be a harsh frost

and those flowers would not make it.

He grew up like a root out of dry ground.

What does that saying imply?

It implies that Jesus was unimpressive.

He began from unpromising conditions.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Isn't he Mary's son?

Isn't he the son of the carpenter?

What about the appearance of Jesus?

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him.

Nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

There was nothing compelling,

nothing imposing.

Jesus did not draw attention by his physical presence

or by his nobility.

Rather, we know Jesus was born in a stable

and his home town was a backwater village

that was regarded with contempt.

He was homeless.

When he rode into Jerusalem,

he didn't come on a war horse.

He came on a donkey.

When image is everything,

many look at Jesus and say,

he's nothing special.

Verse 3 takes it further

to imply that in their thinking before faith,

Jesus was a nobody.

He was despised and rejected by mankind.

The natural reaction of people to Jesus

was to treat him with contempt.

We see that all through his life

with the religious leaders.

We hear the mockery at the cross.

He saved others,

but he can't save himself.

Jesus was a man of suffering,

a man of sorrow and familiar with pain.

Isolated, misunderstood,

not receiving sympathy.

And bear in mind that he's familiar

with sorrow and pain only

because he came to take ours,

because he came to save us.

He left the glory of heaven

with it was no sorrow or pain

to enter into our world

to save us.

Verse 3 says,

he was held in low esteem,

drawn from the world of accountancy.

Jesus is a zero.

People turned their faces

and turned their backs to Jesus.

He was devalued and degraded

both in his life

and as he died.

And Isaiah allows us

to overhear this testimony.

This was how we saw Jesus,

but now,

with the perspective of faith,

it's quite different.

Back to verse 1.

Who has believed our message

and to whom has

the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Who is Jesus?

He is the arm of the Lord.

What does that mean?

Jesus is God's demonstration

of saving power.

It's used a lot in the book of Exodus.

God saving by an outstretched arm,

the arm of power

to rescue from slavery.

The point now we see

Jesus is God's powerful saviour.

He brings freedom,

not from physical slavery,

but from spiritual slavery,

from sin leading to death.

And he sets people free

so that we might enjoy life with God.

And they're now able to see that.

So how did this change happen?

Because this is a total 180, isn't it?

Verse 1, again,

is so important.

To whom has the arm of the Lord

been revealed?

It was revealed to them

by God,

by his Spirit,

giving them the eyes of faith.

Without that,

they would have continued

to treat Jesus with contempt.

And without the eyes of faith,

so too would we.

Now,

they understand

Jesus suffers

to save us.

And so the message

that Isaiah 53 brings

is don't ignore Jesus.

Don't despise Jesus.

As Isaiah draws us in,

let's ask the question,

what is my verdict

on Jesus,

the suffering servant?

Does it match the crowds

of culture and society?

Does it match the Lord's verdict?

If you're a worshipper of Jesus today,

praise God

that he has revealed

that truth to you,

that he has given you

the eyes of faith.

It was nothing to do with us.

It's all a gift of God's grace.

So let's praise him for that.

And if you have up until now,

as it were,

walked on by,

ask God

to reveal the truth

to your heart.

Why did Jesus come?

Jesus came because by nature

we are all

on the wrong side of history.

We are separated from God

because of our sin

and our guilt,

our deliberate rejection of God.

We stand under the judgment of God

and we face,

left to ourselves,

eternal separation

without God

and without anything

that is good.

Jesus came because

we are a people

who need

to be rescued

and God in love

sent Jesus,

our loving rescuer.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Lord's gift to us.

Jesus is the substitute

who suffers and dies

in love for us.

And he's come to promise

true, eternal life,

lasting and solid hope,

deep, unending joy,

freedom from guilt

and fear,

the answer

to our loneliness

in his person

and in his work.

Are we trusting him?

Have we seen

who he is?

And let me ask a further question

if we're Christians today.

Who are we sharing

this message with?

So remember,

this is testimony

of people whose lives

have been changed

so now they're followers

of Jesus

and they want to bring

the good news.

Remember the power

of our stories.

I read a recent survey

that said 57% of people

who come to faith

come because a friend

or a family member

taught them from God's word

and showed them Jesus

in their life

and in their actions.

So are we praying

and praying for one another

to have opportunities

and when those opportunities

come that we would

take them

and that our life

and our character

and our words

would point people

towards Jesus.

Well,

from two perspectives

on Jesus'

suffering life,

let's think now

about two perspectives

on Jesus'

suffering in his death.

So Isaiah is continuing

to invite us in

to listen in

to the testimony

of these spectators

who were at the cross

and it's very vivid

his description.

The events,

did you notice,

the events are described

in the past tense

as if they have already

taken place.

Isaiah invites his readers

to span time and space

to take us right

to the foot of the cross.

So as we watch

the suffering

and the death of Jesus,

what's clearly understood

by the people

in view here

is that God

was involved

in the death

of Jesus.

But before faith,

they thought God

was punishing Jesus

for his sin.

But once the Spirit

worked and opened

their eyes

and gave them faith,

they saw Jesus

as punished

for our sin.

So let's consider

both those perspectives.

Let's see how they viewed

the cross

before faith

when they thought

Jesus was punished

for his sin.

Look at the second part

of verse 4.

It's very strong language.

We considered him

punished by God,

stricken by him

and afflicted.

This is the language

of deep suffering.

They clearly,

as they watched the cross,

recognised God's hand

of punishment

upon Jesus

but they misunderstood

why it was happening.

We know

that the charge

that was brought

by the religious leaders

was that Jesus

was guilty of blasphemy,

claiming to be

Son of God

when he wasn't.

And then when we go

to the cross,

we hear mockery,

let God rescue him

if he delights in him.

So many in the crowd

looked at Jesus

and thought,

here is someone

who is dying

under God's curse

and he deserves it

because he's claimed

something that is

just not true.

He's made himself

equal to God.

But then,

as the Spirit worked

and as the truth

was revealed,

what's their view

of the cross

after faith?

Not that Jesus

was punished

for his own sin,

no,

that Jesus was punished

for our sin.

The Spirit works

in them

and they recognise

Jesus is

our substitute.

He takes our sin,

he takes our place,

he takes our punishment.

Isaiah's first hearers

were familiar

with the Day of Atonement

and what happened

on the Day of Atonement

is that there were

two animals,

two goats

and one goat

it was taken

and the sin

of the people

as it were

was transferred

onto that animal

and then it was slaughtered

as a way to say

it's a blood sacrifice

that is required

for forgiveness

and peace with God.

But then there was

the other animal,

the scapegoat

and again the sins

of the people

were symbolically

laid on that animal

and the animal

was then sent

out into the world

and it's carrying

as it were

those sins,

carrying them

out of sight.

And now the testimony

from Isaiah 53

is Jesus is what

that ceremony is,

what the Day of Atonement

points to.

His life is that

perfect sacrifice,

his blood brings

forgiveness,

he is the one

who carries sin

and disposes of it

in his life.

And we see in verses

four to six,

I think three important

aspects of the gospel.

First we see the cost,

the cost of our salvation.

Look again at verse four.

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we consider him

punished by God.

There's an emphasis

in this chapter

on the great distinction.

There's he,

the servant,

Jesus and we,

those who benefit.

But the point is

that Jesus stands

and acts alone

in his suffering.

Jesus took up our pain

and bore our suffering.

Perhaps it would be helpful

to think of the image

of waist disposal.

What if you get someone

who comes to do

a bulky uplift?

What do they do?

They come and they pick up

our waist,

our rubbish.

They perhaps put it

on their shoulders

depending how heavy it is

and they then dispose of it.

So it is no longer

our problem.

Isaiah 53 reminds us

that Jesus picks up

our sin,

our moral and spiritual garbage

and he shoulders it

and he carries it

as if it was his own

and he disposes of it.

He takes the full punishment

for it

so it is fully forgiven

for those who have

the eyes of faith

and who trust in Jesus

and that what he did

on the cross

he did for us.

This is costly grace.

This is the cost

to God

of our salvation.

Jesus,

the Son of God,

dies for our sin

in our place

to secure for us

a forgiveness

we can freely receive

by faith,

by trusting

and believing.

So that's the cost

that we see

in the gospel.

But then in verse 5

we are shown

the exchange

that takes place,

the great exchange

that takes place

in the gospel.

Jesus takes something

from us

and he gives something

to us.

What does Jesus take?

Verse 5

He was pierced

for our transgressions

He was crushed

for our iniquities

The punishment

that brought us peace

was on him

and by his wounds

we are healed.

Jesus takes

our sin

One of the words

is transgression

that's a deliberate

breaking

a deliberate rejection

of God's law.

when we turn

our back

on what we clearly

know God

wants us to do

when we break

and dismiss

the Ten Commandments

for example

and Jesus takes

our iniquity

when God sets

a straight path

and we make it crooked

because we don't

live to fully

please God

Jesus takes

that on himself

so he takes

our sin

and then he takes

the penalty

for sin

he is pierced

and he is crushed

and he bears wounds

all pictures

of violent death

and

as we are reminded

he is punished

by God

and that is

a deeper agony

than the physical

pain he endured

Jesus as he becomes

the sin bearer

of the world

is regarded

by his father

as the worst sinner

who ever lived

and Jesus feels

that sense

of being forsaken

by his father

on the cross

as he faces

in himself

the holy anger

of God

against sin

and remember

Jesus is sinlessly

perfect

he is doing that

not for his sin

but for our sin

so Jesus takes sin

and it's penalty

and what does he give

Jesus gives

we're told

peace

and healing

the wonderful message

of the gospel

is that Jesus

is abandoned

so that we can be

welcomed

so that we can be

reconciled

Jesus takes

into himself

the poison

of sin

so that we

can be healed

and here is the

unique beauty

of Christianity

because it shows

us God's grace

and kindness

on full display

the Bible doesn't

say to us

do better

try harder

try and earn

your salvation

what we see

in this exchange

is that it's all

about God's kindness

we could never

pay the price

for our sin

we could never

earn God's favour

because we can never

be good enough

rather by faith

we receive it

as a gift

purchased for us

at the cross

by the suffering

of the Lord Jesus

and then there's

another aspect

of the gospel

that we see

in verse 6

and that's

the rescue

that takes place

notice that the

verse starts

and finishes

with an

all

we all

this is a vital

part of the

testimony that's

shared in Isaiah

53

we all have

gone astray

there's the extent

of the human

problem

no one is

exempt from

the problem

of sin

all of us

in our conscience

in our hearts

know that all

is not well

between us

and God

left to ourselves

there's a second

all at the end

there

the Lord has

laid on him

the iniquity

of us

all

there's the extent

of God's solution

and God's salvation

there is no one

who can say

this is not open

to me

this is not for me

anyone who has

faith and who

looks to Jesus

will know

that he has

taken sin

that he has

carried out

that rescue

the picture here

in verse 6

is of a wandering

sheep

and a wandering

sheep

far from the

shepherd

is in danger

and notice here

it's in danger

by their own

choosing

they turn to

their own

way

we turn

away

from our

good and

gracious

king

abandoning

the shepherd

and his

care

for us

and God's

response

the penalty

for wandering

the penalty

of rebellion

is not laid

on God's

people

it's laid

on Jesus

Jesus

as he said

in John 10

I am the good

shepherd

and I lay

down my life

for the sheep

Jesus suffers

death

so that you

and I

might enjoy

true life

if we

look to

him

and trust

him

and trust

his care

and trust

what he

did

on the

cross

again

Jesus

is being

presented

to us

as

the

suffering

servant

the suffering

saviour

and Isaiah

invites the

question

what is my

verdict

on the

cross

on Jesus

suffering

on the

cross

remember

Jesus

death and

resurrection

our true

history

every

scholar

of note

every historian

of note

whether they're

Christian or

not

recognises

the cross

is fact

and many

even

sceptical

even

non-Christian

scholars

recognise

the resurrection

has

facts

backing it

up

this is

truth

don't rush

by the truth

don't ignore

the truth

don't think

that it's

a small

thing

or for

another

day

this is

too

important

remember

the Lord's

verdict

God glorified

Jesus

God

raised

Jesus

and in

that

there is

a reminder

that the

price for

our sin

and guilt

is fully

paid

that sin

and death

have been

defeated

that Jesus

has been

vindicated

and raised

in

triumph

so just

like the

characters

of Isaiah

53

who have

been

pictured

in this

prophecy

if as

yet you

have not

trusted

in Jesus

as Lord

and Saviour

recognise

that you

need

the work

of God's

spirit

in your

life

to change

your heart

and change

your perspective

ask him

to do

that

read

God's

word

read

the

gospels

discover

who

Jesus

is

and why

he

came

so that

you would

trust in

him

so as we

approach

Easter

is it not

too far

away now

let's

worship

Jesus

with the

eyes

of faith

remembering

that there's

no part

of our

need

that he

doesn't

deal

with

that's

good

news

and if

we're

trusting

him

take

heart

that we

are on

the right

side of

history

that Jesus

the

saviour

is for

us

and he

is with

us

and he

has won

the victory

for us