[0:13]52 verse 13. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Now, we're ready for the fourth servant song. So, if you have been following and studying the first three servant songs, you probably have said, wow, there's a lot of connections between these songs of the servant and Jesus in the gospels. Well, guess what? We're now you're going to see you're going to see it overwhelmingly connecting with Christ. This passage that we're going to read from Isaiah 52:13, all the way through Isaiah 53, is one of the most famous passages in the Book of Isaiah. And especially in the early church, this was a passage that was close to the heart of the church fathers and to the early church. In Luke chapter 8, Luke chapter 8, you see the Deacon Philip preaching Christ and he shares Isaiah 53 with the Ethiopian unique. You might remember that passage. So let's read Isaiah Isaiah chapter 52:13, uh, and I'm going to talk about this passage. So starting in Isaiah 52:13, look what it says, behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him, his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men. He shall startle many nations. This actually literally could be translated, he will sprinkle many nations. And some scholars have pointed to this as like a, um, metaphor of baptism. He shall sprinkle many nations. It it's often translated startled, but more literally sprinkle. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him. For that which has not been told them, they shall see, that which they have not heard, they shall understand. So this is amazing. He's saying that the servant is going to startle many kings, they're going to shut their mouths, and they're going to see something that they've never seen before. God is going to reveal something immense to kings of other nations. What could that be? You see what what he's getting at. Now Isaiah is going to explain. Here's what he's going to explain. This servant is going to give his life. He's going to suffer. He's going to die, and he's going to give us life as a offering for sin. Now, this passage had to be one of the most eye-raising passages in the entire Old Testament. Why? Because if you remember the scene in Genesis chapter 22 where Abraham was told to offer his son on Mount Mariah, God was explaining to Abraham, I don't accept human sacrifice. I don't accept human sacrifice. They were specifically told in Leviticus chapter 18, human sacrifice is a big no-no, abomination to God. And that's why this is the most eye-raising passage in the Old Testament because for only one person, the servant of the Lord, a sacrifice of his entire life, will be accepted for God, and it will bring about the salvation of God's people. This is absolutely amazing to think about. And this is this is really what's amazing when you read this passage and you read what the servant has to do. I want to ask you who are the candidates in all of human history who could fulfill this? Are there any candidates at all? Could it have could it have been Isaiah the prophet? No, he didn't give his life for the people. Could it have been the people of Israel as a whole? No, they don't give their life for the salvation of the people of Israel. It could only be one person, who's the person? Jesus, our Lord. And so let's read chapter 53. Are you ready? Now, this is Isaiah chapter 53, written hundreds of years before Jesus. I've read this to people many times and they've said, where do you find that? Is that the New Testament you're reading to me? And I often say, no, no, no, stop, that's the Old Testament. But it's fulfilled in the New Testament. Okay, so let's look at Isaiah 53. Who has believed what we have heard, and to whom the arm of the Lord has been revealed. For he grew up before him like a young plant, like a root out of the dry ground. The image of a shoot coming up, uh, from the earth or from a root, is an image of the Messiah. You find that in Isaiah chapter 11, the shoot from the stump of Jesse, you remember that? Uh, Jeremiah 23, 5 and 6, Jeremiah 33, 14 to 15. You find it Isaiah chapter 4, verse 2, the number of places. Zechariah chapter 3, verse 8, Zechariah chapter 6, verse 12. You don't have to write all those down, you can watch the video, but here's the point. The image of a shoot coming up from the dry ground, it's an Messianic image, image of a new king. That's very important. Why? Because it helps us to understand the servant is not just a servant, but he's possibly, probably, likely, a future king, descendant of David. You see the point? Okay, so let's continue on. He had no former commeliness that we should look at him. And no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hid their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Now, isn't this this is really something amazing to think about. Like, Jesus was not accepted for any worldly quality. That's very important because we don't want to accept Christ for worldly reasons, but for true spiritual reasons. Do you see? And so verse 4, surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. We esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our what? Transgressions. Now, transgressions, it's it's trans it's a very strong sense of doing something that's very wrong, transgression, okay? He's wounded now, he's wounded for our transgressions. We take this for granted. We take this for granted, and we miss the force of these words. The servant is specifically going to suffer for us. This is extremely important to explain to people. You don't find this you don't find this for, you know, really, you know, concretely for any figure in all of world history. He specifically going to suffer and die for us. So he was wounded for our transgressions. What are we at? Verse 5. He was bruised for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole. And with his stripes, we were healed. Do you see the idea Isaiah's getting at? To be made whole, you know, it's a very important concept in the Old Testament. To be healed, very important concept. Through his suffering, we're going to be made whole and we're going to be healed. Continuing on. Verse 6, All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. All of our iniquity is going to be laid upon him. Do you see? All of our iniquity. Now, if you if it if you read Psalm 119, Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm in the entire Psalter. It's 176 verses. And at the very end of Psalm 119, I'm sure you guys are all going to read it today. At the very end of Psalm 119, verse 176, the Psalmist says, I was like a sheep that went astray. The word for going astray has a sense of committing error, okay? I went astray, I wandered, I committed error. And he talks about how God brought him back, okay? And here's Isaiah saying, guess what? All of us were like that last verse in Psalm 117. We're all we have all gone astray. And only through this servant can we be healed. Do you see the point here? This servant is absolutely unique. Let's continue, verse 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his what? He opened not his mouth. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and a sheep that is before it sheers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth by oppression and judgment, he was taken away. Now, when Jesus was at the trial, we hear the passion narrative read twice a year.
[10:14]When do we hear the passion narrative read? We hear it on Good Friday. We also hear it on Palm Sunday. Is that beautiful? And what one of, you know, when I was a little kid, one of the things that always got me is, why is Jesus just sitting there not saying anything? Why is he just sitting there quiet? Have you no answer?
[10:41]Have you no answer? Do you remember those scenes? How many words did Jesus say before King Herod? When he went to Herod, zero, zero. Sometimes I say that to people, I'm giving you the response that Christ gave to Herod, just go look it up. Okay? Nothing to this king who wanted nothing more than just to make amusement of Jesus. And then when he spoke to Pilate, and when he spoke to Pilate, he said these words, I came into the world to speak the truth and those who are of the truth hear my voice. And then after that, nothing to Pilate. Nothing. Like a lamb before the slaughter, he he did not open his mouth. It's amazing to think about Christ, who is true God, all powerful. Could have just clicked his fingers, he could have said anything. Be done with all of you. He said nothing. Willingly suffered for us. And you know, the image of a lamb before the slaughter, what does it remind you of? It reminds you of the Passover lamb. It reminds you of the Passover lamb. Why is that important? Jesus is the true Passover lamb. Do you see? Christ is the true Passover lamb. What does John say when he sees Jesus for the first time? He says, behold, the lamb of God. John the Baptist identifies Christ as the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Now, when John said those words, this is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, he's calling to mind themes from Isaiah chapter 53. Do you see? And so, there's much, much more that could be said. Let's go to verse 8, okay, verse 8. By oppression and judgment, he was taken away, and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgressions of my people. Notice, he's suffering for the transgressions of the people of God. And they made his grave with who? Who do they make his grave with? The wicked, and with the rich man his death. Now, who was the rich man that came to pilot and asked for the body? Who was that rich man? What was his name? Joseph of Arimathea. You guys remember that scene. You know, and when you read the Gospels, you're kind of like, why is the gospel writer wasting so much time telling us about this, you know? And it's when you read it, you go, wait a minute. Isaiah chapter 53 talked about that, with the rich man's death. Why does the gospel tell us he was crucified among two criminals? He was his grave was with the wicked, okay? So, do you see these themes are brought up in the crucifixion scene. They're not always explained to you, but when you read the fourth servant song, you suddenly read the Gospels and you say, oh my gosh, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I see all of this in the crucifixion scenes. Do you see what I'm getting at? So let's go now to verse 9. And they made his grave with the wicked and with the rich man his death. Although he had done no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth, yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days, the will of the Lord, shall prosper in his hand. Now, when there's a couple things here. First and foremost, it says that literally he's going to be a sin offering. It's a very special word. A sin offering, his life is going to be an offering for sin. It's going to be a sin offering. Very important. And then also he's doing the will of the Lord through this. Through this he does the will of the Lord. Now, when Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed three times, Father, let this cup pass from me. And then he finished by saying, not my will, but thy will be done. You remember those words, not my will, but thy will be done? You remember that? And when you hear those words, not my will, but thy will be done, you go, whoa. Isaiah chapter 53, verse 10. He's going to become a sin offering and he's going to do the will of the Lord. Do you see what I'm getting at here? The gospel writers don't have to tell you this. They show you this. He does the will of the Lord. Uh, let's go now to verse 11. He shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous. He shall bear their iniquities, therefore I will divide with him a portion with the great. He shall divide spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sin of many and he made intercession for the transgression for the transgressors. Now, the concept of dying for many or the many, you find it a couple times in the Gospels. Mark chapter 10, verse 45 when Jesus says, I came not to be served, but to serve, to give my life as a ransom, a ransom is a price that's paid, by the way. As a ransom for for the many. And then at the last supper, when Jesus is is consecrating the third cup, and he talks about the blood of the new and eternal covenant that is poured out, you notice the words poured out for for many. And here's the servant song saying he's pouring out his life for the forgiveness of the transgressions of many. Do you see the connection? So when you hear those words, every time when you're at mass and you you're sitting there, you're praying, you're kneeling, and you're hearing the words of of what we call the words of institution, the words of institution are the words that are prayed at mass when Jesus instituted the Eucharist. The words of institution, and you hear those words poured out for the many. You suddenly are going to go, servant song. Isaiah chapter 53, verses 10 through 12. That's what's going to come to mind the next time you're you're at mass, I bet. And so, what I'm trying to get at here is this verse, these these verses are some of the most important verses in the book of Isaiah. If you want to understand the Christ, the Messiah in the New Testament. And so, in 1947, um, they began to discover these uh ancient scrolls, which are called the Dead Sea Scrolls. Have you ever heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls? In a place called Qumran, and they began to start to, you know, these scrolls were 2,000 years old, so it took them a long time to unravel them and finally read them and study them. But one of the largest scrolls found was a scroll from the book of the Prophet Isaiah. It's one of the most famous ones. It's called the you can go online. It's called the Isaiah scroll. You you the Isaiah scroll. And so you can go online and Google the Isaiah scroll, one of the largest scrolls found. Well, before this scroll was found, there were even people who argued that this must have been added to the Bible. Somebody must have just added this chapter because there's no way in the world that Isaiah could have predicted all these things. It had to have been added, right? And so you can imagine people arguing this, it was added and just kind of was somehow got in there. But then when the Isaiah scroll was found, suddenly the critics all had to close their mouth because it was pretty obvious that these scrolls were written, you know, right around, you know, before the time of Christ. And and they when they found the Isaiah scroll, you know, they they said, well, there it is. And you can't really argue about it anymore, and so trying to be silent on that one. You know, and so I bring this all up because because I think we have forgotten how important Isaiah 53 is. And in the New Testament, when you read the Gospels, there are numerous references to Isaiah 53. And I basically, I want you to be able to recognize them when you read the New Testament. Uh, and so, and when you do, you'll say, that's the fourth servant song. It's the climactic uh explanation of who the servant of the Lord is. Like a lamb before the slaughter, he opened not his mouth, and he gave his life for our salvation. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
