THE SERVANT KING

Isaiah 53

Man Of Sorrows

Salvation wrapped in scandal raises questions. Who could believe what Isaiah was declaring? Who heard or could imagine this kind of power? Only the strong arm of the Lord could accomplish salvation through a suffering servant, and only the wisdom of God could devise such a magnificent plan. The servant king would not come from a palace, but he would emerge like a root out of the dry ground from the line of David. The appearance of the servant king would not be stately and attractive. He would not be looked upon as royal in any way. He would be rejected and looked upon with contempt. The servant king would be isolated from his own people, grief-stricken, and despised. People would not hold him in high regard or esteem him. The servant king would carry the griefs and sorrows of his people who would view it as God's judgment. The servant king would not suffer due to his own sin; he would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The people benefit from his suffering and receive peace from his chastisement as well as healing from his wounds. The people are not awarded these benefits through any merit of their own; the people are wayward sheep who turned their own way and willfully left their good shepherd. The Lord has laid everyone's sin on the servant king. God's story includes the understanding that he is willing to accept a substitute for the sins of another. 

It Was The Will Of The Lord To Crush Him

The servant king would suffer without complaining or responding to the violence he would suffer. Jesus, the Lamb of God, would endure abuse and suffering without offering many words or demanding his rights or release. Jesus would undergo a mockery of a trial and be subject to the subversion of justice all for the sake of his people until he was cut off from the land of the living. The servant king would die, and the sinister motive of those involved would be to see him die as a wicked criminal. Jesus would be crucified between two thieves and would be placed in the grave of a wealthy man named Joseph. The servant king would suffer violence although he had never acted in violence or deceit. Jesus was crucified by Romans acting at the request of the Jewish leaders, but this was the will of the Lord. They may be the instruments of death for the servant king, but this was the plan of God from before the foundation of the world. Jesus is the bloody substitute given as a guilt offering for the sins of the world. What can wash away our sin? Nothing... but the blood of Jesus. The servant King would be crushed, but this is not the end for the servant king. He will see his offspring and prolong his days because Jesus would rise from the grave and prosper. The servant king's death is not in vain. Jesus's perfect sacrifice satisfies the divine wrath and justice of God, and many will be accounted as righteous because he bore their sin. The victorious servant king poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, but he bore sin, conquered death, made many righteous, and now intercedes on behalf of his people. Behold the glorious suffering servant king!

Things To Consider:

• What is the scandal of the gospel?
• Why was it necessary for God to give himself?
• How does Jesus challenge the ideals of power and leadership?
• Why did Jesus' people despise and reject him?
• What are some ways that Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows?
• Why would God lay sin on a sinless man?
• Why would God put sin on his son?
• How does healing come through bleeding?
• How does Jesus remove our guilt?
• How does Jesus intercede for us now?