First Reading:  Isaiah 52:13-53:12

The Shame of the Servant,
The Glory of the Nation

These verses formed the last of the so-called “Servant Songs” from Second Isaiah. This eloquent song was penned in two different voices. It began and ended with God’s pronouncement about the Servant (beginning: 52:13-15; ending: 53:11b-12). The middle (53:1-11a) was the chorus of the witnesses. The theme was novel and even scandalous: honor came through shame.

God voiced the theme when he presented his Servant. The presentation by God was an honor in itself. But what was God presenting? What image did he hold up to view? An image that caused not applause, but befuddlement. An image of shameful degradation. But, notice the reaction from the other nations. Gossip was replaced by attention. Ridicule was replaced by silence. The marred image was a revelation that all would understand.

The chorus of witnesses picked up on the theme. The Servant was merely ordinary, even hated. He was not counted among the honorable. In fact, everyone assumed this shameful one was even rejected by God himself. Yet, his honor was in suffering, for, through his suffering (and death), he carried the guilt of the nation. And insure the future glory of the nation.

(Notice the Servant never spoke in these verses. His praise came from the praises of the witnesses. They pointed to the purpose and glory God gave the Servant.)

In the end, God glorified his Servant because he was willing to die for the sins of the people. His actions were like the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement that took away the sins of the nation.

In the context of Second Isaiah, the author wrote these words to give the exiles in Babylon hope. Glory would come through suffering. But, the identity of the Servant for the exiles remains a matter of speculation. Did the author have a particular leader of the people in mind? Did he have the people themselves in mind? Or both? Of course, Christians point to Christ on the cross as the fulfillment of these verses. But, there is no evidence any Jew connected the idea of the Suffering Servant with the expected Messiah until the risen Christ was preached by his followers. In fact, it was the genius of the early Christians to promote the idea of the Messiah in the light of Isaiah 52-53. Why was Jesus the Messiah? Because, by his death, he was Second Isaiah’s Servant. And he would return as the glorious “Son of Man” from Daniel on the last day.

Drink in the images of the Servant as you read them or hear them at Good Friday services. And be amazed how God could turn the image of the shameful to his glory.

Meditate on these images. How has God used your shame (and pain) for his glory?