SERMON NOTES – FOR INDIVIDUAL
AND GROUP REFLECTION – JESUS’
MISSION MANUAL, THE SERVANT’S
LIFE (ISAIAH 52:13-53:12)
The vision of the prophet Isaiah of a “suffering servant” of God, who would save humanity from their sins and reconcile us with God perfectly foretells the Easter story. It’s clear that this vision was of particular relevance to
Jesus himself. Last week we looked at 52:13-
15 which introduces the servant, horribly disfigured but blessing all nations by sprinkling with his blood.
This week’s passage is Isaiah 53:1-4: “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 men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by
God, smitten by him, and afflicted.”
The opening question “who has believed our message?” reminds us that much of humanity still reject Jesus and the salvation he offers, as atheists, agnostics or followers of other religions. Despite the fact he was God himself
“the arm of the Lord”. God himself has a role to play in someone becoming a Christian – as the Holy Spirit convicts their hearts that Jesus is Lord.
One reason they find it hard to believe is that
Jesus in his life was not an impressive figure, not the sort of “Messiah” people expected.
And today too we are obessed with celebrity and beauty, neither of which Jesus showed.
His life was humble, “a root out of dry ground” with his birth in a manger, his
“working class” occupation and poverty as a wandering rabbi. People expected those favoured by God to be prosperous, and handsome, not just a “son of man” the average
Joe. As indeed we do today. So, how could he be the son of God – when he wasn’t a king, a noble or even a priest?
Jesus was rejected throughout his life, as the prophecy foretells, because people didn’t recognise him for who he really was. Right from the attempt to kill him as a baby, to stone him to death, rejection by his friends and mockery on the cross. For that reason he was indeed a “man of sorrows familiar with suffering”. And the paradox was, he was rejected despite all the blessings he brought in terms of healing of sickness, demon possession and “the wounded soul”. People saw him as abandoned by God, as indeed his cry on the cross “why have you forsaken me” suggests. But they assumed God abandoned him for his own sin, not for ours!
This passage has a lot to tell us about Palm
Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey to the acclaim of the crowds. He came indeed after mighty healings like the raising of
Lazarus “taking up our infirmities”. But people judged by appearances, assuming he would lead a revolt against the Romans. And very soon the same crowd were rejecting Jesus by calling for him to be crucified.
And there are lessons for us today too. We need to pray for our loved ones who are non-
Christians that the Holy Spirit would convict them of Jesus’s true nature. They – and we – need to see him rightly, not with the ordinary eyes that see him as one to be rejected and worthless but with the eyes of faith that see the meaning of the cross and the eyes of hope that see the fruit of following him. As Jesus’ followers we must anticipate being rejected as he was – and he hyper vigilant we do not find ourselves rejecting him in our lives. And we must go to bring his blessing to others “taking up their infirmities and carrying their sorrows”.
Points for reflection and discussion
Pray this week for at least one person that they would come to know Jesus as their saviour and Lord this Easter Sunday – and that they will come to church that day!
Have you suffered from rejection and it has affected your whole life? Does reflecting on
Jesus’ rejection help you overcome it?
Pray and reflect on how you, like Jesus, can be a blessing to others “taking up their infirmities and carrying their sorrows”.