The Suffering Servant’s Success
Isaiah 52-53
The Suffering Servant: When Success Comes Through Pain
Have you ever wondered if the Old Testament actually talks about Jesus? What if I told you there’s a passage written over 700 years before Christ that describes His death and resurrection with stunning accuracy?
This morning I want to take you into what’s called a “servant song” – one of four found in the book of Isaiah. “This fourth servant song is the most well known servant song” found in Isaiah 52:13-15, leading into the famous Isaiah 53. But here’s what many people don’t realize: “you really need to back up into Isaiah 52” to get the full picture.
Who Is This Mysterious Servant?
When we read Isaiah 52:13, we encounter these words: “Behold, my servant will act wisely. He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” The question becomes: who is this servant?
“If you ask those who are from the Jewish background, the Jewish interpretation, they would say that what or who is being referred to is Jewish nation. If you ask others an ancient interpretation, they would say, well, it’s got to be Isaiah or someone else who really gave their life for martyrdom.”
But here’s the remarkable thing: “God himself has made it very easy for us to understand who is being referred to in this particular passage.” We have three specific New Testament passages that definitively identify this suffering servant as Jesus Christ.
Three Witnesses Point to Jesus
The clearest example comes from Acts 8:26-37, where Philip encounters an Ethiopian official reading from Isaiah 53. When the man asks Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or someone else?” the Bible gives us the answer: “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.”
“Folks, Isaiah 52 and Isaiah 53 is about Jesus.”
John 12:37-38 and Luke 22:37 provide additional confirmation. In Luke’s account, “Jesus quotes a verse in Isaiah 53, and he references that this is speaking of me.” Jesus himself declares: “For I tell you, this Scripture must be fulfilled in me, and he was numbered with transgressors. For what is written about me has its fulfillment.”
From Humiliation to Exaltation
What we discover in this passage is a stunning contrast. Isaiah 52:14-15 shows us that “just as horrible of a death that he faced, his success would surpass many nations. It’s a comparison. His death was horrible, but his success is gonna be even greater than that.”
The text describes three levels of exaltation: “he will rise up, he will raise himself still higher, and he will stand on high. This passage is predicting a rising from elevation to elevation until finally he’s at the greatest elevation of all.” Many believe this refers to “the resurrection… the ascension in Acts, chapter one… [and being] seated at the right hand of God.”
The Horror of His Suffering
Why were people “astonished” at Him? “According to verse 14, it says that they were astonished because his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance and his form beyond that of the children of mankind.”
“We know that men doubled their fists and struck Christ with an open palm. We know that they pulled his beard. We know they spit on him. We know that he was scourged… He had a sleepless night. He was rushed through six ridiculous trials, and then he had to carry the cross. He endured the suffering that no one has ever known. God poured out his wrath on Jesus. Why? For you and for me.”
A Global Impact
But notice something crucial in Isaiah 52:15: “so shall he sprinkle many nations.” This means “salvation goes beyond the Jews. Even in Isaiah 52. It’s not just about salvation for the Jews. It’s about the suffering servant doing something that he shall be a blessing to many nations.”
Putting It Into Practice
As we reflect on the suffering servant, here are three ways to apply this truth:
Embrace Servant Leadership: “If the God of heaven can come from heaven to earth to serve others, those who are his followers ought to be willing and able to also make themselves servants… Let’s be servants. Let’s serve one another. Let’s serve the Lord.”
Share the Good News: “I want to say to you this week that as you go out, there are people who don’t understand who Jesus is. And you have the opportunity to talk about who Jesus is with other people, not of some religion that you’re trying to force on someone’s belief system, but a messiah, someone that you love and you appreciate because of what they have done for you.”
Remember the Cost: When we face our own trials, we can remember that “redemption does not come through the power that we might think it ought to come. Redemption comes through suffering. Much suffering, hard suffering, much anguish.”
The suffering servant of Isaiah 52-53 is Jesus Christ – the one who endured unimaginable pain so that we might experience eternal joy.
When The Crowd Leaves
Where Are You Really Heading
Look to Christ and Live
Be Confident in God’s Perfect Insight
The Great Exam
The Wonder of Christmas
We hope you enjoyed the sermon and would love to see you in person. Plan your visit to Community Baptist Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee today!