“See, My Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at You — His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being — so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him, For they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard. “Who has believed what we have heard? And who has the arm of the Lord been revealed to? He grew up before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering (or sorrows) who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised, and we didn’t value Him.” (Isaiah 52:13-53:3 HCSB)
“God’s power is at its greatest not in His destruction of the wicked but in His taking all the wickedness of the earth into Himself and giving back love.” – Ray Ortlund Jr.
Sometimes things just aren’t what they seem to be. It can be something you see or even something you hear. With my hearing challenges, that happens to me quite often. My wife often gets frustrated when I hear something but don’t understand what I heard. I look at her for a translation. She gets tickled when I hear and then repeat back what I thought I heard and it’s so completely wrong it’s funny.
This week’s focal passage is all about seeing God’s powerful arm achieving His will but not realizing it and really misunderstanding what God is doing and how He’s doing it. In fact, it leaves the people appalled and the Servant despised, with the people even questioning His value. Ominously, it includes the lowly description, Man of Sorrows or man of suffering.
Our passage begins with Isaiah’s classic opening, a behold or see statement: “Behold, my Servant will act wisely…” God wants us to see, understand and be in awe of what His chosen Servant achieves. But what does He achieve? He achieves exactly what God wants and has willed. Thus, Isaiah says “He acts wisely.” The word translated here as “wisely” carries the idea of completion or perfect fulfillment. God’s Servant perfectly completed all that God sent Him to do for the redemption of mankind.
Then Isaiah tells us that because of His perfect obedience, the Servant will be raised, lifted up and greatly exalted. If you’re not recognizing it yet, Isaiah is describing for us the aftermath of the heinous act of Jesus’ scourging and crucifixion – His obedience to God’s will. Consider this description from Matthew’s Gospel: “Going a little farther, He [Jesus] fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will… Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:39, 42 HCSB) Jesus had set Himself to fulfill the Father’s will even though it was a “cup” He did not desire to drink. After His obedience at the cross, the Father raised Him, lifted Him up and highly exalted Him.
At this point, you may be wondering why I called this lesson “Impossible Faith”. Those who beheld God’s perfect will being achieved by the rejection, humiliation, scourging and crucifixion of the obedient Servant could not believe it. They simply could not understand how this man could be God’s Servant and how this would achieve mankind’s redemption. Their trust in how God achieved their redemption was impossible to believe, impossible faith. At least, it was impossible on their own. Hang onto that thought, we’ll come back to it.
They were not drawn to faith in God’s Servant but were actually appalled at what they saw. In fact, they even questioned whether He was human. He was so disfigured, He didn’t appear to be a man. This will be hard to hear, but I think it is vitally important to grasp, the Servant was so disfigured by the suffering and abuse He endured that it was difficult to determine not just who He was but even what He was. He was just a bloody, beaten mass of flesh that didn’t even appear to be human.
You need to let that sink in, a bit. Those who said they loved God and desired His will are rejecting what He’s doing and appalled at how He’s doing it. There are many today who question why God would need to sacrifice His own Son for their salvation. They’re appalled at the idea that Jesus’ crucifixion would somehow be needed for them to have an eternal home in heaven. Some question it because they don’t believe their sin is serious enough to need a substitutionary sacrifice. I’m good enough, aren’t I? I’m not that bad.
Others question it because they think: “What’s the big deal? Couldn’t God just forgive everyone?” Well, let me ask you that question. If someone wronged you and they were arrested, standing trial and the judge said “Oh, no big deal. I’ll just forgive the perpetrator and dismiss the charges against him.” How would you respond? I suspect you would be quite upset. This person has wronged you and they aren’t being held accountable. What’s going on? That’s just not right. It is a big deal! Give me the justice I deserve.
We tend to look at our own sin as something so minor that God could and should ignore it. But we don’t necessarily feel that way about everyone else’s sin. Nowadays, many even avoid using or have rejected the notion of sin. Why? Because it carries with it the connotation of accountability and responsibility before God. Our culture has rejected God’s right to exercise His authority over our lives, so we are no longer responsible to Him or accountable before Him. If only it were that easy to ease our conscience and remove our accountability before our Creator. It is not and, ultimately, we know that. We want people held accountable for their “sins” against us and that means we will also be held accountable for our sin against Him.
Is Jesus truly despised and rejected by our culture? The only thing our culture latches onto in His teaching are His comments and commands about loving others. While it is true that Jesus used His harshest words and strongest condemnations against the religious elite of His day, He did not beat around the bush when it came to our accountability before our Heavenly Father. This was especially true when it came to sin. His harsh words and strong condemnations were directed towards the very people who denied they had any sin or shortcomings in obedience to God. One of His closest disciples put it this way:
“If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9 HCSB)
Next, we come to the part where we encounter kings who see what they had not been told about and understand what they had not heard. I must tell you, the meaning of these words is debated among many scholars. Just who are these kings and what do they see and understand? While I can’t be dogmatic about this, I would encourage you to consider the context of Isaiah’s vision and prophetic words. He is describing the crucifixion of Jesus some 700-750 years before it happens. I believe the kings he is describing through the revelation of God are the “kings” described in the Gospel accounts – Pilate and Herod. While Pilate is not directly a king, he is the Roman ruler and the representative of the Roman “king” or Caesar.
While these two “kings” did not become true believers and followers of Jesus, they did see and understand more about Jesus than the Jewish religious leaders and high priest ever did. Pilate is even described as being left amazed and speechless because of Jesus actions, His refusal to defend Himself against the accusations the Chief Priest made against Him. When Pilate sought to release Him, the people wanted Him crucified. Pilate responded, “Why, what has He done wrong?” When the people insisted, Pilate washed his hands of the matter, both symbolically and literally. He wanted nothing to do with “this innocent man.”
But it is also possible, perhaps likely, that the kings in this passage refer to the many kings and political leaders who have succumbed and submitted to the power of the blood-stained cross and authority of the Suffering Servant. While there are many world leaders who have claimed faith in Christ, one of the most vivid examples is the Roman Emperor, Constantine. I won’t go into the historical details, but you can easily find and read his conversion story because he recorded it for us. There even many today, who claim faith in Christ. But never forget, Jesus said: “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples.”(John 8:31 HCSB)
Finally, Isaiah asks “Who has the arm of the LORD been revealed to?” This is a very clear reference to the power of God at work in the lives of men. But in this reference, it is not just that God demonstrates His power in some supernatural way but indicates that the “arm of the LORD” is being revealed in and through a human figure. He goes on to point out all of the ways in which the human form of the Servant was not seen as impressive or even desirable. I don’t believe this just refers to His physical appearance, but I think it also references the ways in which He obeyed the will and word of God. Isaiah describes Him as “a root out of dry ground”. Not much to look at and certainly nothing that shows much potential.
Imagine that! God’s incredible power, His mighty arm is being revealed in human form. But when we look at it, we’re not impressed or even drawn to it in any way. It’s not really desirable to us. I want to be very clear here, pay attention. This does NOT just mean that Jesus physical appearance was so common that He wasn’t physically attractive. It may include that and probably does, but it is really more about the fact that the way in which God demonstrates His redemptive and saving power is not attractive and desirable to men. God’s path of redemption is the path of sorrow, the path of suffering. The Servant of the LORD who brings our redemption is a MAN of SORROWS.
“Man of Sorrows,” what a name, for the Son of God who came, ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! what a Savior! – Man of Sorrows (hymn by Philip Paul Bliss)
That’s why He was rejected and despised. The path of God’s redemptive work is the path of suffering. We don’t want a Suffering Servant, we want a victorious King. But the path of exaltation took a hard right turn onto the path of sorrow and suffering. But why? Why is the path of the Servant the path of suffering? Why is He a man of sorrows? Because He took our path, the path we take if refuse God’s grace and reject His redemption. He took our sin upon Himself and bore the wrath of God on our behalf.
As even the pagan governor recognized, “Why should I crucify Him? He’s done nothing wrong.” I think that’s why we reject a suffering Servant who is our sinless Savior. We’re implicated in His suffering. Certainly, the Jewish religious leaders rejected Him because He did NOT look like the Messiah they wanted and expected. They wanted one who would deliver them from the tyranny of Rome but He came to deliver them from the greater tyranny of their sin. Their sin was a much greater threat in their obedience to God’s will than Rome could ever be.
Our tyranny to sin is a much greater threat to our obedience to God’s will, too. We also reject Him because we would be implicated in His suffering. We like to blame Rome or even proud Jewish religious leaders. But the truth is, Jesus walked the path of suffering because of my sin and because of your sin. He was a Man of Sorrows because of my sin. He was a Man of Sorrows because of your sin. The blows He took from the soldiers, I deserved. The spittle that ran down His face and matted His beard was meant for me. Each lash from the scourge He endured was because of my willful disobedience towards God. The cross He carried and was crucified upon was mine.
He walked the path of sorrow so that I wouldn’t have to. The death I deserved, He willingly took. The greatest miracle in all of scripture is often overlooked. God died so that you and I could live. That is beyond my comprehension and beyond my ability to believe. Impossible faith. Wait, if faith in God’s redemption plan is impossible for men then how can we possibly be saved?
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:44 HCSB)
The path of sorrow is a path that destroys all human pride and self-sufficiency. The only way to know God’s forgiveness is to come humbly, contrite, repentant and empty handed before Him, depending only upon the powerful arm of God’s salvation – the Man of Sorrows.
Let me end with a simple question: Will you fall before the Man of Sorrows accepting what He has done for you or will you stand rebellious and defiant before Him? Someone must take the punishment for your sin. You will either accept what He’s done in your behalf or you will face it on your own. The choice is yours…
Hilltop Baptist Church - Shawnee, OK 
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