Jesus, the Suffering Servant

The book of Isaiah contains multiple messianic prophecies that tell us about the Messiah and His mission, such as His virgin birth (Isa 7:14) as well as His bringing good news to the poor (Isa 61:1-2). There are four prophecies in particular revealing that the Messiah would suffer for the sake of others. These are called the Suffering Servant Songs, found in Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-11, and 52:13-53:12. None of these passages outright claims that the servant spoken of is specifically the Messiah, but in light of Jesus, it becomes clear that they apply uniquely to Him. Two thousand years ago, these verses from Isaiah were not associated with the longed-for Messiah. Linking the Suffering Servant Songs to Jesus only happened after the Passion and Resurrection. The description of the Servant clashes greatly with the contemporary Jewish understanding of the Messiah, perhaps explaining why the association of Jesus with the Servant described in Isaiah was not made in Jesus’ day.

The messianic expectations that many had at the time of Jesus were quite wrong. Yes, the Messiah was to be a Son of David and He was to be King, but it was a mistake to assume that He would be just like King David and be the king of a new and revitalized nation of Israel. They expected the Messiah to perform mighty feats like the killing Goliath and have military conquests galore. During the time of Jesus’ life, the expectation was that the Messiah would vanquish the mighty Romans. This sounds a bit outlandish, that the Jews would throw off the yoke of the Roman Empire, but defeating larger and superior armies has been a hallmark of the Hebrews since the time of Moses. Indeed, who would have expected the Hebrews to be liberated from enslavement to the mighty Egyptians?

In any case, a Suffering Servant is the antithesis of what the Jews expected and hoped for in the Messiah. Jesus’ contemporaries were very much caught up in their preconceived ideas of the Messiah and Jesus certainly did not fulfill their desires. Truth be told, He greatly over-delivered on their expectations, but their preconceived notions blinded them from seeing what Jesus wrought through His suffering. We see the scope of what Jesus delivered in the First Suffering Servant Song, achievements that far exceeded what the Jews had in mind for the Messiah:

“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law” (Isa 42:1-4).

Would the Jews’ idea of a new King David ruling over a new earthly Israel “bring forth justice to the nations”? If justice is understood as vengeance, then yes. That justice might mean reconciling the nations to God was not what they had in mind even though the Old Testament speaks of the conversion of the gentiles (Gen 22:18, Ps 22:27, Ps 86:9, Isa 42:1, etc.). With God anything is possible, but establishing justice by reconciling the pagans to God would be a greater accomplishment than could be expected of their preconceived image of the Messiah.

If they thought justice was smashing heads and smiting God’s enemies, then how could the Messiah be so meek and mild as to “not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench”? A mild and humble Messiah was unthinkable. Then again, Isaiah says “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, upon David’s throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever” (Isa 9:5-6).

Yes, “the coastlands wait for his law” because this Suffering Servant is not the savior of the Jews but of all mankind. Even the Apostles, after going forth to spread the Gospel, are shocked and surprised that salvation applies to the gentiles. “When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, ‘God has then granted life-giving repentance to the gentiles too’” (Acts 11:18).

—Fr Booth