Weekly Messages - Prairie Presbyterian Church

Matthew 25:34-40

John 10:22-30; Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 23    

John 21: 1-19

Luke 19:28-40

The audio and the full text of the sermon are below. There are also questions for reflection at the bottom. Feel free to discuss on our sermon discussion group on Facebook.This is part five in a five part series on The Servant Songs. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (NRSV)13 See, my servant shall prosper;    he shall be exalted and lifted up,    and shall be very high.14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him    —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,    and his form beyond that of mortals—15 so he shall startle many nations;    kings shall shut their mouths because of him;for that which had not been told them they shall see,    and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.53 Who has believed what we have heard?    And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,    and like a root out of dry ground;he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.3 He was despised and rejected by others;    a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;and as one from whom others hide their faces    he was despised, and we held him of no account.4 Surely he has borne our infirmities    and carried our diseases;yet we accounted him stricken,    struck down by God, and afflicted.5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,    crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the punishment that made us whole,    and by his bruises we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray;    we have all turned to our own way,and the Lord has laid on him    the iniquity of us all.7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,    yet he did not open his mouth;like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,    and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,    so he did not open his mouth.8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away.    Who could have imagined his future?For he was cut off from the land of the living,    stricken for the transgression of my people.9 They made his grave with the wicked    and his tomb with the rich,although he had done no violence,    and there was no deceit in his mouth.10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.When you make his life an offering for sin,    he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.11     Out of his anguish he shall see light;he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.    The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,    and he shall bear their iniquities.12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;because he poured out himself to death,    and was numbered with the transgressors;yet he bore the sin of many,    and made intercession for the transgressors.Scholars have disagreed about the interpretation and application of the fourth servant song for as long as we have been reading it. This does not mean that we cannot understand what it says, but it does mean that we cannot claim to fully grasp everything that this servant song means.As we’ve moved through the servants songs, we’ve concluded that they do, in fact, point to Jesus. This becomes even more pronounced in this fourth servant song. If it does point to Jesus, we shouldn’t be surprised that no matter what we say about this servant song, it will never be enough to describe the reality of God in Christ, nor will it ever be exact. Jesus is like that. Jesus is greater than any description we can apply to him. We will say one thing about him, make some conclusion about him, and we automatically leave something else out.This is even more true when we confront the mystery of his suffering, death and resurrection and the mix of human and divine elements in it. Did he die at the hands of sinful human beings? Was he betrayed? Was he put on trial and did powerful people see to it that an angry mob was mobilized against him? Yes. But wasn’t it also God’s plan for Jesus to die? Yes. Did Jesus suffer in solidarity with all suffering ones, all victims? Yes. Did Jesus die to save us from sin? Yes. Was he an example to us in his willingness to go to the cross? Yes. Did he do what no one else could do on the cross? Yes. Did he die in our place taking the punishment for all sin upon himself, so that we would not need to bear the punishment for that sin? Yes. Did he die in order to defeat death by being raised on the third day? Yes. Are we supposed to die and rise with Christ? Die to an old life of sin and be raised to a new life of righteousness? Yes. And we could go on.Interpretive problems and problems of applying scripture never means we should avoid that scripture, or say it is too hard to understand and simply gloss over it. Nor should we simply decide for ourselves individually “what I think it means,” and ignore other possible interpretations. Instead, we need to lean in and learn from the multiplicity of meaning. I feel like when we have a text, like we do here, that resists easy interpretation, we are in some ways closer to God—because God resists easy interpretation. Whenever we might think we’ve got God figured out, that is perhaps when we are in trouble. God is bigger than our understanding.The word we search for as we look at a text like this is the word “awe”—or what would have in the King James Version be translated as “fear.” We may very well be afraid as we interpret and apply this text, because we may be off base—we may be wrong about it. But the greater fear may be that what we find in this text is true. That the servant suffered terribly and his suffering was simultaneously at least three things: 1) our fault—we are guilty. 2) to release us from our guilt. 3) God’s divine plan.  The interpretive problems are compounded by translation issues.13 See, my servant shall prosper;    he shall be exalted and lifted up,    and shall be very high.NIV (and most others) “my servant will act wisely”New English Translation  “my servant will succeed” and this sis perhaps closest to the intent of the Hebrew, which conveys that the servant will not fail in his mission.Prospering is not about monetary wealth - it is about accomplishment, and here it is about accomplishment of the salvation mission.“Exalted and lifted up” is a phrase that only appears 4 times in the Hebrew Bible—all in Isaiah. The other three times, it always refers to God. Here, it refers to the servant.In John’s gospel, “lifted up” gets a double meaning. Jesus is lifted into the place of worship and praise and glory. But John’s gospel points to the cross itself as the place of Christ’s glorification. He is literally lifted up on the cross. What looks like shame and suffering to the world is actually the beginning of his exaltation, which will culminate in his resurrection.52:14-53:3This opening section sets up the reaction to the suffering servant. People are astonished by him. What are the astonished by?“So marred was his appearance” - this is difficult to interpret accurately. Is this really saying that he is so disfigured in his suffering that he was unrecognizable? Probably not. What is more likely, is that this means that he undergoes full suffering—bodily, mentally, and spiritually, and to see that is truly terrible. What he went through is inhuman, or sub-human.He shall startle many nations and kings will shut their mouths (or be speechless), because who has ever heard of a messiah who suffers? Who would ever believe that this is the way the arm of the Lord (the means of salvation) would be revealed? 53:2 talks about him being a young plant or root growing up out of dry ground. This is like saying he came out of nowhere. He wasn’t like a solid oak tree whose growth and roots are obvious, nor had he been cultivated by the establishment to be the leader. He just sprang up from a totally unexpected place.  His earthly origins are Nazareth in backwater Galilee, even though his true origin is a heavenly one.There was also nothing external about him that would draw anyone in. He was the opposite of what great people are supposed to be like.John Oswalt puts it like this:“A baby born in the back-stable of a village in. This would shake the Roman Empire? A man quietly coming to the great preacher of the day and asking to be baptized. This is the advent of the man who would be heralded as the Savior of the world? No, this is not what we think the arm of the Lord should look like. We were expecting a costumed drum major to lead our triumphal parade. Our eyes are caught and satisfied by superficial spledor. This man, says Isaiah, will have none of that. As a result, our eyes flicker across him in a crowd and we do not even see him. His splendor is not on the surface, and those who have no inclination to look beyond the surface will never even see him, much less pay him any attention.” 53:4 shifts.We’ve already seen that the servant suffers and we’ve known that this suffering is somehow connected to our salvation. We’ve acknowledged that this is unexpected. Normally a saviour, a messiah, would lead from a place of power. This is a suffering servant messiah —three words that shouldn’t really go together. Beginning at 53:4, we learn that he does not simply suffering alongside us, but his suffering is both because of us and for us.“He has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;”If we knew nothing else about the rest of the servant song or about Jesus, this could easily mean that he has suffered in the same way we have - same sicknesses. But as we read on, we find that it is far more than that.Verse 4 actually displays the conventional wisdom of the time. When someone suffered, the ancients believed it was because of something that they had done. They believed that if you were sick, then it was because of some sin in your past, or maybe in your parents’ past.We see this spelled out quite clearly in the book of Job. We find it as well when a blind man received his sight from Jesus in the gospel of John and

The audio and the some sermon notes are below. This week, there is not a full manuscript - just the notes on which the sermon was based. It is worth listening to the audio to get the full idea of the sermon.There are also questions for reflection at the bottom. Feel free to discuss on our sermon discussion group on Facebook.This is part four in a five part series on The Servant Songs. Isaiah 50: 4-9 (NRSV)4 The Lord God has given me   the tongue of a teacher,that I may know how to sustain   the weary with a word.Morning by morning he wakens—   wakens my ear   to listen as those who are taught. 5 The Lord God has opened my ear,   and I was not rebellious,   I did not turn backwards. 6 I gave my back to those who struck me,   and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;I did not hide my face   from insult and spitting. 7 The Lord God helps me;   therefore I have not been disgraced;therefore I have set my face like flint,   and I know that I shall not be put to shame; 8   he who vindicates me is near.Who will contend with me?   Let us stand up together.Who are my adversaries?   Let them confront me. 9 It is the Lord God who helps me;   who will declare me guilty?All of them will wear out like a garment;   the moth will eat them up. Sermon Notes  (these are in very rough point form)There are two things to notice in this servant song. First, the word servant doesn’t appear in the song itself (v. 4-9)—“servant” is not mentioned until verse 10. 4-9 is clearly about the servant, though.God is called the Lord GOD only in this Servant Song (and God’s called that 4 times)God is in charge - this is the basic meaning of the word “lord.”God’s got a plan! It is God’s choice. This is what God’s sovereignty is about. God chooses. God is the primary agent. God is not reactionary.“Tongue of the learned”Confirms 49:2 - Servant’s mouth is like a sword.  The servant brings a particular message, a word, a proclamation.“Learned” appears 2 other times in Isaiah (8:16, 54:13) - both times it is about disciples who learn from their intimate association with a master. The servant is “learned” - the Sovereign Lord is the master.  This isn’t to say Jesus isn’t God. Rather this is to say that Jesus knows what God knows. The servant’s message is God’s message, the way a fully trained disciple can fully represent his master.“That I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.”A glimpse into Christ’s mission. How are you doing?Tired.Busy.Let us reclaim the word that Christ brings, because it is a word that is given to sustain the weary.KJV: “The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary”“A word in season.” = “The perfect word” to the one who is weary.  Sustain is not in there. Sustain makes it sound like, by Christ’s word you’ll be able to get through a busy season, or you’ll be able to just about survive. He’ll keep you going.But this isn’t quite right. It is that Christ can supply just the right word, just the right message, just the right hope, when you are weary. See Matt 11:28-29‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’The servant hears from the Lord every morning.Franz Delitzsch (mid to late 1800s) points out that this is about how the servant receives prophetic inspiration. Not always through visions, dreams, but daily. In the grind. John Oswalt points out that the servant can speak with a learned tongue because he had listened with a disciple’s ear.Verse 5 builds on this…“The Lord God has opened my ear,Jesus is perfectly obedient to God’s word.“And I was not rebellious.”Who else can claim this but Christ?  John 8:29 - And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’The hints pointing toward the 4th servant songThe servant’s primary mission is a salvation mission, somehow accomplished by his suffering and death.Important point here - obedienceServant is resolute because he has received God’s help.“Therefore I have set my face like flint”Luke 9:51 - “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.”Court room imagery.This servant can’t be stopped.The plan is going to work. It is assured.  Nothing and no one can stop the salvation plan, because God is at the heart of it.We are to emulate the servant.See verse 10  -the verse after the Servant Song.Who among you fears the Lord   and obeys the voice of his servant,who walks in darkness   and has no light,yet trusts in the name of the Lord   and relies upon his God?Christ is the way of our salvation.Christ is also our ultimate example.Overview of what we learn about the servant in this Servant Song.God is sovereign - We are not.Learner/Disciple - intimate knowledgeMessage for the wearyLearning/listening daily - how? Prayer/Psalms.  scripture, community, experience, tradition.For Others (the hard thing - suffering)Steadfast - can’t be stopped.Questions for Reflection1) What does it mean to say God to be Sovereign and I am not? What are the barriers to you living this out? What does it look like when you live this out successfully?2) A disciple is someone who knows the master intimately. Just as Jesus and the Father are one, Jesus said we are to be one with him. How does this effect your understanding of being a disciple of Jesus? What does this mean for living out your own discipleship on a daily basis?3) Jesus's invitation to follow him is an invitation to "take on his yoke" and be a servant.   Is that his not an odd way to get followers? How does this invitation compare to other "invitations" we receive during our lives ( invitations to be rich, successful,  popular, etc) Why did Jesus' message appeal to his followers then? Why does it still appeal to us today ?4) What are the barrier to us hearing “a word in season for the weary”? How can we hear that word?5) The servant listened and was given a mission. He was resolute in that mission. How might God be sending you in mission? How can you/we stay resolute?

The audio and the full text of the sermon are below. There are also questions for reflection at the bottom. Feel free to discuss on our sermon discussion group on Facebook.This is part three in a five part series on The Servant Songs. Isaiah 49: 1-13 (NRSV)1 Listen to me, O coastlands,   pay attention, you peoples from far away!The Lord called me before I was born,   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;he made me a polished arrow,   in his quiver he hid me away. 3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 4 But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;yet surely my cause is with the Lord,   and my reward with my God.’ 5 And now the Lord says,   who formed me in the womb to be his servant,to bring Jacob back to him,   and that Israel might be gathered to him,for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord,   and my God has become my strength— 6 he says,‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant   to raise up the tribes of Jacob   and to restore the survivors of Israel;I will give you as a light to the nations,   that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ 7 Thus says the Lord,   the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,   the slave of rulers,‘Kings shall see and stand up,   princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,because of the Lord, who is faithful,   the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’ 8 Thus says the Lord:In a time of favour I have answered you,   on a day of salvation I have helped you;I have kept you and given you   as a covenant to the people,to establish the land,   to apportion the desolate heritages; 9 saying to the prisoners, ‘Come out’,   to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’They shall feed along the ways,   on all the bare heights shall be their pasture; 10 they shall not hunger or thirst,   neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,for he who has pity on them will lead them,   and by springs of water will guide them. 11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,   and my highways shall be raised up. 12 Lo, these shall come from far away,   and lo, these from the north and from the west,   and these from the land of Syene. 13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;   break forth, O mountains, into singing!For the Lord has comforted his people,   and will have compassion on his suffering ones. We have spent a fair amount of time on the identity of the servant. It should be clear by now that my own bias is to read the character of the servant as both representing Israel and as finding its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. My belief is that when these words were first prophesied, the prophet was not thinking of the future historical Messiah, but rather of an ideal Israel, an Israel that only God could bring about.As a Christian, I believe God brought about that ideal Israel, not as a small chosen nation, but in the person of His Son. For those who know Jesus and his story, we can’t help but see his likeness when we read the Servant Songs. Isaiah 49:1-13 is full of imagery that will bring up thoughts of our Savior and Lord. Rather than spend more time on the identity question, I’d like us to consider leaning in to how these verses illuminate Jesus for us.There is one problem in that regard with respect to this Servant Song, however—and that’s verse three. In verse three the servant is clearly identified as Israel, and this is difficult to avoid. Is it Israel, or is it Jesus? John Oswalt, in his commentary on Isaiah looks at this issue in a helpful and creative way. According to Oswalt, there are two slightly different ways to read verse three where God speaks to the servant.1. “You are my servant named Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”2. “You are my servant, my Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”Do you see the difference in the second one? In the second version, God is being emphatic as he addresses the Messiah. He says to a specific person (to Jesus), “you are my servant, you are my Israel.” Think about that for a moment. God says to the servant—“you are my Israel.” The servant, Jesus, stands in the place of the true chosen people. There are such connections here for those who follow Christ. Those who are in Christ, those who are members of His body, share in this. The Church, Christ’s people, become the new Israel. We do not fulfill what Christ fulfills, we are not the perfect servant any more than Israel is, except that we have united ourselves to Christ. In Christ, we share in his sufferings and in his exaltation. Christ is the ideal Israel, and the Church which is in Him, is the redeemed people of God, the new Israel. We do not replace Israel of our own accord, but stand in that place because of our union with the servant, our union with whom God has claimed as “his true Israel,” Jesus Christ.Let’s turn to this particular servant song and see what we can learn about Jesus.“Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away!”This servant song is not addressed to the Jewish nation. It is addressed to the people from far away. It is addressed to Gentiles. This is significant, because while we naturally claim that the gospel is for everyone, in practice we don’t always behave as though it is. We might wish to think about who we consider “far away” from God and remember that these words are first and foremost for them. "The Lord called me before I was born,   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me."The servant is the one speaking these words, through the mouth of the prophet, across centuries, through the lens of Christ. It is quite remarkable. It was not unusual in the ancient world for great leaders to have been spoken of as being chosen before they were even born. It is also not unusual for such leaders to have divinely attributed names. What is striking is how readily these words apply to Jesus of Nazareth, who, though from a royal line if you go back far enough, was essentially a nobody by earthly standard at his birth. An angel told both Mary (Luke 1:31) and Joseph (Mt 1:21) to name their yet unborn child Jesus. The gospels point to Jesus’ salvation mission being given before his birth. "2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword,   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;he made me a polished arrow,   in his quiver he hid me away."Rev. 19:15 “Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.”The sword coming out of the mouth is a strange image. It means that the servant won’t fight with an actual sword, but that his weapon will be his word that he speaks. This is the same for the Church and believers in the Ephesians passage about the armour of God.Eph 6:17  “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” In John’s gospel, not only is is the word Jesus speaks that has power, but Jesus is himself identified as the living Word made flesh.The servant is also identified as a polished arrow. The sword is his mouth, or his spoken word. He himself is an arrow. This points to the fact that God will use the servant in a fight. While the expectation may have been a fight against earthly rulers or enemies, in Jesus we find that the fight is with greater powers than that, and the scope of salvation is much larger as well.The sword and arrow are hidden. They are hidden until the proper time. God is not firing arrows all over the place or flailing with his sword. He has them ready for the opportune moment. Jesus is the one who appears at the right time, almost as if from nowhere, as though he’s been hidden, to strike the fatal blow against evil."3 And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’"We have already looked at the idea that God declares Jesus to be the ideal Israel. The last part of this phrase is important: “in whom I will be glorified.” Everything about Jesus will bring glory to God the Father."4 But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain,   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;yet surely my cause is with the Lord,   and my reward with my God.’"This speaks directly to the idea of God being glorified, or honoured by the servant. These verses, at first glance, are surprisingly negative. Why would Jesus say this? This points to the apparent futility of Jesus’ ministry in light of his death. This phrase paints a picture of Christ on the cross when He cried “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This phrase shows us the humanity of Christ as he suffered and died. On Good Friday and Holy Saturday, it all seems pointless, all hope seems lost. God’s glory is not on display on these days.The season of Lent is like this as well. We reflect on our mortality, we are reminded of our sin and our need for repentance, we connect with a Saviour who entered our suffering. Without the resurrection, it would all be in vain, but rest assured—new life is coming.This is played out in our baptism as well.Christ is united to us in our suffering and as we are baptized into his body, we suffer and die with him. This ought not be minimized. Do our lives have any meaning? Is it worth it to follow Jesus if it leads to the cross? Should we unite ourselves to him if it means suffering and death? If it means humiliation or ridicule? It can seem freeing to think about entering the waters of baptism to die to an old way of life, but we cannot rush the new life on the other side. We must acknowledge that the death is real, that the loss must happen, and in the time of loss, it may very well feel pointless. At the bottom of the baptismal waters we drown, and for what? Has anything changed? Did I accomplish anything by uniting to Christ? Maybe I should have just kept going at life on my own.The answer to these questions is not simply “resurrection,” but “trust in God for resurrection.” What we do in baptism, in uniting ourselves to Jesus

The audio and the full text of the sermon are below. There are also questions for reflection at the bottom. Feel free to discuss on our sermon discussion group on Facebook.This is part two in a five part series on The Servant Songs. Isaiah 42:1-61Here is 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. 2 He will not cry or lift up his voice,   or make it heard in the street; 3 a bruised reed he will not break,   and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;   he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed   until he has established justice in the earth;   and the coastlands wait for his teaching. 5 Thus says God, the Lord,   who created the heavens and stretched them out,   who spread out the earth and what comes from it,who gives breath to the people upon it   and spirit to those who walk in it: 6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,   I have taken you by the hand and kept you;I have given you as a covenant to the people,   a light to the nations, 7   to open the eyes that are blind,to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,   from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8 I am the Lord, that is my name;   my glory I give to no other,   nor my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have come to pass,   and new things I now declare;before they spring forth,   I tell you of them. In 1922, Bernhard Duhm identified the Servant Songs in Isaiah in a particular way. His theory was that someone other than the prophet, and indeed other than the author of second Isaiah, if there are multiple authors of the book, wrote the Servant Songs, and an editor inserted them into the book.This was really at the heart of Duhm’s identification of the Servant Songs. He contended that the character of the songs was different from much of what is found in second Isaiah. Declaring that they have a different author allows us to pull the songs out of Isaiah and interpret them without reference to the rest of the text.I don’t think we should do this, though. Even if Duhm is correct about the authorship of the Servant Songs, which is seriously disputed, someone did weave them into a particular text, and communities have accepted these as the prophets words, and in fact, God’s word, for centuries. All of this is to say that the context of the Servant Songs is important.Isaiah 42 is not the first use of the imagery of “servant” in Isaiah. In First Isaiah (ch. 1-39), the word is always used to refer to either someone specific (e.g. Isaiah 20:3 “…Just as my servant Isaiah has walked…”), or to servants in general  (e.g. Isaiah 37 “When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah…”).In Second Isaiah we get the first instance of Israel being identified as the servant. This happens in Isaiah 41:8-9, one chapter before the first “Servant Song”:“But you, Israel, my servant,   Jacob, whom I have chosen,   the offspring of Abraham, my friend;you whom I took from the ends of the earth,   and called from its farthest corners,saying to you, ‘You are my servant,   I have chosen you and not cast you off ’;”The motif of Israel/Jacob being the servant continues strongly throughout much of Second Isaiah. Servant is used exclusively to refer to Israel/Jacob from Isaiah 44 to 48.It would seem that at least when it comes to the first Servant Song, we need to ask whether it may in fact be about Israel. This is our first question, because the context of second Isaiah demands it.Second Isaiah is addressed to those Israelites who are in exile from their homeland in Babylon. It begins at chapter 40 with a powerful image of a highway being made by God through the wilderness: the promise of a straight road to lead the exiles home. Chapter 41 assures the people that they are cared for by God. They are collectively his chosen servant, and God will strengthen them.Isaiah 42, uses the same language to talk about the servant as is found in Isaiah 41. The servant is a chosen one. This was about Israel in chapter 41. Can it still be about Israel?V. 1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit on him he will bring forth justice to the nations.”  This can only be about Israel if we see the servant as a personification of the nation, and if we believe that God’s intention was to bring justice to the earth through his chosen people. There is in fact strong evidence in the Old Testament to support that the very reason God had a chosen people was a bless and to bring about justice or righteousness to the world, through them.As you read through the other verses in the servant song, you will find that the words can be applied to Israel. V. 2 “He will not cry or lift up his voice…” This is in reference to the way God’s people would bring about justice: not through mighty declarations or speeches, but quietly, presumably through faithful actions.V. 3 “A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” A bruised reed and a dimly burning wick refer to those who are weak. This is saying that God’s chosen people will not bring forth justice by trampling on the weak. God’s justice will come not through the oppression of people. We could continue and draw out how this may refer to Israel, but we should know that this text is not to be seen as referring to what Israel did, but rather the hope of who Israel could be.You may not quite be with me in thinking that the first servant song refers to Israel. Perhaps you’ve been taught that all four of the songs must be about Jesus. We’re coming to that, I promise.But first, we need to know something about the Greek translation of the Old Testament. One of the earliest translations of the Old Testament took place over the 3rd to 1st centuries BCE. This version of the Old Testament, along with some other books that are not part of Scripture, is called the Septuagint.The Septuagint is what most of the New Testament writers used when they were quoting from the Old Testament, because it was in Greek. Most of the New Testament writers would have also known Hebrew and would have been familiar with the Hebrew text. Translations are problematic because meaning can be lost or slightly changed. The Septuagint is problematic in an even greater way because it was likely translated from a variant, or several variants of the Hebrew Bible. This means that the Septuagint may not have been translated from exactly the same version which became the authoritative Hebrew version of the Scriptures passed down by the Scribes.So, there are sometimes fairly large discrepancies between the Greek version of the Old Testament and the Hebrew version of the Old Testament. Some worry about these discrepancies, but they can give us insight into how the ancients were interpreting texts. We can get insight into how they understood a text based on the choices they made in translation.Isaiah 42 has a discrepancy. The Septuagint opens like this: “Jacob is my servant; I will uphold him. Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him. I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth judgment to the nations.”Clearly, someone at some point, very early in the interpretation of Isaiah, wished to identify the servant of Isaiah 42, as Israel - just like in the surrounding chapters. An argument can be made that the basic understanding before Christ was that this text was talking about Israel.Enter the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew quotes from the Old Testament more than any of the other gospels. There are quotes all over the place - and no single book is quoted more than the book of Isaiah. The longest quote in Matthew is found at Matthew 12:15-21, just as Matthew is reaching the mid-way point of his story.What does he quote? The first four verses of the first Servant Song: Isaiah 42:1-4.Matthew usually quotes from the Septuagint. But this time he doesn’t seem to. Matthew goes back to the original text, removing any hint of this being about Israel. Why? Because Matthew applies the text to Jesus.Did Matthew not know that the basic interpretation of this Servant Song was that it was talking about Israel? He knew, but Matthew was doing something magnificent. Matthew was saying that Israel being the chosen servant, establishing justice for all peoples, and doing it faithfully without trampling on the already downtrodden - Matthew was saying that all of that - is fulfilled in Jesus. The servant is Israel personified, yes - and that is Jesus. Jesus fulfils God’s hope for his chosen people.Frederick Dale Bruner has an excellent commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Im going to share some of what Bruner writes about Matthew’s use of Isaiah 42:1-4.But first, you need the context of the quote in Matthew 12. It is can be easily supplied by looking at Matthew 12:14-17. Just before this, Jesus had done a healing on the Sabbath day. Then we get this: “The Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:”Bruner explains that there are two purposes in Matthew supplying the quote from Isaiah.1) To give an explanation for why Jesus withdrew and why he gave a command to keep silent about his identity.2) To give what Bruner calls a “mid-Gospel review of Jesus’ whole mission.” Bruner points out that withdrawal is “an unusual description of a Messiah.” “Messiahs do not ordinarily retreat, but advance. Messiahs do not seek to be hidden, but to be known.”Christian interpreters have made a big deal about the way in which Jesus went about his mission. This is commented on widely. It isn’t just that he is Savior and Lord, Messiah and King, it is vastly important how he exercises these roles.  Matthew Henry commented “He could have secured himse

The audio and the full text of the sermon are below. There are also questions for reflection at the bottom. Feel free to discuss on our sermon discussion group on Facebook.This is part one in a five part series on The Servant Songs. Acts 8:26-39 (NRSV)26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south[g] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,    and like a lamb silent before its shearer,        so he does not open his mouth.33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.    Who can describe his generation?        For his life is taken away from the earth.”34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.Phillip is told by an angel to go to a particular road. Phillip goes. On that road there was a chariot, parked for the time being I suppose, and in the chariot was an Ethiopian official who was in charge of the royal treasury. This official, who remains nameless, had come to Jerusalem to worship God and was returning home. The Holy Spirit tells Phillip to go over to the chariot. Phillip goes, and hears the Ethiopian official reading out loud from Isaiah. Phillip asks, “do you understand what you’re reading?” The official answers back, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And then the official invites Phillip to join him. After reading a section, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8, the Ethiopian official asks Phillip whether the prophet is referring to himself or to someone else. The passage the Ethiopian official read is from one of the four servant songs, which are found in Isaiah 42:1-9, Isaiah 49:1-13, Isaiah 50:4-9, and Isaiah 52:13-53:12.These four passages didn’t come to be known as the Servant Songs until Berhard Duhm identified them that way in 1922. Interestingly, they aren’t actual songs - they are simply part of the poetry of Isaiah. Duhm didn’t call them songs either. It is likely that the German word dichtung was simply mistranslated as song, rather than poem. “Servant Songs” does have a nicer ring to it, though. Duhm had some very specific theories about his Servant Poems, but ever since 1922, the great debate around these songs has echoed the Ethiopian Official’s question to Phillip, that was asked close to two millennia ago - about whom is the prophet speaking? Or, more directly - who is the servant of the Servant Songs?In 1948, Christopher North, in his book The Suffering Servant in Deutero-Isaiah summarized about 50 years of debate, some of which predated Duhm’s theories, about the servant’s identity. North found scholars in the first half of the twentieth century to be all over the map on this question. Here is a list of who scholars claimed the servant could be (don’t worry if you don’t recognize all these names):- Eleazar- Zerubbabel- Jehoiachin- Moses- Ezekiel- Hezekiah- Jeremiah- Uzziah- Cyrus- Isaiah himself- An unknown teacher of the law- An anonymous messianic figure already born in the prophet’s time- A personification of the collective Israel- A personification of an ideal Israel- A pious remnant of Israel- A future messianic figure- A mythological/symbolic figureSo, who is it? The Christian might want to immediate jump to identify the servant as a future messianic figure (i.e. Jesus), but remember that each of the early twentieth century scholars North cited were Christians themselves trying to solve a puzzle presented by a very ancient text.We may also be quick to claim that Phillip gives the answer. Phillip answers the servant identity question with “Jesus” so shouldn’t we. On closer examination of the exchange between Phillip and the Ethiopian Official, we find that Phillip didn’t simply jump to Jesus. Rather, we are told that “Phillip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.”We do not know whether Phillip drew a direct correlation between the servant and Jesus. What we do know is that Phillip pointed someone who did not know the good news toward Jesus by using this text. Had the Ethiopian Official been reading a different biblical text, surely Phillip would have still pointed him to the good news about Jesus by using whichever text was at hand. This tells us less about the servant songs and more about the truth that we cling to that Scripture in its entirety points to Jesus Christ.Whatever Phillip said to the Ethiopian Official, the Holy Spirit was at work in the man’s heart. Phillip told him the good news about Jesus and, as they drove along in the chariot, they saw some water by the side of the road. The Official stops the chariot and says “What is to prevent me from being baptized?”This is really quite remarkable. The official makes a connection between the good news that Phillip shares and his participation in the good news, and he makes that connection in an instant. The Ethiopian Official is basically saying “if what you are saying is true, then I should be baptized just like anyone else.” This makes a powerful statement about the good news. The good news as Phillip told it must have been focussed on the fact that anyone could be part of God’s covenant people through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus had made it possible for more that the Jewish people to be in this covenant and it was a done deal. It was news, news about an event, something that God had already accomplished through Jesus. Phillip was not asking the Ethiopian Official to make a choice, or to accept Jesus into his heart. He was simply telling him that God’s grace was available to him without the requirements of adhering to law or custom. God’s grace was for him because of Jesus. Period. The Official’s request, no, demand for baptism, came from his joy and enthusiasm to participate in the life that God was now offering him in Christ. “If this is really true, then I am claiming it. Try and stop me from being baptized. There’s some water - I’m in!”We could spend an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out who the servant is in the servant songs. We could try and answer the Ethiopian Official’s question. We could try and piece together exactly what Phillip said and whether he began by telling the Official that the prophet was in fact speaking of Jesus.We could also ask a different “who” question. Who are you in this story?Phillip and the Ethiopian are both strong characters in what is a wonderful narrative told by a master storyteller. Which one are you?Before you answer, let’s examine the character of each very briefly.The Ethiopian Official believes in God, he worships the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He reads from the Bible and tries to understand it. At the beginning of our story he does not yet know about Jesus, or at least, he does not know the implications of the good news. He is a seeker. He is interested in God. When he hears the good news, he is ready to receive it and it had a changing effect on him. Phillip acts as a mentor for the Ethiopian Official. He helps a seeker find. He explains scripture through the lens of Jesus and the gospel. Phillip proclaims the good news in a conversation. In so doing, Phillip re-affirms his own belief, his own convictions about God, and especially about Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is to be found at the very centre of Phillip’s convictions about God.When the Ethiopian Official is baptized there is also an effect on Phillip. He would have remembered his own baptism and had it renewed.Are you a seeker needing to find? Or are you a mentor who also needs renewal? While this story is very unique in the New Testament, it’s overall theme is not. One mentors another in the gospel. This is essentially what Jesus asked his disciples to do when he commissioned them to go into all the world and make disciples of all manner of people. The church in the west went through a time where we shyed away from this, or perhaps felt that it was no longer needed. Institutions took care of this, culture took care of this. But mentoring others in faith is very much needed today. Every Christian at one time or another can see themselves in this story. Every believer will, at one time or another, feel very much like the Ethiopian Official - not quite understanding, but seeking, and hoping that the seeking is not hopeless. The hope is that every seeker and mentor will gain or regain an enthusiasm for faith - “you can’t stop me from being baptized!” The hope is also that every Christian will have opportunities to be Phillip, and share the gospel with someone who has not yet heard it. The opportunities for this are more and more frequent in our world.The Church needs to find ways of walking alongside seekers the way Phillip walked alongside. It’s not as though the Church never did this before - we

Jonah 3 & 4

Jonah 1:17 - 2:10

Zephaniah 3: 14-20; Luke 3:7-18

Malachi 3: 1-4; Luke 3: 1-6

Matthew 25: 31-46

 Peter 2:9-10

2 Corinthians 5:16-20