The Scorned Servant
Isaiah 53:1-3
July 14, 2024
This morning we began our look
At this famous “Suffering Servant” passage of Isaiah.
AGAIN I REMIND YOU THAT
The significance of this chapter really cannot be overstated regarding our understanding of what occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus.
We see in the gospels that the scene was utterly confusing
Even to the disciples who had been repeatedly told by Jesus Himself
That He would suffer, die, and be raised.
After His crucifixion there is nothing but grief from those who followed Him.
• We see such scenes as Mary weeping outside the tomb, asking the supposed
gardener what they did with the body of Jesus.
• We see Peter and John running to the tomb, wondering what they did with
His body.
• We have those men on the road to Emmaus actually speaking with Jesus in
total disarray even staying that we thought He was the One who would
redeem Israel.
• And even when Jesus appeared to the disciples we read that “some were
doubtful.”
What that means is that they did not understand
What they saw during the crucifixion.
But when the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit, and opened their minds to understand the Scriptures everything came to light.
And no chapter in the Old Testament would have been more enlightening or beneficial to explain what really occurred there than Isaiah 53.
• This is where we learn that the suffering of Christ was for our sin, not His.
• This is where we learn that in His suffering He satisfied the wrath of God.
• This is where we learn that propitiation was made.
• This is where we learn that justification was awarded.
All of those verses you read in the New Testament
About the atoning work of Jesus on the cross
Originate with the apostles understanding of Isaiah 53.
IT IS THAT IMPORTANT.
We actually started looking at this passage THIS MORNING
As we looked at Isaiah 52:13-15 (which really belongs with it).
There we saw what we called, “The Successful Servant”
God announced that His servant would be
“high, and lifted up, and greatly exalted.”
The shocking part of that statement was when we found out who the Servant was.
• Because while looking at Jesus on the cross,
• A man whose “appearance was marred more than any man”
• It was hard for us to figure how this could be the exalted King of God.
Surely not this one.
But once we found out that through His death
He was atoning for many even among the Gentiles
We realized that His suffering did not negate His exaltation.
No, instead, His success was because of His suffering.
The salvation of the nations and the exaltation of the Servant of God
Would come through His suffering.
Though He suffered like no human ever,
He was totally successful in His mission.
And that is why we called Him the “Successful Servant”.
WELL TONIGHT
We continue in this great chapter and we begin to examine His rejection.
You know that the rejection of the Christ
Has been really the primary focus of Isaiah since chapter 50.
• Even though He came…
• Even though He was clearly God’s Messiah…
• He was totally rejected by Israel.
THIS EVENING WE BEGIN TO SEE WHY.
So having looked at the Successful Servant.
TONIGHT let’s look at “The Scorned Servant”
#1 THE QUESTION
Isaiah 53:1
There are actually two questions here.
1) “Who has believed our message?”
2) “And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
And if you’ll think about it,
This has really been the driving question of Isaiah’s ministry.
We remember well the day God saved him and called him to serve as a prophet to Israel.
• We remember that temple scene where Isaiah’s hypocrisy was exposed and atoned for.
• We remember God calling him.
• We remember that famous “Here am I, send me!” response.
But we also remember the specific commission.
Isaiah 6:9-10 “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”
Isaiah’s ministry would primarily be one of revealed condemnation.
By continually shining the light of the gospel,
Isaiah’s real success would be in exposing blindness.
• It would be a hard ministry.
• It would be what we would call an “out of season” ministry.
The more he would preach the less the people would understand.
But what we found out by the time we came to the New Testament
Is that Isaiah’s ministry would be prophetic of Jesus’ ministry.
For Jesus would do the exact same thing.
In fact, no Old Testament passage is more specifically quoted in the New Testament than Isaiah 6:9.
Not only did Isaiah give us prophetic truths about the Christ,
But Isaiah’s ministry in general was a prophetic look
At the same stubborn rejection that Christ would face.
Isaiah shined the light, Christ was the light
And both revealed the blindness of the people.
So it is a fitting question here in Isaiah 53
When evaluating the response to God’s Servant.
“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
The answer to that question might shock you.
John quoted that verse:
John 12:37-38 “But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?”
Paul even used this verse when speaking of the stubbornness of Israel.
Romans 10:16 “However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
But here we even get a little insight into their failure to believe.
For the second question says, “And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?”
And here we learn that in part the failure to believe the truth
Stems from a refusal of God to reveal the truth to them.
Now that certainly seems strange to us.
WE UNDERSTAND HUMAN LIMITATION
• We know that no one can know the truth unless God reveals it to them.
• No human has within himself the natural ability to discern the truth of God.
1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”
• Man can’t see it…
• Man can’t comprehend it unless God reveals it.
So why wouldn’t God just reveal this truth?
Why wouldn’t God, in His tremendous grace, just show everyone?
It is helpful here to understand the way the revelation of God works.
We have what we call GENERAL REVELATION,
Which is the truth of God revealed generally through creation.
It is what we learn of God through our own deductive reasoning
As we examine all that is created.
• David did this in Psalm 8 when he looked at the heavens and then asked,
“What is man that you are mindful of him..?”
• It is what Paul spoke of in Romans 1 where God’s “invisible attributes, His
eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly scene.”
And the expectation of God is that based on that revelation
That man should seek more.
Paul told the Athenians that the purpose of God’s revelation is:
Acts 17:27 “that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;”
And Jesus taught us:
Matthew 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
And that is the plan.
God generally reveals Himself, man is supposed to
Receive that revelation and seek the God behind it.
• If they do, then God reveals Himself further.
• If they do not, then God takes even that revelation away from them.
And that reality is stated by Jesus after giving the parable of the soils.
Matthew 13:11-12 “Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
CLEARLY THERE,
• There were people who did not learn from general revelation
• Who did not seek based on the truth before them
• Therefore God, in His sovereign prerogative chose not to give them any more truth.
They were like the people of Isaiah’s day,
They rejected the light, and so no more light would be given.
But General revelation is more than just creation.
Jesus’ miracles were also a form of general revelation in His day
Since they were done for all men to see.
But even that revelation was rejected by the people of Jesus’ day.
And they are the people we are going to discuss here in Isaiah 53:1-3.
BUT BEFORE WE GET TO THEM,
I do want to make sure you rightly understand the flip side too.
For, if you are sitting here and allowing pride to creep up in your heart and are saying,
“That’s right, the reason I was granted knowledge of the truth is because, unlike them, I sought God. Therefore God honored my seeking by showing me the truth.”
There is a problem with that.
Romans 3:11 “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;”
The reality is, even you who do know the truth,
DID NOT come to a knowledge of the truth
Because you sought while others didn’t.
No, you came to a knowledge of the truth
Because God in His grace chose to reveal Himself to you
In spite of your lack of seeking.
And again, before anyone cries, “That’s not fair!”
Let me remind you that “fair” would have been for no one to be told.
• All men were shown God by God through creation.
• No man responded properly to that revelation.
• All men, according to justice, could have and probably should have bene judged.
• But God chose to have grace to some and reveal Himself anyway.
Think about Matthew 16
Matthew 16:13-17 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”
• Jesus didn’t praise Peter for seeking while others rejected.
• Jesus told Peter that he was a recipient of the blessing of God,
• Because God graciously chose to reveal to him what he did not deserve to see.
So I just want to make sure you understand how all this works.
But here in Isaiah 53 we are talking about those
Who received a general revelation of God
And even saw the miraculous signs of Christ.
And Isaiah is asking, “Who has believed..?”
And the answer is: NO ONE
THAT’S TRUE.
No one, of their own prerogative believed that unless God chose to open their eyes.
No human, of his own constitution, looks at the life of Christ, even His miracles, and just believes.
And the question of these 3 verses is “WHY?”
• Why don’t men believe in Jesus?
• Why don’t men see His works and know He is the Messiah?
• Why don’t men understand who He is?
Maybe you’ve had that question.
Well, Isaiah is about to answer it.
The Question
#2 THE PROBLEM
Isaiah 53:2
“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
Very poetic language here,
But it becomes so clear to us what the problem is.
“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot”
Here we are talking about how Christ grew up before God.
We are talking about the lift that Christ lived before God.
And it is described as “a tender shoot”
It is a Hebrew word used only here
• It speaks of a delicate plant, even one that is totally dependent still on the host plant.
What this means of Jesus is that
• He was One who did not seek to demonstrate the twisted expressions of
human strength,
• instead He walked in total submission to His Father and in dependence on Him.
We think of words like, “meek” or “gentle” or “humble”
Or “kind” or “compassionate” when we think of Jesus.
He was the very epitome of One who would
“turn the other cheek” or “go the extra mile”.
1 Peter 2:23 “and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;”
None of those attributes look like strength to a fallen world of humanity,
But in reality they are the greatest strength.
THIS IS HOW JESUS LIVED.
This is why so many failed to recognize Him as God’s anointed king.
Even our own political climate will teach you this.
You can’t watch a political debate or even news program
• Without someone yelling or name-calling
• Or bullying or losing their tempter in some childish rant.
Fallen men think tough-talking and bullying is strength.
There is an entire faction in our nation that loves it when a politician or pundit brags or name-calls or talks about kicking someone else’s tail, etc.
In some backward way our world thinks that is strength
And even looks for that in a leader.
This is why they overlooked Jesus.
He was not a bully.
Isaiah 42:1-4 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. “A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
• Jesus was not going to go on a debate floor and mock or threaten someone.
• He wasn’t going to yell or use His divine power to knock you to the ground.
And let’s be honest, men wanted that.
We also read:
“And like a root out of parched ground;”
This speaks of His pedigree.
Today we like people who come from the right family.
• We saw the Bush family make a run through politics.
• The Kennedys have been a political family.
In professional sports we wait for the son or daughter of a famous athlete to come of age to see if he has his father’s or mother’s genes.
• People today have their eyes set on the backup quarterback of Texas
• Because his last name is Manning
• And they wonder if he’ll be like his grandpa or his uncles.
• He’s played in 2 games and already has 3.2 million dollars worth of NIL money.
YOU GET THE IDEA.
But Jesus had no remarkable pedigree by the world’s estimation.
• Yes, Matthew reveals that Joseph was of the kingly line,
• But that line had not been recognized in quite some time.
Instead men saw the pedigree of Jesus as quite ordinary.
Matthew 13:54-58 “He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”
He just wasn’t Messiah material.
He didn’t come from the right blood-line.
So we have a meek and mild man from an ordinary family.
He is not the first pick of the people.
“He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.”
• We learned this morning that “form” is a reference to His body.
• We learned that “appearance” is a reference to His face.
When you look Him over, He just didn’t look kingly.
• Where is the Saul who stands a head above all the people?
• Where is the David who has slain his 10,000s?
For people who were looking for a leader to overthrow Rome,
Jesus just didn’t have that “IT” factor.
He had no “majesty” about Him.
Now some have balked here at Isaiah’s words a little.
The Jews say this passage can’t be about Jesus since Jesus did attract large crowds at time.
• We read about Him feeding the 5,000 or the 4,000.
• We even read in John 6 about how they were going to take Him by force and make Him king.
• Or what about His triumphal entry where they were laying their coats in the road and crying “Hosannah!” as He rode by?
They argue that He did obviously have majesty
And that people were ready to make Him king.
Obviously Isaiah is not referring to momentary infatuation.
Isaiah is referring to a lasting devotion.
It is true that hungry crowds were very enamored with Him when He fed them,
• But that same crowd in John 6 departed when Jesus claimed to come from heaven.
It is true that many in the temple in John 7 wondered if He was the Messiah and claimed to believe in Him.
• But that same crowd in John 8 tried to stone Him when Jesus offered them freedom from sin.
And yes, a large multitude of people did welcome Him at the triumphal entry,
• But they also turned and yelled for Him to be crucified 4 days later.
For brief moments Jesus did look like the Guy they wanted,
But when they learned why He came they were totally unenthused.
Jesus did not come in majesty, He came in humiliation
AND NO ONE WANTED A KING LIKE THAT.
In fact, the overwhelming testimony of the gospels
• Is that not only did they reject Him as King,
• But they openly mocked Him as a pathetic one.
Matthew 26:67-68 “Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?”
Matthew 27:29-31 “And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.”
Matthew 27:35-37 “And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Matthew 27:39-44 “And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”
You can see the disdain that was aimed at Him.
While there were moments were selfish crowds were hopeful
That He might grant their carnal desires…
The reality is that the more He showed them who He was,
The less they wanted Him.
ULTIMATELY
• They tried to throw Him off a cliff…
• They tried to stone Him…
• They tried to arrest Him…
• They tried to kill Him…
• They tried to discredit Him…
• They tried to trap Him…
• And they ended up crucifying Him.
He just didn’t fit the bill of what they were looking for in a king.
And when we take that back to verse 1,
THIS IS WHY they did not believe.
In fact, apart from the gracious revelation of God, no one believed.
So He came, but they did not believe He was who He said He was.
#3 THE RESPONSE
Isaiah 53:3
• They should have crowned Him King.
• They should have bowed to Him in reverence and awe.
• They should have taken up their cross and followed Him.
But what did they do?
“He was despised and forsaken of men,”
I want you to take special note of that word “despised”
Because it seems to be Isaiah’s main point.
In fact Isaiah will circle back to it at the end of the verse as if to emphasize it again.
“He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
That word “despised” in the Hebrew is BAW-ZAW.
It does men “to despise” or “hold with contempt”.
It comes from root words that mean “to trample under foot”
בָּזָה i.q. בּוּז to despise, to contemn, pr. to trample with the feet, see בּוּז, בּוּס.
https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/959.html
That word BAW-ZAW is the same word used to speak about Esau rejecting his birthright in favor of a bowl of soup.
Genesis 25:34 “Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
• He didn’t want it.
• He didn’t think he needed it.
• He despised it.
• He figuratively trampled it under foot.
And that is the FIRST THING we see
Regarding the people’s estimation of Christ.
HE WAS TRAMPLED
“He was despised and forsaken of men,”
• He was not valued, He was turned away.
• He was not wanted, He was given up.
• He was considered as having no value.
Judas sold him for 30 pieces of silver,
• Which according to the Old Testament was the redemption price one must pay if his bull gores another man’s slave.
The people traded him even for a murderer named Barabbas.
They just didn’t value what He had to offer.
We also find out that:
HE WAS TROUBLED
“A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;”
The Hebrew word for “sorrows”
• Can be translated as “literal physical pain” or “overwhelming sorrow”.
Surely our Lord endured both.
• One only has to see Him in the garden sweating drops of blood or weeping over Jerusalem.
• You only have to see Him on trial being beaten, flogged, crucified, and then bearing the wrath of God.
Not only was this man totally despised by the people
But He was also terribly afflicted by them.
Mankind did their worst to Christ.
• A corrupt trial
• A humiliating death
• A painful death
They hung Him naked between two criminals
And mocked Him while He hung there.
Not only was He Trampled and Troubled
He was: TURNED AWAY
“and like one from whom men hide their face”
They simply turned away from Him.
• No acknowledging Him.
• No helping Him.
• His disciples fled from Him in the garden.
• Those who had seen His miracles attributed them to Satan.
• Those who heard Him preach distorted His words.
• No one came to His defense.
• No one came to His aid.
• Everyone turned their back on Him.
And Isaiah adds the exclamation mark by repeating it again.
“He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Once again, He was trampled under foot.
But Isaiah also adds that “we did not esteem Him.”
You’ve seen that word “esteem” before.
It is the Hebrew word HKHA-SHAV
Genesis 15:6 “Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
• You know that word as “reckoned”.
• Same word here translated “esteem”.
Later we’ll read:
Isaiah 53:4b “Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
We did not reckon glory to Him.
We did not reckon honor to Him.
We did not reckon kingship to Him.
Instead we imputed judgment to Him.
When mankind measured Jesus;
They did not honor Him as God, they did not marvel at His power.
They judged Him to be of no worth or value
And they tossed Him aside as a man worthy of judgment.
Matthew 26:64-66 “Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!”
That is what man reckoned to Christ.
He was trampled, troubled, turned away, and: TOSSED ASIDE
He was sent outside the city where He would be executed like a criminal.
• He was rejected, not honored.
• He was not reckoned to be the Messiah,
• He was considered a fraud and they crucified Him.
Matthew 27:17-23 “So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. But the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”
He was “THE SCORNED SERVANT”
All because He did not look like the Savior they wanted.
• They wanted a King to feed them.
• They wanted a warrior to fight for them.
• They wanted a mighty man to lead them to prominence.
But He came to save them from sin not Rome.
He demonstrated Godliness in everything He did
He offered sinners reconciliation with God,
BUT THE PEOPLE WANTED NEITHER.
John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
As Isaiah has repeatedly shown us, they wanted the wrong salvation.
And that really poses an interesting reality to us.
I heard a preacher once say:
“How is it that the world couldn’t get on with the holiest Man who ever lived, but they can get on with you and me? Are we compromised? Is there no righteousness that reflects upon their corruption?”
That is convicting to us as believers.
But beyond that I think THE REAL QUESTION OF THE TEXT
Is the same that Jesus asked His disciples.
Matthew 16:13-15 “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
We know that His contemporaries did not esteem Him.
• We know they didn’t want the salvation He offered.
• They wanted to keep their sin, they just wanted freedom from Rome.
And since Jesus didn’t come to do that, they rejected Him.
He wasn’t the type of King they wanted.
So they despised Him.
They figuratively trampled Him under foot
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
The writer of Hebrews no doubt picked up on Isaiah’s statement:
Hebrews 10:29 “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Have you esteemed Him?
• Do you honor Him?
• Do you see Him as the Savior you need?
• Have you confessed Him?
• Are you following Him?
He is “THE SCORNED SERVANT”
But don’t let Him be scorned in your life.
Instead you submit to Him and trust Him.
For though He was rejected by the world,
He has been exalted by the Father
And He will succeed in His mission.
Go against the grain of the world and follow Him.
