A devotional on Isaiah 52.13-53.12 for Holy Week:
The suffering servant poems of Isaiah (42.1-9, 49.1-7, 50.4-9) and our passage today fly in the face of what makes sense in our world. Much like Paul talks about the foolishness of God being wiser than human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1.18-25), and Isaiah says a few chapters later, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55.8-9).
Here in our passage we have the innocent servant of God, suffering on behalf of the people of God. The innocent lamb led to the slaughter on our behalf. Yet, the innocent suffers in silence, bearing the weight of our sin and guilt to bring us back into right relationship with God—“my righteous servant will justify many.” (53.11).
It makes no sense. It’s not fair. Yet, as we head towards Easter, towards the death and resurrection of Jesus, Isaiah gives us shelf space for what is about to take place. We almost see it play out word for word in the gospels as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John take us through Jesus’ final week. Jesus is betrayed by one of his disciples, paraded through “trials” before the religious leaders and Pilate, before being sentenced to death.
May you be encouraged this year as we go through Holy Week of the ways that God showed his love for you, offering mercy and forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It may not make sense to us, just like this pandemic and when other bad things happen to people of faith and trust. If nothing else, Holy Week allows us to ask these questions year in and year out as we wrestle with the foolishness of God, whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways. The ways of God are often a mystery but let us hold onto hope in a God who is at work in our world bringing life out of death.
Here are lyrics from the “Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted” as our prayer: (If you’d like you can listen to Fernando Ortega’s version of it here)
Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
‘Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He, ’tis He!
‘Tis the long-expected prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
By His Son, God now has spoken
Tis the true and faithful Word.
Tell me, ye who hear him groaning,
Was there ever grief like his?
Friends thro’ fear his cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress;
Many hands were raised to wound him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.
Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load;
‘Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.
Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ’s the Rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on him their hope have built.
Grace and Peace to you, Amen.