Here 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. 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 grow faint or be crushed until he has established
justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Isaiah 42:1-4
There are difficult aspects of being a Christian I find to
be very difficult. I understand for the most part we equate Christianity with
morality meaning we vote against this or that, we abstain from this or that,
etc. The morality clause of Christianity is not really in how we treat each other
but what we put in our bodies or what we do with our own flesh. I do not find
those parts of the faith a struggle. In fact I’m not entirely sure that’s even
close to what it means to be a Christian. It is the descriptive of God’s
servant in Isaiah I find the most difficult; perhaps because it is a more
accurate depiction of a Christ follower.
Jesus came, he tells us, not to be served but to serve. God’s
chosen one comes as a servant not as the master, and it is that part of
Christianity I find the most difficult. I find the grace and forgiveness aspect
of Jesus fascinating, inviting, and loving. I can be completely sold out to
such a thing. Require me to get on my knees and wash another’s feet? That is a
struggle.
Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring the four
Servant Songs in Isaiah. In this morning’s text is the beginning of the four
songs, and it is here we find the Lord of hosts calling for a servant to carry
forth God’s mission to the nations. The servant is called by God to bring God’s
justice to all nations, on earth as it is in heaven. The identity of the
servant is unknown. While we may, being followers of Christ, attach the songs
to Jesus (we do see how Jesus serves as an example of the servant), the servant
is not named. Isaiah does not intend to answer the question, “Who is the
servant?” Meaning, the answer to the question can be freely answered this
morning as deacon, if we feel the need to identify the servant. As our
chairperson said in a recent meeting, “As deacons, we do not run the church,
instead we are servants of the church.”
Isaiah tells us God has a servant and this servant has been
bestowed with the Lord’s spirit. This first song emphasizes the spirit of the
Lord as a gift. This gift of the spirit works itself out as a mandate to bring God’s
justice and to foster God’s teaching among the nations. In other words, the
spirit of God brings about God’s justice and when bestowed upon the servant,
the servant’s task becomes to help bring the kingdom of heaven to earth; on
earth as it is in heaven. The servant is to bring justice to all nations, to
those who are bruised, who are weak and tired. This servant is a human agent of
God. The servant is acting on God’s behalf and is still filled with God’s
spirit; therefore, one might say, the servant is a representative of God. On
earth as it is in heaven.
In the latter verses we are told the character of this human
agent of God, this chosen servant. The servant is not to follow custom and cry
aloud in public. “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be
seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew
6:1). The servant is humble and does not bring about selfish attention, “Those
who exalt themselves shall be humbled, and those who humble themselves shall be
exalted” Matthew 23:12). The servant shines a light onto those suffering; the
servant brings attention to the need of God’s justice. The servant shows mercy
to the bruised and empathy with the faint. The servant moves about with gentle
poise and humility, unhurried in the pursuit of justice. As stated before, the
objective of the servant’s mission is to bring God’s justice to the world, on
earth as it is in heaven.
The word justice isn’t being used as we normally think of
it. In the Book of Isaiah, justice means something rather big and not our
normal understanding. So what does God’s justice mean? It means not trampling
on the poor for a pair of sandals, knowing theirs is the kingdom of heaven. It
means being a peacemaker, for they are the children of God. It means feeding
the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, giving the
thirsty something to drink. God’s justice means giving care and aid to the
widow, the orphaned, the lost, the lonely, the exiled, the stranger, the
immigrant, the leaper, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the mute, and loving your
enemies and praying for those who persecute you. God’s justice means to go and
do likewise, go and do like Christ, on earth as it is heaven.
The servant in Isaiah brings hope as well. The nation of
Israel has endured an exile and those who have survived are desperately seeking
hope. They need this servant, not for salvation alone, but to show them how to
live out justice. Through the servant, God’s justice prevails in such a way
that the servant’s actions contradict the harsh law of the world, which says
the broken and battered inevitably perish. It is the lifestyle and the
teachings of the servant that will bring about this change. Indeed, we too need
this servant. On earth as it is heaven.
Isaiah tells us the servant will be able to endure
everything the world will do to him. Verse 4 states, “He will not grow faint or
be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands
wait for his teaching.” The servant’s mission will not end until God’s justice
is brought forth to all nations. The coastlands might serve as a reference to
alien nations. Thus making servant’s mission to all people, not a select few.
It is here that God’s justice to the nations will be seen through the servant’s
teachings (v4). The servant does not just teach, he is not just God’s messenger,
the servant engages in the teaching as well. This servant acts as God’s agent
to lead the way for God’s kingdom on earth. The servant does not simply teach
about God’s justice, God’s servant models justice in his or her own behavior
and personality. On earth as it is heaven.
I can understand the resistance or hesitation to accept the
nomination to be a deacon in the church. On one hand it is an honor to be held
in such respect by your fellow members; yet on the other hand it comes with
lofty expectations, and at times unhealthy expectations. I can understand and
empathize because let’s be honest, it is difficult to be a deacon, a set apart
servant of the church. On earth as it is heaven.
Deacons work full-time jobs, even if some are retired, take
care of their families, try maintain their homes, their selves, all while
trying to live into expectations such as making difficult decisions regarding
church business, help with hospital visits, keeping up with those in need,
being the first one at a church function and the last to leave, and the whole
other host of duties that come with being a deacon. Duties one doesn’t know
about until they arise such as crawling through a doggy door or when the
basement floods. On top of all those duties, they encounter from time to time,
expectations from others that are unhealthy. Such as expecting a deacon to be
at your house on a Saturday to visit you when they’ve worked 50 plus hours a
week and have not had any quality time with their family or any quality quiet
time. I can understand and empathize with the difficulties of being a chosen,
set apart leader in the church.
Yet, the church needs people who are courageous enough to
accept those responsibilities of servant-hood. The church needs members who are
willing to wade through the unhealthy expectations of others and serve. We need
members who are not asking, “What can the church provide for me?” instead they
are asking, “What can I do for my neighbor?” We need members who are willing to
wash the feet of others. We need servant leaders. On earth as it is in heaven.
My charge this morning to each of us is this: Are we willing
be God’s servants? Are we willing to go out and get our hands dirty, doing the
work of Christ? Are we willing to be the kind of servant Isaiah describes? Are
we willing to trust that God has been at work in this place, this community,
long before we ever took our first breath? Are we willing to trust that God
will continue to be at work long after we take our last? Are we willing to join
with the clouds of witnesses and continue the work of God as servants? For if
we are, we will find a community in need of such servants. On earth as it is in
heaven.
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