Becoming God’s Servant People

Isaiah 42: 1-9
Roger C. Lynn
October 25, 2015
(there is no audio for this sermon)

Very early in the history of the movement which would eventually become Christianity, people saw in the writings of the prophet Isaiah a description of Jesus. Reading Matthew’s Gospel, for example, you can almost imagine the author sitting at his writing table with pen and parchment in front of him and a copy of Isaiah open beside him. And it is easy to see why this would have happened. There are so many powerful passages in Isaiah which seem to describe the essence of what people experienced in Jesus. Why wouldn’t you use such words? I know that in my own preaching down through the years, if I find a piece of writing that says what I am trying to say, and says it more eloquently than I could manage on my own, I do not hesitate to make use of those words (giving credit where credit is due, of course).

The problem comes, however, when we begin to understand passages such as those found in Isaiah exclusively in terms of descriptions of Jesus. When we see them only as a description of someone else, then we have allowed much of their power to be drained away. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus never wanted the attention to remain focused on himself. He consistently pointed beyond himself to God, and to the relationship with God to which all of us are called. To “follow” Jesus means to walk the path which Jesus walked – to live into the faith which Jesus sought to live. It is no accident that from the earliest days one of the primary ways in which the Church is described is “The Body of Christ.” This is precisely what Isaiah had in mind. “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.” (Isaiah 42:1) In spite of the singular language of the passage, the servant envisioned in Isaiah is not a single individual – it is every individual. It is the people of God. It is all of us.

The Journey Continues

Isaiah 42: 1-9
Roger C. Lynn
October 25, 2015
(the audio for this sermon will be posted soon)

Very early in the history of the movement which would eventually become Christianity, people saw in the writings of the prophet Isaiah a description of Jesus. Reading Matthew’s Gospel, for example, you can almost imagine the author sitting at his writing table with pen and parchment in front of him and a copy of Isaiah open beside him. And it is easy to see why this would have happened. There are so many powerful passages in Isaiah which seem to describe the essence of what people experienced in Jesus. Why wouldn’t you use such words? I know that in my own preaching down through the years, if I find a piece of writing that says what I am trying to say, and says it more eloquently than I could manage on my own, I do not hesitate to make use of those words (giving credit where credit is due, of course).

The problem comes, however, when we begin to understand passages such as those found in Isaiah exclusively in terms of descriptions of Jesus. When we see them only as a description of someone else, then we have allowed much of their power to be drained away. The Gospels make it clear that Jesus never wanted the attention to remain focused on himself. He consistently pointed beyond himself to God, and to the relationship with God to which all of us are called. To “follow” Jesus means to walk the path which Jesus walked – to live into the faith which Jesus sought to live. It is no accident that from the earliest days one of the primary ways in which the Church is described is “The Body of Christ.” This is precisely what Isaiah had in mind. “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.” (Isaiah 42:1) In spite of the singular language of the passage, the servant envisioned in Isaiah is not a single individual – it is every individual. It is the people of God. It is all of us.