Isaiah 52:13-53:12     OT p. 648 or 904

[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.

[53:1]

[1] 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.

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

Do any of you remember an early children's television show called "Romper Room"? Romper Room was hosted by Miss Joan or Kathy or some other young woman. And from what I remember, it was very much like watching a Kindergarten class. Miss Joan taught all the basics about manners, alphabet and numbers.

One of her friends was a special Bumblebee. He was called "Do Bee." Miss Joan taught all the boys and girls how to be a "Do Bee" and how not to be a "Don't Bee."

And toward the end of the show, Miss Joan would bring out her Romper Room Magic Mirror. This mirror allowed her to look into the camera and see all the boys and girls who were watching.

Miss Joan would hold up the mirror and say, "Romper Bomper Stomper Do, Tell me, Tell me, Tell me true:" and then she would go through a list of birthdays. Plus she would recite a list of the "Good little Do Bee's" and even some of the boys and girls who were being "Don't Bees."

I always wanted one of those magic mirrors. But in a sense we all live with our own magic mirror of sorts. Well, I guess it's not really a magic mirror but it is a filter.

Just as Miss Joan's mirror on Romper Room seemed to filter out those boys and girls who weren't watching and let her see the "Good little Do Bee's" and even the "Don't Bees," we filter the things in our lives.

Now there are a lot of filters that we use.

(Use Square to Cross Trick)

(#2. Glasses) Some of us are so optimistic that we put on those proverbial rose colored glasses and look through all of life with those.

(#1. Stereopticon, reverse to Scissors) Some of us look at life and are very careful what we see. And we cut out anything that isn't to our liking or that doesn't fit our understanding of what life should be like.

(#6. Figure 8 - Sideways) Some of us simply put on the Party Mask and don't filter out much of anything. We just go with the flow and do whatever feels good.

(#3. Door) Some of us don't really know what to think or who to be, so we just hide. We seal the door of our heart and hide behind that door. We hide from the reality of life rather than even trying to filter out the less appealing aspects of life. Occasionally we'll peak out the window to see if anything has changed but basically, we lock ourselves behind a door.

(#7. Television) Some of us filter what goes on in our lives through what we see and hear on the Television. The latest advertisements, the latest TV shows and personalities and the latest news events begin to define who we are, what we stand for and believe and what we will tolerate.

As Christian's though, we're supposed to have only one filter. And that filter, of course, is the Cross. (#8. Cross)

We are called to interpret all of life through Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. Everything we do. Everything we say. Everything we teach. Every relationship we have is interpreted through that one event, the Cross of Christ.

That's why we can't hardly read passages like the one from Isaiah without thinking of Jesus. Jesus, His death on the cross for our sakes and His resurrection define who we are. They define our view of life. The Cross has become the filter through which we see everything.

That's why we look at this passage as one dealing directly with the coming of Christ. That's why this passage is known as the Suffering Servant passage.

Looking through the Cross we see this passage as a prophecy about Christ being REJECTED.

We see it as a passage dealing with how our sin has been CORRECTED.

And through the Cross we're challenged to let the light of Christ be REFLECTED through us.

I. REJECTED:

A. Isaiah 53:3 says:

"He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
as one from whom others hide their faces,
he was despised, and we held him of no account."

We REJECTED Him. Now to me, that is totally mind boggling. That's the one thing that has bumfuzzled me the most about the Gospels. It's the one thing I have found totally incomprehensible. You would think anyone would recognize Christ if they were in His presence, wouldn't you? You would recognize Him, wouldn't you?

How could anyone be in the presence of Christ, Jesus, the Son of God and not know Him? And yet, Mary and the other women didn't recognize Him after the Resurrection. Cleopas and his companion didn't recognize Him on the Road to Emmaus. And there have been times when we didn't recognize Him either when He came into our lives dressed like a friend or a relative offering us the love or comfort or grace we needed at a particularly trying time in our lives.

Okay, I can see how there might be times when we DON'T recognize Him. But how could His detractors justify what they did? How could He even have had any detractors?

Couldn't they feel? Couldn't they see? Couldn't they tell who Jesus truly was? The Prophecies were so explicit about Him. How could they miss it? How could they not know?

B. But then again, maybe their rejection came because they DID know. Have you ever thought about that? Maybe they did know. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that they DID know and willingly plotted to make sure what happened, happened out of some sense of Biblical Drama or Prophetic Fulfillment. That's too much like puppetry and not the free will of human choice.

So, what do I mean? Well, let me ask you this. Have you ever been confronted with a truth about yourself or one of your family members that you didn't want to hear? Of course you have. We all have. And the more you didn't want to hear it, the more you rejected it. Right?

It's called denial. And sometimes denial is so thick, so deep that the truth just can't get through. Sometimes it even becomes viscous and vicious. We respond to a perceived threat with denial. The denial turns to anger. And that anger unimpeded sometimes turns to violence. We can't and we WON'T see the truth, no matter what. That's what happened.

Most of the religious leaders of the day were so filled with a sense of over-expectation that when they witnessed how God's plan would play out, and who it was that God had sent, deep down inside, they couldn't handle it. And as a result, denial took over. The promises of the Prophets were just too magnificent.

A couple of years ago, the mayor of North Platte, Nebraska, Jim Whitaker, made quite a shocking promise. He promised to walk naked through town if the local humane society's fund-raiser brought in $5000.

Well, it did. So Jim Whitaker kept his promise. However, when Whitaker stepped out to do the deed in full view of the public, he wasn't unclothed. Naked, it turned out, was the name of a dog that had been rescued from North Platte's animal shelter. It trotted along next to the mayor on a leash. (1)

Mayor Whitaker honored the letter of his promise, but fortunately not the spirit. He fulfilled his promise, but didn't fulfill the town's expectations. Jesus didn't fulfill the expectations of the religious leaders of His day.

The story reminds me of a quote by Theodore Parker: "Magnificent promises are always to be suspected." (2)

And that's the way most of the religious leaders of the first century treated Jesus, with suspicion.

Not only was he SUSPECTED, but as a result his teachings were INSPECTED. Not being what they EXPECTED, the leaders all OBJECTED. None of them RESPECTED whom God had SELECTED. As a result, Jesus was REJECTED.

II. CORRECTED:

A. However, His being REJECTED, allowed us to be CORRECTED.

On my computer, as my wallpaper, so I can see it every day, is what I consider to be the absolute best B.C. comic I have ever seen. It's the Easter 1999 comic. As you know, I jokingly call the comics the theological section of the paper. Well this one is.

In the opening panel you see the snake reading a sign that reads, "Future events cast backward shadows." And the snake says "Nonsense."

In the second panel, the snake is pinned beneath the shadow of the cross crying out, "Okay. Okay. Sense!!"

Next you see Peter building a cross. The blonde woman named Cutie, asks, "Is this your new Easter model." And Peter answers, "It's part of it, these sticks represent God."

In the next panel Peter and Cutie are walking away from the cross. Peter points out two passages of scripture from the Gospel of Mark scribbled in the sand and says: "You and I will be Adam and Eve, we'll stand on these marks."

The first passage from Mark was, Mark 10:26-27 which reads:

[26] They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?"
[27] Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

and the second was Mark 11:22 which reads: Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God."

Standing on the marks, Peter and Cutie turn toward the cross to play Adam and Eve. Eve says, "Wow. . . We're so far away Him, do you think He hates us, Adam?" Adam replies, "Naw. . . He's a God of Love, Eve."

Eve says, "But we REJECTED Him." Adam replies, "Even so, He will always reach out to save us."

Eve seems startled and asks, "God is into collectibles?" The sun is setting behind the cross and Adam replies, "Watch what happens when the sun gets to the cross."

Eve totally misunderstands and thinks to herself, "The Son?" S-O-N like in a father's son. Then asks, "His Son?"

Adam says, "That's good." Then as the sun sets, the shadow of the cross covers Adam and Eve and Adam says, "I stand corrected." (3)

B. Isaiah 53:5 reads:

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.

And just like Peter says, standing there in the shadow of the cross in that comic, it is through the cross that we are CORRECTED.

Jesus may have been REJECTED but He ELECTED to give Himself for our sakes and He SUBJECTED Himself to the Cross so that our sins could be forgiven. Three days later He was RESURRECTED. And as a result, we stand CORRECTED.

III. REFLECTED:

A. And since we have been CORRECTED, now we can be PERFECTED and His light can be REFLECTED in our lives.

That's the whole purpose.

Isaiah 53:11 says:

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.

Jesus came to "make many righteous" through His death and resurrection. But He doesn't do it in a grand sweeping way. He didn't come to stand up and with the wave of His hand cause nation after nation to be CORRECTED, though certainly He could do that, without even thinking.

Instead, Jesus changes the world one life at a time. And after changing that one life, OUR LIFE, Jesus calls us to let the light and love and grace and forgiveness that changed us be REFLECTED in our lives so that others will be lead to be CORRECTED through the Cross of Christ as well.

B. In 1990 Joanne Smarney was working downtown in Flint, Michigan, at the Genesee County Drain Commissioner's Office, near the county court buildings. The day was extremely cold and windy and freezing weather always makes the telephones ring at the Drain Commissioner's Office. The morning had been extremely busy and noisy, so Joanne decided to walk around the building to clear her head while on her morning break.

Being so close to the county court buildings, lawyers were a very common site. Joanne saw one of the "up and coming" young lawyers waiting for the light to change so he could cross the street. In his late 20's, he was clean cut, and impeccably dressed. He had on a navy-blue designer overcoat and soft leather gloves covered his hands.

The light changed and he proceeded to cross the street. More than half way through, he started to take off his gloves, which puzzled Joanne because it was very, very cold. Then she saw another man in the crosswalk, obviously down on his luck, crossing from the other side, walking with metal crutches. He had no gloves to protect him from the frozen aluminum.

The lawyer paused momentarily in front of the man on crutches and handed him his fur-lined gloves. They both smiled and kept walking. The whole exchange lasted no more than two or three seconds.

Joanne writes: "Whenever I need a lift, I just recall this story. It always makes me smile." (4)

What Joanne witnessed in that crosswalk was a true Cross Walk. That lawyer REFLECTED the unconditional love and grace of God. Without saying a word, he spoke volumes. With a simple gesture and a smile, he REFLECTED the love, mercy and grace of God.

You and I are called to let the light, the love, mercy and grace of Christ be REFLECTED in our lives in the very same manner.

CONCLUSION:

A couple was driving through Pennsylvania Dutch country with their seven-year-old grandson, Michael and his mother. Michael couldn't get over all the Amish buggies and finally asked. "Grandpa, why do they use horses instead of cars?"

Before Grandpa could answer, Michael's mother said, "Because they don't believe in automobiles."

It was quiet for a minute and then Michael said, "But can't they see them?" (5)

We might ask the very same thing about the religious leaders' reaction to Jesus. "Couldn't they see Him?"

It's a puzzlement why most of the religious leaders of Jesus' day didn't recognize Him as the Messiah. And if they did, why they REJECTED Him and Crucified Him. We don't understand it at all until we view it through the filter of the Cross.

Through the Cross we see that because he was REJECTED, we've been CORRECTED. Our sins have been forgiven. And as a result, now we can let the light, the love, mercy and grace of God be REFLECTED through us.

Reflect that light. Reflect that love. Reflect that grace.

Let the Cross be both your guide and the filter of your life.

1. The Christian Science Monitor

2. Dynamic Preaching, Apr/May/Jun 2001 Vol XVI, No. 2. (Seven Worlds Publishing, Knoxville, TN), pg 58.

3. B.C. by Johnny Hart, 4/4/1999

4. HeroicStories #218: 9 July 2001, www.HeroicStories.com

5. Harold F. Bermel, Havertown, Pennsylvania, Kids of The Kingdom, Copyright © 1996 Christianity Today, Inc./Christian Reader Magazine September/October 1996, Page 107