The Suffering Servant

Someone starting to explore the Bible might ask: Which parts are most important? I previously tried to make a case for 1 Corinthians 15. But one also could make a case for Isaiah 52:13-53:12, a passage known as the Suffering Servant. Read the whole thing, but here are a few highlights from the NIV translation.

My servant will act wisely;
    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
...
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
...
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
...
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
...
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied
...
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
    and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
    and made intercession for the transgressors.

The Old Testament contains many prophesies of Jesus' arrival, some of which offer more specific details of his life. But the passage of the Suffering Servant is the richest in terms of theology. The passage hints that Jesus will not be a king of military leader, at least not in the traditional sense. Nor will his life be "triumphant," as humans define that word. Rather, he will be put to death as an atonement for all sins. AND THEN, after having died, he somehow will live to "see the light of life" and be awarded a "portion among the great" and the "spoils with the strong."

So this passage, written centuries before Jesus' arrival, predicts his death, gives the reason for his death, and also predicts his resurrection!

Today, read the entire passage of the Suffering Servant, and keep it in your thoughts during prayer.