Isaiah 53


THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL- DOWN, Down, down…. 

A QUESTION: “If you could only study one passage of scripture for the rest of your life, what would it be? “ 

This question was posed during a conversation with Dale and Kathy Bruner. Dale, theologian, author, bible teacher, and long-time friend of the mission of Young Life, has decided to do just that- study one passage for the remainder of his life! Think of the options! Your choice of 66 Books, 40 authors, and literary genres ranging from poetical to prophetical, historical to the gospels. Dale had just finished his commentary on Romans and was nearing the age of 90. He made a decision to focus his study on one passage as his final passion for his remaining years. He chose a passage that was central to gaining a deeper understanding of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus.  

HIS ANSWER: ISAIAH 53

In Dale’s words, Isaiah 53 towers like Mount Everest in scripture, and for a man that has spent most of his life in a library separate from the real world, that is a powerful statement. Dale observed, “books don’t talk back,” which has allowed him to live a simple and protected life. When he started this unique study, the Fuller Seminary library still had limited access due to the pandemic so he began by translating the passage himself from Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, while using the NRSV as a guide. The thrilling outcome was the realization that the calling of Jesus in Luke 4 (Where Jesus unrolled and read the scroll aloud in the temple) came from his understanding of the Old Testament prophecy in Isaiah 53 and the surrounding servant songs. 

For decades, biblical scholars have recognized several passages in the latter half of Isaiah as “Servant Songs” which describe the “servant of Yahweh.” This servant does the will of Yahweh, as the nation of Israel was called to do. As the songs continue, the servant is better exemplified by the faithful remnant of Israel, and finally by an individual suffering servant who bears the sins of the people, intercedes for their transgressions, and justifies. (Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13-53:12) . He shared, “we divide time by the 30-year ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, but we also divide space. The far-east, middle-east, near-east, the west are all references to their proximity to Jerusalem. Jesus is the center!” The main thought is that the Jesus Christ that we are seeking to lift up came down, was born in an animal feed bin, and ended up crucified on a cross like a criminal. God’s way is always down.

Isaiah: This prophetic book is one of the most quoted books in the New Testament and the fourth Servant Song; quoted or referenced 43 times in the New Testament. The background of Isaiah is that it was addressed to people who had been disobedient and; therefore, had gone into exile. In the second part of the book, Isaiah expresses profound hope that Israel will be restored and ultimately fulfill God’s purpose. In the final song (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) the personal pronouns- ”we, our, us” on the one hand, and “he, his, him” on the other-require the interpretation that the servant is neither the blind nor deaf nation Israel, nor the righteous remnant or prophet called “Israel” but the true Israel, the obedient servant. Yet this servant does not work salvation by power or strength, but by service and suffering. 

The Church: The overwhelming message that is critical for the Church today is that God’s way is humble and lowly. The Greeks wanted ‘brilliance’ in a savior and the Jews wanted triumphant, but the message of Isaiah is not up, but lowly. Interestingly, Dale sees a thread connecting God's plan for salvation being tied to his other four books on John, Matthew, Romans, and the Holy Spirit. Additionally, he sees God’s authorship in the several notations where he states “My servant” - this statement is not attributed to Isaiah but to the Lord himself. It’s inspiring to witness how the reading of God’s word fills Dale with excitement. Jesus clothes himself in the prophecy of Isaiah 53 by showing the fullness of the gospel in one passage.

Young Life: As a YL mission we spend more time in the NT than the OT, but in our affinity to focus on Christ-o-centric passages there may not be one more valuable than Isaiah 53. The message of humility and obedience is timeless and may not be as timely as today. Jesus, born in an animal feed bin, ended crucified on a cross on a hill. The God we represent is countercultural. He identifies with the hurting, poor, and starving. This is disruptive to a self-centered society.  The suffering servant songs may be appropriately labeled Servant substitute songs. 

Advent: So here is an advent challenge for YOU. In the linked pdfs, Dale has separated the 31 verses found in the servant songs in Isaiah broken down to one per day.  One passage, in bite-size segments, to be digested over the course of a month and then repeated. The approach for each daily verse is to see and study the text and go as deeply as you can. All four servant songs on two sides of one page! A perfect Advent exercise. Live with the verse every hour of that day, pray over it, memorize it, and ultimately live in it. 

TRY THIS: Take this season of Advent to dive deeply into these 31 verses of servant substitution and see what it does to your inspiration to get out there and go down into the world. (The Season of Advent is November 27 to December 24, 2022)




-Ken Knipp & Ken Tankersley via a conversation with Dale and Kathy Bruner-September 12, 2022