The Bible Study Evangelista

Category: Lent , Servant Songs  Tag:  Bible reading , lent , obedience , prophecy , suffering Surely He hath borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him. Isaiah 53:4-5

Category: Lent , Servant Songs  Tag:  Bible reading , lent , obedience , prophecy , suffering Yes, friends, this last Servant Song of Isaiah extols the Suffering Servant’s purifying, saving power over even infectious diseases. I’m not kidding. The Suffering Servant “sprinkles the nations” – outside the place of worship – purifying them of sickness and sin. Who could have ever planned such a series with such a show at this time?! The supreme self-sacrifice prophesied in the main part of the text is as surprising as the spin Isaiah gives it. Any religious person of his day would have viewed the Servant’s suffering as rightful punishment for sin. But the prophet sees through a different lens. Through beautiful imagery, Isaiah announces three-fold vindication for the Servant whose vicarious suffering will “justify the many.” God greatly rewards the selfless Servant and turns his suffering into the balm that heals the world.

Category:  Lent , Servant Songs  Tag:  Bible reading , lent , obedience , prophecy , suffering The author of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that “Whom the Lord loves he chastises” (12:6). In the third Servant Song centuries before, Isaiah prophesied that the Lord’s Servant would endure suffering without complaining. By embracing sorrow without losing heart and by accepting discipline as instruction, the Servant would gain a share of the holiness of God. As a result, the student would become a teacher. Having learned at the feet of the loving and merciful Lord, the Servant now instructs the nations in the ways of obedience and discipleship. But most of all, he models fidelity and long suffering. Remarkably, the Servant’s sufferings have not led him to turn away from God; he neither feels abandoned nor betrayed. Confidently, he stands before those who mock him, knowing their power will wear away like a threadbare garment, while God’s help lasts forever. ...

Category: Lent , Servant Songs  Tag:  Bible reading , five ds , forty , lent , obedience , penance In this second Servant Song, we see the mission of Christ expressed in vivid detail. The people of Israel had lost their way. These were the Chosen People. God had made a covenant with them. But they did not keep their part of the bargain. They wandered away, until they were without hope. They forgot God; they had forsaken Him for other gods, and been overrun by foreign powers, dispersed to the ends of the earth. But Jesus came to reach those who were lost. He came to restore them back to a right relationship with God.

Category: Lent , Servant Songs Tag:  Bible reading , five ds , forty , lent , obedience , penance Lent comes around each year to invite those of us who have grown weak or dim to hear afresh God’s promise and receive anew the Servant’s healing touch. The ends of the earth await his teaching and they will not be disappointed. And neither will the recesses of our hearts that await the warmth of his healing and reconciling love.