BEMA Episode Link: 64: 3 Isaiah — Servant
Episode Length: 25:43
Published Date: Thu, 01 Mar 2018 01:00:00 -0800
Session 2
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings challenge the typical understanding of the voice of Isaiah, taking a look at the servant discourse in chapters 40–54.

Discussion Video for BEMA 64

Out of Babylon by Walter Brueggemann

Transcript for BEMA 64

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 64: 3 Isaiah - Servant

Title & Source Summary

This episode examines the “servant discourse” found in Isaiah chapters 40-54 (Third Isaiah), challenging the typical Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53. Rather than viewing this section as primarily pointing forward to Jesus, the hosts explore how it originally addressed the exiled Israelites, calling them to embrace their identity as God’s suffering servant. The episode demonstrates how Jesus later lived out this calling perfectly, not to replace it, but to show God’s people how to embody it themselves.

Key Takeaways

  • Third Isaiah (chapters 40-54) is known as the “servant discourse,” with the servant consistently identified as Israel/Jacob throughout the text
  • Isaiah 53, often read as a prophecy about Jesus, was originally written to explain the purpose of Israel’s exile and suffering in Babylon
  • The servant in Isaiah 53 is God’s people Israel, called to suffer so that future generations might experience healing and restoration
  • Jesus didn’t fulfill Isaiah 53 to replace our calling but to demonstrate perfectly how God’s people should live as suffering servants
  • The proper interpretive lens is not “the Old Testament points to Jesus” but rather “Jesus’s life points back to validate and perfectly demonstrate what Scripture has always taught”
  • Isaiah 53 invites all of God’s people to participate in redemptive suffering on behalf of others, not just to observe what Jesus did
  • The shift from judgment (First and Second Isaiah) to comfort (Third Isaiah) reflects the historical transition into the Babylonian exile

Main Concepts & Theories

The Four Voices of Isaiah

The book of Isaiah contains multiple distinct voices speaking to different historical periods:

  • First Isaiah (chapters 1-39): The vineyard discourse addressing pre-exilic Israel’s failure to care for the marginalized
  • Second Isaiah: The “woe” pronouncements on nations failing to care for the oppressed
  • Third Isaiah (chapters 40-54): The servant discourse addressing those in Babylonian exile
  • Fourth Isaiah (chapters 55-66): To be discussed in the next episode, focusing on hope
The Servant Discourse Framework

Third Isaiah consistently identifies the servant as Israel/Jacob, God’s chosen people:

Isaiah 41:8-10: “But you Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen… You descendants of Abraham, my friend… You are my servant. I have chosen you and have not rejected you.”

Isaiah 43:10: “You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen.”

Isaiah 44:1-2: “But now listen Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen… Do not be afraid Jacob, my servant.”

This repeated identification establishes the interpretive context for understanding Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53 in Original Context

When read within the flow of chapters 40-54, Isaiah 53 addresses why Israel is suffering in exile:

  • The servant (Israel) appears unimpressive from the beginning (“like a tender shoot… like a root out of dry ground”)
  • The servant is “despised and rejected” - reflecting Israel’s experience in exile
  • The servant suffers “for our transgressions” and “our iniquities” - the communal “we” acknowledges corporate responsibility
  • Through the servant’s suffering, “we are healed” - future generations will experience restoration because the exilic generation perseveres

The passage functions as an almost “out-of-body” reflection, with the voice stepping back to explain the theological purpose of the exile itself.

The Jewish Interpretive Approach

Jewish readers approach Isaiah 53 differently than most Christians because they:

  1. Read contextually: They don’t isolate Isaiah 53 from chapters 40-54
  2. See themselves as participants: Jews read Scripture as “we were in Egypt” not “they were in Egypt”
  3. Understand collective identity: The singular “he” refers to Israel as a unified servant, not an individual
  4. Recognize the original audience: The passage addressed those experiencing or reflecting on the Babylonian exile
How Jesus Relates to Isaiah 53

The episode presents a paradigm shift in understanding Jesus’s relationship to Old Testament passages:

Traditional Christian view: “The Old Testament points toward Jesus” (implying the Old Testament was incomplete or pointless without him)

Jewish perspective: “Jesus points back to validate and perfectly demonstrate Scripture” (affirming the ongoing relevance of Israel’s story)

Jesus didn’t fulfill Isaiah 53 to exempt his followers from its calling. Rather, he demonstrated how to live as a suffering servant perfectly. The book of Hebrews will later explain that Jesus shows us how to suffer redemptively, not so we wouldn’t have to suffer, but so we could learn to suffer meaningfully on behalf of others.

The Danger of Individualistic Reading

Western individualism tempts Christians to read Isaiah 53 as:

  • Something Jesus did instead of us
  • A completed transaction we merely observe
  • An abstract theological concept rather than a lived calling

The proper reading invites participation:

  • Something Jesus showed us how to do
  • An ongoing invitation to redemptive suffering
  • A concrete way of life for all God’s people

Examples & Applications

The Partnership Theme from Torah

God’s relationship with Israel is characterized as partnership from the beginning. When God says “You are my servant” in Third Isaiah, he’s reaching back to the foundational covenant relationship established in the Torah. The word that sums up Torah is “partners” - God was looking for partners in his redemptive work in the world.

The Progression Through Isaiah
  • First Isaiah (Vineyard): “You’re not producing fruit because you’ve failed to care for the orphan, widow, and oppressed”
  • Second Isaiah (Woe): “Everyone has failed to care for the marginalized, so judgment is coming”
  • Third Isaiah (Servant): “You’re in exile now, suffering for past failures, but if you persevere as my servant, your children will see healing”
  • Fourth Isaiah (Hope): Coming in the next episode
Jesus as the Perfect Embodiment

When Jesus lives, teaches, suffers, and dies, he’s not replacing Israel’s calling - he’s demonstrating it perfectly. Every aspect of his ministry validates what God has been doing throughout Israel’s story. He becomes the lens through which we can understand redemptive suffering, showing that:

  • Suffering can have purpose
  • We’re called to suffer on behalf of others
  • Through faithful suffering, healing comes to communities
  • This isn’t just a one-time event but an ongoing way of life for God’s people
Contemporary Application

The Isaiah 53 calling extends to modern followers of Jesus:

  • Are we willing to suffer inconvenience or discomfort so others can experience healing?
  • Do we see our challenges as opportunities for redemptive participation in God’s work?
  • Can we move beyond seeing salvation as something Jesus did “for me” to something we’re invited into as a community?
  • How does our suffering on behalf of the marginalized bring healing to our communities?

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. Comparative Hermeneutics: Study the differences between Christian and Jewish interpretation methods, particularly regarding messianic prophecy and communal vs. individual readings

  2. The Book of Hebrews: Explore how Hebrews develops the theme of Jesus showing us how to suffer rather than suffering instead of us

  3. Communal Identity in Scripture: Investigate how ancient Near Eastern cultures understood collective identity and responsibility versus Western individualism

  4. The Suffering Servant Throughout Scripture: Trace the theme of redemptive suffering from Genesis through Revelation, including Joseph, Moses, the prophets, and Paul

  5. Fourth Isaiah: Continue the study into chapters 55-66 and the theme of hope that emerges

  6. Walter Brueggemann’s “Out of Babylon”: Engage with this scholarly work on the prophetic literature of the exilic period (noting it’s challenging academic reading)

  7. The Dating and Authorship of Isaiah: Explore the scholarly discussions about multiple authors, historical contexts, and the compilation of the book

  8. New Testament Use of Isaiah 53: Examine how the apostles and early church applied Isaiah 53 to Jesus while maintaining the original communal calling

  9. Logos Theology: Preview the concept of Jesus as the “Word” (logos) who perfectly embodies and enacts God’s message

  10. The Theology of Exile: Study how exile functions theologically as both judgment and preparation for restoration

Comprehension Questions

  1. Contextual Analysis: How does consistently identifying the servant as “Israel” and “Jacob” in Isaiah 40-52 affect our interpretation of Isaiah 53? What happens when we read Isaiah 53 in isolation versus within its broader literary context?

  2. Interpretive Framework: Explain the difference between saying “the Old Testament points to Jesus” versus “Jesus points back to validate Scripture.” Why might the former statement be offensive to Jewish listeners, and how does the latter preserve the integrity of Israel’s story?

  3. The Servant’s Identity: In Isaiah 53, how does the text shift between “he” (the servant) and “we/our” (the people)? Who is suffering for whose sins, and how does understanding the communal nature of Jewish identity help resolve this apparent tension?

  4. Jesus’s Relationship to Isaiah 53: How does the episode argue that Jesus relates to Isaiah 53? Did he fulfill it to replace our calling or to demonstrate it? What difference does this distinction make for how Christians should live?

  5. Application and Participation: According to the episode, how should modern followers of Jesus understand their relationship to the Isaiah 53 calling? What does it mean practically to embrace the role of a “suffering servant”?

Personalized Summary

This episode fundamentally reorients how we read Isaiah 53 by insisting on proper context and interpretive method. Rather than immediately jumping to Jesus when reading about the suffering servant, we must first understand what this passage meant to its original audience - the Israelites in Babylonian exile.

Throughout Third Isaiah (chapters 40-54), God repeatedly addresses Israel as “my servant,” “Jacob whom I have chosen.” This isn’t random language but a consistent theological framework. Isaiah 53 sits as the climax of this discourse, explaining why Israel must suffer in exile: not as meaningless punishment, but as redemptive suffering that will bring healing to future generations.

The genius of the episode is showing how this actually enriches rather than diminishes our understanding of Jesus. He didn’t come to replace Israel’s calling as suffering servant but to perfectly demonstrate what that calling looks like when lived out faithfully. His life, death, and resurrection become a tutorial in redemptive suffering, not an exemption from it.

This challenges the individualistic Christianity that reads Isaiah 53 as “Jesus suffered instead of me” and calls us back to a participatory faith: “Jesus showed me how to suffer meaningfully.” We’re invited into the same calling that Israel received - to be servants who suffer on behalf of others so that healing and restoration can flow through us to our communities.

The interpretive principle here applies far beyond Isaiah 53. We must resist the temptation to treat the Old Testament as merely a collection of previews for Jesus, as if Israel’s story was meaningless without him. Instead, Jesus’s life validates and illuminates what God has been doing all along, calling his people into partnership, into service, into redemptive suffering that brings healing to the world.

This shift from observation to participation, from transaction to transformation, from “he did it for me” to “he showed me how” - this is the radical reframing the episode calls us toward.

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