イザヤ書52:13-53:12 Isaiah 52:13-53:12,

The prophets of the Old Testament told various prophecies to let people know what kind of person the Savior who would come to the world would be. There are many such prophecies. For example, the prophecy in Isaiah 9:5, which is often read in Christmas season, tells us that the Savior would be a wonderful king, as follows: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Savior has authority over people and is a peacemaker.

So, did the Savior appear as a great person who rules over people from the beginning? No, the Savior appeared as a “servant” who served people. Furthermore, he was a “servant” who suffered on behalf of people. Today’s Bible passage clearly prophesies this. In verse 3, the prophet says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” The Savior was not to be respected by people, but rather despised, and not to be adored, but rather rejected. And he was to experience sorrow and grief. But was that really possible?

In verse 4 the prophet says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” The word “we” here does not just refer to the people of the Old Testament era, but to all of us human beings. The Savior has experienced sorrow and grief on our behalf. However, we human beings didn’t understand this, and thought that it was the Savior’s own fault that he suffered. How terrible! Why did this happen? It is because God has made the Savior take the punishment for our sins, which we human beings have committed against God. In verse 6, the prophet says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The phrase “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way” means that we human beings did as we pleased and sinned, not following God’s teachings. However, instead of punishing us for our sins, God says that he has punished the “servant,” i.e., the Savior for our sins.

If you’ve listened to this far, you’ll know who this “servant” is. It’s Jesus, who died on the cross to atone for our sins. In verse 11, the prophet says, “My servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Jesus took our sins upon himself and died on the cross in our place, so that we could be forgiven our sins by God and be accounted righteous. But that wasn’t the end of it. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. As a result, many people came to believe that Jesus was their Saviour. The words “Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.” in verse 12 mean that Jesus, who suffered as the “servant” for the salvation of human beings, will become the King of heaven and take many people as his own. This means that we believe in Jesus, are saved, and come to live by following him.

Let us live by believing in Jesus, who became the “servant” for our salvation and now reigns as the King of heaven. When we are suffering, let us think of the sufferings Jesus endured. And when we are happy, let us give thanks to Jesus, who reigns over everything. In this way, we will be given the strength to live righteously, whether we are suffering or happy.