RCL: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 Isaiah 50:4-9a This section of Isaiah is the third of a four-part series in Isaiah which talks about the suffering servant. Many Christians have interpreted this to be Jesus. In this third servant song, as it is called, the servant is talking about how he is…

Isaiah 50:4-9a This passage from Isaiah introduces an overarching theme of servanthood, suffering, and salvation that echoes throughout the lessons appointed for today like an intensifying refrain. Often referred to as a Servant Song, it is the third of four such sonic poems in Isaiah (42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; and 52:13 – 53:12; with some scholars…

Isaiah 50:4-9a Isaiah is the most-quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. Its stirring speeches about judgment, exile, and restoration captured the imagination of people during Jesus’ day. Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue, declaring he was fulfilling it. Gospel writers noted that he set his face “like a flint”…

Isaiah 50:4-9a From the Exile in Babylon comes the voice of a teacher. The teacher is physically beaten, publicly humiliated and left on the ground to be cursed and spat upon. But the teacher is not a victim. These verses present abuse, they present oppression, but they do not present lament. These are verses of…