Foreshadowing of Christ in Isaiah Isaiah 49:1–6
St. John's Lutheran Church
First Wednesday in Advent
Sermon on Isaiah 49:1–6
Isaiah 49:1–6: “1Listen to me, O coastlands, and give attention, you peoples from afar. The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. 2He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away. 3And he said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.” 4But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God.” 5And now the Lord says, he who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him; and that Israel might be gathered to him— for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— 6he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””
In the Name of the Father and of the ☩ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Have you ever looked for an item expecting it to be in one place but found it in another? Or waiting to hear a quote from and book, a lyric from and song, or a line from a movie/tv show and finding it different than what you thought it would be? Have you ordered an item online and after waiting, what seems like forever, it finally arrives, you open it up and it does not match the online description?
In all 3 scenarios you have come across with unmet expectations. In most cases our unmet expectations are really a product of our misunderstanding. Not understanding the online description of a product. Not understanding why a book was left on the kitchen table instead of being placed on the bookshelf. And not understanding the message or meaning of that author’s words he wrote in his book.
The Jew of the early first century (during the life of Jesus) had a similar problem. The Jews had a variety of different ideas of what the Messiah would be and what he would do. Some Jews were hoping for a political or military leader to free them from Roman occupation. Some Jew were look for a Messiah that would restore the Jewish kingdom. And some were look for the restoration of the Jewish people.
Yet when the Messiah did come, the Jewish people did not recognize him. He did not meet their expectation of who the Messiah would be and what he would do. And those that did recognized Jesus as the Messiah, like Simeon, they still did not completely understand his purpose. It is not until later, after Jesus death and resurrection, did Jews, like the apostles, see foreshadowing of Jesus and his purpose written in the Old Testament scriptures.
And are we any better today? Are we not looking for a Messiah to fit our wants, our selfishness desires? And are we not worse than the Jews of that early first center? We have the writings of the Apostles and the other New Testament writers that show us that Jesus is the promise Messiah spoken of in the Old Testament. Yet many are disappointed, and some choose not to believe Christ Jesus because He did not meet their expectations of wants.
Then what are we to do? We need to pray. Pray for the Holy Spirit to enter our hearts, change our perspective, our outlook, to read the Old Testament in light of the New Testament and understand that Christ came for you and for Me. To save us from our sins and restore our relationship with God.
Our passage for today is a good example. At first glance you could recognize this as a messianic passage, but you would not be able to see Jesus in it. Not until after His death and resurrection can you make the connection between the suffering servant of God described here and Jesus. It is through passages like these that we know that the Jesus was going to suffer that he had to suffer and die on the cross and that his death and resurrection was for God's glory, and our salvation.
Our salvation is in Christ Jesus who in loving kindness took upon all our sins, our guilt our trespasses against God, suffered for our sake, on the cross and died. And out of His great love for us rose from the dead to show his power and authority over life and death. If you have faith, trust in Christ Jesus, salvation is your also.
Amen.
