The Bible Book

154

B

iblical scholars divide the

book of Isaiah into three

sections. The first, believed

to be the work of Isaiah himself,

was written when Assyria was

expanding westward, threatening

Judah. The book fulminates against

the sinful leaders of Jerusalem and

urges reform to avert calamity. The

second section (chapters 40–55), by

an anonymous source known as the

Second Isaiah, or Deutero-Isaiah,

is believed to have been written

Isaiah is one of seven Old Testament

prophets painted by Michelangelo in the

Vatican’s Sistine Chapel (1508–1512).

Isaiah (Greek “Esaias”) holds the Book

of Isaiah under his arm.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Isaiah 40–55

THEME

Suffering

SETTING

6th century bce

The Babylonian empire, which

is under threat from the

Persians led by King Cyrus.

KEY FIGURES

The Suffering Servant

A metaphorical character

who symbolizes the

Israelites’ suffering.

“Second Isaiah” Unnamed

prophet who is thought to

have authored chapters 40–55

of the book of Isaiah in the

6th century bce.

Cyrus King of Persia from

558 to 530 bce. Seen by

Second Isaiah and his

disciples as a savior and

Yahweh’s “shepherd.”

from exile in Babylon in the 6th

century bce, after Jerusalem has

fallen; a third section (56–66),

Third Isaiah, is believed to date

from after the Exile.

God’s chosen one

Central to the Second Isaiah are

the Servant Songs: four poems that

present a mysterious servant of

God, His “chosen one.” The poems

have the same themes as First

Isaiah, but preach a message of

greater hope and comfort.

The Servant Songs revolve

around the wretched character of

the “Suffering Servant.” There is

nothing majestic or beautiful about

him. Far from treating him with

respect, people despise and reject

him, beating him and plucking out

his beard. He utters no words of

protest. Instead, he sets his face

“like flint” (50:7) and endures. He

does this for the sake of God and

of others, even his very tormentors.

He is: a “man of sorrows” who takes

up and carries the failings of others.

SURELY HE TOOK

UP OUR INFIRMITIES

AND CARRIED

OUR SORROWS

ISAIAH 53:4, THE SUFFERING SERVANT

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WISDOM AND PROPHETS 155

Anointed with God’s spirit, the

man is gentle and unassuming—a

“bruised reed he will not break, and

a smoldering wick he will not snuff

out” (42:3). He is the one God calls

not only to restore the exiled and

dispersed people of Israel, but also

to carry out an even wider task: to

be “a light for the Gentiles,”

spreading God’s salvation to the

world. The life of the Suffering

Servant is an atonement for sin. In

exchange for him bearing “the sins

of many,” God will raise him up. He

will “give him a portion among the

great”; kings and princes will one

day bow down before him.

A mysterious figure

The identity of the Suffering

Servant has long been debated.

One theory is that he could be

Cyrus, the Persian king, who would

overthrow the Israelites’ hated

Babylonian oppressors. Cyrus

Jesus Christ: the

servant savior

The image of the Suffering

Servant sank deep into the

Jewish imagination, enduring

into the early Christian one.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus

announces His public ministry

with a passage from Isaiah

closely associated with the

Servant passages. “Today this

scripture is fulfilled in your

hearing,” Jesus tells the

synagogue in His hometown

of Nazareth. The people

promptly reject Him, as was

the case for the Suffering

Servant. The servant theme

comes up time and again in

Jesus’s teaching. He tells His

disciples that “the Son of Man

did not come to be served, but

to serve, and to give His life

as a ransom for many.”

Echoes of the Servant

Songs are unmistakable.

Peter writes about Jesus’s

silence in the face of His

accusers. “When they hurled

their insults at Him ... He did

not retaliate.”

His suffering is an

atonement for the sins

of humankind.

He allows himself to be

wounded for others’

transgressions.

The Suffering Servant

is called by God to be

His “chosen one”.

The Suffering Servant is

called to spread the

message of salvation.

Rejected by others, the

Suffering Servant does

not defend himself.

would be a friend and savior to

the Jews, allowing them to return

home and rebuild Jerusalem and

their temple. Many Christians,

however, view the Suffering

Servant as a prophecy of Christ,

in line with other messianic

references in Isaiah. Most rabbinic

scholars believe he is a metaphor

for Israel itself, or rather those

Israelites who have stayed true to

God through humiliation and

suffering. They are the “faithful

remnant” (Malachi 3:15–16) of

prophetic tradition, who have

endured persecution not just from

foreign oppressors but from the

Israelites who rejected the message

of repentance. Suffering has

become part of their identity, but

in the Servant Songs this is not a

negative thing: it is redemptive

and transforming. Through their

suffering for the failings of others,

humankind will be healed. ■

The Suffering Servant

The face of Christ on a statue

in Paris. The Book of Isaiah

contains so many messianic

references that it is sometimes

called the fifth Gospel.

See also: The Suffering of Job 146–47 ■ The Coming of Salvation 189

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