Meek In His Suffering

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Isaiah 50:5,6
Psalters: 403, 149, 185, 300
  1. What He suffered.
    1. Text speaks of the suffering in three forms of the Servant of Jehovah.
    2. Refers to the suffering Jesus endured at the hands of fellow-men His entire life on earth.
      1. First, this was because He took on Himself the likeness of our sinful flesh, which is a continual death.
      2. Further, He endured the “contradiction of sinners against Himself” (Heb. 12:3).
    3. The suffering Servant of Jehovah was very public.
      1. Jesus came into contact with men and they expressed an opinion about Him and treated Him accordingly.
      2. But He was despised of men of every class, considered worthless, not fit to live in civilized society.
  2. How did Jesus’ suffer?
    1. He was meek: “The Lord Jehovah hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.”
      1. Means that He heard most freely and received most fully what was said to Him to observed and to do it.
      2. It expresses Jesus’ voluntary obedience.
    2. Therefore, Jesus was not rebellious (truly to listen means obedience and submission), nor turned back.
      1. He was subject to every earthly authority.
      2. His obedience was entirely free and voluntary, full, complete.
    3. Thus He “gave My back” and “hid not My face.”
      1. Never did He try to avoid the ill-treatment they willingly poured on Him.
      2. But He gave Himself - the tremendous strength of meekness.
  3. Why must the Servant of Jehovah suffer this from men?
    1. First, the evil which men threw on Him reveals their sin and sinfulness, and thus condemns them.
      1. They knew He was innocent, yet they condemned Him; He did only good and they hated Him.
      2. This reveals their hypocrisy and worthiness of judgment: “Now is the condemnation of the world (John 12:31).
    2. Positively, the suffering Servant of Jehovah bore our sins and removed them forever.
      1. All of this was to show us what our sins deserve.
      2. This made His suffering and death so precious and His obedience so great that by it we are made righteous.