Sermon: The Interceding Servant (Isaiah 53:10 12)

Transcription

1 Text Sermon: The Interceding Servant (Isaiah 53:10 12) Isaiah 53:10 12 Dan Mueller, 2nd April 2017, Lent 5 10 Yet it was the LORD s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Matthew 26: Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Couldn t you men keep watch with me for one hour? he asked Peter. 41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away a second time and prayed, My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 1 of 6

2 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer! Sermon Have you ever travelled overseas (I ll count Tasmania and New Zealand as overseas)? Have you ever travelled overseas, to a country where English wasn t the first language? How did you manage? I remember travelling to Tokyo in Japan on a business trip one time. Most of the business partners I needed to work with spoke English, but there were a few who didn t. I needed an interpreter to intercede between us: the interpreter would speak on my behalf, acting as a gobetween. The picture our Old Testament reading paints for us today is of the Servant interceding between the LORD and a bunch of criminals & rebels. The Servant speaks to the King on behalf of the rebels, he pleads their case as an advocate. But is that all? I propose to you that the intercession the Servant makes for the criminals and rebels certainly involves the Servant verbally advocating for the rebels, but this is merely one aspect. The intercession the Servant makes goes much deeper. Let s unpack the Interceding Servant using three pictures. 1. Advocate kneeling The first picture is that of an advocate kneeling. An advocate speaks or pleads on behalf on another person or group. Those an advocate speaks up for are typically vulnerable and helpless. So the advocate kneels before the authority, pleading the case in the place of the vulnerable. As the advocate kneels and intercedes, he causes the plea of the vulnerable to reach the ears of the one who can change their circumstance. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 2 of 6

3 Jesus is your advocate. He kneels before the Father and prays for you and all of creation. Jesus is so involved pleading our case that he is sorrowful to the point of death. He knows how much advocating our case is going to cost: it will cost him his life. Yet Jesus is willing to pour out his life blood for us. But what right does Jesus have to plead the case for us? And why does he want to plead our case? The answer to both questions is that because he too is human. Being human gives Jesus the right to stand in our place and plead for mercy on our behalf. And being human means that he knows us and our experiences; he has compassion for us because is one of us. Yet Jesus also knows what it means to be God. So he has the right to come before God the King to plead our case and speak up for our needs. Challenge. As the church we are likewise called to advocate for the needs of others. We are called to bring the pleas of the vulnerable to God, and to those in positions of earthly authority. Who are the lost sheep and afflicted in our community whom you are called to intercede for? How will you speak for them? In daily and weekly prayer (just after this sermon we re going to do exactly that!). You can advocate for them by exercising your earthly citizenship being a good citizen. And by speaking up for the weak and needy wherever you are: the workplace, school yard, shop, or street. 2. Introduce handshake The posture of the advocate kneeling and pleading our case is one part of the picture Isaiah paints for us. But there are more colours that add greater depth to this picture. When an advocate pleads the case of the vulnerable to a judge or King, the ones for whom he advocates need not be present. Like a lawyer who represents his client, the client is often not in the courtroom with the judge. Therefore the gesture of a handshake captures another angle. Making intercession means introducing two parties, bringing them together, allowing them to shake hands. The Servant makes intercession for the rebels by bringing them into the presence of the LORD. He does this by bringing the rebels the name of God: Yahweh, often translated in English as the LORD (in capitals). Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 3 of 6

4 When you introduce someone you tell them the person s name. Hey rebels, this is the LORD; LORD, meet the rebels. Jesus gives us the name of God when he taught his disciples to pray. Matthew chapter 6 says: This, then, is how you should pray! Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9). Jesus introduces us to the Father: the Father is his Father, but he invites us to call him Our Father. Now that we ve been introduced, now that we know the name of God, we can address him ourselves in prayer. Yet the fact that we need introducing says something important: there is a fracture in our relationship. We are criminals and rebels, and he is the Judge and King. Isaiah doesn t simply put this uncomfortable fact aside; even after the Servant has been crushed and poured out his life unto death, we are told the Servant makes intercession for us rebels. Christ intercedes for us because without his advocacy we are guilty and helpless. And it is through his intercession, through his introduction, that we are pardoned. Yet this introduction is not a once-off event, but a continuing action. Christ maintains the connection, holding our handshake together. Saint Paul says it like this: Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us (Romans 8:34). Notice the present tense: Jesus is interceding for us today, right now. We have now added another colour to our portrait of the Interceding Servant. The picture is starting to show some depth! Not only does the Servant advocate the case of the rebels with words, but he brings rebels into the presence of the King and introduces us. Challenge. The Servant intercedes by bringing rebels into the presence of God. Who are you being called to introduce to God? How will you invite them to shake hands with Jesus, so they in turn can meet our gracious and merciful Father? This week how is God going to meet with people through you? It might be as simple as reading the Bible with your family, or, rather than chit-chat, talking with a friend about some of life s big questions: Where do you think we come from? Where do you find hope? What do you think happens when we die? Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 4 of 6

5 3. Intervene bridge The last picture of the Interceding Servant is a bridge. The Servant doesn t just plead the case with words, he doesn t simply introduce, but his very being acts as a bridge. He gets involved in the situation. He reaches out and touches both parties, his existence provides a connection that gets between, intervening between the rebels and the King. The life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the very being of his person, acts as a bridge between the rebels and the LORD. We mentioned earlier that Jesus knows what it means to be both God and human. Yet Jesus goes further than becoming human, he was numbered with the criminals & rebels (Isaiah 53:12). He became a criminal. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the [two] criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, Father, forgive them! For they know not what they do. (Luke 23:33 34). Here he is, Jesus the criminal, dying a criminal s death, lifted up between two criminals, yet interceding with the Father: Father, forgive them! For they know not what they do. So Jesus did not merely die with the rebels. As Isaiah s final line in the poem explains, Jesus died for the rebels. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). The difference is just one little word Jesus died for the rebels, rather than with the rebels yet that makes all the difference! The Servant did not come just to tell us what God wants; rather, he came to be what God wants for us he is the bridge between the gulf. Jesus didn t just come to bring us a message, but he intercedes for us through his birth, suffering, and death, so that he may bear (taking or carrying away) what we cannot. This is much more than praying for us. This is much more than introducing us to the presence of the LORD. This is an entire life, stretching from birth to death, that is obedient to the Father s will. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 5 of 6

6 Blessing So as Jesus kneels and pleads your case to the Father, may you kneel and advocate for the weak and needy. As Jesus introduces you to the Father, so that you may enter into his presence and shake hands, may Jesus use your life to introduces others to the Father. And may the entire being of Jesus intervene for you, forever bridging the gulf between a motley bunch of rebels and the Holy and Righteous King of Heaven. Amen. Walla Walla Lutheran Parish Dan Mueller Page 6 of 6