Saturday, March 17, 2018

Isaiah 50:4-9


Isaiah 50:4-9a
4  The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of a teacher, 
that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. 
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.
5  The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, 
I did not turn backward.
6  I gave my back to those who struck me, 
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
 I did not hide my face from insult and spitting.
7  The Lord GOD helps me; 
therefore I have not been disgraced; 
therefore I have set my face like flint, 
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8  he who vindicates me is near. 
Who will contend with me? 
Let us stand up together. 
Who are my adversaries? 
Let them confront me.
9                   It is the Lord GOD who helps me; 
who will declare me guilty?

Isaiah 50:4-9a, part of a segment that extends to verse 11, says that the Servant of the Lord accomplishes his mission by speech, suggesting he is a prophet. This passage presents the cost of the commitment by this Servant. It will also stress the suffering of the Servant, as well as the obedience of the Servant despite the suffering. The prophet endures suffering for the sake of the specific mission the Lord has given him. We need to understand at the beginning that not all suffering is of such a nature. In a situation of domestic violence, for instance, there is no honor in sticking around and enduring the emotional abuse and physical blows. To do so has quite the opposite effect, emboldening the abuser to go even further. On a global scale, the mission of a nation is not to endure suffering due to the aggression of a neighbor. At the same time, of course, my reflections will assume that anyone can expect opposition and criticism in various circumstances. 

From one perspective, speaking in the first person, the prophet provides through his life a paradigm for how the people of the Lord are to be in the world. The people of God have a prophetic role in the world, and the suffering he endures will be the result. He receives a summons and there receives divine power and help to fulfill the divinely giving mission. 

We are accustomed to teaching with words. The Suffering servant in Isaiah 50:4-9a taught that way. So did Jesus. Yet, the suffering servant also taught with his life, in the way he dealt with opposition. The same is true of Jesus, of course. One who enters the school of Christ will not have done so in vain. 

Isaiah 40-55 contains four servant songs, dealing mission and witness of the servant. In the passage before us, the servant is a teacher, always listening to what the Lord teaches him. The purpose of this word is to sustain the weary, even as Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 lifted the burdens of the weary. One who seeks to teach others of God must first learn from God. Yet, this teacher experiences opposition. The Servant gives his back: where his enemies can freely strike without hope of protecting himself. The Servant offers his cheeks: allowing his enemies to pluck out his beard, a badge of maturity and virility. The Servant does not even turn his face to avoid the ultimate sign of distaste and disrespect -- a spit in the face. Yet, the servant remains firm because he is confident God will help him. 

In verses 4-5, the prophet is a disciple of older prophets, constantly borrowing their words and noting how their predictions proved true. 4The Lord GOD (‘adonai Yahweh) has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Weariness is a favorite theme in the book of Isaiah, occurring more in that book than in any other in the Old Testament. Those whom the Lord calls from the ends of the earth will not grow weary (5:27). The Lord invited the people of God who are weary to rest, but they would not do so (28:12). Hezekiah admits his eyes grow weary in looking upward (38:14). The Lord does no grow weary (40:28). Youths will grow weary but those who wait upon the Lord will not (40:30-31). Of course, Jesus has the mission of inviting the weary to find their rest in coming to him (Matthew 11:28-30). Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who receive teachingClearly, the Servant is open to receiving instruction as well as giving it, qualities of a good teacher in every culture and historical period. 

Teachers are on my mind. I have some favorite teachers in my life. I suspect you do as well. Some of my first teachers were in the church. Of course, teachers in my formal education were also important. The teachers who have influenced me the most, the teachers to whom I now look back with fondness, appreciation, and gratitude, are those who pushed me in an area in which I needed to have someone push me. They challenged me to do my best. At some level, they taught me something about life that has stayed with me.  

Frank Flanagan explores the influence of some of these great teachers in his book The Greatest Educators … Ever! Flanagan calls Socrates the “patron saint of teaching” because his methods would provide the basis for the model we still use today. Socrates believed, among other things, that to learn anything we first must acknowledge what we do not know. Part of his teaching style was to help people who thought they knew something so well to realize they did not know as much as they thought they did. At that point, the person became more open to what Socrates had to teach. Recognizing that we do not know something is a first step in learning. If one “knows it all,” a teachable spirit is not present. Socrates himself confessed his lack of knowledge, his ignorance, on a regular basis. For him, good teaching was the product of being an open-minded learner. Good teaching is far more about asking questions that draw out what the student already knows, or can potentially know, than information put into their minds.  Most of you know, even if you have not read the account of Socrates provided by Plato, that his fellow citizens became frustrated with him, accused him of corrupting youth and not believing in the gods, and eventually sentenced him to death. He would drink the cup of hemlock, a poison, and accept his fate, even when offered the opportunity to escape.

Interestingly, Flanagan will bring Jesus into the story of great teachers as well, viewing him as “but one in a long line of teachers of an ancient ethical tradition.” You might see some parallels between Socrates and Jesus:

 

• Like Socrates, Jesus believed he was getting his message from an otherworldly source. 

• Like Socrates, Jesus was a master of teaching by asking questions. 

• Like Socrates, Jesus did not leave behind his own writings. Rather, others recorded his words and stories. 

• Like Socrates, Jesus ticked off the powerful classes by embarrassing them with his questions and observations. 

• Like Socrates, Jesus was condemned to death by those same powerful people, who believed he was corrupting their religion and the people. 

 

What Flanagan fails to see, however, is that while Jesus has a lot in common with other great teachers, the difference is that Jesus reveals his teaching not only in the message but also in the messenger. Everything Jesus does in his life undergirds what he says.  His life is the lesson. 

 

5The Lord GOD (‘adonai Yahweh) has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. In verses 6-9, the prophet suffered in the exile, the just punishment of the Lord for what the people of Judah had done, accepts it, and awaits the vindication that shall follow. 6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard. Such an act was a humiliating insult and debasing form of punishment in ancient times. I did not hide my face from insult and spitting, leaving no room to protect himself. In all of this, see the allusions by the writers of the gospel to this passage with reference to the time of the torment of Jesus, as in Matthew 16:21; 26:67; 27:26, 30; Mark 10:34; 14:65; 15:15, 19; Luke 18:32-33; 22:63-65. 7 The Lord GOD (‘adonai Yahweh) helps me. He has assurance of the divine presence now and deliverance in the future. Therefore, no one has disgraced me. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, a sign of firmness. In a situation in which intense emotion could show upon his face, whether of anxiety, fear, or anger, he has a “poker face.” He has firmly set his course. He displays quiet strength, the source of which is the confidence that the Lord has instructed him what to say. In a comparable way, Ezekiel, also a prophet in the exile, endured opposition, and persecution, received the assurance that the Lord made his face hard against the faces of his opponents and his forehead hard against their foreheads. In fact, the Lord has made Ezekiel like the hardest stone, harder than flint, so he ought not to fear them or have dismay at their looks, since they are the ones who have rebelled against the Lord (Ezekiel 3:8-9). I know that nothing shall put me to shame. The importance of remaining firm in his course is that his life will be a witness for the Lord. He will maintain his honor. Ancient Israel was what the sociologists call an "honor-shame society." In modern societies, honor and shame refer to psychological states. It refers to the internal moral character of a person or to the actions that reflect that character. In ancient societies, however, some of which continue to exist in remotes part of the world today, honor and shame are social values determinative of the identity and social status of a person. Honor is a claim a person has to self-worth and social acknowledgement of that claim. Honor is the public reputation that constitutes personal identity. Shame is the concern a person has for reputation. Shame is a positive value by which one seeks to maintain or protect honor. Failure to maintain honor, or if peers do not acknowledge the claim to personal self-worth, one has shame, dishonor, or disgrace. A person with no concern for honor or reputation is shameless. Thus, in ancient Israel, honor and shame have both individual and collective dimensions. The individual makes a claim to honor that social peers affirm or deny in accord with present or past behavior. Yet, the individual shares any individual honor with the collective honor of family, class, state, or other group to which one belongs. The honor and shame group behavior exhibits reverberate upon the individuals who are part of the group.[1] The Suffering Servant sets his face like flint because there is more at stake than his personal feelings and individual sense of honor. He knows that, if he is shamed, his entire clan will be shamed along with him. It is especially important that he stand firm and not crack, because if he fails to do so, that will bring dishonor not only upon himself, but also upon his master. In verses 8-9, the judicial language is important. 8 The Lord who vindicates (closely related to “righteousness”, as in “acquits”) me, legal terminology referring to a verdict of innocence, is near. As his vindicator, the Lord confirms the servant-prophet is righteous and has suffered unjustly. The image is that of a next of kin who stands at his side during legal proceedings. The Servant challenges his opponents (or is willing to accept their challenge) to a court battle. The Servant will not allow anyone to thwart him from his God-given task due to the disgrace that such horrific opposition would usually engender in a tight-knit community; nor will he have to face the shame of defeat due to failure to complete his God-given task. With God, he can withstand those withering attacks. Who will contend with me? If the Lord acquits him, then no one else can bring a charge of guilt. The rhetoric recurs in Romans 8:33-34, where Paul asserts that God justifies, and therefore no one can condemn. Nothing can overturn the decision of God to set free by legal acquittal. Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. 9a It is the Lord GOD (‘adonai Yahweh) who helps me; who will declare me guilty? With God standing in this court of judgment as the Servant's next of kin, how can there be any doubt about which way the judgment of a righteous court will go?  Little surprise that despite the abuse, the Servant remains confident that the abusers will be routed. God's presence enables the Servant to boast -- who will "declare me guilty?" The apostle Paul uses language evocative of similar stoic resolve in Romans 8:33-34. Christian martyrs, he is saying, can likewise set their faces like flint, because their loving and powerful master can be counted upon to testify for them in the only court that matters: "Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us."

Christian minds have long seen this Servant Song as evoking the passion of Jesus. The Lord's decision, at the crucial turning point in Luke's gospel, to "set his face to go to Jerusalem" -- knowing what sort of opposition he is likely to encounter there -- may have been the moment when he first assumed a face like flint. Later, when Jesus stands before Pilate, giving only the tersest of answers to his questions, he is by his very silence declaring himself to be the equal -- no, more than the equal -- of the scheming procurator. Pilate's subsequent failure to break the Galilean's resolve backfires, bringing shame not upon his bedraggled prisoner, but upon him. As with Isaiah's Suffering Servant, Jesus' deliverance, too, is near. As humiliating and shaming as his experience in Pilate's courtyard and on the cross may be, that will soon be forgotten on Easter morning. His triumph over his persecutors will be complete.

We have all seen it. That too-cute poster of a clinging kitten, hind feet dangling in the air, only its front paws, claws dug in frantically, keeping the kitty chin-upping somewhere above the ground. Underneath the picture of this panicked pussycat is the admonition, "Hang in there!" We chuckle. We do not hate cats when we do so. We do not know what is below, a soft landing or some vicious dog. Yet, we assume a safe landing, otherwise, the poster would lie. 

Regardless of his situation, the writer has assurance of the divine presence. Horatio G. Spafford (1873) wrote a favorite hymn of mine that sings of situations of peace and sorrow. Yet, whatever my lot, the Lord has taught him to say that it is well with his soul. Even if Satan attacks and trials come, his assurance is that Christ has regarded his helpless condition and shed his blood for his soul. Therefore, it is well with my soul. 

The suffering servant faces opposition and criticism in a way that most of us would resist. The text raises the question of how we face such experiences in life as well. The following comments take us beyond the text, but I trust they prove helpful as well.[2]

Some years ago, an annual conference asked a Methodist Bishop of national renown to speak. It so happened he had recently taken a strong stand on a controversial issue and received criticism widely among some of his fellow Christians, not always with a lot of charity. Therefore, the bishop spoke on the text of Jonah and the Great Fish. After acknowledging that others had a right to their own opinions on the issue so long as they expressed their opinions in a Christian way, he then made this memorable observation: “I am willing to be consumed by a great fish. I am not willing to be nibbled to death by minnows.”

This came to mind as we examined the subject of this text. The prophet was experiencing a lot of opposition to his work, not all of it by people of integrity. He expressed two sentiments – his willingness to accept the fact that a person in a position of high visibility must endure criticism, some of it destructive, and his conviction that with the help of God, he would be able to endure and triumph in what he was convinced was right.

Most of us have had comparable experiences. I would guess many clergy have received the advice that unless you have someone upset with you, you are not taking strong positions on some of the crucial issues of the day. This is not to commend the idea of flaunting one’s point of view, nor to defend inflexibility that refuses to hear other points of view. It is to recognize that firm convictions often expose one to various kinds of criticism and opposition.

For a moment, let us think about the kind of criticism the prophet felt he was facing – the wrong kind, keeping in mind that we are sometimes the critic rather than the criticized. People have a variety of reasons why they oppose those in positions of influence. 

An obvious one is jealously. H. G. Wells describes self-righteous fault finding as “jealously with a halo.” Unfortunately, there are people who have done little of note in their own lives and dislike seeing someone else gaining influence in a public situation. One hates to contribute and hates to see someone else getting credit for what they themselves are either too lazy or too selfish to do. Minnows. Usually, the best policy is to ignore that sort of thing and press on in what one believes to be right. One bishop told of a bothersome individual who disagreed with her and contended that she was much too sure of herself. The bishop said, “Go and stand outside in the darkness and look up to the heavens, and if you pray, insights of truth will come to you.” The man came back sometime later to report he did just that. “But it was raining,” the man said. “I got all wet and felt like a fool.” “Well,” said the bishop, “That is progress.”

Sometimes petty criticism comes from personal dislike. There are people who will oppose you no matter what position you may take on an issue. They have what the psychologists call a “hidden agenda.” It is a well-accepted fact that some people having never fully worked through problems with authority will fasten on to an authority figure (politician, bishop, clergy, educator, attorney, superior at work, and so forth) and automatically oppose the other for deep emotional reasons they themselves do not understand. Sympathy is sometimes in order then.

Sometimes we conflict with the judgmental person. Ann Landers included in her column a poem that concluded with this thought: “I am willing to trust in thy mercy, to keep the commandments thou’st taught. But deliver me, Lord, from the judgment of the saints who have never been caught.”

Of course, there are times when we are in the wrong and we know it. We have already figured that out and are trying to make amends. 

Yet, some criticism is legitimate. The healthy-minded person is one who can listen to criticism and weigh it honestly. Carver McGriff recalls a time when a woman came to him shortly after he had begun a new ministry. He was young and trying to teach a confirmation class of seventh and eighth graders. Her daughter was in his class and in very gentle terms she shared a concern. Her words were something like this: “You are doing such an excellent job in so many ways here, Reverend; I hate to seem critical. But my daughter feels she is not getting much out of her class. Of course, it may be her fault, but I just wanted to share this feeling with you.” He thanked the woman and asked if he might take a day to reflect before he responded, but inwardly he felt anger at the criticism. However, that evening he began re-playing the last couple class sessions. As he did, it began to be clear that he was not doing as well as he would like to have thought. By the time he called that mother, he knew her criticism was correct, and he thanked her and told her so. There were two results of this. First, he was able to improve the way he taught the class. Second, the two of them became good friends. He learned from this to bite his tongue when criticized until he could reflect and pray about the situation. After all, no one is always right, and it behooves even the most firmly convinced person to stop and re-examine. Sometimes we are wrong.

As to how we can be sufficiently sure of ourselves to remain firm in the face of criticism and strong opposition, it is obviously important that we pray and that we earnestly try to listen to our opponents. In that case, we cannot really measure the prophet on that. To be a prophet in the Old Testament tradition, one must wear blinders and simply forge ahead in what the Lord has taught him. Certainly, history would show the prophets to be right most of the time. However, it might be gracious for us today to consider that God has not raised very many of us up to follow that tradition. More than a few clergy have fancied themselves prophets and were not very tolerant of those who opposed them. They were heavily into a variety of controversial issues. I recall hearing two Chicago pastors boasting of how many members had left their churches because of their stands on issues that are, I suspect, embarrassing to them today. They had good educations but had a lot to learn about persuading people.

Many years ago, there was a distinguished pastor at First Methodist Church in Evanston, IL. Ernest Fremont Tittle was his name. He was a great battler for human rights. In the process, he upset many people because of his strong stands. However, he lost very few members from a upscale congregation of great size and repute. Finally, some of them were interviewed for a news article, and asked why, since most of the congregation were far more conservative than their pastor, were all the members so intensely loyal to him. The answer was unanimous. Dr. Tittle loved his people deeply. He was always there for them, never personally critical, always ready to visit the hospital, to receive them in counseling, to marry the young and caringly bury the dead. His door was always open to those who wished. He made them feel that he truly heard them. In that there is a great lesson, any of us can learn about the business of taking a strong stand in a public situation. If one does it in love, people will at least listen … and you might persuade them.

So many issues today are controversial with room for earnest opinions on both sides that it behooves us all to stand firm in our own beliefs yet try to listen to and honor the rights of those who see things differently. It is also important to examine our own hearts to be sure we ourselves are not holding our own positions but of mixed motives, some of them not so worthy. In the case of the prophet, he seems sincerely to have been in the lonely position of advocating faith in and loyalty to what we would agree is the one true God, against a widespread ancient belief in idols and a variety of gods. The retrospect of history enables us to see that Isaiah was right. In our own situations, however, that perspective is not yet available. It is important to speak and act with courage, yes, but with love.

What light does the New Testament show on this issue? Most of its central figures were people with tunnel vision. That is, they were commendable people with very firm convictions, just as the prophets all seemed to be. Jesus, however, also said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and peacemakers tend to be people who see things in shades of gray. This, of course, is true today as well. Some of us tend to see both sides of issues, rather than take strong stands. Others stubbornly hold positions they strongly believe in frankly unpersuaded by opponents’ points of view. One could argue it is the latter personality type who changes things and the former type who helps avoid or defuse confrontations and divisions. This is what makes the world work. Unfortunately, the excess of one is fanaticism and of the other is apathy. Jesus seemed to believe that if we can practice the ethic of love, we can avoid both extremes, each of us standing firm in what we genuinely believe.

One Dr. White, a highly respected clergy, was approached by church members who had decided to invite a certain evangelist to town for a series of tent meetings. This was a more conservative approach to the faith than Dr. White preferred so he told them they were free to do this, but he hoped they would excuse him from participation. A local fellow had struggled with alcohol for many years, getting in minor trouble and failing vocationally. However, Dr. White had been a faithful friend, trying to encourage this parishioner to win out over his problems. We will call the man Ed Smith. The evening of the first tent meeting, a parishioner knocked on Dr. White’s parsonage door to inform him that the visiting preacher called Ed a drunk and a failure in life. Dr. White immediately became angry at this defamation and spluttered his anger in the presence of the lady who had brought the news. It seems the visiting woman, privately amused at this outburst, decided to fuel further the fires of Dr. White’s anger. “Not only that,” she informed him, “but this preacher also used your name and said you were no Christian and not a good minister to remain away from a great service like his.” She waited for what she anticipated to be an even more vocal reaction. Instead, Dr. White was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “You must excuse me. That is a serious accusation, and I must be alone to pray and think about it.”

There is a lesson there for us. If we are to take a responsible role in life, we will inevitably have to step forth and say things, do things, and believe things with which others will not agree. At times, we will receive opposition and criticism. Sometimes our critics will be right, sometimes not. As Christians, we should not turn away from our honest convictions out of fear of criticism or controversy. Through our prayer life, we can find the courage to continue. If we are in the right God will sustain us and help us. However, Jesus taught that while we are to act with courage, we are to do this with respect for and love for others.

 

The inability of persecutors to prevail against the Servant is further demonstrated by the Servant's comparison of his enemies to a moth-eaten garment. Like a fragile piece of cloth, those who contend against the Servant will simply wear out and succumb to their own natural decay.



[1] Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, R.A. Simkins.

[2] The following reflections derive from Carver McGriff, long-time pastor of St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis.

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