Mid-Week Lenten Vespers, 2023
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Vimeo Link to This Vespers Service
The Hymn #523 Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 24 p. 128
The Lections The Passion History
The Sermon Hymn #345 Jesus Lover of My Soul
The Sermon – The Kindness of Jesus
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45
The Hymn #554 Now Rest Beneath Night's Shadows
KJV Isaiah 53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
It is important to remember that the Apostle Paul, many centuries later, referred to this in Romans 10:16 - "Who hath believed our report?" The report or rumor is the Gospel of Christ, which no one understood in Isaiah 53 until Jesus fulfilled that Promise. "Faith comes by hearing the Report." Many first hear the Report during their baptism. Others believe as adults. The Gospel truth first gives us faith and this faith gives us access to the grace of the Savior Jesus. This is nothing but kindness from Jesus.
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Jesus was disfigured, tortured, and placed on the cross to make His agony last even longer. Verse 2 comes out of the blue like a lightning bolt. Without sin, healing people, raising them from the dead, feeding them miraculously - yet He received no accolades only mockery at the end. In this way God shows us how the Son took on the sins of the world. This was written long before the Roman Empire was anything!
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Jesus had no one left at the cross, except the two Marys and the Apostle John. The crowds that cheered Him mocked Him instead. This is how we should look at the world - everything was against Him and everyone was powerless to stop the debacle, played out by the greatest empire of all time. But God changed everything in a moment, and all the believers went from fear and sorrow to joy and elation. When times are dark, as they are now, we only think of the darkness and wreckage. But God can turn this around in a moment, just as He does with individuals. He even offers grace and forgiveness to those who believe in His Son, recognizing their sin. No sin is too terrible for forgiveness through Christ, except unbelief - which is sin against the Holy Spirit who brings the Son of God to us.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
How can we doubt what God will do in the future if He can describe this a thousand years in advance, and Psalm 22 as a detailed description of Holy Week? We cannot even predict the weather three days in advance.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
At times we doubt that this is possible, that so much grief was laid upon Him 20 centuries ago. How can that be? Smart-alecks like Braaten-Jenson (ELCA theologians) and Rudolph Bultmann (German rationalist) are admired for rejecting the Atonement. They blinded themselves with logic. "Any schoolboy knows..." (Bultmann) - that is why children have faith when scholars only have degrees.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
This would be insulting if it were not true. Sheep are greedy for food and bullies at getting the food. Never go to a children's petting zoo with food bottles for sheep. They push the lambs aside so the big fat ones can eat even more. Because of this, Jesus became the Passover Lamb. How many Passovers have Jewish people conducted, from Moses on, with memories of the Exodus? The innocent lamb sacrificed. Or read about Abraham and Isaac - the sacrifice of the beloved son symbolic in the ram (sheep) who replaced him.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
The details are astonishing, so close to the future experience of Jesus. As He often said, "The Scriptures must be fulfilled..." Why? Because that is what makes us firm in the conviction of everything being done for us - in spite of us - through the Son, obeying His Father, the story kept and spread by the Holy Spirit.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
This is additional detail about the Atonement, which the Jewish people knew from the Temple sacrifice. Soon after Easter Sunday, a small rebellion brought the Roman Empire there to destroy the Temple, which has never been rebuilt.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
This is contradictory and true. Jesus died with criminals and was buried - like Lazarus - in a rich man's tomb. The Gospel of John shows that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill the risen Lazarus because he was proof of Jesus' divine power. Jesus and Lazarus came together to Jerusalem, Jesus knowing what would happen, with two powers set up against Him. Yet two top Jewish leaders believed and helped Him be buried.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
The last three verses are glory Halleluiahs!
