In chapter 49 the Suffering Servant Messiah was introduced, and his calling, his initial apparent failure, and his eventual success are described. Already—in the section describing his initial apparent failure (49:4 and 7a)—the Servant is called "despised" and "abhorred".
Contrary to the impression created by the translation "abhorred by the nation" which is used by the ESV and NIV, the Servant is abhorred by the gōy, a Hebrew term never used of Israel, but only of foreign nations, "gentiles". It is possible that it is used here globally for "people" in general, as the ancient Greek translation suggests by using the plural "the nations", including the Jews as well as gentiles. When thinking of those who despised and abhorred Jesus, we tend to focus on the Jewish leaders who condemned him to death. But in Isaiah 53, the key Isaiah passage that predicts his death, the Servant is "despised and rejected by men", not specifically Israel. Here is how it reads:
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3).
Resuming and expanding the thought of the Servant's rejection, chapter 50 describes the Servant's teaching ministry both to those who accepted him and his detractors.
(Isaiah 50:4-9) The Lord Yahweh has given me the language of instruction, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. 5 The Lord Yahweh has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Lord Yahweh helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Lord GOD who helps me; who will declare me guilty? All of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
4 We say that some people are "born teachers", and it is true that they seem to have a gift that one associates with birth. But in fact most good teachers are the product of long and careful cultivation. Although he was the Son of God, Jesus must have acquired his gift of teaching by long years of practice as he matured. His precocious knowledge of scripture is shown in Luke's account of his sitting among the teachers in the Jerusalem temple, asking pointed questions that displayed an extraordinary understanding of the scriptures. There was at least one synagogue in Nazareth, where he must have gone with his parents. Our text in Isaiah suggests that the purpose of this deep familiarity with the scriptures and ability to communicate it had a primary aim. What was it?
God's strength to sustain the weary is a theme already broached in Isaiah 40:28-29. Jesus invited "weary" people to come to him. He sustained them with the "language of instruction" (l'šôn limmûḏı̂m).
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,i and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 NRSV)ii
But what were they weary of? What heavy burdens were Jesus' listeners carrying that he could relieve them of? Matthew himself records another saying of Jesus that provides us with a clue:
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they don't practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. (Matthew 23:2-4 NRSV)
In order to prevent accidental breaking of a scriptural law, the scholars of Jesus day did something called "building a hedge around the Torah." This meant adding something more stringent to the commands so as to make sure that the less stringent scriptural law would not be accidentally broken. This would be like setting a speed limit at 25, just to make sure drivers would not exceed 30 MPH. The result was a very tightly controlled daily life that could become a great and needless hardship on ordinary people who did not have the leisure that the wealthy had to spend on convenient ways to comply with these laws.
But the second way in which the yoke of the law was a "burden", was that it came to be regarded by the general public as a condition of acceptance with God. What we call "justification by works" may not have been the way learned scholars and religious leaders understood of role of the law, but ordinary laymen soon came to see it that way.
The Pharisees and scribes referred to the law of Moses as a "yoke" which faithful Jews took upon themselves in order to serve God. And Paul used that term in a more negative sense to show that it was a "yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1) in the bad sense.iv
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Humanly speaking, the secret of Jesus' inner rest was the fact that he had taken upon himself his Father's "yoke" and "learned" of Him. This means that he put his Father's yoke, as expressed in the scriptures themselves, in place of the "yoke of the law" as taught by the rabbis.
The imagery here is important to grasp. Undeniably, the word "yoke" (ʿōl) in ancient Hebrew parlance could refer to enslavement (Gen 27:40; Lev 26:13; Deut 28:48; Is 14:25). But it is often overlooked that it could have a positive side. And that side is what Jesus alludes to when he invites the weary to take his yoke upon them. A "yoke" was a device placed on the shoulders of oxen that enabled two of them to pull together.
In other words, it implied joint effort. This was undoubtedly the reason why Old Testament law forbade yoking together an ox and an ass (Deut 22:10), since the two would not work properly together and this would produce unequal pulling, resulting in inefficient work and perhaps cause suffering to one or both of the animals. St. Paul applies this law to a marriage and other partnerships between a believer and an unbeliever, when he urges the Corinthian Christians: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV).
As Jesus used the term, we who come to him in faith for forgiveness and a new form of life will become yoked to him, so that each of us pulls life's load jointly with him. In a sense, this teaming is also unequal. But the Lord knows how to work in teamwork with us so that it is efficient and not cruel to the human partner.
We are invited to take his yoke upon us and learn from him.
Of course, Jesus' "language [literally, tongue] of instruction" was used against those who opposed his Father's words and will: he used it effectively against the Pharisees and scribes.
But moving on to the next phrase, how was Jesus' ear "wakened" each day to listen to God?
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35 NIV)
5 Although this verse immediately follows v. 4, where listening and being taught is the theme, the words "opened my ears" may have a slightly different implication here. Notice this is immediately followed—as though by way of explanation—by the words "I was not rebellious." The focus here then is not so much on knowledge acquired as on obedience to God's will. Surely this is one of the main impressions one gains from reading the gospel accounts of Jesus' public ministry: he was obedient as every stage to the will of his Father. This is a deliberate contrast to the description of Israel as God's imperfect servant in 48:8, which reads:
You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. (Isaiah 48:8 NIV)
This Servant is not rebellious, but completely obedient. Why is it necessary to establish his complete obedience? What is Isaiah preparing us for that will be revealed in chapter 53? Yes, the death of the completely obedient, sinless Servant in order to take upon himself the sins of the disobedient servant!
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV)
In the gospel accounts Jesus made it quite clear that he was sinless:
The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:29 NIV) …Which one of you convicts me of sin? (John 8:46 ESV); see also “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22 NIV)
6 How is this verse related to the preceding one which we were just discussing? To what lengths did Jesus' obedience to his Father's will take him? Again we cannot avoid looking ahead to 53:10, where it is said that "it was Yahweh's will to crush him and cause him to suffer" (53:10). In the Gethsemane prayer Jesus asked that not his own, but his Father's will be done (Luke 22:42). This physical treatment—being struck on back and cheek, being spat upon and insulted—was literally received by Jesus according to the gospels, all in connection with his arrest, trial and preparation for crucifixion (Mark 14:65; 15:17-19; Luke 18:31-33). In Luke 18:31-33 Jesus told his disciples that it was "written by the prophets about the Son of Man [himself]" that he would be "handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again."
7-9 The Servant will be obedient to the extent that he will be abused and falsely accused. In chapter 53 we will learn that he will be put to death, and that in order to achieve forgiveness for the world's sinful people. But did he also have confidence that his mission would succeed and himself be exalted and rewarded with honor? Yes, that is the meaning of verses 7-9. According to widespread belief in those days, people who suffered were being punished by God for sins. If the Servant suffers, it must be because he was a rebellious sinner. We have seen above that he denied being rebellious. But now he announces that Yahweh himself will vindicate him as the innocent One who suffers only instead of others who deserve it. He will "not be disgraced" (7); or "put to shame (7). No accuser can prove him guilty of anything (8-9). These are words such as Samuel the prophet used to the people when he stepped down as the political leader of Israel in favor of the first king (1 Sam 12:1-5). But they were also echoed by Jesus himself when he challenged his opponents in John 8:46 with the words: "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?"
This leads to the next section, verses 10-11, apparently also spoken by the Servant:
(Isaiah 50:10-11) Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. 11 But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.
The Servant here addresses his followers and his opponents. The former can expect to have to trust in the name of the LORD while walking without light. All of us have to do this at times. Not that we are ever without the light that comes from God's word, the Scriptures. But we sometimes face situations where the choice of a God-honoring course may not be clear to us. In those situations our best course is to do what appears to most honor Christ.
To the latter he warns that the artificial "light" that they create for themselves, while ignoring the true light of the world, will only burn them in the end. From the hand of the Servant himself they will receive consignment to eternal torment and fire. The words "they will lie down" can also be translated as "they will fall sleep"—this is a typical way of referring to death using sleep s a metaphor.
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