The Servant of God is one of the major themes of the book of Isaiah. But who is this Servant?
Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:1-3)
So, Israel is this Servant of God. But is this Israel a nation or a person? Let us read on.
Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:1-3)
So, Israel is this Servant of God. But is this Israel a nation or a person? Let us read on.
And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength (Isaiah 49:5)
Here, we see the mission of this Servant. His job is to bring Israel back to God. This Israel is to bring Israel back to God. Obviously, this Servant Israel is a person who is to bring Israel the nation back to God. Let's call him the Messiah.
In the gospel of Matthew, we read of the story of a Canaanite woman in Tyre and Sidon. She doggedly begged Jesus to free her daughter from the possession of a demon.
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)
This was the instruction Jesus gave his apostles when he sent them out to preach the gospel (Matthew 10:6). In his public ministry, Jesus confined himself to the evangelization among the Jews. Because of God's promise to Abraham, the Jews had the priority to receive the good news first. It was after his resurrection that Jesus sent his apostles to evangelize the whole world (Matthew 28:19).
Though the Jews may disagree, Jesus is this Servant Israel. This understanding sheds some light on the problem of Jesus' baptism. Without sins, why did Jesus insist on receiving John's baptism? There are many explanations. By identifying Jesus with Israel, we gain an extra perspective to look at the question of Jesus' baptism. Jesus represents Israel as a people to reconcile with God through baptism. The oracle that God will be glorified in Israel is fulfilled in Jesus whose resurrection glorifies God.
Here, we see the mission of this Servant. His job is to bring Israel back to God. This Israel is to bring Israel back to God. Obviously, this Servant Israel is a person who is to bring Israel the nation back to God. Let's call him the Messiah.
In the gospel of Matthew, we read of the story of a Canaanite woman in Tyre and Sidon. She doggedly begged Jesus to free her daughter from the possession of a demon.
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)
This was the instruction Jesus gave his apostles when he sent them out to preach the gospel (Matthew 10:6). In his public ministry, Jesus confined himself to the evangelization among the Jews. Because of God's promise to Abraham, the Jews had the priority to receive the good news first. It was after his resurrection that Jesus sent his apostles to evangelize the whole world (Matthew 28:19).
Though the Jews may disagree, Jesus is this Servant Israel. This understanding sheds some light on the problem of Jesus' baptism. Without sins, why did Jesus insist on receiving John's baptism? There are many explanations. By identifying Jesus with Israel, we gain an extra perspective to look at the question of Jesus' baptism. Jesus represents Israel as a people to reconcile with God through baptism. The oracle that God will be glorified in Israel is fulfilled in Jesus whose resurrection glorifies God.
In fact, the oracle of Isaiah is not confined to the people of Israel only. Here is what Isaiah has to say.
he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
God has the whole world in mind. He does not look at Israel only. Therefore, God initiates a whole series of events: the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the believers to form the Church to continue Jesus' unfinished mission. Therefore, the mission to bring salvation to the whole world falls on the shoulder of the Church which Jesus established. May God's will be done.
he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
God has the whole world in mind. He does not look at Israel only. Therefore, God initiates a whole series of events: the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the believers to form the Church to continue Jesus' unfinished mission. Therefore, the mission to bring salvation to the whole world falls on the shoulder of the Church which Jesus established. May God's will be done.
Can we carry out this mission outside the Church?
The Church evangelizes through proclamation and social services. There are social services provided by charities and the Church also evangelizes through social services. She provides social services with a difference. Like Jesus who healed the paralyzed man, the Church serves not only the physical needs, but also the spiritual thirst of the needy. There are government hospitals and NGO hospitals and the Church also builds hospitals. She heals with a difference. While secular hospitals heal the body, Christian hospitals heal the souls first. There are schools provided by many other sponsoring bodies and the Church also runs schools. She provides education with a difference. Like Jesus, the schools run by the Church do not only teach knowledge, but also the Christian formation of the souls. I do not see how these secular organizations are able to take care of the spiritual needs of their clients. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church targets the spiritual needs of humanity. This is more easily said than done. When the Christian organizations lose sight of their core mission, they are not doing their jobs properly. May God have mercy on their souls.
The Church evangelizes through proclamation and social services. There are social services provided by charities and the Church also evangelizes through social services. She provides social services with a difference. Like Jesus who healed the paralyzed man, the Church serves not only the physical needs, but also the spiritual thirst of the needy. There are government hospitals and NGO hospitals and the Church also builds hospitals. She heals with a difference. While secular hospitals heal the body, Christian hospitals heal the souls first. There are schools provided by many other sponsoring bodies and the Church also runs schools. She provides education with a difference. Like Jesus, the schools run by the Church do not only teach knowledge, but also the Christian formation of the souls. I do not see how these secular organizations are able to take care of the spiritual needs of their clients. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church targets the spiritual needs of humanity. This is more easily said than done. When the Christian organizations lose sight of their core mission, they are not doing their jobs properly. May God have mercy on their souls.
Dear Lord, I thank You for including us Chinese to share Your eternal life. May we put our efforts on the right target and move ahead. Amen.
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