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April 8, 2019

The Blessed One, Servant and Son

Melissa Tidwell   |   Read Isaiah 50:4-9

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Lectionary Week
April 8–14, 2019
Scripture Overview

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118 is a song of rejoicing, yet it also includes the prophecy that the cornerstone must experience rejection. Isaiah speaks of physical suffering, of being beaten, disgraced, and spat on. We see elements of this in the Gospel reading, where Luke describes the final moments of Jesus’ life. Bloodied and beaten, Jesus hangs on the cross and breathes his last. In Philippians, Paul places this drama within the eternal narrative of God’s redeeming work. Jesus leaves his rightful place and becomes flesh. He experiences pain and suffering, even the most humiliating form of death, crucifixion. Jesus can empathize with our suffering because he has suffered. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Questions and Suggestions for Reflection

Read Isaiah 50:4-9a. How does the Suffering Servant speak to your life today?
Read Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29. How do you hear differently the familiar verses of this psalm when you read them together?
Read Philippians 2:5-11. Do you find it paradoxical to live as a beloved child of God and as a servant? If so, how do you live in this paradox?
Read Luke 19:28-40. How do you experience the extreme emotional highs and lows of Palm Sunday and Holy Week, even knowing how it will all turn out?

Respond by posting a prayer .

Isaiah 50:4-9

4 The LORD God gave me an educated tongue to know how to respond to the weary with a word that will awaken them in the morning. God awakens my ear in the morning to listen, as educated people do. 5 The LORD God opened my ear; I didn’t rebel; I didn’t turn my back. 6 Instead, I gave my body to attackers, and my cheeks to beard pluckers. I didn’t hide my face from insults and spitting. 7 The LORD God will help me; therefore, I haven’t been insulted. Therefore, I set my face like flint, and knew I wouldn’t be ashamed. 8 The one who will declare me innocent is near. Who will argue with me? Let’s stand up together. Who will bring judgment against me? Let him approach me. 9 Look! The LORD God will help me. Who will condemn me? Look, they will wear out like clothing; the moth will eat them.

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible. Used by permission.

In four different passages in the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the Suffering Servant (42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13– 53:12). We understand the Servant as a universal figure standing for all who suffer. The Servant might have been modeled on a historical person like Hezekiah, Josiah, or Cyrus. Christians...

Lord, help me speak and listen and learn to respond to the challenges I face with the confidence that you are my vindication. Amen.


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