The Surprising Servant
Scripture — Isaiah 52:13-14 (NRSV)
See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
Just as there were many who were astonished at him
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals.
Focus
Isaiah 52 features a surprising, even shocking picture of God’s Servant. We understand that Jesus fulfilled the role of the Servant as he humbled himself in dying on the cross. The example of God’s Servant challenges us to lead in the humble, self-giving, God-honoring way of Jesus.
Devotion
God works in surprising ways. Given God’s glory and power, we might well expect that God’s Servant would be equally glorious and powerful. Wouldn’t God’s chosen representative on earth reflect God’s own glory and power? In a sense, the answer is yes. But Isaiah testifies to the surprising character and experience of God’s Servant. The one who will be “exalted and lifted up” is not beautiful, but rather “so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals” (52:14). Something very unexpected is going on here!
Of course, when Christians read this passage, we understand it in light of Jesus, the true Servant of God. We know that his birth was about as humble as it could have been (visiting angels notwithstanding!). His human life was relatively ordinary. He spent the majority of his adult years working as a craftsman. His public ministry was certainly unusual, but his death was as horrible and humiliating as any death could be. Jesus was literally so disfigured that many were appalled at him. Yet Jesus was indeed the Servant of God, the one through whom God was bringing salvation to the world by ushering in the kingdom.
The example of God’s Servant challenges me to look at many things, not with human eyes, but with divine insight. I can be easily impressed by power, fame, beauty, and wealth. I, along with most human beings, tend to look for leaders—even Christian leaders—who shine with human glory. Thus, we can easily miss the genuine work of God in today’s world, a work that comes through those who are humble, unimpressive, even invisible. Isaiah reminds us to look, not for glitz, but for the gospel.
Moreover, the stunning servanthood of Jesus challenges me in my own leadership. If I intend to follow Jesus—which I do—then I need to imitate his servant leadership. Remember what Jesus said about his mission as the Son of Man, a mission infused with the perspective of Isaiah’s Servant, and how this mission should inspire us: “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).
Reflect
What impresses you most in people: beauty, fame, wealth, or power? Or is it something else?
Have you ever met someone who was used by God in profound ways even though that person had no earthly glory?
Are you willing to put aside dreams of your own glory in order to walk the road of servanthood?
How can you serve the people who are entrusted to your care today?
Act
As you work today, do something as a genuine act of service to someone else.
Pray
Lord Jesus, you are indeed glorious. You rightly receive the worship that belongs to God alone, because you are God. Yet, in your matchless mercy, you did not grasp your glory, but emptied yourself, taking the form of a slave, becoming human, and even dying on a cross. You were not what people expected of a god, not to mention God.
Because you were disfigured on the cross, you have brought salvation to this world. Moreover, you have been highly exalted, hailed as the one true Lord, worshiped as God. Today we join that worship, amazed by who you are and what you have done.
Help me, Lord, to see with your eyes. Help me not to be blinded by human glory, but to see how you are working even today in those who are humble. May I serve you and others in humility, imitating your self-giving love and servanthood. Show me, Lord, how to serve those around me today. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: How to Lead in the Kingdom of God, Part 2.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...