Rather than presenting himself as a powerful, glorious king or as a political leader, Jesus identified himself with a mysterious figure from the Old Testament: the Suffering Servant described by the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah’s four “Servant Songs” present an unnamed individual whose God-given mission was to suffer at the hands of persecutors in order to ransom God’s people. For the New Testament authors and the early Church, these passages helped answer a fundamental question: Who is Jesus Christ?

This Lenten season, we, too, turn to the Suffering Servant in order to encounter Christ. The virtues of the Servant – humility, patience, silence, meekness, to name a few – are virtues we strive to cultivate during Lent. By contemplating Jesus in the figure of the Suffering Servant, we can accompany him along the difficult way of the cross and, ultimately, to the glory of the Resurrection.

Jesus, the Humble Servant

“He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.” (Is 42:2-3)

Jesus reveals a mystery we can ponder for the rest of our lives: God is humble. Although he had every right to assert himself – indeed, he was God – Jesus obediently submitted to the Father’s will and, though innocent, took our punishment upon himself. The first Adam sinned by his pride and disobedience; Jesus, the “new Adam,” defeated sin by humility and obedience.

Such profound humility is antithetical to the message we receive from much of the world around us. Ad campaigns and billboards tout wealth, strength, beauty, pleasure, and success as worthy of pursuit. Weakness, dependency and self-denial are dismissed or disparaged.

But God’s wisdom is not our wisdom. He who is infinitely powerful was victorious precisely by lowering himself and becoming weak. In our interpersonal relationships and in our relationship with God, humility is key to setting aside our own desires and wills for the sake of another. In a word: Humility is the key to love.

Jesus, the Suffering Servant

“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Is 53:3)

Exactly what Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries were expecting in the Messiah differed between sects of Judaism, but virtually no one foresaw the Messiah’s life culminating in a humiliating and painful death. The widespread idea was that the Messiah would bring about some kind of restoration of Israel’s former glory. It was through the lens of this deliverance that Jews understood Old Testament passages describing the concord which would accompany the Messiah’s reign. [Many of these passages still appear in the Church’s liturgy during the Advent season (e.g., “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb” Is 11:6).]

Jesus would indeed offer peace “not as the world gives” (Jn 14:27) and eternal deliverance, but his life would be marked by self-denial and suffering. The true Messiah would bear fruit not by earthly glory, but by sacrifice.

Jesus, Savior from Sin

“With his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53:5)

Echoing the prophets before him, Jesus preached repentance and interior conversion. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” (Mt 4:17), was his message during his public ministry. Jesus knew that sin was humanity’s deepest problem because it isolates us from God and from each other. Consequently, even the physical healings he performed were often connected to the forgiveness of sins.

Isaiah portrays the Suffering Servant as the innocent one who, like an animal destined for sacrifice, would bear others’ sins. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities;” Isaiah writes of the Servant. “Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole,” (Is 53:5).

Familiar with Isaiah’s prophecies, Jesus embraced his mission as the innocent victim who alone could definitively restore communion between God and man. By his willingness to go to such great lengths to redeem us, Jesus reveals how deeply pleased God is when we strive to avoid sin and live in accord with his will.

Jesus, Light to the Nations

“I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Is 49:6)

Finally, the scope of the Suffering Servant’s vocation was universal. Through him, God would make his salvation available to all nations and peoples who would accept him.

That Jesus would fulfill this worldwide mission was prophesied as early as his presentation in the Temple 40 days after his birth. Taking the Divine Infant into his arms, the aged Simeon rejoiced that he would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” (Lk 2:32)

Jesus fulfills these words on the cross. There, lifted high above the earth, he introduces the light of God’s salvation to all nations willing to call upon him.

Praying with the Suffering Servant

As you read the Scripture texts, consider the following questions in prayer:

• What images stand out to you? What might we be able to learn about Jesus from them?
• What is the mindset of the Servant throughout the Servant Songs? What is his reason for having this perspective?
• What does the figure of the Servant tell us about God’s love?

Special thanks to Msgr. Charles Pope for his excellent talk, “Like a Lamb: The Suffering Servant & the Prophecy of Isaiah,” published by the Institute of Catholic Culture, for inspiring this column.