Isaiah 49:7b

This is what the Lord says – the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel – to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: ‘Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down,

Back in verse 4, we got our first hint that even though the Servant has been called by the God who rules the universe, his work looks more energy-sapping than epically-successfully; more, well, servant-like, than kingly. In today’s verse, that is spelt out even more clearly.

When the Servant comes, people will not be queueing up to listen to him. They won’t even politely ignore him. Instead, he will face outright hostility. He will be despised and rejected. ‘Abhorred’, as it says here – which is such a strong word that I don’t think I’ve ever used it in everyday conversation! It means, apparently, to regard something or someone with horror or loathing. It’s a shocking way for someone who has been appointed by God to be treated. But that’s not the worst thing. The greater surprise comes when we see just who does the loathing. It’s the whole nation. Not just one or two misguided individuals, but all the people. Isn’t that an accurate description of the reaction that Jesus got when he came to earth? Yes, he did have friends and followers, but he was also widely hated, despised and ridiculed. And by the end of his life, the hostility had the upper hand – his followers fled whilst his opponents delighted in his defeat.  As Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, battered and humiliated, he’s being treated far worse than a servant by both the Jewish leaders and the Roman rulers.

And yet, this is not the end of the story. God himself makes a promise to the Servant that one day that picture of the Servant in the hands of human authorities will be completely turned on its head. One day, the kings and rulers who rejected Jesus will stand up to honour him. One day, the nations who saw him as abhorrent will worship him as the greatest and most beautiful man who ever lived. Whenever it seems that evil has the upper hand, we need to remember the end of the story. One day, nothing and no-one will hold any power at all, except the Lord and his Servant.  On that day, at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, either willingly as his children or unwillingly as his defeated enemies.

Let’s praise him for that today, and bow before him willingly while we have the chance.