THE WAYS OF THE KINGDOM

THE SERVANT KING

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IN considering the ways of the Kingdom of God, here we are to look at our king. It is in our king that we see the way of his kingdom set forth, worked out and demonstrated. The passage before us in this meditation is Isaiah 42:1-4.

I like in sermons to have headings which divide up the teaching in unified lumps, all amplifying the whole - in this case the revelation of our Servant King. I have not been able to do this, so I am simply turning to the words of Scripture and seeking to open up the revelation of Jesus which is so gloriously revealed here.

There is no way we can understand this revelation without the interpretation that we have been given in the Gospel of St.Matthew. The relevant passage is St.Matthew 12:15-21. Without this interpretation given by the Spirit of God we would have no way of seeing the kingship of Jesus in the way which saves and gives hope. When we come to the crucial words in Isaiah 42:1c "and he will bring justice to the nations", without what Matthew's Gospel reveals, how could we come to any other conclusion than that this servant was one who would rule over the nations, and expel all injustice. We would see it as an earthly kingdom. We would see the Servant as an earthly ruler who does better than any other in expelling injustice and exploitation, and bringing in justice for all. The problem in such an interpretation is that we would have to say that this servant has never come, because no such rule has ever been set up on the earth. We could not, therefore, take hope from this, as verse 4 seems to indicate, because no such king has ever come.

It is St.Matthew that tells us that this servant foretold in Isaiah is the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he fulfils this prophecy completely. It is in Matthew's words that we can see something of the meaning of Isaiah 42:2, and from this understanding see the meaning of the crucial line "and he will bring justice to the nations".

Isaiah 42:2 which talks about the Servant as not shouting or crying out, not raising his voice in the street, is beyond interpretation, given only the Isaiah passage. We have no means of knowing what the words refer to. It is Matthew who opens up the meaning. We are told by Matthew that when Jesus healed people, he warned them not to tell people who he was and to keep quiet about there healing. It was part of his way of keeping inconspicuous as far as possible, and not wanting to come in conflict with the authorities. It reveals him not wanting in anyway to have any earthly authority or position, and that his work did not consist of this. In other words Jesus did not shout or cry out or seek to make himself noticed in order to claim a position in the world.

The Way of the Kingdom, which Jesus the Servant King was involved in, was not an earthly one, and had nothing to do with domination or ruling, but instead in serving. If he had no idea of earthly authority and rule, then his coming to proclaim or bring justice must be seen in what he did come to do, which was to die on the cross to satisfy the justice of God.

This is the glory of the revelation of our Servant King, and through this revelation we see the glory of a serving God. The glory is that he came to serve his people and to work and do all that was necessary for their safety, comfort and security for time and eternity. It is a serving which is total, which lays no conditions or burdens on his people, but instead totally provides for them in every way.

The Isaiah passage opens by telling us that this is and was the very mind of God. It really looks back into eternity before time, and at the deliberations of the Godhead in Trinity in that eternity. The Servant is God's servant, yet he is the second person of the Godhead. He is beloved and delighted in by God the Father, because he is agreed in doing what is the mind of God in the salvation of fallen humanity. The third person of the Trinity is also set forth. The Spirit of God upon the servant has the meaning, not so much of the idea of empowering and giving strength, but rather that God's thoughts, plans, purposes, wishes, desires, etc. all might be completely reflected and worked out in Jesus.

The idea behind the Servant being chosen by God is of Jesus being in full cooperation with the will of the Father and the only one who could be so full in cooperation.

The great revelation concerning Jesus, our Servant King, is in the words "he will proclaim or bring justice to the nations". We have seen that Matthew leads us to understand that this is fulfilled in the work Jesus came to do, which was to die on the cross and give his life a ransom for many. With this understanding we can see that the 'bringing justice to the nations' means bringing to the nations, to humanity in the world, the means by which people can meet the demands of God's justice. It speaks first of God satisfying completely his justice with regard to sinners, and yet at the same time justifying the sinner. It is a revelation, and a bringing in of, the way God in no way violates his justice when he forgives us sinners, and accounts us righteous. It is the bringing in of the way God can justly account us righteous and account us as ones who have completely fulfilled the just demands of his holiness.

Jesus proclaimed this and brought this in, when in his holy and pure life he fulfilled all the demands of God's holiness and love, and then in his sinlessness, giving himself as a sacrifice to the suffer wholly the punishment due for our sins, so making it possible for God to be just when he pronounces us as righteous before him.

He is the Servant King, because all his rule and work for his people is one of giving gracious service to provide all we need to be safe in his love and in the love of God. He served in this so sacrificial way in order that we may be brought to glory, without cost to ourselves. In this way he established justice on earth, because in him alone is the justice of God completely set forth, satisfied and fulfilled. In him we fulfil that justice. He was entirely faithful in bringing in this justice. He did not falter or grow discouraged until he had completed this so great and loving work. This was expressed when he said on the cross "IT IS FINISHED".

It is because our Servant King has brought in this justice that the 'Islands or the nations will put their hope in his law". It is his law, because it is different to the Mosaic Law which only the Jews had any interest in, and which the Gentiles were excluded. It is his law because it is a law or principle of life which the Old Testament ceremonial law could never accomplish. The ceremonial law of Moses only gave a temporary pardon and peace with God. The law of the Servant of God gives lasting pardon and peace with God, which can never be lost by his people, because Jesus made it complete and whole. We have strong and assured hope, because this pardon and peace can not be lost or taken away by our sinning in the future, however serious, because our future sins are included in this law of grace, as much as the sins of the past.

Because of this justice proclaimed and established, this wonderful loving Servant King treats his weak and faltering subjects, in all their failure of living and believing, with compassion and gentleness. This is expressed in the prophesy in verse 3. "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out". So often because of our flesh we fall into sin and we are like bruised reeds. Natural human justice comes to such, and condemns and crushes, and tells us to be better and pull our socks up. Jesus comes with words of love, which in no way encourages us to sin or makes light of it, but raises us up and assures us that our sins are forgiven. There is power in this gentle love which no condemnation can ever produces, because in this gentle loving we long to do better in future, and seek his grace to do so.

So often our faith grows weak and faltering. The fire of it does not burn brightly, but is virtually gone out. There is just a small spark left with smoke. The way of natural justice is to point out the inconsistencies of such broken faith and again to condemn and tells us to repent of such unbelief. Not so our Servant King. Because he has completed justice, there is nothing more for us to do. Our believing does not add to it or our unbelieving diminish it. Instead of killing what little faith we have left by rebuke, Jesus blows the spark of faith into life again by building us up with the assurance of his complete justifying grace he has brought in.

In all this Jesus is always and completely the Servant King, serving us in love so that we may be kept in his love and be happy in his love. This is the Way of the Kingdom. Our Servant King serves and goes on serving. We may rest in this so complete grace and love.

This is the way we must seek to follow. We must be willing to give ourselves in sacrificial service in the way Jesus has done for us. We do not achieve anything by such serving sacrifice which in anyway contributes to our safety before God. Such sacrifice is not required because Jesus Sacrifice is totally sufficient for us. Nor is our sacrifice achieving in anyway the salvation of others. Again the sacrifice of Jesus is all sufficient for all. However when we do in love for Jesus seek to follow his example and mind in this way, we become channels through which the sacrifice and servanthood of Jesus is brought to others, so that they may be served unto salvation by the Servant King.