Behold My Servant, My Chosen One

In one paragraph

This was the first Sunday of Advent, and the preacher opened a short series on the four servant passages in Isaiah, beginning with Isaiah 42:1-9. He connected the servant who is chosen, upheld by God's Spirit, and sent to bring justice to the nations directly to Jesus, reading the passage as prophecy fulfilled in Christ and still being fulfilled in his coming kingdom. The book of Isaiah has 66...

Read together

1. Romans 15:13 quoted at the candle lighting to introduce the theme of hope through the Holy Spirit
2. Isaiah 42:1-9 the primary text, read aloud in full and then worked through verse by verse as the first servant passage
3. Matthew 12 cited as the New Testament passage where Matthew calls back to Isaiah, noting Jesus did not lift his voice
4. Isaiah 6 referenced for the vision of the temple filled with cherubim and seraphim and the threefold holy, holy, holy

Talk about it

1. The pastor described the servant passages in Isaiah as the place in the Bible where the idea of 'the chosen one' bursts onto the scene. What had you previously understood about Jesus as the chosen one, and did anything in this passage add to or change that understanding?
2. The pastor walked through how Isaiah is structured: judgment, a historical bridge, and then deliverance. He said Israel's experience showed that acting out of fear tended to go badly, while acting out of faith in God tended to go well. Where do you see that pattern showing up in your own life right now?
3. The passage says a bruised reed he will not break and a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish. The pastor applied that directly to anyone feeling beat up right now. What does it mean to you personally that Jesus does not snuff out what is barely flickering?
4. The pastor said that Jesus bringing justice to the nations is still a future promise, and that as the body of Christ we are part of that work now, looking for things that are wrong and inequitable and working toward justice within our scope. What does that look like practically in your life or in this community?
5. The pastor pointed out that Jesus said both 'I am the light of the world' and 'you are the light of the world,' connecting believers to the servant's calling to be a light to the nations. What does it mean for you to carry that calling in your everyday relationships and settings?