You have probably heard it almost as often as I have, that the God of the Old Testament seems all vengeful and harsh while the God of the New Testament is all about love. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Old Testament is full of mercy and grace extended not just to his people but to the Gentile world also. Sure, there is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Noah’s flood but there is also the salvation of Nineveh, the rescue of the people of Israel on multiple occasions, and the relationships God has with real people.

While it is true that Jesus’ earthly ministry was a peaceful one, he tells us plainly that he did not come to bring peace but rather a sword (Matthew 10.34). The sword Jesus brought was division, and he accomplished this mission by dividing the nation of Israel and even the whole of the Roman Empire. Even so, it is largely true that Jesus did not come as a conqueror(except over sin and death, of course) and instead came as a suffering servant. This is why the Jewish people largely missed Jesus as their Messiah, they were expecting a king that would come in power and overthrow all earthy governments to establish a singular kingdom. That mission is still to come, but first he came to defeat the grave and make clear the path of salvation.

Its not as if there were no indication of this first mission, however. Isaiah 53 tells the story of the life of Jesus in exacting detail, and was written several hundred years before hand. From growing up “as a twig” without anyone taking notice, to being led into an unjust trail where he would say nothing in his own defense, to his death and resurrection to win salvation for all mankind. In all the telling, however, there are two points that should be noticed above all others.

The first is the immense suffering Jesus endured. Isaiah uses words like “wounded” and “crushed”, “enduring suffering” and “afflicted” to describe the pain. “YHWH caused the sin of all of us to attack him”, we’re told, he was like “a lamb led to the slaughtering block”. Anyone who has seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion knows just how deficient these descriptions are. There is more to it than that, however. Imagine Holy God being born into an impoverished family, growing up in Egypt instead of among the people he had specially chosen for his blessings. Later the family moved to Nazareth, a nowhere city far from Jerusalem and the temple. All the while separated from the rest of the Trinity until he was baptized by John. One can only imagine.

The second point is that Jesus willingly submitted himself to the suffering. He wasn’t pushed into it, he didn’t do it because it was the only way to appease the wrath and anger of another member of the Trinity, he did it willingly. He did it for us. He did it because he loves us. Just as Jesus longed to reunite with the Trinity, he longed to reunite man and God. He accomplished just that and he did so the only way it could be done, not as a hero of the people but as a servant who suffered in silence.