Man of Sorrows - The Exalted Man
- Paul Downie
- Apr 9
- 19 min read
Isaiah 52:13-15 NIVUK
[13] See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. [14] Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness – [15] so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
‘I think Easter is just a scam by the chocolate companies to make us buy more of their product’.
So said my wife as we walked along a supermarket aisle filled with large, well-presented, but really overpriced hollow chocolate eggs, and she eyed up a few dairy-free eggs with a degree of longing.
Until she saw the price.
In a way, she was absolutely correct. Both major Christian festivals – Christmas and Easter – have been greatly commercialised. Christmas decorations start arriving in stores in early September; Easter chocolates almost as soon as New Year is done.
At least at Christmas some shopping centres put up Nativity displays so there can be some semblance to a Christian festival.
But not at Easter. The cross and the empty grave are simply not ‘on brand’. While the birth of a child is an almost universally happy event, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His rising from the dead are controversial. The cross was worn by the Crusaders during their highly un-Christian raids on the Holy Land. As a result, it has become quite triggering for Muslims. For others, it’s simply a picture of violence and torture, of mankind’s heartless inhumanity.
The empty grave, however, is just that: an empty grave. It has no resonance for those who do not believe in the resurrection because they simply do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead.
Anyway, while Christmas is a happy time, the cross and the empty grave are entirely different. The cross symbolised Jesus’ torturous death for our sins; the empty grave the reality that He beat death. If we believe that these are really true, then we cannot remain indifferent : we have to do something about it.
Because when we believe in the Easter account, we have to believe that Jesus was who He said He was: the Messiah and the Saviour of mankind.
It just doesn’t sense otherwise.
That is why, I believe, the symbols of Easter are relegated to churches and Christian venues.
They preach that Christ really is Lord and that we have to do something about it.
A fluffy bunny carrying a basket of eggs is far more comforting a picture.
These meditations are designed to do the exact opposite. They are designed to focus us on precisely who Jesus is and precisely what He has done for us. Not everyone will find them to be an easy read. Not everyone will enjoy them.
But all, I pray, will see Jesus for who He really is and reckon with the reality of His Lordship.
Before we grapple with these verses, we need to understand what they are.
What we are examining is a prophecy, written around seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ. It was written prior to the Babylonian exile of Judah, but around the time that the Assyrians were causing a lot of problems for both Kingdoms. The Jewish Kingdoms were harassed and harangued, under immense pressure. Israel would be the first to buckle.
But within a few generations, Judah would fall to, but to Babylon.
This was a time of immense turmoil. Yet, there is one detail we must remember as we read this prophecy – it’s critical to remember it:
Crucifixion had not yet arrived in the Jewish Kingdoms.
It didn’t arrive until the Romans exported it in during the First Century.
Why is that important?
Because Isaiah’s prophecy describes it pretty much perfectly, seven hundred years before it appeared.
So this prophecy will take us from the stress and strain of a situation where a greater power was threatening to overcome two much smaller, weaker nations on a key international trade route between Syria to the north and Egypt to the south, seven hundred years forward to the foot of the most gruesome instrument of execution ever known to man. Along the way, we will gain a better understanding of what Jesus went through, in life and in death, to save us. We will see in detail how much this Man of Sorrows both understands our human condition and bore it to the cross.
We will see, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that there us no-one else in this world moew worth following than Him.
And neither will there ever be.
We’ll start by looking at three verses in Isaiah 52 that seem to sum the whole thing up by looking at the three stages in Jesus’ experience, starting with seeing Him as a man who was Exalted.
Exalted
Isaiah 52:13 NIVUK
[13] See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
In Singapore Airport they are trialling a system that will either thrill or terrify you, depending on your perspective. They have perfected facial recognition software to the point that certain nationalities can register with them and never have to pass through an immigration check. They will walk down a corridor, where they will be scanned by cameras as they walk. The facial recognition software will recognise them, record their arrival and allow them to enter the country – or not, as the case may be – all based on their biometric data.
Here we see a sort-of biometric portrait of the Messiah: who they would be and how they would live. This biometric portrait consists of three elements.
Firstly, that they will be wise. That is, they will not just have head knowledge, but will have the ability to practically apply this to their life. The Hebrew word speaks of prudence and carefulness that leads to prosperity.
Jesus had these characteristics. He was wise. He was prudent. He was careful. He was considered. And it led to His ministry growing quickly.
Think about it.
What does John say about Jesus?
John 2:23-25 NIVUK
[23] Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. [24] But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. [25] He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
Before every major decision, Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, did one thing in particular:
Luke 6:12 NIVUK
[12] One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
He prayerfully considered the decision, and then He decided.
There was no-one wiser than Jesus.
And Isaiah was clear: this wisdom wasn’t some ‘airy fairy’ theoretical wisdom that was dreamed up in some ivory tower and was ‘too heavenly minded to be any earthly use’. No, this was practical wisdom which Jesus Himself put into practice.
It was this that led Jesus to be fundamentally different from the other rabbis of His day:
Matthew 7:28-29 NIVUK
[28] When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, [29] because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
He spoke with authority because His teaching was practical, unequivocal and He lived by it Himself.
The second thing about this servant is, quite obviously, that they will serve. That is the role of a servant.
Now, this word is very interesting. It has two fundamental meanings.
One is, as we might imagine, someone who is serving in the household of another – the traditional view of a servant.
The other is of someone who is a subject of another: like someone who is ruled over by a King or a Queen or a Lord.
In other words, we are talking about someone who has declined authority over their life and submitted it to someone else.
This is what is said about Jesus:
Hebrews 10:5-7 NIVUK
[5] Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; [6] with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. [7] Then I said, “Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, my God.” ’
By coming to earth, Jesus submitted entirely to His Father’s rule. Those times when He prayed to His Father before taking decisions show that He was submitted.
But the greatest act of submission of all was when He was facing the cruel barbarity of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane:
Luke 22:41-44 NIVUK
[41] He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, [42] ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’ [43] An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. [44] And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Jesus took on the role of a servant of His Father. That servitude led Hin to the cross.
It also says something wonderful, that we hear happening so rarely nowadays: that the Servant would rise.
And how!
The Hebrew in this verse indicates that He would rise and rise until He reached the very top.
This was true of Jesus:
Philippians 2:9-11 NIVUK
[9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Put simply: there is no-one higher.
Take a look at the profile we have here in these verses. We have a wise servant, loyal to His Master, who rises higher and higher. In a very real way, we all need a leader like that. We need someone who is wise and honourable, acts with integrity and humility, serves God perfectly and rises because of this and not some nasty chicanery.
If such a person stood for election in your neighbourhood, town, city, district or nation, would you not vote for them?
Of course you would!
Because if such a person is on an inexorable rise to the very top, we would all want to rise with them.
That being the case, what we see in just the next verse is jarring in the extreme. Because we move on from a man who is exalted to a man who is Disfigured.
Disfigured
Isaiah 52:14 NIVUK
[14] Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness –
For as long as I will live, I will never understand tattoo culture, especially those who seek out a tattoo on their face or neck. It feels like asking an artist to paint a masterpiece over one that already exists on a canvass that deteriorates every single day. I don’t understand putting yourself through pain for something you know will gradually look worse over time.
And in doing so, you damage your employment prospects and ability to provide for your family.
Maybe I'm a little old fashioned, but I think it’s absurd.
I just don’t understand why anyone would want to disfigure themselves like that.
Nowadays, we’d like to think that we have a more educated attitude towards disfigurement (although RJ Palacio’s book ‘Wonder’ questions that thinking).
In Isaiah’s day, that was definitely not the case. Their attitude was governed by Old Testament law, which said:
Leviticus 21:16-21 NIVUK
[16] The Lord said to Moses, [17] ‘Say to Aaron: “For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. [18] No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; [19] no man with a crippled foot or hand, [20] or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. [21] No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.
The ancient world could not tolerate those who were disfigured. They were considered as cursed by God because of their sin (John 9:1-3). They were reduced to begging and depending on the mercy of others to survive. They were locked in back rooms, kept out of public view. Their families were ashamed of them.
So the very prospect that God’s Servant, His Messiah, could be disfigured in any way was just unthinkable.
In their history, one king did suffer brutal disfigurement.
This is what is said about their last king, Zedekaiah:
2 Kings 25:7 NIVUK
[7] They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
But these verses could not be written about him: firstly, because he was blinded, and these verses speak of a much more savage violence; secondly, because he’d not found himself in this position because of wisdom, but of folly – the folly of trying to double-deal behind the king of Babylon’s back (2 Kings 24:20).
No. These verses were written about someone else:
Jesus Christ.
As uncomfortable as it is for us to admit it, at the heart of the Easter story is an act of violence so utterly heinous and savage and brutal that it almost defies description. The Bible records Jesus as being slapped, spat on and punched (Matthew 26:67; John 19:3). Worse, they made a crown out of incredibly spiky desert thorns and placed it on His head (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17; John 19:1-2). They then struck Him on the head with a wooden staff (Mark 15:19).
The bleeding, the bruising, the swelling, it must have been intense.
Not looking like a human being?
That is a distinct possibility.
Imagine the shock with which this prophecy would have been met. Imagine the horror. The Servant of God, the Messiah, ill-treated to such a degree that He was disfigured beyond the point of being recognised as human?
The very idea would be unconscionable for the Jews.
And yet it's here in Isaiah.
And yet, seven hundred years later, it happened.
Now, for all who carry some form of disfigurement or disability there is a tremendous hope in these verses. Because Jesus didn’t just bear His disfigurement on the cross.
No, He also wore it later:
John 20:26-28 NIVUK
[26] A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ [27] Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ [28] Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
Do you see it?
The scars Jesus bore from the heartless, inhumane disfigurement He’d endured became the basis for His identification by His disciples. They were the means by which they recognised Him and knew who He was.
He bore them, not in shame, but in lasting remembrance of all that He’d suffered for us.
More than that – much more than that:
Revelation 5:6 NIVUK
[6] Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Jesus Christ bears those scars into all eternity – for you!
So never be ashamed of who you are or what you have endured or the scars you bear.
Because Jesus bears them too.
So we have seen that Jesus was a man who was exalted, but then, in a situation that was most cruel, was also disfigured.
We now go on to see that other people will be Amazed by Him.
Amazed
Isaiah 52:15 NIVUK
[15] so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
This verse might seem ordinary – the kind of verse that you skim over to get to the ‘real’ action. However, that is not the case.
Consider this: sprinkling was something priests did, usually as part of a ritual that restored the relationship of the people with God following contact with something unclean (for example: Leviticus 4,16; Numbers 19). It was also used to set things or people apart for a consecrated use (Numbers 8:7).
God later promised through the prophet Ezekiel that He would so this for His people:
Ezekiel 36:24-26 NIVUK
[24] ‘ “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. [25] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. [26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
But astonishingly, in Isaiah 52:15, it is not the Jews who are being sprinkled, cleansed and set apart for sacred use.
It is the nations.
It is the Gentiles.
And not just one nation, but many nations.
This is Isaiah foretelling the spread of the Gospel across the globe.
It began in earnest with God's blessing of Abraham:
Genesis 12:2-3 NIVUK
[2] ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’
David sung of it:
1 Chronicles 16:24-25 NIVUK
[24] Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous deeds among all peoples. [25] For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
Isaiah Himself foretold it:.
Isaiah 49:5-7 NIVUK
[5] And now the Lord says – he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honoured in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength – [6] he says: ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.’ [7] 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, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’
Jesus commanded it:
Matthew 28:18-20 NIVUK
[18] Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’
Acts 1:8 NIVUK
[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
And one day it will be fulfilled:
Revelation 5:8-10 NIVUK
[8] And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. [9] And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. [10] You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’
Revelation 7:9-10 NIVUK
[9] After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. [10] And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’
What we see here, most remarkably, is Isaiah connecting this to Jesus, a Man who rose inexorably, but was disfigured inhumanely.
Yet now His message gets out unstoppably.
And many, many people are changed and set apart for holy use.
What a vision!
But it doesn’t stop there.
You see, these verses teach the many would be appalled and absolutely stunned at how the Servant was disfigured – and we can fully understand that – it also says that kings will shut their mouths because of Him. It’s almost as if they will catch one glimpse of Him and immediately be silent.
Now, if you think about our modern day rulers, some of them have a big mouth. There is no doubt about that. I’m sure there is more than one whom we wish would be silent.
What we have here, I believe, is a Psalm 2 moment. These kings have heard of what has happened to Jesus. They may have even complicit in it. Spiritually, their sins, as well as ours, made it necessary. They would not believe that anyone could come back from this. It would seem utterly impossible. The wounds were too severe. The beating, too much. The torture, too unthinkable.
But there He stands before them: the Lamb that looks as if it has been slain, at the centre of the Throne of God.
And what is His response?
Psalms 46:10 NIVUK
[10] He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’
They must be silent. They must be still.
Why?
Because Jesus is risen from the grave.
Because Jesus is God.
Because Jesus is exalted.
And they have no answer to that.
Their chattering mouths must fall silent.
And ours too.
These verses end with intriguing words:
Isaiah 52:15 NIVUK
[15] For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.
What could this mean?
I see here the very opposite of the words given to Isaiah when he was called as a prophet:
Isaiah 6:9-10 NIVUK
[9] He said, ‘Go and tell this people: ‘ “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.” [10] Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.’
The Jews had possessed the Word of God for centuries, but they had neither listened to it not obeyed it.
The Gentiles, however, would see and understand without ever having heard the message.
This is peculiar.
It could be this that Isaiah is talking about:
Romans 2:14-15 NIVUK
[14] (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. [15] They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)
However, it could be – and we can’t know this for sure – that Isaiah is foretelling the conversions of people like Cornelius (Acts 10), who are prepared to receive the Gospel by Divine provision of a vision, hear the Gospel and immediately repent.
Or, it could also be that Isaiah is talking about the visions and dreams many in the Islamic world have that bring them to the Lord.
Either way, what we see here is Isaiah prophesying something Jesus later confirmed will happen:
Matthew 24:14 NIVUK
[14] And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Which means that you and I, when we preach the message of this Gospel, are helping the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, which was made more than two and a half thousand years ago.
And that is an awesome privilege
Conclusion
Part of my job is to take complex analyses into difficult problems and break them down into a pithy summary that my managers can read quickly, understand and use as the basis for correct business decisions.
And that is not always easy. Creating a short, but accurate summary of a complex issue in a way that another person can easily understand is a skill – and from my experience in the technology world, a skill not everyone has.
Which is why the advent of generative AI is often a blessing for people who are too technically minded to be any practical good. It makes their job a whole lot easier.
When it gets it right.
As I write these words, generative AI is still prone to errors, often called ‘hallucinations’, where the right input can still generate the wrong output.
I can assure you, this meditation was not written by AI.
Why am I talking about AI here?
Because these verses are a pithy summary of what we are about to study. More than that, they are a summary of the whole Gospel.
We see here an exalted man – a man who is constantly on the rise and is taking people with Him. Everything is looking good. Many people believe that He will save them, that He is their Messiah.
But then something truly tragic happens. This man is disfigured. And not just a little. The violence inflicted on Him was so severe that He no longer resembled a human being.
It looked like everything is over.
But it was not.
This broken man blessed nations, providing purification for the sins of those who were not even aware they were sinners, silencing the mouths of kings and rulers, and the message of His victory reaches the ends of the earth.
This, in essence, is the Gospel. This is the saving grace that reaches put to all of us and offers us the chance to be cleansed of our sin if only we will repent and believe.
Over the next few weeks, as we approach Easter, we will come face to face with both the utter inhumanity of sin and the Divine-humanity of the One who came to save us from it. It will not be an easy journey. But then, the most rewarding journeys never are.
The questions that will confront us then, as now, are these:
Will you repent and believe the message of salvation?
Will you give your life to Jesus Christ?
I pray with all my heart that you will say ‘Yes’ to both.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I am enthralled by what You did for me on the cross. I gaze upon it in horror at my sin that put You there, and in wonder atYour love that held You there. Yes, I will follow You. Yes, I repent of my sin. Yes, I believe. Amen.
Questions
What were the two factors that Isaiah mentions in relation to the Servant being exalted? Why are they important?
Why do you think Isaiah is so specific about mentioning the disfiguring of the Servant? How would He have been treated by His contemporaries?
What clues are there that these verses talk about Jesus? Does this change what you think about Jesus? In what way?
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