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A senior official from Ethiopia, in charge of his queen's treasury, is riding home in his chariot after worshipping in Jerusalem. He's reading aloud from a scroll of Isaiah. A stranger named Philip runs up beside the chariot and asks whether he understands what he's reading. The official invites him up and asks a brilliant question:
"‘Tell me,’ said the eunuch, ‘who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’" (Acts 8:34)
He was reading Isaiah 53, the song of the suffering servant. That question is still asked today. In this lesson, we're going to be detectives: follow the clues in Isaiah, see how the New Testament uses this song, and discover why it brings hope to people who suffer unfairly.
What you'll learn
- How the servant in Isaiah is linked to Israel, and also different from Israel
- How the song is shaped, and what's at its centre
- How the New Testament uses Isaiah 53, including to give hope to people treated unfairly
Following the clues
In Isaiah 40–55 there are four "servant songs" (Isaiah 42; 49; 50; and 52:13–53:12). Look at what they say about the servant:
| Clue | Reference | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah 41:8 | God calls the nation of Israel his servant |
| 2 | Isaiah 42:18–19 | But the servant nation is blind and deaf: it has failed |
| 3 | Isaiah 49:3 | The servant is called "Israel" |
| 4 | Isaiah 49:5–6 | Yet the servant's job is to bring Israel back to God, and be a light for the nations |
| 5 | Isaiah 53:8 | The servant is cut off for the rebellion of God's people |
| 6 | Isaiah 53:9 | The servant has done no violence and spoken no lies: he's innocent |
"He says: ‘It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.’" (Isaiah 49:6)
Here's the puzzle. Israel was meant to be God's servant, a light to the world. But the nation failed and went into exile because of its own sins. So God raises up one person who is "Israel" in himself: the true Israel, who brings the nation back to God and then reaches the whole world. The nation suffered for its own sins; the servant suffers, innocently, for theirs.
Think of a sports team. When the captain accepts the trophy, the whole team wins. One person can represent everyone.
To be fair, many Jewish readers today understand the servant as the nation of Israel, suffering among the nations. Some earlier Jewish interpreters linked parts of the passage to the Messiah. Christians point to clues 4–6 as evidence that the servant is an individual, distinct from the people he saves. You can weigh the evidence for yourself.
The shape of the song
The song has five stanzas of three verses each:
| Stanza | Verses | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52:13–15 | Raised high, yet so disfigured that kings are speechless |
| 2 | 53:1–3 | Ordinary-looking, despised and rejected |
| 3 | 53:4–6 | He carries our pain and our sin |
| 4 | 53:7–9 | Silent, condemned unjustly, killed and buried |
| 5 | 53:10–12 | It was God's will; afterwards he sees life, offspring and victory |
The song begins and ends with the servant lifted high:
"Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted." (Isaiah 52:13)
And right at the centre (stanza 3) is the servant suffering in our place. In Hebrew, the words used for the servant being "raised and lifted up" are the same pair Isaiah used for the Lord's exalted throne in Isaiah 6:1. The servant shares God's own high place, but he gets there through suffering. And after dying and being buried in stanza 4, he sees his offspring and lives on in stanza 5. Christians see a hint of resurrection.
How the New Testament uses the song
The New Testament writers keep coming back to this song. Most importantly, Jesus himself said, the night before he died, that Isaiah 53:12 must be fulfilled in him (Luke 22:37), and that he came to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The church didn't invent this link later. Matthew links the song to Jesus' healing (Matthew 8:16–17), John uses it to explain unbelief (John 12:37–38), Paul uses it for his mission (Romans 15:20–21), and Peter uses it to encourage Christians who are suffering unfairly.
Suffering with hope
Peter was writing to Christians who were being treated unjustly. He reached for Isaiah 53:
"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. ‘By His stripes you are healed.’" (1 Peter 2:24)
Peter shows Jesus in two ways. He is our substitute: he carried our sins. He is also our example: when he was insulted and made to suffer, he didn't hit back, but trusted himself to God, who judges justly (1 Peter 2:21–23). The order matters. If Jesus were only an example, it would crush us. Because he first carried our sins, following him becomes possible.
Trusting God when you're treated unfairly doesn't mean staying silent about wrong. If you're being bullied, hurt or mistreated, telling a trusted adult is part of seeking justice, and God often brings justice through people who protect the vulnerable. But suffering unfairly is never a sign that God has abandoned you. The servant suffered unfairly too, and God lifted him up.
Key words
- Servant songs: four poems in Isaiah 40–55 about God's chosen servant.
- Stanza: a section of a poem or song, like a verse.
- Substitute: someone who takes another person's place.
- Exalted: lifted up high, given honour.
How this points to Jesus
When the Ethiopian official asked who the prophet was talking about, Philip "began with this very Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus" (Acts 8:35). Jesus is the true Israel, the innocent one who was pierced for others, buried, and then lifted high. Christians believe he carried what we could never carry, and that his story shows suffering is not the end.
Think about it
Give one clue that the servant is linked to Israel, and one that he's different from Israel.Show answer
He's called "Israel" (Isaiah 49:3), but his job is to bring Israel back to God (49:5–6), and unlike the nation, he is innocent (53:9).
Why does it matter that Jesus himself quoted Isaiah 53 about himself?Show answer
It shows the link between Jesus and the servant wasn't invented later by the church; Jesus understood his own death through this song.
How is Jesus both our substitute and our example in 1 Peter 2?Show answer
As our substitute he carried our sins on the cross; as our example he showed how to respond to unfair suffering by trusting God rather than hitting back.
Take it further
Read the whole song (Isaiah 52:13–53:12) slowly this week. Then answer the Ethiopian's question in your own words: who is the prophet talking about, and why does it matter? Your worksheet helps you follow the clues and see how the New Testament uses the song.
If you'd like to, you could pray: Lord Jesus, you are the servant who was pierced for us. Thank you for carrying what we could not carry. When I'm treated unfairly, help me trust the God who lifted you up. Amen.