The Servant’s Mission

By Bob Bunn

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:1-25, Isaiah 43:1-28, Isaiah 44:1-23, Matthew 20:25-28

My dad spent some of his formative years in northern California before his family moved back to Tennessee. For years, he talked about going back for a visit, but he never took the time. Recently, my son and I conspired to make his dream come true. After more than seven decades, he finally returned for a visit.

Before the trip, the three of us spent a lot of time talking and planning. Along with getting the plane tickets and the hotel reservations, we also thought about how the trip might play out. My dad even reached out to a friend he had known as a boy. The man still lived in the area and could show us around the city. As the trip drew closer, the excitement and the anticipation grew.

Of course, reality often fails to measure up to our expectations. We build up an event or an experience in our minds to such an extent that nothing could match the hype in our heads. As a result, we walk away disappointed.

Thankfully, our reality in northern California exceeded our expectations. In fact, my dad proclaimed the visit with his friend “the best day I’ve had in a long time.”

That was enough for me.

I think about that as I read Isaiah 42. Long before, God had promised that He would send a Messiah to rescue His people. For centuries, they had been waiting for Him to fulfill His Word. Through ups and downs as a nation, the anticipation of the coming Messiah was the glue that held them together and gave meaning to their lives.

With Isaiah as His mouthpiece, God continued to share His plans with His people. He painted a vivid picture of the Messiah and what life would be like once He came to set the people free. He would be filled with God’s Spirit and committed to accomplishing God’s plan. In some ways, He would be larger than life, and He would meet Israel’s deepest needs.

In truth, God could never build up the arrival of the Messiah too much. After all, nothing He ever promises falls flat. He always comes through, so the Messiah would be no different.

God wanted His people to live in expectation. He wanted them to get excited and to lean into the hope He was providing. If they did, they wouldn’t be disappointed.

The same is true for us today. Of course, the Messiah (Jesus) has come, and He has fulfilled everything God said He would do. And He exceeded expectations, doing all things well (just see Mark 7:37).

But just because we live on this side of the cross doesn’t mean that God has stopped working in the lives of His people. We still need the Messiah, and we still experience how His work goes beyond anything we could ever imagine. Jesus completed His mission on the cross, and He will keep transforming us until we see Him face to face.

As always, He will exceed our expectations.

Written by Bob Bunn