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Isaiah 42:1
New Catholic Bible
Isaiah 42:1
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 42
The Mission of the Servant[a]
1 Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will establish justice among the nations.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 42:1 The repatriated Jews have toned down their enthusiasm, for they had not passed through a flowering wilderness; they were not many in number, and their return had not converted anyone. An unknown poet reawakens their hope while also giving a more spiritual cast to their dreams of glory. Beyond Cyrus, a temporary servant, God is preparing for himself a humble agent of salvation, filled with the spirit of the prophets. He will renew the covenant, make love shine forth in the midst of the people, and without violence will establish true justice. As a result, a very lofty idea of the liberator and of salvation is henceforth part of the Jewish consciousness. Jesus will accomplish the mission of this servant; Matthew cites verses 1-4 of this song (Mt 12:17-21); verse 1 echoes in the words of the Father as he presents Christ to the human race at the Jordan (Mt 3:17; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:23) and later on Tabor (Mt 17:5; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35).
Isaiah 52:13
New Catholic Bible
Isaiah 52:13
New Catholic Bible
Humiliation and Triumph of the Lord’s Servant[a]
13 Behold, my servant will prosper;
he will be exalted and raised to great heights.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 52:13 The song turns into a kind of dialogue in which two divine oracles frame the reflections of people astounded by what happens to the Servant.
But who is this suffering Servant? We have already seen his mysterious face in three other poetic compositions (Isa 42:1-7; 49:19a; 50:4-11). We think spontaneously of a wise man or a prophet, a man of God who disagrees with his compatriots on their very ideas of God’s plan. For the Servant, the success of God’s plan means something quite different from political success. But the people could not tolerate this criticism of their all too human hopes. The prophet was mistreated and condemned to death (Isa 53:7-8).
But the Servant is also Israel, whose destiny the prophet embodies. The chosen people, contaminated by pagan forms of worship, was almost eradicated by the Exile. But it carries out its mission as a people that bears witness to God who chose it and is bringing it back to life; in the radiance of its resurrection, pagans will be able to recognize that the Lord of Israel is the living God who loves his people without ever changing his mind, the Savior of the human race.
The experience of the suffering Just One, whether prophet or people of God, highlights the fundamental law governing the history of salvation and every spiritual life: the power of God is manifested in human weakness. What a paradox: the Servant succeeds where Cyrus failed, because salvation comes not from battles but from martyrdom!
