Observation: It's interesting how quickly the the language of this Servant Song goes from teaching and learning to suffering. The Word of God is not always welcomed. But still, the servant does not retaliate when attacked. It is God who will prove the truth of the servant's words.
Application: I'm pretty conflict averse. I don't love the idea of "insults and spitting," as the prophet describes here. I tend to be a compromiser, a people-pleaser. If there's a way for everybody to be at least partially right, you can bet I'm looking for it. In this sharply divided culture, I tend to seek out common ground.
But in this text, I hear God's call to imitate the suffering servant, and by extension, Jesus. He didn't ride into Jerusalem to fight. He came there to teach. He didn't want to just shame the religious authorities, he genuinely wanted them to hear him and learn from him. But when it was clear that was not going to happen, Jesus did what I often fail to do: he stayed the course. He kept right on with his prophetic ministry, knowing there would be direct consequences. He didn't have to be omniscient to know he was poking the bear, and the bear was about to bite.
Sometimes telling one another the truth is more important than getting along. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is let someone know they're buying into a lie, and brace for impact. It's a hard lesson to learn, because it takes a lot of self awareness. You have to believe that you're simply teaching the truth when others will say you're just sowing discord. You will have to be checking in with close friends, and with God, to affirm you're on target. And sometimes, you'll have to go it alone, and pray God vindicates you some day. But even if not, we know there's grace.
Prayer: God, I flinch too easily. Set my face like flint when I need resolve. Help me learn from your son, Jesus. Amen.
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