Lesson 4 — The Suffering Servant
- 5 days ago
- 10 min read
Psalm 22, Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52–53, Psalm 20, Psalm 103, Psalm 30:2, Exodus 12:5–13,Psalm 16: 8-11,
Psalm 118:22, Joel 2:32
Simon’s Ima was sick the next morning. When he woke up at daybreak, he instantly knew something was wrong. Abba was pacing back and forth in the kitchen while grandmother built a cooking fire. “Abba, where is Ima?”
“ She is not well. She has a fever, and is very weak, ” Simon's abba answered.
“Will someone be with her today? Do you need Andrew and I to stay home? “
“No, she would not wish for you to miss your time with the rabbi. Her sister will be here soon.”
“Can I see her?”
“Not now, she is sleeping.”
Simon quietly went and shook Andrew, explaining that their mother was ill. Soon the boys slipped out the door and caught the other boys on their way to the synagogue school.
When John looked at Simon, he knew something was wrong. “What is the matter? Is all well at home? How is the family?”
“Ima is ill today.”
John nodded and sent Andrew and Simon a look of understanding. He began to quote Psalm 20, “May the Lord answer you, when you are in distress. May the name of the God of Jacob, protect you. May he give you help from his sanctuary and his support from Zion!”
James recited Psalm 103, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits… who forgives all your sin, and heals all your diseases…"
Philip added Psalm 30:2: "Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me."
Simon nodded. “She is in the Lord’s hands.”
When the boys arrived at school, the Rabbi was already seated and ready. Quickly, they took their places on the floor and gave him their attention.
“Andrew, can you recite the verse about the seed of the woman?”
Andrew nodded. “ And I will put enmity between you, the serpent, and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
“Well done. Now we know that the seed of the woman is the Promised One. We also call him Messiah. He will also be the seed of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. He will be of the family of King David. He will be born in Bethlehem and born of a virgin. He will be fully man and fully God. He comes from everlasting and will live forever. He will sit on David’s throne in Zion and will come in power– a conquering King. He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of His kingdom there will be no end. He will crush the head of the serpent. He will set all things right. He will restore and redeem.”
“But let us return to the garden. The Messiah, the seed of the woman, will be bruised by the serpent. The Promised One will take a blow. Let’s see what the prophet Isaiah has to say about this. Such a prophet he was! Which Kings of Judah were alive at the time of the prophet Isaiah?
“Uzziah, and Jotham? James guessed.
. “And Hezekiah’s father, Ahaz,” John added.
“That is right!” smiled the rabbi. “ Two more…”
“Hezekiah? Manasseh?” added Philip.
“Right!” confirmed the rabbi. It is legend that Manasseh had Isaiah sawn in two. The rabbi let that sink in for a moment. Before we move forward with the great scroll, though, I want us to study Psalm 22. It is a long Psalm, but I have chosen sections for you. The Rabbi’s voice became low, and solemn. It is The Promised One, who is talking,” he said.
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 'He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!'”
“Boys, who is talking? Who is crying out?”
“The Messiah!” John guessed.
“What do you hear?”
“Pain,” said Andrew.
“Heartache,” added James.
“Distress,” noted Peter.
“Rejection,” frowned Philip.
“Let’s go on.” The rabbi’s voice was shaking a bit now.
"But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax, It has melted within Me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue clings to My jaws;You have brought Me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet. I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."
The rabbi looked up. “What do you hear? What is happening?”
Philip’s voice was cautious, “They pierced My hands and My feet…They divide My garments among them…Rabbi… this is not ordinary suffering. This sounds like torture! What could he have possibly done to deserve this?”
“No, this is no ordinary suffering. The question is, has the Father really forsaken the Son? Would the Father do that? We need more answers.”
Simon leaned forward, troubled. “The Messiah is supposed to defeat His enemies.”
The rabbi looked at him. “Yes.”
“Then how can this be about Him?”
The rabbi said nothing. Instead, he slowly unrolled the Great Scroll of Isaiah and started to read from the Holy of Holies of the scriptures. Isaiah 53.
“He is despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”
The words fell like weight.
Andrew lowered his eyes. “He is rejected.”
John looked up, his expression changed. “Why? Why was He rejected? I don’t understand.”
Without a word, the rabbi continued reading the Great Scroll. It was if he hoped the scriptures would answer the questions, so he would not have to tell the brutal truth.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
“How can we be healed through HIS wounds?” asked Simon. “What does that mean, rabbi, the Lord laid upon Him, the sin of us all? How could he carry all of our sin? Is this something God is allowing for a reason?”
The rabbi just kept reading. “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." '
The Rabbi stopped reading and took a deep breath. Don’t miss this. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. What does this remind you of?
“The daily sacrifice,” yelled Simon. His mind was connecting the dots.
“The Day of Atonement,” added James.
“The Passover Lamb,” Andrew shouted excitedly.
“Yes,” said the rabbi. “”Why do we offer sacrifices of lambs?
“To cover our sin!” Philip answered.
“Why do we put the blood of a lamb over the door at Passover?”
Peter answered, “We are saved from death by the blood of the lamb if we are under the blood!” Remember what we learned in Bet Sefer? This is what the Torah says: “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day…” (Exodus 12:5–6, NKJV). And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts. Now the blood shall be a sign for you, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” (Exodus 12:7,13, NKJV)
The boys listened carefully. Andrew spoke softly.“The lamb dies… so the people live.”
“Yes,” said the rabbi.“This is the beginning of a pattern. A spotless lamb, given in place of another, whose blood brings deliverance. There is more.” The rabbi started reading again.
“He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living. For the transgressions of My people He was stricken And they made His grave with the wicked—But with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.”
“Rabbi, does this mean that The Promised One will die a cruel death?” John asked. “ I thought that his heel would be bruised. But this sounds like he will die! And He is righteous! He will do nothing wrong! And he doesn't even defend himself! It isn’t fair!”
“Yes, John, The Messiah will die.”
“But how can he die and live forever at the same time? How can he be a King on a throne forever if he dies?”
Andrew bent over, his head in his hands. “ This does not make sense. Why would God allow this? How could the Father allow his Son to suffer so?”
The rabbi sighed, and continued reading the great scroll. “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed. He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge, My Righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.”
John looked up at the rabbi through tears.” The Messiah will die for us, to take away our sins, just like the lamb is a sacrifice for our sins every day at the temple. He will suffer much pain, be pierced, and be rejected. And He will do this willingly! God calls him his Righteous Servant!”
The Rabbi answered, “Ah, but don’t miss the good part. God says, after this happens, He will see Him again, and he shall prolong his days! The Pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his hand!”
“Rabbi, Does this mean that the Messiah will be raised from the dead? How could he die but then be made alive again? Will he overcome the grave?” asked James.
The rabbi looked at them. Here is Psalm 16: 8-11. “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.You will show me the path of life. In Your presence is fullness of joy. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
“Who is the Holy One? Is it not the Promised One? Do you remember the prophecy in the garden? The serpent would bruise His heel. These sufferings are the bruising. But the Seed of the Woman, the Promised One, will crush the head of the serpent. The Messiah does not stay dead, he comes alive again. Messiah conquers death! He defeats the grave. This is the beginning of the crushing of the head. This is no tragic accident. It is God’s plan for the salvation of our souls, to allow us to be able to pass from death to life, and be with Him forever! There is no way we could be good enough for that. The righteousness of the Messiah makes a path for us.
“Then how can we receive his salvation? How can we each be sure he cleanses our sin?” asked Philip.
The rabbi explained, “The prophet Joel says, ‘Whoever calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved!’ (Joel 2:32). You must believe it. You must ask Him. You must accept the sacrifice.You must choose to be under His blood. You must have faith that this is the true plan of the Father for your salvation.” The rabbi continued, weaving the prophets together. "Messiah is The Servant upon whom God’s Spirit rests, who brings justice to the nations. He is the one who is called to restore Israel, yet is rejected and despised by the people. He will be beaten, his beard will be torn out, and he will be struck and spit upon.”
James’s jaw tightened.“This is not how a king is treated.”
“No,” said the rabbi. But the good news is that it is written, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone”( Psalm 118:22).
Simon looked up.“They reject Him, and yet He becomes the foundation? ”
“Yes.”
Simon shook his head slowly. “I do not understand.”
The rabbi’s voice was calm. “You are not meant to yet.”
Philip said carefully, “These are two different pictures. A King… and a Suffering Servant.”
Andrew added softly,“But they are both called the Messiah.”
The rabbi nodded. “The Messiah will not only defeat the enemy. He paused. “He will deal with sin.”
The boys were silent. “He will be a guilt offering, ” John whispered. “A sacrifice.”
“Yes, ”The rabbi’s voice deepened.“Throughout the Scriptures, there is another pattern. Suffering, before glory. Joseph was rejected, then raised up. Moses was exiled, then became the deliverer. David was hunted, then became the king.” He paused.“The Messiah will follow this pattern.”
Simon spoke again, but now quietly.“Rabbi, how can the Messiah suffer like this, and still reign?”
The rabbi looked at him with steady eyes. “That is the mystery you must hold.”The rabbi slowly rolled both scrolls closed.The sound seemed louder than before. “Remember this.” His voice was firm, but not harsh.“The Messiah is not only the Conquering King, ”He paused. “He is also the Suffering Servant.”
No one spoke. Outside, the wind moved gently across the water.
Simon turned to his brother Andrew, “We must go check on Ima, and see if Father needs our help. Thank you, rabbi, for teaching us. We are fortunate to have such a learned rabbi.”
The Rabbi nodded his head, and began to cover the great scroll of Isaiah. All of the boys hurried to put on their sandals and head toward their homes.
“Simon,” John said. “Your Ima will be fine. We have a God who hears our prayers. And by His stripes we are healed.”
Simon smiled at John– the youngest, yet the most insightful at times. He watched as John and James raced off to their own home- John having the slight advantage. He was the fastest runner of them all.
Philip turned to Andrew. “John is right,” he said, punching him in the arm. He watched, then, as Simon and Andrew also headed out in a race toward home. The boys were out of breath as they entered their house. What they saw was no surprise. There was Ima, well now, waiting to welcome them home.
Questions: For Lesson Plans, CLICK HERE!
What new names for Messiah were introduced in this lesson?
What stood out to you the most about this lesson?
Why do you think the Jews today do not accept Jesus as their Messiah?
If you were witnessing Jesus to a Jewish friend, which scriptures would be important to share?
Go over the lesson text again. Take a moment to put a check mark over all the prophesies that Jesus fulfilled during His first coming.
What does this mean, "By His stripes we are healed."
Going further:
2:08 Don't miss this!
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