Servant and King

Following his baptism by John, the voice from heaven identified Jesus as the Son of God and the Servant of Yahweh. The theme of fulfillment is prominent in the Gospel of Matthew. In Jesus of Nazareth, the promises of God have found their fulfillment. Christ is the Son of God who is destined to rule the nations of the Earth, although in unexpected and unprecedented ways.

The Gospel accounts present Jesus as both Servant and King, but it is the Suffering Servant of the Lord who is exalted to the Messianic Throne. The path to victory and exaltation lies through the Cross of Calvary.

Jesus is the Messiah of Israel. However, he fulfills this role as the Servant of Yahweh, not as a mighty military conqueror or tyrannical monarch who wields absolute power over his opponents and subjects.

This same Jesus summons us to become his disciples by emulating his example of service for others. This is contrary to the ideologies and “wisdom” of the existing world order. That is why many of Christ’s contemporaries rejected him. Like Ancient Israel imploring the Prophet Samuel, the Jewish opponents of Jesus desired “a king like the other nations,” not a shepherd or servant.

[Photo by Jim Bonewald (Iowa) on Unsplash]

However, in contrast to the rulers of this age, the Nazarene sacrificed his life for friend and foe by submitting to an unjust death:

• “For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also are exulting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” – (Romans 5:10-11).

• “For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him” – (John 3:17).

For example, Peter confirmed that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, but he failed to understand what kind of ruler Christ is. Rather than a warrior king, he is the servant who came “to give his life a ransom for many,” not to rule from Caesar’s throne. The identity and mission of the Nazarene are revealed in his self-sacrificial death for our redemption– (Matthew 20:28).

The methods by which Jesus acquired his royal status are contrary to those of the emperors, presidents, and kings of the present age. Unlike Christ, Caesar never put aside the authority and the privileges of his rank, and he certainly did not sacrifice his life to redeem and save his subjects.

In the opening passage of Matthew, Jesus is called “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” The Nazarene is the descendant of the House of David. He is destined to rule the nations, and Christ is the heir and seed of Abraham. Jesus is the Messiah who inherits and implements the covenant promises in accordance with Scripture:

• “By myself have I sworn, says Yahweh, because you have not withheld your son, your only son, that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand upon the seashore. And your seed will possess the gate of his enemies; and in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you obeyed my voice” – (Genesis 22:16-18).

• “Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me: You are my son! This day, have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession” – (Psalm 2:6-8).

Abraham was wealthy. David was a victorious warrior and king who reigned over a large kingdom from his throne in Jerusalem. How could a poor man from an insignificant village in the remote region of Galilee accomplish all that God promised?

An angel informed Joseph that Mary was pregnant and commanded him to name the child Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” This name means “salvation of Yahweh,” indicating what God was about to do for His people – (Matthew 1:21).

The declaration that Jesus will “save his people from their sins” is based on the description of the Servant of Yahweh from the Book of Isaiah. This passage provides insights into what kind of Messiah Jesus is:

• “Behold, my servant will deal wisely, he will be exalted and be very high. <…> And Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. <…> Who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? <…> He will see of the travail of his soul, and will be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself my righteous servant will justify many; and he will bear their iniquities <…> Because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he carried the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” – (Isaiah 52:13, 53:10-12).

• “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” – (Mark 10:45).

THE ANOINTED SON AND SERVANT

After he was baptized in the Jordan River, the Spirit of God descended on Jesus, and a heavenly voice called him “my Son.” Thus, God confirmed his identity. The Nazarene was the Messiah of Israel! However, the voice also defined how Jesus would fulfill that royal mission, namely, as the Servant of Yahweh:

• “And behold! The heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and coming upon him. And behold! a voice out of the heavens, saying: This is my beloved Son! In him, I am well pleased” - (Matthew 3:16-17).

• “Behold, my servant whom I uphold; my chosen one in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. <…> I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness, and I will hold your hand, and I will keep you and give you for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nation” - (Isaiah 42:1, 6-7).

Jesus is the Son of God who is anointed by the Holy Spirit. He is the descendant of David called to rule the nations, but he does so as the suffering servant of Yahweh. Later in Matthew, the same passage from Isaiah is cited more fully to describe the ministry of Jesus Christ:

• “And perceiving it, Jesus withdrew from there, and many followed him. And he healed them all and charged them that they should not make him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will declare judgment to the nations. He will not strive nor cry aloud, neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not quench, until he sends forth judgment unto victory. And in his name the nations will hope” - (Matthew 12:18-22).

At Christ’s transfiguration, this same heavenly voice spoke again, and as before, the words from the Book of Isaiah were heard:

• “While Peter was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him” - (Matthew 17:1-5).

The transfiguration of Jesus was preceded by three events that prepared the disciples for this manifestation of divine glory. First, Jesus asked what others were saying about him. “Who is the Son of Man?” The disciples responded, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, or one of the prophets.” Then Christ asked who they believed he was. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” - (Matthew 16:13-20).

Secondly, Jesus began warning the disciples about his impending death at the hands of the “elders and chief priests and scribes.” Peter found the idea intolerable and “began to rebuke him.” Peter’s brief revelation about who Jesus is had vanished - (Matthew 16:21-23).

Thirdly, Jesus explained that if we desire to follow him, we must deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow the same path as him. “Whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.” In the story, this exhortation is followed by the transfiguration of Jesus - (Matthew 16:24-28).

The disciples asked Jesus why the scribes said that “Elijah must come first.” He responded: Elijah had indeed come, alluding to John the Baptist. The scribes and the priestly leaders “did whatever they would to John. Even so, the Son of Man is also destined to suffer by them” - (Matthew 17:9-13).

Two themes stand out in the story. First, the coming suffering and death of Jesus. Second, the summons of Christ for his disciples to follow him by engaging in sacrificial service for others and his Kingdom.

Later, two of the disciples asked Jesus to appoint them to high positions “when you come into your kingdom.” This displeased the other disciples. However, Jesus used the opportunity to explain how greatness is measured in the Kingdom of God:

• “But Jesus called them, and he said: You know that the rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their great ones tyrannize them. It must not be so among you. But whoever would become great among you will be your servant, and whosoever would be first among you will be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” - (Matthew 20:25-28).

Jesus pointed to his sacrificial death as the example of what it means “not to be served, but to serve,” a clear allusion to the Servant of Yahweh in the Book of Isaiah: “Yet he carried the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors” – (Isaiah 53:12).

Christ’s death was the ransom price for the redemption of humanity. Paul employed this same image when he explained how believers acquire the same mind as Jesus. Unlike Adam, Jesus did not attempt to seize “the likeness with God”:

• “But he poured himself out and took the form of a slave, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” – (Philippians 2:6-8).

Because of Christ’s submission to an unjust death to redeem his people, God resurrected and exalted him. “Therefore, God highly exalted him and gave him the name which is above every name” – (Philippians 2:9. Compare Isaiah 52:13).

After his resurrection, Jesus received “All authority in heaven and on earth.” He became King, and his reign commenced over the Earth. And for this reason, the Son of God and Messiah sent his disciples to proclaim the Good News to all nations – (Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-48):

• “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth”- (Acts 1:8. Compare Psalm 2:7-8).

Jesus was exalted only after he sacrificed his life. The suffering servant of Yahweh is the Messiah who now reigns from the Throne of David. The identity and mission of the Nazarene cannot be understood apart from the Cross, and his life and sacrificial death become the model for how we become his disciples.

[NOTE: Text printed in small capital letters represents quotations and verbal allusions from the Old Testament]

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SEE ALSO:

• Christ is King! - (Christ’s reign from the Messianic Throne began following his Death, Resurrection, and Exaltation – Psalms 110:1)

• The Son of David - (Jesus is the Son of David and heir to the Messianic Throne, the beloved Son of God, and the Suffering Servant of Yahweh)

• Call His Name Jesus! - (Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men)

• Serviteur et Roi - (Après son baptême par Jean, la voix du ciel a identifié Jésus comme le Fils de Dieu et le Serviteur de Yahvé)