Today’s reading from Isaiah speaks of the Lord’s servant as a sharp-edged sword concealed beneath his arm and as a polished arrow hidden in his quiver. And of this concealed sword, this hidden arrow, the Lord says: You are my servant … Israel, through whom I show my glory.
If these statements are true of the servant in Isaiah’s song, how much more true are they of Jesus Christ? Who would have thought, two thousand years ago, that a humble carpenter-turned-preacher and miracle worker from the backwater town of Nazareth would have followers and worshipers even today? How many people, even in Judea and Galilee, thought that this man was the one whom God had formed… as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him? And of those who did believe, who did recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, how many would have seen that salvation would reach to the ends of the earth through him?
It might be tempting for us to think today, “Oh, I would have recognized him. I would have followed. I would have seen him for who he is.” But was this not precisely the attitude of Peter, who said to the Lord at the last supper, Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Peter’s desire is good, but in the end, we must recognize that to know, love, and follow the Lord, God’s sharp-edged sword and polished arrow, is a grace. It is gift. Today, let us beg for that gift.