Jesus' credentials

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."

This is what God the LORD says--he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness" (Isaiah 42:1-7a).

Credentials are important. If a man in a uniform pulls you over, you want to see a badge. If someone comes to your house to inspect the meter in the basement, you want to see some identification. If you enroll your child in an educational program, you want to know that the staff is accredited. Before we trust someone we want to know that they are who they say they are, and can do what they claim they can do.

In today’s reading from Isaiah, God gives credentials to His Son. Our Father in heaven tells us who Jesus is and what we can expect from Him. God assures us that Jesus is His authorized representative. So let’s take a close look at Jesus’ accreditation.

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him. Isaiah wrote down these words from God hundreds of years before Jesus was born; how can we be sure that Jesus is the person God speaks about? The proof comes at Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. Luke tells us (in chapter three), When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." What more proof do you need? As promised, God sends His Spirit to rest on Jesus. When God speaks, He demonstrates His love and support for the man He names as His own Son. You can trust in Jesus, because God the Father vouches for Him.

Isaiah goes on to describe Jesus’ characteristics. First of all, He will bring justice to the nations. Ever since the Lord was born, He has been a target for people who hate Him. One reason that Jesus is unpopular with so many is that He speaks candidly about sin. Jesus does not mince words or beat around the bush, nor does He cut anyone slack because they are wealthy or influential—even His enemies had to admit, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth (Luke 20:21). Jesus brings justice—He identifies sin for what it is. For this reason He has always made some people mad, because most do not like being told that their behavior angers God.

He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Jesus is not motivated by anger. He did not come to earth just to tell us how bad we are. Jesus said, God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17). Jesus doesn’t use God’s Law to beat us down; He only tells us what we need to know in order to avoid God’s anger at our sins. A good physician doesn’t tiptoe around the truth—he tells you his diagnosis honestly. You might not like what you hear, but you must accept the reality of your situation before effective treatment can begin. In the same way, Jesus points out our sins so that we might respond with the question: what must I do to be saved (Acts 16:30)?

In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. Regrettably, many rejected Jesus’ message. Some felt no need for a Savior, while others refused to admit their failings. Jesus said, wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Yet amazingly, Jesus never gave in to hopelessness or despair—He only voiced regret for those who foolishly rejected Him. Listen to His lament spoken shortly before His death: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing (Matthew 23:37). Yet even in the face of this tragic reality, Jesus still went to the cross to die for every person’s sins.

In his law the islands will put their hope. But now, words of encouragement. Even the smallest, most isolated regions of the earth will eventually put their trust in Him.

This is what God the LORD says--he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it. God now reminds us of His mighty power. He made the universe. He built our world. He brought forth life, and He is responsible for the creation of every human being. This almighty God has promised to give Jesus success in doing His work. Therefore we can have complete confidence in the salvation that Jesus offers.

I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness. Now, God speaks directly to His Son, but He allows us to overhear. Through these words, we find out that Jesus is holy, righteous, completely "in tune" with God. He has been called by God; He has been selected and set apart from all others to carry out God’s objectives here on earth. God has chosen Him because only Jesus without sin; only Jesus can obey God perfectly.

I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you. God supported Jesus throughout His life. When the Lord was just a baby, King Herod saw in the holy infant a threat to his throne and tried to have the Christ child murdered; but through a dream, God warned Joseph and Mary to hide Jesus in Egypt until the danger had passed. God supported Jesus by gifting Him with the Holy Spirit at His baptism, a gift that remained with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. God sent angels to minister to Jesus during His temptation in the wilderness and again in the Garden of Gethsemane. In fact, the only time God abandoned His beloved Son was during the awful hours on Good Friday when Jesus was being punished for our sins—and so Jesus cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me (Mark 15:34)? Yet even in those darkest of hours, Jesus knew that the abandonment was only temporary, because when He spoke His last words, they were an expression of confidence and peace: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

And will make you to be a covenant for the people. Here, God speaks of His relationship to the Jews. Beginning with Abraham, the Jews were God’s covenant people. A covenant is like a treaty, except that it is one-sided—there is no negotiation. God dictates the terms; the people can accept them and be blessed, or reject His terms and be cursed. God set the Jews apart as a special people under His care, and through Moses He gave them a covenant that demanded frequent sacrifices for sin; this detailed covenant stood until the time of Jesus. When the Savior came, He set aside the old covenant with all its sacrifices, because Jesus sacrificed Himself, using His own blood to make atonement for every human sin.

And a light for the Gentiles. Historically, Gentiles were those ‘not of the covenant.’ To receive the blessing of sins forgiven, Gentiles were expected to embrace not just the Jewish faith, but all of its regulations and ceremonies as well. When Jesus came, however, all this changed. Jesus fulfilled the expectations of God’s Law for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. In Jesus, all humanity was brought together in a new covenant sealed with Christ’s own blood. Before Jesus, the Gentiles were living in darkness—the darkness of ignorance, where they worshipped false gods because they could not see the reality of the true God. But Jesus changed all this, as Isaiah tells us (chapter nine verse two): The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.

To open eyes that are blind. During His years among us, Jesus did restore sight to the blind. But in this verse, the focus is on spiritual blindness. And such blindness was not unique to the Gentiles; Isaiah leveled this criticism against the religious leaders of Israel: Israel's watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge…They are shepherds who lack understanding (Isaiah 56:10-11). When Jesus came, He needed to open the eyes of everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. He did this by teaching—in fact, His teaching was so powerful that Matthew writes, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (chapter 7 verse 29).

To free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. In a similar way, the point here is not physical freedom for those unjustly jailed. After all, both John the Baptist and St. Paul spent their last days in prison and were executed for their faith, and many other Christians have met a similar end. No, what God speaks of is freedom from captivity to sin, death and hell. St. Peter even describes hell as a ‘gloomy dungeon’ (2 Peter 2:4). This was Jesus’ most important objective—to free us from damnation. He achieved this goal by dying for our sins and rising from the grave to live forever. By God’s grace, Jesus exchanges our sin for His righteousness, our death for His life, our damnation for His home in heaven. No wonder 1st Corinthians chapter 15 says, thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Although he was long dead before Jesus was born among us, God gave Isaiah a wonderful look at the Savior and His soul-rescuing work. Isaiah was fully convinced that the Son of God would save His people and be a blessing you could build a life upon; I pray that you share his confidence in Jesus’ credentials.