In four different passages in the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks of the Suffering Servant (42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13– 53:12). We understand the Servant as a universal figure standing for all who suffer. The Servant might have been modeled on a historical person like Hezekiah, Josiah, or Cyrus. Christians can see Jesus in this model as one who is unjustly accused, who suffers for righteousness and waits for vindication.

Isaiah’s words mean one thing to the original audience and can mean something different to a later age. The message is not bound to one situation but is thick with meaning. The many layers of meaning in scripture help us continually reinterpret the past in light of the present’s demands, which a living, dynamic faith requires.

The words of the Suffering Servant reveal the wisdom of one who knows how to hold things in balance—speaking and listening, honor and humility, acting and acceptance. The Servant offers his face to be spit on, accepts the insult and shame, because he knows the One who will vindicate him is near. That kind of humility might seem passive and powerless to some, but passivity does not drive the Servant’s actions: confidence does. He knows God will be his vindication.

Most of us will never know the level of indignity and pain suffered by the Servant. But we all experience moments when we must choose how we will respond to pain and injustice around us. We can choose to respond to the angry voices we hear by trading insult for insult, or we can be guided by the Servant’s equanimity. The Servant stands without shame or hostility and as a reminder for all who suffer that God has transformed suffering into triumph in Christ.