Suffering Servant
The Suffering Servant is the servant figure most fully described in Isaiah, especially Isaiah 52:13-53:12, who suffers innocently and bears sin. Christians understand this passage to find its fullest fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
At a Glance
The Suffering Servant is the servant figure most fully described in Isaiah, especially Isaiah 52:13-53:12, who suffers innocently and bears sin. Christians understand this passage to find its fullest fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Description
The term Suffering Servant refers primarily to the servant described in Isaiah, above all in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, where the servant is depicted as righteous, despised, afflicted, bearing the sins of others, and ultimately vindicated by God. In Isaiah as a whole, the identity of the servant is discussed in relation to Israel, the faithful within Israel, and an individual representative servant; interpreters differ on how these themes interrelate in the immediate context. Within historic Christian interpretation, however, the passage is understood to point decisively to Jesus Christ, whose innocent suffering, substitutionary death, and subsequent exaltation uniquely fulfill the servant’s role. The safest summary is that the Suffering Servant is an Isaianic servant figure whose fullest meaning is revealed in Christ and closely connected to His atoning work.
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