Dem Despise Am, Dem Reject Am

Nobody notice am. Nobody think say e special. People dey turn dia face when e dey pass. But still, Isaiah talk, e dey carry something for every one of dem.

Dis na di fourth of Isaiah Servant Songs, di longest and di one wey surprise pass. For di earlier songs, God servant gentle, faithful, light for di nations. Now Isaiah dey tell us how di servant go do im work. And no be how anybody expect. E start with God as e dey talk. “See, my servant go act with wisdom. Dem go raise am and lift am up, and e go dey very high.” Then, immediately, shock. Plenty people dey shock when dem see am, because im face don spoil well-well. Kings go shut dia mouth with wonder because of am. And then one group of voices begin talk. Na di people wey dey look back, dem dey try understand wetin dem see.

“Who don believe our message?” dem ask. Who for know say na so God go take show im power? “Because e grow up for im front like tender plant, and like root wey dey comot from dry ground.” One small green shoot for dusty, hard soil. Easy to miss. “E no fine, e no get majesty. When we see am, no beauty dey wey go make us want am.” E no look like king. E no look like important person. “Dem despise am, and people reject am; man wey know suffering and sickness well.” People turn dia face from am. And, di voices confess, we no respect am.

Then di big turn come. “True-true, na our sickness e carry, and na our suffering e bear.” Our sorrow. No be im own. We think say God dey punish am for something wey e do. But no. “Dem pierce am because of our sins. Dem crush am because of our wickedness. Di punishment wey bring us peace fall on top am; and by im wounds we don heal.” Di people wey dey talk dey begin understand di truth. Di wrong tins na our own. Di pain na im own. “All of us like sheep don waka comot. Everybody don turn go im own way; and di Lord don put di wickedness of all of us on top am.” Like sheep wey dey waka go every direction, each one dey choose im own road. And di servant carry di weight of all of am.

And how e respond? Like lamb. “As lamb wey dem dey lead go slaughter, and as sheep wey keep quiet for di front of di people wey dey cut im wool, na so e no open im mouth.” E no fight back, e no shout. Dem carry am go and cut am off from di land of di living. Dem make im grave with di wicked, and with rich man for im death, even though e no do any violence, and no lie dey im mouth. But dat one no be di end. Isaiah talk say, after di suffering of im soul, e go see di light and e go dey satisfied. My righteous servant go make many people righteous. E go get share with di great, because e pour out im soul reach death, and dem count am with di sinners, and e carry di sin of many people, and e pray for di sinners. For di book of Acts, one official from Ethiopia dey ride go home inside im chariot, e dey read dis very passage loud. Na who di prophet dey talk about? e ask. And Philip, as e start from dis scripture, tell am di good news about Jesus.

We fit read dis chapter for one copy wey dem make long before dem born Jesus. For nineteen forty-seven, Bedouin shepherds find old scrolls inside one cave near Qumran, near di Dead Sea. One of dem, di Great Isaiah Scroll, get di whole book of Isaiah, all di sixty-six chapters. Dem copy am around one hundred years or more before Christ, and e old pass di oldest copies of Isaiah wey people know before dat time by about one thousand years. Today dem keep am for di Shrine of di Book, one part of di Israel Museum for Jerusalem.

Dem despise am, dem reject am. You go find am for Isaiah chapter fifty-two, verse thirteen, reach di end of chapter fifty-three. Di baby wey dem born for Bethlehem grow up like tender shoot, and e carry wetin we no fit carry. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Isaiah talk say all of us don waka comot like sheep wey lost. Wetin e mean to you say somebody carry dat load for you?