From: Isaiah 49:1-6
Second Song of the Servant of the Lord
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
49:1-55:13. Chapter 49 marks the start of the second section of the second
part of Isaiah. The first section (40:1-48:22) dealt with the release of the Jews
from exile in Babylon on the orders of the Lord, the ruler of the world and of all
nations. This second section sings of the restoration of Zion and the renewal
of the people.
Almost all the oracles here presuppose that Babylon has fallen and the exiles
have returned home (although neither event is explicitly referred to). Nor is there
mention of the universal scope of salvation: the focus is mainly on future hopes
and on Jerusalem.
Most of the oracles in this section were probably proclaimed, between the years
515 and 500 BC. If that was the case, then they were addressed to a disillusioned
people: the enthusiasm that came with the return from exile and the efforts made
to rebuild Jerusalem failed to produce the desired results: there are still class dif-
ferences, greed is plain to see, and huge sectors of society are experiencing po-
verty. The kind of Jerusalem that the exiles dreamed of had not come about: it
bore no relationship to what they were experiencing; nor did it fit the image of Je-
rusalem found in many texts of the Priestly tradition (cf. “Introduction to the Pen-
tateuch”, in “The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch” (p. 20). These oracles are designed
to dispel, discouragement and to raise people’s hopes by telling them about the
liberator that God is going to send, the servant of the Lord, and by proclaiming
that the holy city (now given the sacred name of Zion) will very soon be restored.
In fact, the section can be divided into alternating poems on the servant and on
Zion: 49:1-13, the “servant” (second oracle); 49:14-50:3, “Zion”; 50:4-11, the “ser-
vant”, (third oracle and exhortation); 51:17-52:12, Zion; 52:13-53:12, the “servant”
(fourth oracle); 54:1-17, “Zion” (Jerusalem). Verses 1-13 of chapter 55 are an ex-
hortation to commit oneself to the new Covenant.
49:1-6. In the first Song of the Servant of the Lord (42:1-9) we meet the “servant”
for the first time and we are told of his mission to liberate the exiles. In this se-
cond song, the servant himself speaks. He addresses the “coastlands”, “peo-
ples from afar”, and he is conscious of having been chosen by God from his mo-
ther’s womb to carry out God’s plans of salvation even in those distant parts (cf.
vv. 1-3). Here we are told about two aspects of his mission, which we will hear
more about in the oracles that follow. First, he is to play a leading role in the re-
covery of the tribes and the repatriation of the exiles (v. 5); second, he will ex-
tend salvation to the ends of the earth (cf. v. 6).
This poem contains things that the servant has to say about himself (vv. 1-4),
and things that God says about the servant (vv. 5-6). The servant is well aware
that he was called by God, even from his mother’s womb, (like Jeremiah; cf. Jer
1:5) and has been charged with preaching to the pagan peoples (”the coast-
lands”) or at least to his compatriots in the diaspora (cf. v. 1; cf. Jer 1:1-10; 25:
13-38); he has been endowed with qualities that enable him to speak out, with
words that find their mark like arrows, even if that creates divisions (v. 2; cf. Jer 1:
10); and also, despite the divine protection given him, he feels depressed and dis-
appointed, as happened to Jeremiah (vv. 3-4; cf. Jer 1:7; 8:18-20). Everything that
the servant does is grounded on what the Lord has told him: “You are my servant,
Israel” (v. 3). Some commentators are of the view that “Israel” here is a later inter-
pretation, put in to support the collectivist interpretation of the servant that soon
became widespread; but there is little evidence to support that: the word “Israel”
is missing only in one manuscript, and not an important one at that. The mention
of Israel does not argue against the servant’s being an individual rather than a col-
lectivity, for in poetry a person can be addressed by his own name or by his fami-
ly name. In fact, both in biblical Israel and nowadays we often find people using
their place of birth as a surname.
In vv. 5-6 the Lord spells out the servant’s mission: it is to renew the people in
such a way that even non-Israelites can see the light and attain salvation. Altho-
ugh the universal mission of the servant is not clearly defined here, for his work
is meant to be confined to the tribes of Jacob, still the achievement of this objec-
tive (the re-assembling of Israel) will be a kind of light to help the pagan nations
see and acknowledge God. The expression “light to the nations” (v. 6) already
occurred in the earlier poem (42:6); there it could be taken in a social sense — to
bring about the liberation of the exiles and captives; here, the religious meaning
is clear: salvation will spread to all the nations.
To sum up, the servant of the Lord (be he an individual or a collectivity, or more
likely both) has been chosen by God, who loves him most specially; he has all
the main qualities of a prophet; and he must influence his compatriots so as to
enlighten those from outside, and bring them salvation.
The messianic interpretation of the servant figure, based on this second song,
was widespread among the Jews of Alexandria who made the Septuagint Greek
translation; it was also held by members of the Qumran community and by some
authors of the period between the Old and New Testaments (the author of the
“Book of Enoch”, for example). All these interpreted the servant as standing for
the entire people of Israel. Christians, from the beginning, applied the songs of
the servant to Jesus, and saw them as finding fulfillment in his life. Thus, although
the image of the “sharp sword” (v. 2) refers to the effectiveness of the word of God,
in Hebrews 4:12-13 we find it used with reference to Revelation as a whole which
is fully and perfectly manifested in Jesus Christ (cf. also Rev 1:16 and 2:12). We
find the expression, “light to the nations” or “light to the peoples” being applied by
Simeon to Jesus (Lk 2:32). Indeed, in the Acts of the Apostles it is applied to
those who, in line with Jesus’ teaching and as cooperators in his work of salvation,
are setting out to preach to the Gentiles, as the words Paul and Barnabas speak
in the synagogue of Psidian Antioch testify: “It was necessary that the word of
God should be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it from you, and judge your-
selves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord
has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you
may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 13:46-47). Hence
the Church sees her mission as spreading the truth about Jesus, the light that en-
lightens everyone: “The light of God’s face shines in all its beauty on the counte-
nance of Jesus Christ, ‘the image of the invisible God’ (Col 1:15), the ‘reflection of
God’s glory’ (Heb 1:3), ‘full of grace and truth’ (Jn 1:14). Christ is ‘the way, and the
truth, and the life’ (Jn 14:6). [...] Jesus Christ, the ‘light of the nations’, shines: up-
on the face of his Church, which he sends forth to the whole world to proclaim the
Gospel to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15). Hence the Church, as the people of God
among the nations, while attentive to the new challenges of history and to man-
kind’s efforts to discover the meaning of life, offers to everyone the answer which
comes from the truth about Jesus Christ and his Gospel” (Bl. John Paul II, “Veri-
tatis Splendor”, 2).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: John 13:21-33, 36-38
The Treachery of Judas Foretold
[31] When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and
in Him God is glorified; [32] if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in
Himself, and glorify Him at once. [33] Little children, yet a little while I am with
you. You will seek Me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I
am going you cannot come.’
[36] Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered,
“Where I am going you cannot follow Me now; but you shall follow afterward.”
[37] Peter said to Him, “Lord, why cannot I follow You now? I will lay down my
life for You.” [38] Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly,
truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied Me three times.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
21. Christ’s sadness is proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Judas was one
of those whom Jesus chose to be an Apostle: he had been on intimate terms with
Him for three years, he had followed Him everywhere, had seen His miracles, had
heard His divine teaching, and experienced the tenderness of His affection. And
despite all that, when the moment of truth comes, Judas not only abandons the
Master but betrays Him and sells Him. Betrayal by an intimate friend is some-
thing much more painful and cruel than betrayal by a stranger, for it involves a
lack of loyalty. The spiritual life of the Christian is also true friendship with Jesus;
this means it is based on loyalty and uprightness, and on being true to one’s
word.
Judas had already decided to hand Jesus over and had made arrangements with
the chief priests (cf. Matthew 26:14; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6). Temptation
had been burrowing its way into Judas’ heart for some time back, as we saw at
the anointing at Bethany when he protested Mary’s loving gesture; St. John com-
mented in that connection that he did it not out of love for the poor but because
he was a thief (cf. John 12:6).
23. In that period, on important occasions the customary thing was to eat recli-
ning on a kind of divan called a “triclinium”. The diner rested on his left elbow and
ate with his right hand. This meant it was easy to lean on the person on one’s left
and talk to him without people hearing. In this verse we can see the intimacy and
trust which obtained between the Master and the beloved disciple (cf. John 19:27;
20-2; 21:23), a model of Jesus’ love for all His true disciples and of theirs for their
Master.
26-27. The morsel which Jesus offers him is a sign of friendship and, therefore, an
invitation to him to give up his evil plotting. But Judas rejects the chance he is of-
fered. “What he received is good”, St. Augustine comments, “but he received it to
his own perdition, because he, being evil, received in an evil manner what is good”
(”In Ioann. Evang.”, 61, 6). Satan entering into him means that from that moment
Judas gave in completely to the devil’s temptation.
29. “These details have been recorded that we may not bear ill will against those
who wrong us, but may reproach them and weep over them. Indeed, not those
who are wronged, but those who do wrong deserve our tears. For the covetous
man and the slanderer, and the man guilty of any other wrongdoing injure them-
selves most of all.[...] Christ repaid the man who was going to betray Him with
just the opposite. For example, He washed his feet, reproved him without bitter-
ness, censured him in private, ministered to him, allowed him to share in His ta-
ble and His kiss. Yet, though Judas did not become better because of these
things, Jesus Himself persevered in His course of action” (St. John Chrysostom,
“Hom. on St. John”, 71, 4).
30. The indication that “it was night” is not just a reference to the time of day but
to darkness as an image of sin, an image of the power of darkness whose hour
was beginning at that very moment (cf. Luke 22:53). The contrast between light
and darkness, the opposition of good and evil, is frequently met with in the Bible,
especially in the Fourth Gospel: even in the prologue we are told that Christ is
the true Light which the darkness has not overcome (cf. John 1:5).
31-32. This glorification refers above all to the glory which Christ will receive once
He is raised up on the cross (John 3:14; 12:32). St. John stresses that Christ’s
death is the beginning of His victory: His very crucifixion can be considered the
first step in His ascension to His Father. At the same time it is glorification of
the Father, because Christ, by voluntarily accepting death out of love, as a su-
preme act of obedience to the Will of God, performs the greatest sacrifice man
can offer for the glorification of God. The Father will respond to this glorification
which Christ offers Him by glorifying Christ as Son of Man, that is, in His holy
human nature, through His resurrection and ascension to God’s right hand. Thus
the glory which the Son gives the Father is at the same time glory for the Son.
Christ’s disciple will also find His highest motivation by identifying himself with
Christ’s obedience. St. Paul teaches this very clearly when he says: “Far be it
from me to glory except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).
33. From this verse onwards the evangelist recounts what is usually called the
discourse of the Last Supper; in it we can distinguish three parts. In the first,
our Lord begins by proclaiming the New Commandment (verses 33-35) and pre-
dicts Peter’s denials (verses 36-38); He tells them that His death means His
going to His Father (Chapter 14), with Whom He is one because He is God (ver-
ses 1-14); and He announces that after His resurrection He will send them the
Holy Spirit, who will guide them by teaching them and reminding them of every-
thing He told them (verses 15-31).
The second part of the discourse is contained in Chapters 15 and 16. Jesus pro-
mises to those who believe in Him a new life of union with Him, as intimate as
that of a vine and its branches (15:1-18). To attain this union one must keep His
New Commandment (verses 9-18). He forewarns them about the contradictions
they will suffer, and He encourages them by promising the Holy Spirit who will
protect them and console them (verses 18-27). The action of the Paraclete or
Consoler will lead them to fulfill the mission Jesus has entrusted to them (16:1
-15). The fruit of the presence of the Holy Spirit will be fullness of joy (verses 16-
33).
The third part (Chapter 7) gives Jesus’ priestly prayer, in which He asks the
Father to glorify Him through the cross (verses 1-5). He prays also for His disci-
ples (verses 6-19) and for all those who through them will believe in Him, so that,
staying in the world without being of the world, the love of God should be in them
and they should bear witness to Christ being the envoy of the Father (verses 20-
26).
36-38. Once again Peter in his simplicity and sincerity tells his Master that he is
ready to follow Him even to the point of dying for Him. But he is not yet ready for
that. Our Lord, St. Augustine comments, “establishes here a delay; He does not
destroy the hope, indeed He confirms it by saying, ‘You shall follow afterwards!
Why are you in haste, Peter? As yet the rock has not made you strong inwardly:
do not be brought down by your presumption. Now you cannot follow Me, but do
not despair: later you will’” (”In Ioann. Evang.”, 66, 1). Peter had certainly meant
what he said, but his resolution was not very solid. Later on he would develop a
fortitude based on humility; then, not considering himself worthy to die in the
way his Master did, he will die on a cross, head downwards, rooting in the soil of
Rome that solid stone which endures in those who succeed him and forming the
basis on which the Church, which is indefectible, is built. Peter’s denials, which
are signs of his weakness, were amply compensated for by his profound repen-
tance. “Let everyone draw from this example of contrition, and if he has fallen let
him not despair, but always remember that he can become worthy of forgiveness”
(St. Bede, “In Ioann. Evang. Expositio, in loc”.).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.