7. Humble Servant or Mighty King
As we study the Old Testament it is sometimes easy to become confused regarding prophecies which speak of the promised Messiah. For example, in Isaiah 53:2 we read: "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him." However, when we turn to the book of Psalms we find a seemingly conflicting statement with clearly messianic significance: "You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever… clothe yourself with splendor and majesty" (Psalm 45:2-3). Resolving the Conflict A number of explanations have been put forward for this apparent contradiction of majesty or no majesty, beauty or no beauty – such as the idea that these verses are speaking of different aspects of the Messiah's appearance and Isaiah was speaking of "outward beauty," while Psalm 45 speaks of "inward beauty." That this is not the case can be seen by looking at the context of the verses surrounding Psalm 45:2-3 which are clearly speaking of the external appearance and attributes of the Messiah.
But in this and in similar scriptures, the apparent conflict is easily resolved when we separate the first coming of the Messiah from the second coming. The context of Isaiah 53 is clearly one of human life that fits the physical life of Christ: "he was pierced for our transgressions" (Isaiah 53:5; etc.). Isaiah was speaking of the physical appearance of the Messiah which also matches what we know from the gospels. We see that Jesus was able to slip through the crowds and avoid arrest on several occasions, indicating that he was probably of ordinary appearance and certainly did not stand out as a person of noticeable physical stature or beauty.
On the other hand, when we look at the context of Psalm 45, it has reference to the Messiah's coming as a conquering king with great majesty and with the nations falling beneath his feet (Psalm 45:4-5). While this description clearly does not fit the first coming of Jesus Christ, it certainly fits the second coming, as we see in the book of Revelation:
"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns … The armies of heaven were following him … Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations … On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords" (Revelation 19:11-16). When we also compare the description of the "bride" of Christ in Revelation 19:7 with that of the bride of the king in Psalm 45:9-15, we see a further connection between the king and the Messiah. Applying the Principle When we are careful to distinguish the humble servant role of the Messiah's first coming from his role as mighty king at his second coming, the apparent conflicts are resolved. Simple as this principle is, it can resolve many seeming difficulties as we read prophetic scriptures in the Bible.
We saw this principle in the birth of the One who was to be both the Lamb and the Shepherd, and we find it throughout the gospels which speak of Jesus in both his initial, humble, human roles and his later, greater, divine roles – as both the human servant and the future Divine King, the human who was judged by men and the future Divine Judge who will judge mankind (Matthew 25:32; etc.). In every case, at his first coming Jesus fulfilled the lesser role, and at his second coming he will fulfill the greater, opposite, role.
And there is a lesson in this for us. As we read the gospel accounts and reflect on the life of Jesus, we should look carefully at how he carried out the lesser, more humble roles of service he fulfilled. One of the reasons they are recorded in the gospels is so that our present lives may be modeled on his – just as he promises to eventually share his greater roles of leadership with us if we are faithful in the lesser roles of service we are given now (Luke 16:10).