Again, the designation is that which is continually employed in the
Greek translation of the Old Testament as the equivalent for the
well-known prophetic phrase 'the Servant of Jehovah,' which, as you
will remember, is characteristic of the second portion of the
prophecies of Isaiah. And consequently we find that, in a quotation
of Isaiah's prophecy in the Gospel of Matthew, the very phrase of our
text is there employed: 'Behold My Servant whom I uphold!'

Now, it seems as if this designation of our Lord as God's Servant was
very familiar to Peter's thoughts at this stage of the development of
Christian doctrine. For we find the name employed twice in this
discourse--in the thirteenth verse, 'the God of our Fathers hath
glorified His Servant Jesus,' and again in my text. We also find it
twice in the next chapter, where Peter, offering up a prayer amongst
his brethren, speaks of 'Thy Holy Child Jesus,' and prays 'that signs
and wonders may be done through the name' of that 'Holy Child.' So,
then, I think we may fairly take it that, at the time in question,
this thought of Jesus as the 'Servant of the Lord' had come with
especial force to the primitive Church. And the fact that the
designation never occurs again in the New Testament seems to show
that they passed on from it into a deeper perception than even it
attests of who and what this Jesus was in relation to God.

But, at all events, we have in our text the Apostle looking back to
that dim, mysterious Figure which rises up with shadowy lineaments
out of the great prophecy of 'Isaiah,' and thrilling with awe and
wonder, as he sees, bit by bit, in the Face painted on the prophetic
canvas, the likeness of the Face into which he had looked for three
blessed years, that now began to tell him more than they had done
whilst their moments were passing.