Isaiah 49:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, due to the obstinacy of the disbelievers and the false accusations they fabricated, the Savior’s efforts seemed fruitless, and His strength was expended for nothing; for, as I mentioned earlier, blind Israel could not endure His holy teachings or appreciate His works. His mission was to take on our likeness and endure human humiliation. Yet, as He stated, "My judgment is before the Lord, and my work before my God." The Father acknowledged the burdens I bore for their salvation; thus, a judgment was rendered by Him. What was this judgment? They were severed from communion with Him, rejected from being His people, unfamiliar with salvation, deprived of the hope of the saints, while many Gentiles were called to replace them. In their stead, new shepherds were established—righteous, God-fearing, teachers of holy actions, capable of guiding the nations, in accordance with the words of wise Paul, who indicated that they hold fast to the word of life (Phil. 2:15, 16).

If you wish to understand the Father's verdict regarding them, heed the words of the Savior addressed to the Jewish leaders: “A certain man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress, and built a tower. He leased it to vine dressers and went away. At the season, he sent his servants to the vine dressers to receive its fruit, but they beat one and killed another and stoned another. Finally, he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the vine dressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ So, they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him" (Matthew 21:38-39). After sharing this parable, the Lord posed another question: "When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine dressers?" They replied, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease the vineyard to other vine dressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." To this, Christ responded, "Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (Matthew 21:43), which indeed came to pass. Other shepherds and wise farmers were appointed—divine disciples. Under their leadership, the heavens brought forth rain, despite being instructed not to water the vineyard of the Jews any longer. Instead of thorns, Christ reaped fruits from His vineyard, as we declare, "The Lord will give goodness, and our land will yield its increase" (Psalm 84:13; Psalm 66:6).

One could argue that the Son’s work has been revealed clearly to the Father, fulfilling divine justice. For this purpose, let us reflect once more on the symbolic meaning of this narrative, taking into account the building of a house, which Paul elucidates by stating that the Son, though in the form of God and equal to Him, did not consider it something to cling to but humbled Himself, taking on the form of a servant and becoming obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and bestowed upon Him a name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (Phil. 2:6-10). He was and remains the Word—God. After taking on human form, He ascended in glory with flesh; He was recognized as God, confirming that His labor was not in vain. This process of building served to His glory, as He did not immerse Himself in trivial or foreign matters, instead revealing Himself as the Savior and Redeemer of the heavens, preparing both heaven and earth, and even the underworld, to worship Him.

I intended not to overwhelm the reader with extensive discourse, choosing instead to present these ideas in parts so that what may seem obscure in one presentation could be clarified in another. After addressing the remnant of Israel and rejecting those continuing in disbelief, of whom it is said, "There is no peace for the wicked, saith the Lord," He turns His attention to the churches composed of Gentiles, referring to them as the islands. They are vulnerable to the schemes of oppressors, akin to the waves of the sea, and while they may be struck from the raging tempest around them, they stand firm. To avoid any misconception regarding our interpretation, and to ensure it does not apply solely to Jewish synagogues, He follows by saying, "and take heed nations or tribes afar off," indicating those from distant regions of the earth, or according to the LXX, "after many times shall take place," meaning that this will not transpire in the current moment but after many events. The Lord, he states, has called me from the womb, and from my mother's womb, He has regarded my name. This may be unintelligible to the listeners now; however, it will be made clear to all nations when Gabriel informs Joseph about the child born of the Virgin, saying, "And thou shalt call His name Jesus; He shall save His people." He also has made His mouth like a sharp sword, to vanquish the wicked through the spirit of His words. He speaks of this sword in the Gospel, stating, "I have not come to bring peace on earth, but a sword, to separate the wicked from the righteous. I came to divide man from his father, daughter from mother, and bride from her mother-in-law." And by the shadow of His hand, He concealed me, indicating that the frailty of the flesh might be veiled by divine power, as the angel conveyed to the Virgin, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you." He made me a chosen arrow, hidden in His quiver. The phrase "an arrow of the chosen" signifies that while God possesses many arrows, only a few are the chosen ones – these arrows include the prophets and apostles dispersed throughout the world. It is sung of them elsewhere that "Thy arrows are sharp, O Mighty One; the people shall fall under Thee." Again, "The arrows of the Mighty One are sharp, amid the coals of the wilderness." Yet from among many arrows and countless sons, Christ stands alone as the chosen arrow and the only begotten Son; He was concealed in His quiver, signifying His human form, so that the fullness of deity might dwell in Him bodily. However, He is seldom embraced in faith, as expressed earlier, "Thou art a hidden God, and we knew it not." After receiving a wound from this arrow, the bride proclaims in the Song of Songs, "I am wounded with love." He then stated, "You are My servant Israel; through you I will be glorified." Servant, in that He was willing to embody the image of God and assumed the form of a servant, and Israel, because He was born from the lineage of the Jews. To clarify that this pertains solely to Him and no other servant, it is coupled with the phrase: "for in Thee I will be glorified." For He states in the Gospel, "Father, glorify Thy name." In a Psalm, the Father addresses the Son: "Arise, My glory; arise." This indicates the collective essence of all virtues. When the Father spoke to me what I have conveyed, I responded, "How are You glorified in Me, Father? For I have labored in vain and could not draw most of the Jewish people to You." All this underscores that human will remains free. It is God's role to call, and our role to believe, and should we hesitate to believe, God remains powerful, granting strength to our will so that we might be rewarded for favoring the righteous. Although they have been unwilling to believe in You through me, my cause rests with You, for I have fulfilled all my duties to them, as I stated in the Gospel, "I will glorify You on earth; I will accomplish the work You assigned me," and again, "I will declare Your name to men." And My undertaking, my labor, and My anguish is before You, for in the Gospel, He weeps for Jerusalem, and in the Psalm, lamenting the multitude of unbelievers, He seems to suffer in vain: "What profit is there in My blood when I descend into the pit?" And while upon the cross, He laments, using the Hebrew text, "Far from My salvation are the words of My cries."

Aware of this reality, the Messiah expresses, ‘I have laboured, I have given My strength for nothing.’ In light of the rejection of His outreach to a obstinate populace and their inability to value His miraculous deeds, the Messiah expects only a negative assessment from God the Father regarding His efforts for this thankless people: this is my judgment before the Lord, and my labour before God.