Much of Isaiah
reads like poetry, it is full of images.
The second
reading is where we are focusing this morning. The beginning of Second Isaiah, and part of the
suffering servant passages.
Here
is my
servant!
I have made him strong.
He is my chosen one;
I am pleased with him.
I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
to the nations.
He is my chosen one;
I am pleased with him.
I have given him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice
to the nations.
As Christians
this passage has often been understood to refer to the coming Messiah. In Advent, it is easy for us to read this
passage as a description of a future Jesus.
While the
beginning of chapter 42 reads as if it is about a person, one person, it is likely that it is about Israel, the nation.[i] From
the beginning God was using Israel to bring the message of justice and righteousness,
of caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, to the world.
I think the
servant is personified in the life of Jesus, that is, Jesus shows us it is
possible to live in the way described by Isaiah.
But the
passage is about more than Jesus.
It is God’s
desire for the people of Israel to be God’s people, not in name only, but in their
national life.
What might
this servant life look like:
“The
servant:
- is upheld and chosen by God (verse 1)
- is one in whom God delights (verse 1)
- is one on whom God’s Spirit resides (verse 1)
- is part of the “new things” God is up to (verse 9)”
is this also
us? are we not upheld by God,
does God not
delight in us?
are we not
filled with the Holy Spirit?
Back to the
servant:
- “brings forth justice to the nations (verse 1)
- does not raise his voice in the streets (verse 2)
- does not break a bruised read or quench a burning wick (verse 3)
- faithfully brings forth justice (verse 3)
- will tirelessly work until he has established justice in the earth
(verse 4)
- has the support of God (verse 6)
- is given as a
“covenant to the people” (verse 6)
- is a “light to the
nations” (verse 6)
- will “open the eyes that are blind” (verse 7)
- will “bring out the prisoners from the dungeon ... those who sit in
darkness” (verse 7)
The servant
is chosen by God for a mission of global scope that includes healing, teaching,
and establishing justice. The servant’s deeds are part of the “new thing” that
God is doing on behalf of exiled Jews, who find themselves driven to the far
reaches of the earth.” [ii]
In our
commitment and Baptism, we are part of the body of Christ, and are called to
live in new ways.
Discipleship is
a word that I think is underused and underrated. Look at the lives of the prophets
and disciples. Even if they had comfortable lives before God called them, everything
changed from that point.
In discussions
in various places I am amazed, though I shouldn’t be, at the self interest people
have, even in the church.
Isaiah is
saying:
God sees you
cheating
God sees you pay
lip service to worship
God sees you not
helping the poor,
And working against
the widow and orphan.
God hears you
when you call someone worthless
When you treat
someone with contempt
Along with
the other prophets, Isaiah is reminding the people of Israel,
and us,
that true
worship is not about singing hymn or saying prayers,
any
more than it is about sacrifices.
True worship
is in our lived out lives.
True worship is
in being light and hope
In standing
with those treated unjustly
In feeding
the poor
In calling
for the release of captives.
In Luke
chapter 4, Jesus quotes from Isaiah:
The Spirit of
the Lord God
has taken control of me!
The Lord has
chosen and sent me
to tell the
oppressed
the good news,
to heal the
brokenhearted,
and to
announce freedom
for prisoners and captives.
This is the year
when the Lord God
will show
kindness to us
and punish our enemies.
Later in that
chapter of Isaiah, we read:
Isaiah 61: 10-11 Contemporary English
Version (CEV)
I celebrate and shout
because of my Lord God.
His saving power and justice
are the very clothes I wear.
They are more beautiful
than the jewellery worn
by a bride or a groom.
The Lord will bring about
justice and praise
in every nation on earth,
like flowers blooming
in a garden.
because of my Lord God.
His saving power and justice
are the very clothes I wear.
They are more beautiful
than the jewellery worn
by a bride or a groom.
The Lord will bring about
justice and praise
in every nation on earth,
like flowers blooming
in a garden.
Beautiful imagery,
of wearing justice like clothing, and the way justice and praise will be like flowers
blooming in a garden.
I wonder what
that means justice might look like?
Maybe not one
big thing. Not one thing that changes the world in an instant, but slow,
gradual, continual work,
everyday,
until justice
becomes as natural to us as breathing.
“What would
our church communities look like, or feel like, if they were truly the people
working to bring about God’s vision of justice for all?”[iii]
Would we be
worrying about the colour of carpet, I know one church that took two months and
numerous meetings to solve that dilemma.
What would
our meeting agendas be like if our main business was:
·
bringing
about God’s justice for all people,
·
being
people of hope for the desperate
·
being
hope and light to the nations
What if God is saying to you:
People of Broken Bay Uniting Church,
I chose you to bring justice,
and I am here at your side.
I selected and sent you
to bring light
and my promise of hope
to the nations.
You will give sight
to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons.
and I am here at your side.
I selected and sent you
to bring light
and my promise of hope
to the nations.
You will give sight
to the blind;
you will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons.
Like
much of the Bible, there are many ways of interpreting these passages. They might
be a prophecy about the coming Messiah.
It
is also an image of the nation of Israel as God dreamt for them to be.
And
I think a challenge for us, to live into our baptismal identity, of being part
of the body of Christ, and therefore living as Jesus did:
People
of grace
Hope
Love
And
justice.
Where
is God challenging or calling you today?
What
does it feel like for God to delight in you?
