Sunday, Dec. 16 -- the Voice in the Desert

Passages: Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:5-10, James 5:7-10, and Matthew 11:2-11.

This picture reminds me of Sunday School. John the Baptist -- the Voice in the Desert.

What's in a question?:

Have you ever wondered why Jesus seldom answers a question directly? People will come to him, ask him something relatively straight-forward like “Should we pay taxes?” (Mt. 22.17), but never get a simple answer (“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” Mt. 22.21). In today’s Matthew lection, we get another example of a somewhat simple question: “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else” (Mt. 11.3)?

Jesus answers: “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor” (Mt. 11.4-5). Instead of saying, “Yes I am,” which – to me – is the implied answer, Jesus compares his works to works found in various places in Isaiah (26.19;29.18; 42.7, 18; 61.1), including today’s Isaiah lection (32.5-6). Today’s Isaiah lection reads, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.”

Why does he do this? I think it is because he wants to teach people about the scriptures and let them make the connections for themselves. Jesus did not come to dictate faith to people – he was a teacher. Jesus spoke in parables, not only so it would be easy to retell and pass on the stories, but so each person can find meaning in the narrative. Jesus was here for more than just answers – he had a message that was more profound than do and don’t; yes and no.

My roommate in undergrad used to ask me a lot of questions about philosophy, religion and politics (I was a philosophy major and opinion columnist for the university paper, and we were both people concerned with spiritual questions). Often, he would tease me about frequently answering questions, “yes and no…” and then immediately proceed into an explanation. Even though he joked about it, he also appreciated it. My answers revealed not only the answer, but how I arrived there. It also sparked a discussion. After all, he didn’t walk into my room and ask “Do you believe you can petition the Lord with prayer?” for a simple yes or no. He had his own ideas, and he wanted to know mine.

Jesus is so inspiring because, when people ask Jesus questions, he sees what is behind the question, what is on their minds. John’s disciples wanted to know if Jesus was the one John preached would come, if Jesus fulfilled Scripture. But they didn’t come just to see if Jesus was legit, but also if their teacher was correct in his prophecies. It is not a coincidence that Jesus assures the crowd that John is “the one about who is written: I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you” (Mt. 11.10) as John’s disciples are leaving. In just a few verses after the lection ends, Jesus claims John is Elijah: “and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen” (Mt. 11.14)! Without directly answering John’s disciples, he gives them what they long to hear, and they learn for themselves.

I am thankful that Jesus not only had answers, but was willing to teach them.

Sunday, Dec. 9 -- From the Stump of Jesse

Passages:
Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19, Romans 15:4-13, and Matthew 3:1-12.

Depiction of the Tree of Jesse

My Take:

Isaiah 11 is one of my favorite passages in the Hebrew Scriptures – it is prophetic in every sense of the word. It is dense in meaning and rich in image, but most importantly it is a powerful vision into God’s intentions for the world. Many Christians see this passage pertaining to Jesus Christ, a descendent of Jesse. I agree, if it is assumed that the final vision of peace and universal understanding of the Lord has yet to be actualized.

In Isaiah 11, I see an outline of sort (I have taken some interpretational liberties):

• A leader will arise from the lineage of Jesse and David (“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit” Isaiah 11.1).
• He will be ordained by God in his ministry, endowed with great wisdom and insight (Isaiah 11.2-3).
• His message will be extremely powerful (“He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth”), and the message will advocate for the poor and slay the wicked.
• He will usher in an era of profound peace (Isaiah 11.6-8, described in poetic detail) where the “wolf will live with the lamb.”
• The Lord will be known universally, and the faith will be open to all people (Isaiah 11.9-10).

With one reservation, I feel as though Christ has accomplished – or set the stage – for the things in this outline. He was a descendant of Jesse, and upon Christ’s baptism the Spirit of the Lord “descended upon him like a dove.” His profound message of love and peace has inspired good will and charity to the poor. My one reservation is found in Isaiah 11.4: “With the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.” My understanding of Christ is one of a pacifist – the man who chastised Peter for injuring the Roman soldier sent to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; the savior who sacrificed himself, forgiving his tormenters on the cross. His message preached forgiveness for the wicked and an opportunity to repent, not death or retribution.

Many say that this aspect of the Messiah – the dispenser of justice – will be fulfilled upon Christ’s second coming. It’s not called Judgment Day arbitrarily. Many of these same people say that it is only after this Judgment Day that the vision of peace where the “wolf lives with the lamb,” can actualize. This may be true, but I think Christ challenges us to rethink justice and peace, and transformed their meaning in many ways. True justice is freedom from wickedness, and Christ provides redemption for all of our imperfections. The chains of sin and death are broken by Christ, and in that liberation there is true peace.

Instead of “slaying the wicked” Christ was slain on behalf of the wicked. Just like Christ’s execution literally freed Barabbas from death row, spiritually we are all sprung from our jail cells of sin. But since the message of Jesus Christ gives “the wicked” a chance at rebirth and renewal, it does “slay wickedness,” in a very metaphorical sense.

There is a lot in this Isaiah passage, and I find it interesting what Paul focuses on and cites in today’s lection from Romans. Paul uses Isaiah 11.10 to explain and justify his ministry to the Gentiles. His translation is different than most standard translations, but still recognizable: “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him” (Romans 15.12). Paul sees Christ as an open invitation to all people to “glorify God for His mercy” (Rm 15.9) and encourages us to “Accept one another, then, just as Christ has accepted you” (Rm 15.7). Christ opened the Jewish faith, traditionally associated with an ethnic group of people, to all races and cultures across the world.

In Paul’s time, the first generation of Christians, this particularly applied to the Greeks and the Romans. Pre-Rabbinic Judaism was not only struggling with its role in an expanding world that did not share its religious tradition, but also being under the rule of the greatest military force the world had known. It was also confronted with a highly imperialist culture that actively exported its language, education and customs. Passages from the scriptures that assured that “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11.9) must have been a source of inspiration and assurance during this time where their land and culture was being occupied by the Romans.

Paul saw Christ as a way of bringing the God of Israel to the Roman world, and making the “Root of Jesse” a “banner for all people.” I wonder if Paul ever imagined, during one of his many trials or in a jail cell, that four hundred years later a Roman Emperor would convert to Christianity, or that 2,000 years later his words would survive to the information age. Today, knowledge of the Lord – or at least the Scriptures – is accessible at every corner of the earth in any language.