By Such Stripes Are We Healed
by Jack Shaver
©The United Church of Canada, 1985
All Rights Reserved
ISBN 0-88622-196-X
7M/12/85/APL
Used with Permission
The Second Sunday of Lent
Fancy meeting God here!
Isaiah 61: 1 - 4
The preaching of Isaiah of the exile is famous for its servant songs. The writers of the Christian scriptures constantly refer to them. The early Christians used these servant songs to describe the significance of Jesus.
Other preachers in Israel had talked about the Lord's anointed. All the cultures of the known civilized world at the time considered the king to be God's anointed one. In this regard Israel was no different. But Israel's prophets called the king to do God's justice as God's anointed one.
Isaiah's servant metaphor made a subtle change in the concept of "anointed one". It also made room for some changes in Israel's understanding of God's righteousness.
The scripture passage of today's reflection comes from the preaching during the restoration. Release by Cyrus had come in 583 BC. But there was no great rush to rebuild Jerusalem. It took a lot of encouragement to bestir even a few of the exiles to leave Babylon, return home and begin to rebuild the city and temple.
Is the preacher here doing nothing more than claiming God's sanction for restoring the city? Is he just attempting to stir enthusiasm in the reluctant patriots? Whatever the preacher had in mind, his words have taken on greater meaning. The writers of the Christian scriptures used this passage to identify Christ's ministry. Luke has Jesus refer to this passage in his first public act of ministry. He sees Jesus' ministry as identifying with the poor, the afflicted, the captive and the blind.
It seems to me this is a proper inference from this passage. Herein we see what is really called for from God's anointed one. In all the preaching of all the prophets God is shown as being concerned that justice be done to all those who had been unjustly done by. But with the exilic preachers God's concern appears to gain a sharper point. God is seen as taking responsibility for the afflicted, the captives, the broken-hearted, the prisoners. Recall what Ezekiel said about God's looking for someone to stand in the breach of the wall so that the city would not have to be destroyed. Add the oracle of the suffering servant we read yesterday.
This all adds up to the fact that God's anointed one is called to be identified with not only the afflicted, the captive, the prisoners, but also with the sinner.
God's way of dealing with sin and suffering is to bear it. It seems there is a way of relating to human sin and sorrow whereby you get to be with God.
- Benediction
Almighty God, - this is a request for your blessing. Our first praying was like this.
- "God bless Mummy, God bless Daddy, God bless everyone." And our last praying will be the same.
- Our lives need blessing.
- By the time your good gifts get touched by our hands they are tainted.
By the time our good deeds get done there is something wrong with them.
Our generosity gets contaminated with extravagance;
our conservation corrupted with miserliness;
our helping hands hide aggression; - our letting-go masks neglect.
God bless the gifts you have bestowed upon us, bless our use of them.
God bless the work of our hands, make of it a blessing to others.
God bless our loving, may it bless those we love.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen