As we proceed in our preparation for
Christmas, our Advent readings for today speak of a highway, a “way of
holiness.” What a beautiful description of the path to be followed
on our journey of faith. This passageway begins in the desert of decay and
death, proceeds into lush pastures, and eventually, to Zion and the Promised
Land. As we study these passages, be open to revelations about the restoration
of Israel, the restoration of a paralyzed man, and our restoration!
Isaiah 35:1-10
The desert and the parched land will
be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it
will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of
Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see
the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. 3 Strengthen
the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to
those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will
come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” 5 Then
will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then
will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will
gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground
bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and
papyrus will grow. 8 And a highway will be there; it will
be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The
unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No
lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But
only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has
rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will
crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing
will flee away.
Let’s begin by
pealing back the layers of Isaiah 35. Judah
had strayed from God. They claimed the privilege of being God’s people, but
lived as if God did not exist. They offered empty rituals instead of heartfelt
worship. What was once a delight had become a duty. What’s more, they plotted
with foreign nations, and lived as an unfaithful spouse. So, God’s judgment had
fallen and in 586 BC they were exiled to Babylon. But, God’s punishment is not
just punitive, it is restorative. Isaiah 35 is a beautiful example of God’s
desire to bring restoration and redemption.
In verses 1 and 2, the image is of
life coming from death. The desert, parched land and wilderness will
alternatively be glad, rejoice greatly and blossom, like the crocus. What had
been dry and lifeless will be transformed into new life. God would restore His
people. Even the land between Babylon and Judah, the path that they must walk
to return to their home, was reborn into a verdant and hospitable garden much
like the fabled forests of Lebanon, and the flourishing vegetation of Carmel
and Sharon. New life was coming, but to experience this new life and
restoration to its fullest, a journey had to be taken.
Verses 3 and 4 mark a change of
tone. Many of the remnant of Judah are fearful and frail. They are reluctant to
take the journey back to Zion. Encouragement is needed to strengthen the weak
hands and steady the wobbly knees. Isaiah offers them the good news. “Say to those
with fearful hearts, be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come
with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you” (vs.
4). Adding to this convincing
message, in verses 5 and 6, is the fact that the weakest will be the most
blessed. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap like a deer
and the mute will sing for joy! This
transformation will be so great that streams will gush in the barren desert,
pools will form, and the thirsty ground will give way to bubbling springs.
Where grass once grew, tall reeds will be their replacement. God was bringing
dramatic transformation, restoration and new life!
God will call His people on a
journey, much like the Exodus. They will travel on a highway, called the way of holiness.
It is to be utilized only by those on the “Way.” The unrighteous and
the predator will not be found on the way of holiness. Only the ones the Lord
has “redeemed”
and “rescued”
will walk there. This is the language of the Exodus, when God “redeemed” His
people from the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh. At the end of their journey, just
like the Exodus, “They
will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness
and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
(vs. 10).
Surely, Isaiah spoke of the
restoration of Judah which transpired beginning in 539 BC. But, it is
unmistakable that he was also writing about the coming of Jesus to restore mankind
and to offer new life. The remnant of Judah was called to take a journey back
to Zion. Jesus calls us to a journey that will lead to the Heavenly Zion
(Hebrews 12:22). Will the path lead us through verdant and fruitful lands. John
10:10 quotes Jesus as saying, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full
(or more abundantly).” For the weak and fearful ones of Judah to go
on the journey, they will need to be strengthened by hearing the good news that
God has come to save them? In the New Testament, lost people need to hear the
good news that Jesus has come to save them! Paul wrote that, “…faith comes
from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about
Christ” (Romans 10:17). When Isaiah speaks of miracles taking place,
like the lame man leaping as a deer, as we will see in our Gospel reading, it
is Jesus who fulfills this prophecy! Isaiah tells the people that there is a
highway, the Way of holiness. Jesus
said, “I am the
Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John
14:6). Only those in Christ will be on the Way of holiness! Isaiah said that
there would be no unrighteous or ravenous beast on this path. In other words,
there will be no threat to kill or rob us of our faith. Jesus said in John
10:27-29, “My
sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father’s hand.” Isaiah speaks of rivers and pools in the
desert. Jesus came to give us “living water” (John 4:10, 7:38, Revelation 7:17).
Isaiah spoke of the people arriving in Zion with singing and rejoicing. The
parallel with Revelation 4 and 21 is striking. In chapter 4, the 24 elders
surround the throne, wearing crowns and singing to the Lord. In chapter 21 we
read that God will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more
death, mourning or pain. Our destiny is not an earthly Zion, but the Heavenly
Zion and the Temple of God where we will join that throng of worshipers around
the throne for all of eternity! Now that is cause for rejoicing!
Psalm 85:4, 9-13
Restore us again, God our Savior, and put
away your displeasure toward us. Surely his salvation is near those who fear
him, that his glory may dwell in our land. 10 Love and faithfulness meet
together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. 11 Faithfulness springs
forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. 12 The Lord
will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. 13
Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
In our Psalm passage,
the author cries out for restoration! God’s
displeasure leads to righteous judgment, such as was experienced when Judah was
sent into exile. The psalmist cries out for mercy and grace. What was needed
was a return to the fear of the Lord. With a proper disposition toward God,
salvation and restoration was very near. Salvation would mean restoration to
the land God had promised and through
this reconstitution, God would be glorified. Love, faithfulness and
righteousness are all intricately linked in God’s economy. It is as if they
kiss together. When these holy characteristics are present, God will send forth
His blessing and the land will become fruitful, yielding a great harvest. But,
righteousness must be established – it must go before Him and prepare the way
for His actions. Consider for a moment that Jesus is our righteousness (1
Corinthians 1:30). Before Jesus came, John was the forerunner who preached
repentance to the people (Luke 3:3). Why did he preach about repentance? Psalm
85:13 states, “Righteousness
goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” If we desire
the Lord to bless us and to be close to us, we need to repent and live
“righteously” before Him. Restoration follows repentance!
Luke 5:17-26
One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees
and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of
Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus
to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried
to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find
a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him
on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of
Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are
forgiven.” 21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to
themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but
God alone?” 22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you
thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins
are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed
man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood
up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and
said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Our reading from Luke demonstrates in a dramatic way the need for the New Covenant. There
were two groups of people who confronted Jesus that day. First, there were
religious leaders who had come to hear Jesus. They had traveled from a variety
of places, including every village in Galilee, from Judea and Jerusalem. This
indicates that there might have been a fairly large group. Why had they come?
These religious elitists were not there to learn from Jesus. They wanted to
trap Jesus in some heretical statement. Matthew 22:15 records the reason for
following Jesus. It says, “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.”
Their goal was to destroy Jesus before he ever developed a following and
usurped their power and authority. These men represented the Old Covenant
system that had degenerated into an unmanageable system of 613 laws.
The second group of folks who confronted
the Lord were simple men who had great concern for their paralyzed friend, and
great faith in the Lord Jesus. In reality, they embodied the two greatest
commandments as articulated by Jesus. That is to, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These guys
understood that and put it into practice. Apparently the crowd was so large
that they could not get to Jesus in a conventional way. They wanted Jesus to heal
their physically challenged friend. But, rather than give up, they climbed up,
raised up their friend and then lowered him through a hole to where Jesus was.
What happened next is epic!
Jesus was moved by their faith and
said, “Friend,
your sins are forgiven.” That was not exactly what these men were
asking for, but you notice that they did not complain. Who was it that
complained – accusing Jesus of blasphemy? It was those Frigid Pharisees and
teachers of the Law. They were incensed (no pun intended) that Jesus claimed to
have the authority to forgive sins. If Jesus had just healed the man, that
would not be a problem. But to forgive his sins, that is going too far. How
dare He say such a thing! Jesus knew the wickedness in their hearts and
responded, “Which
is easier, for me to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘take up your pallet and
walk?’” After confounding the religious leaders, Jesus told the man
to get up and walk, and he did.
Jesus demonstrated three powerful
points in this narrative. First, Jesus has the power to forgive sins because He
is God. Second, we must remember that “righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for
His steps.” Before Jesus healed the man physically, He healed the
man spiritually. By forgiving his sins, Jesus was establishing him in
righteousness. Then his next step could be taken. He told him to get up and
walk. Finally, by healing this lame man, and many others, Jesus was fulfilling
Isaiah 35. “The
blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap like a deer, and the
dumb will sing for joy.” As the Promised Messiah, it is Jesus who
brings true forgiveness and restoration!
The lesson for us is this – if we
want to be restored, we must walk the “way of holiness.” As we move ever closer to
Christmas, may we resonate with the faithful friends who came in great faith to
Jesus and laid their friend and his needs before the Lord. Jesus met the
greatest need of the paralytic man first – to forgive His sin. Perhaps we
should spend some time considering what we might want Jesus to forgive. Then,
we need to confess our sins to Him. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Only
when we are forgiven can we be restored. And restoration means getting back on
the journey – back on the Way – the Way of holiness.
Have a
most meaningful thirteenth day of Advent.
No comments:
Post a Comment