Brad Sullivan
First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Emmanuel, Houston
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;” we hear from Isaiah. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased,” which we hear from Matthew clearly echoes Isaiah. The passage from Matthew, God’s proclamation after Jesus’ baptism, is clearly linked to the passage we heard from Isaiah. Jesus is God’s servant, whom he upholds, his chosen, in whom his soul delights. Jesus lived as Isaiah’s prophecy stated.
“He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench…” (Isaiah 42:2-3a) Jesus was not a violence inciting revolutionary, trying to gain power for himself through a political revolution. Jesus did not try to overrun his enemies through military conquest. He did not take a broken world and break it even more by forcing justice on people through physical coercion.
“He will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:3b) Jesus brought forth justice by relying on God. Jesus prayed for himself and others, and led others by serving them. Jesus cast out demons, he healed people, and he followed what he believed was God’s will even when doing so meant great personal sacrifice. In this way Jesus brought justice. Jesus taught the true way, another rendering of the Hebrew word for justice, the true way. Jesus taught, preached, and lived the true way, establishing His way of life on earth.
“He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. (Isaiah 42:4) Jesus brought the true way of life to the Gentiles, the nations, as well as to the Jews, and Jesus did not stop until his work was accomplished.
So, again, Jesus’ life clearly points to Isaiah’s prophecy, and God’s proclamation at Jesus’ baptism clearly point to Isaiah’s prophecy. On the other side of that coin, however, does Isaiah’s prophecy clearly point to Jesus? Well, no, I don’t think it does. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights.” Gee, could you vague that up a little bit? Who is God’s servant? It is Isaiah? Is it the people of Israel? Is it some unknown person in a crowd to whom God was pointing? We don’t know.
While Jesus’ life clearly points to Isaiah’s prophecy, Isaiah’s prophecy does not clearly point to Jesus. Otherwise, you’d think Isaiah’s prophecy would have said: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. His name is Jesus of Nazareth, and he’ll be born in Bethlehem in a little less than 600 years.” Fortunately the prophecy wasn’t quite that specific. I say fortunately because if the prophecy was that specific, then the prophecy would have little to say to any of us.
We would know Isaiah was a great fortune teller, a great predictor of the future. Instead, we know Isaiah as a great prophet, a teaching and exhorting prophet, teaching us even today something about God’s justice, God’s true way. We know from throughout Isaiah God is a God who loves justice. In Isaiah 58 for example God tells the people of Israel what kind of worship he wants, worship through sacrifice and fasting, no. “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed to free, and to break every yoke?”
Seeking after and bringing forth justice is true worship of God. It makes sense, then, that God’s servant in whom his soul delights is one who faithfully brings forth justice. Further, without a clear referent in Isaiah as to who God’s servant is, we could say that anyone who faithfully brings forth justice is God’s servant in whom his soul delights. Anyone who faithfully brings forth God’s true way is God’s servant in whom his soul delights.
Might I be committing heresy here, somehow diminishing Jesus by saying Isaiah’s prophecy wasn’t only for him or by saying somehow that Jesus is not unique. No. Can you imagine Jesus sitting around remorsefully thinking, “Oh, you mean that prophecy isn’t just about me?” I have a feeling Jesus wants Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled as many times and in as many people as possible.
Remember, at Jesus’ baptism, God spoke the words, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” and by speaking those words, God pointed to Isaiah’s prophecy, calling that prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, and in our baptisms, we are baptized in the name of Jesus as followers of Jesus.
Do you think Jesus would want his followers to worship him through praise only and not by continuing the work Jesus did? Jesus taught his followers to live as he lived, to bring forth justice as he brought forth justice. Jesus wants that prophecy fulfilled. Remember also that true worship of God is to bring forth justice. Living a life, therefore, that fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy does not diminish Jesus, but is the highest worship of Jesus. For Isaiah’s prophecy to be fulfilled in Jesus’ followers is for Isaiah’s prophecy to continue to be fulfilled in Jesus.
So, when we are baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are baptized as fulfillers of prophecy, or at least potential fulfillers of prophecy. When we are baptized, we are granted forgiveness of sin so there is nothing to separate us from God, and we are raised to the new life of grace so we can continue as God’s beloved, his chosen, in whom his soul delights.
We can choose, of course, not to follow after Jesus. We don’t have to be God’s servants in whom his soul delights. God does not force us by coercion. Just as God’s servant does not bring forth justice through coercion or force, neither does God force us to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. He gives us the gift of forgiveness of sin. He raises us to the new life of grace, and he let’s us decide whether or not we want to be his servants.
God is just, and kind, and wonderful. We get to decide if we want to be God’s servant. Now, being God’s servant sound like it might be difficult, and Jesus even assures us being God’s servant is difficult, but think about Jesus’ life. Do you get the feeling Jesus was generally joyful or miserable? Jesus had a difficult life being God’s servant, and Jesus had a wonderful, beautiful, joyful life being God’s servant. Think about those words, God’s servant in whom his soul delights…sounds pretty good.
A joyful life of service to God, that’s the life into which we are baptized. Actually, we’re baptized into a life of forgiveness and grace, and we’re invited into a joyful life of service. Through our baptism, we’re invited to have Jesus’ life fulfilled in our lives. Through our baptism, we’re invited to have Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled again and again. “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.” (Isaiah 42:1-3) Amen.
