The Word ... for what it is

Isaiah 55:6-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-23


Several years ago I took a class in Old Testament Interpretation that took me by more than a little surprise. It’s not as if I had never heard of the Hebrew Scriptures, but I had never had a teacher to challenge me to read the texts without my Christian perspective such as the people of the day obviously had. What they were getting was what was written specifically for them in the context of their own contemporary setting. This is not to suggest that what was written in the past has no relevance for us – NOT AT ALL!! – but context is everything in understanding what was offered and under what circumstances so that it may become relevant for us today.

I worked through the class and took more than my share of “hits” on one paper I wrote because there were many subtle, though unintentional, New Testament references peppered throughout the paper. I passed the course, but I came away probably more confused than educated. Still it was a good exercise in reading something and taking from it its own message based on its own historical and theological perspective and setting as well as reading it for what is actually there instead of trying to read INTO IT something that is not.

Isaiah addresses Judah during the Babylonian exile. The southern kingdom had been overthrown though it was not what had been intended. King Ahaz turned to help from Assyria in fending off an attack from Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel (aka, Ephraim). Long story made short, Judah was sent into exile and the Assyrians ruled the kingdom.

In this setting, then, and in light of what Isaiah has to offer Judah is probably the best way to approach the reading in understanding that even as Judah endured hardship by the hands of man, the Lord God was still ultimately in control because He granted to them exactly what they had asked for: help from man at the expense of their national identity.

And just like the people of Judah, we also have to sometimes take our own spiritual lumps. In Judah’s case, it was probably a mistake for King Ahaz to align himself with a foreign nation sort of like when we rely on man instead of the Lord to get us through difficult times such as now in our economy as we expect the presidential and other candidates to promise AND DELIVER economic miracles. Taking these lumps, however, does not mean that the grace of the Lord will not still shine. The question will be whether we are willing to see it.

Through Isaiah, the Lord makes it clear that He is not much for idle talk. The Word which comes from Him is for a purpose and when that Word comes to us from Above, it will not stop until it serves its divine purpose, like rain replenishing the earth. What this may mean for us is that the potential exists that we can waste what has been offered for us to use, and the Lord will move it to someone else who will make better use of His Holy Word. It is not unlike the Parable of the Talents (Matthew25:14-30) in which the third servant who had been entrusted with only one talent had it taken from him and given to the other who had made good use of what had been entrusted to him. The servant who wasted what little he had ended up with nothing and was “thrown into the outer darkness ...” (Matthew 25:30)

To the exiles the Word of the Lord which came to them through Isaiah was the word of encouragement and grace, not condemnation as “I told you so”. The people of Judah were already down so it would not serve the purpose of the Lord God to continue beating and kicking them. They needed more than a good “chewing out”; they needed to know that what they had endured served a purpose. They, like we, needed to know that within the Word of the Lord is enduring Hope and a Promise for a future.

Jesus warns His disciples, however, that even as the Word of the Lord is sown there are still challenges that require us not to simply read the Bible but to PRAY the Bible and internalize what is offered to us so that the Word becomes the essence of who we are and what we are to our community and the world. Beyond this, then, it is also incumbent upon us to live the Word so that it becomes our nature. When we are then strengthened by the Word, we can venture out into the world that is hostile to the Word and SHOW the world the goodness of the Word and the Life which springs forth from it.

Though Jesus’ parable warns of the dangers and temptations of this world and the obstacles which are inherent to the world, it seems also clear that the “path” to which He refers is our path. This path goes into the world and meets a hostile world right where it is. This Word does not make demands, it does not judge or condemn or insist that the world come to us or meet us on our terms. Instead, we are called to meet the world right where it is at any given time and place. By the light of Christ which should shine in and through us, we are able to light the path and show the world the way out.

We are essentially the Lord’s “rescue party”, and the Word of the Lord is our tool belt. And like a rescue party, we go to the scene of distress rather than wait safely from a distance until those in distress somehow manage to find their way out. It is the life perfected in Jesus who came to mankind - in mankind’s world, in mankind’s image, and even on mankind’s terms – to show humanity the way out.

I suppose in many ways we are still a people in exile but like Judah, we are still being cared for, looked after, and encouraged. We have not been forgotten or forsaken. It is only fitting and right that we should remember that we are equipped with the Word – AS IT IS – to light the path for other exiles and those who may be lost. We GO TO THEM instead of waiting for them to come to us. Just like Jesus, the Word made flesh who came to His own, but His own did not recognize Him. But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God.

This is the light of Life and the Word of the Lord …. And it is what it is now and forever. Amen.