~ Gaudete ~
Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11 | 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 | Matthew 11:2-11
Text: Isaiah 40:1-8
It’s important to understand that Isaiah was not preaching at a time of peace in Israel. Not many chapters (chapters 36-37) before this, Isaiah has the job of announcing to the starving, besieged inhabitants of Jerusalem that the Assyrian at their gates is not going to prevail. It’s great that Israel was spared destruction that time, but the stability of the nation is by no means a sure thing. Hezekiah is still a naive leader, the people of Israel have a faithfulness which shrivels as soon as it is tested.
It’s into this context that these great words are spoken:
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:1–8)
There is plenty that each of us understands with our eyes, calculates with our mind, and predicts with our wisdom. It’s a necessary part of this life that we deal with grades, decisions about jobs, making wise money choices, and so on. We apply ourselves to these things day in and day out. They consume our thoughts and can often seem overwhelming.
Then, God’s Word reminds each of us of the fleeting nature of our grand plans and worries: “20 Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” (Psalm 49:20) Without what understanding? Without the understanding which comes to us from the Word of God taught by the Holy Spirit. Like what beasts? Are we talking lions or rats? It doesn’t matter, as Solomon reminds us, “a living dog is better than a dead lion.” (Eccles. 9:4)
The witness of the martyrs of the Church is given to us to hold this fact before our eyes: “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18) The opposite of that is a fact which is more than we want to admit: Everything which we see today, as well as all that we hold dear, has an expiration date. Whatever we pursue to magnify our little slice of this world is, in the words of Solomon, “Vanity of vanities.”
Yet our hearts long for something solid, something lasting. Sin has blinded us to it: It is the work of God, which He makes known to us through His Word. Yes, His Word created this entire fragile world and it’s upheld by Him [Hebrews 1:3]. Rather than cling to the created things, our God teaches us where to find that which is unshakable. So, St. Paul bids us to look beyond the temporal and fix our eyes on what is eternal:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4)
With our minds set on things above, we’re also trained to look past things seen to things unseen. What we see is scary, overwhelming, and threatening. There’s enough to occupy our thoughts with what’s happening for us and those close to us. But if you throw in the local, national, and global news, it’s enough to sweep us away in a torrent of uncertainty.
But who is it who holds our life and the lives of all people? Is it the government? The bank? The hostile supervisor or judge? No, “You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20) In whatever suffering you are facing or will face, answer it by saying, “I belong to Christ.” He, who passed through all that this crooked world can muster, is for you. He declares, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)
This is the comfort that Isaiah speaks, even in the midst of warfare:
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5)
Who can make the valleys be lifted up? Who can humble the mighty mountains? These words very well could have been running through John’s head as he sat there in Herod’s prison. From his perspective, it sure didn’t seem like any mountains were being brought low, as even a wicked girl could ask for his execution [Mark 6:14-29]. He could have wallowed in self-pity and gotten stuck on the wrongness of it all. But that is not the way for those who believe in what the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
To give a modern illustration of this, Richard Wurmbrand came to faith in Christ after growing up an atheist. He lived in Romania under Soviet occupation and also became a Lutheran pastor. In 1948, he was arrested and for the next 14 years, tortured by the Russian Communists. They wanted to stamp out every bit of Christianity, but it did not succeed. Wurmbrand held to this truth that his life did not belong to him; he belonged to Christ. He came to be so at peace with this truth that he said that the Christians in prison had a deal: “The men would preach. The guards would beat. Everyone was happy.”[1]
But more significant than being content with beatings, Richard Wurmbrand was able to love his torturers. He loved the Russians and mourned for the humanity that Communism had robbed them of. So, he preached the Gospel to them and prayed for them—all while they were inhumanely abusing him and others.
This is the mighty work of faith: To be able to look past the present things to see God’s work and His purpose. To fixate on our present situation is the business of our selfish, sinful flesh. Whenever we see this raising its ugly head, this is a time to repent and ask God to do His loving work in us, so that we gladly pray, “Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
So it remains:
All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. 7The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. 8The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Isaiah 40:6b-8)
And that Word of God is the Gospel by which God has given us eternal life and through us to others that they too may live.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
[1] Wurmbrand, Richard. “Tortured for Christ.” (Living Sacrifice Book Company, 1998)
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