Prophecy

We read these words in the latter part Isaiah 52:
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand."

It is commonly understood that this passage describes a holy servant of God that is to come. This servant will "act wisely." As a result, this servant will be "raised", "lifted up," and "highly exalted." Even though this servant is wise, he is rejected because of his appearance.

This rejection does not stop the servant from both blessing and taming the world. Salvation and truth will come through him.

It is also commonly understood amongst Christians that this passage specifically prophesies about Jesus of Nazareth. This allows us to interpret the Isaiah text as such: Jesus acted wisely by living a sinless life and dealing with his enemies in ethical ways. Ironically, he was crucified - lifted up into the air for the purpose of both killing and humiliating him.

The torture and means of execution that Jesus endured left him physically disfigured and marred. But this crucifixion which led to his death did not lead to permanent death nor humiliation. On the contrary, it led to his being exalted; raised to life by the Father, installed at the right hand of the Father, and worshiped by his followers.

Jesus' death and exaltation "sprinkle" the nations with the means for salvation. Though Jesus was a Jew from the insignificant land of Israel, the world and its leaders has now gained access to story of the one true God and His plan for rescuing all people.

Of course, these words flow easily from a Christian pastor and one who is thoroughly convinced of who Jesus was and is. Not so for everyone. Biblical prophecy has many contemporary naysayers who rely on in-depth scholarship for their opinions. Some of these naysayers would say that the Isaiah text should stand on its own and that making it christological is an exegetical error. Some would even say that they have no less faith in God than I.

What does it mean to interpret Jewish prophecy of the OT through the lenses of Christ Jesus? What does it mean for our faith if we do not?

~ Jeff

The Word

The Bible has endured a good bit of critique in our post-modern society. Many scholars reject the notion that prophetic utterances actually foretold the future, but were actually written in a time after whatever had been foretold finally came to pass. Some scholars think that many of the words of Jesus that we find recorded in the gospels he actually never said. Some people hold that the Bible is bound to the past and does not have much to say that is relevant for modern people. A few even say that Paul's writings are not faithful at times to Jesus' message.

This suspicion of the Bible and its authenticity make us vulnerable. If we are like seeds planted on rocky soil in our faith, we may start losing ground in faith. We may actually fall away.

I do not expect biblical criticism to go away any time soon. I do wonder what we can take from it, however, and what we can do to maintain our firm grounding in Scripture at all once.

What is helpful about biblical critique? What is it that we must be wary of?

Needs

Today is Maundy Thursday and I am thinking about needs. Jesus recognized needs in the crowds to whom He was ministering. He wanted to bless them in their feeling overburdened by the demands of the Pharisees and by the circumstances of life.

He said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." The Lord offers rest.

It is funny then how we contemporaries are not all that interested in rest. We are suspicious that rest is superfluous and for lazy people. We may even recognize our need for rest but choose to put it off until the kids are grown, the mortgage is paid, the grandkids are grown, or the wheels fall off of our car. We may forgo rest because we do not want to be labeled as lazy.

After the Lord made the world, He rested. Kind of an absurd notion, isn't it? God, who spoke the whole universe into being, needed to rest. Does that mean that He needed to replenish expended energy? Probably not. It is more likely that He just needed to stop and reflect and enjoy what He had done.

Maybe this is part of the Lord's desire for us as well - that we would stop long enough to notice what He has done and to just be in His presence. In this we will be rejuvenated body, mind, and soul. Our needs will be met - needs we were not even aware we had! The Lord desires this; it is why He commanded that Sabbath be established.

And yet it is not easy to pull off. We have work to do after all. We have children to care for. We have books to read and vacations to take and yards to landscape. We have ministry to do. We have films to watch and concerts to enjoy and TV to dig and ballgames to attend. Is there really time to rest? Is it reasonable? Won't we miss out on something?

Rest in Jesus' arms is what we need. How do we discipline ourselves to receive it?