Patience, blossoms and open eyes!
Commentary
Every pastor should have the opportunity of going to the Land of the Bible, and doing it early in life rather than when he or she retires. The scriptures come alive when you can see and experience the "stage" on which the action described there actually happened and the frame of reference for what is predicted to come in the future. That is especially true in dealing with the three lessons for this day. All of them have references to nature and geography which are crucial to their understanding. Things somewhat similar to them in "type" might be found in some localities, but nothing can duplicate what each of the writers alludes to in the message shared with those who read it! "The glory of Lebanon" and the "majesty of Carmel and Sharon," the "early and the late rain," so different from each other in intensity and consequences in that part of the globe, the "wilderness" of Palestine, neither a desert nor a wasteland, with its "reeds shaken by the wind," perhaps the scorching "chomsene," they are found only there, and both the power and subtleties they convey can be missed easily by those who do not even glimpse their importance.
But then, translating the power, even the right meaning, of the Word is a challenge for us. No one can do it justice! Paul was right, "For now we see through a glass dimly ... (and) know in part (1 Corinthians 13:12)." We have to trust God to provide his Spirit to lead us into "all truth." And that same thing is true of our knowledge of God and his purposes, as well! Left to ourselves we end up "teaching as doctrines the precepts of men (Matthew 15:9; Isaiah 29:13)." It takes patience, and the willingness to be taught, to have faith mature.
Advent, with its measured pace toward a Day we so want to rush, calls up for us once again the discipline of having to get in step with the beat God sets for us. The word "wait" is written out again for us, who run at such a speed that we see little, ponder less, and miss so much that is going on around us that is crucial. The "dry land shall be glad," but not yet. The "farmer waits for the precious fruit ... but it is not ready for picking yet. And "he who is to come" is moving in close to each one of us, as well as to his world, in a new attempt to gather them in, and we must wait for its fulfillment in God's good time. While the "world" keeps scurrying about, looking "for another," the church prays as we anticipate his arrival, "Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!"
OUTLINE I
Blossoms
Isaiah 35:1-10
A. vv. 1-2. Every Christian should get to the land of the Bible, and do it as early in life as possible. The scriptures come alive as never before once you have seen the stage on which the action happened and the frame of reference for what is to come.
I have seen happen what Isaiah describes in these verses. The "desert" does bloom in a few days after the spring rains. ("Desert" in Palestine is not rolling dunes of sand, but a parched rock-filled crusty soil which quickly turns to dust in the long dry seasons.) When the rain falls, almost like a grateful straggler dragged in to an oasis dehydrated and on the point of death, once the thirst of the land is satisfied it gives thanks and rejoices with blossoms shooting up everywhere in stunningly beautiful array! How much the land has to teach us about gratitude! Just wait until the "glory" of the God who sends the blessing of rain appears when he sets foot on his earth. The display of "praise" will be something to behold!
B. vv. 3-7. That promise of a divine Presence awaiting the return of the people who had been carried into exile, and their descendants, should provide the strength and determination to pull up stakes in Babylon and head for home back in the Land of Promise. "Weak hands," "feeble knees," "fearful hearts," "blind eyes," "deaf ears, and "muted tongues," all shall be given what they lack by God. He "will come with vengeance, with ... recompense ... and save (them)." What they cannot supply for their own renewal, God will deliver, as the waters empower the desert to rebound.
C. vv. 8-10. What God does he does exquisitely! Not only will he give them the strength to make it home, but the Lord will "pave the way" for them, and "sweep the area" of all threats to their arrival at their destination. "No lion shall be there," (Palestine at this time was so populated with lions that it had a sub-species of its own, and royalty from Egypt and Mesopotamia came there to hunt), nor "any ravenous beast shall come up on it." (The area still has a number of leopards that roam the vicinity where the "highway" is preducted to run.)
Note: the "ransomed of the Lord" shall return to Zion, the highest hill in Jerusalem and the seat of the Temple. The "ransomed" were the enslaved Hebrews for whom God had to pay the price of defeating the Babylonians with the Persians. We must keep in mind that when God implements his will by force, as he must do on occasion, the ones "removed" were his children, too! That is a heavy price to pay for a parent. "Fools" and the "unclean," those who pay no heed to God's call to align their lives with his direction, shall not have the chance to flaunt him again by walking the "road" back. What will be heard is celebration, with "sorrow and sighing" taking flight. When God unwraps his gifts, anything we have pulled together looks embarrassing!
OUTLINE II
Patience
James 5:7-10
A. vv. 7-10. Remember the spoiled little girl in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, who kept pressuring her father to get her everything she saw? Every new item brought the demand, "I want it now, Daddy! I want it now!" We often are about as insistent as she was when there is a need we want God to fill! "I want you to send it to me now, Father! I want it now!"
James tells us to "slow down." Note his words, "Be patient," "establish your hearts," "Do not grumble." Though all of them are dirty words in the scheme of things of demanding human beings, including the "brethren," they are "trainer-terms" for building a winning attitude for the saints who are counting on the return of the Lord. If all we do is sit and moan about what hasn't been delivered by God yet, we get distracted from the mission of getting others, especially outside of the "household of faith," set to benefit from that "appearing." The task of the church as it waits is to gather the scattered, so like the shepherds, they can be ready to see Jesus' face with eager anticipation instead of dread for an opportunity let slip by. Farmers wait for the crop to mature before they harvest it, don't they? Remember Jesus told a parable about that (Matthew 13:25ff)! Get busy, instead of complaining, and like the prophets, spread the word about what is in store for us all!
OUTLINE III
Open eyes!
Matthew 11:2-11
A. vv. 2-6. In the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman, the aged matriarch sits on her porch looking at the babies that are born into her community and family asking the question, "Is you the one?" The query is her whispered hope that the infant before her will be the one who will lead her people into equality, justice, acceptance and freedom.
John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus, sent his disciples to ask that question of Christ, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus' reply is for the disciples to go and report to John what they have seen with their own eyes and heard from others about what he said and demonstrated the power to accomplish!
That is a marvelously concise description for all evangelists about their task. There is nothing complicated about delivering the news to others about who Jesus is. Just tell them about what you have seen and heard about him personally! No "canned" scripts written by some editor somewhere are needed. In fact most of them turn folks off, and make you look foolish when someone asks you a question not in the script. You have to blush, and fumble over whether to "fake it" or tell them you will get back with the answer sometime later.
Listen to the writer of 1 John tell you how it is best done: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands concerning the word of life ... we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3)." Nothing fancy ... but powerfully effective!
B. vv. 7-11. John's greatness came from his being willing to be an "opener for Jesus. That is a hard thing for most people to do. In our own spheres of influence we like to be front-and-center. Being second banana to a brother or sister, a friend, or a spouse, can make pouters of us. But Jesus is the "Big News" of this season, and of all of life beyond it! We are sent, like John, to put him forward, and bring as many individuals as possible to meet him. Whatever it is in our lives that chips away at that purpose in those of us who have come to see Christ for Who he Is, needs to be taken to the Jordan and either "baptized" or drowned!
But then, translating the power, even the right meaning, of the Word is a challenge for us. No one can do it justice! Paul was right, "For now we see through a glass dimly ... (and) know in part (1 Corinthians 13:12)." We have to trust God to provide his Spirit to lead us into "all truth." And that same thing is true of our knowledge of God and his purposes, as well! Left to ourselves we end up "teaching as doctrines the precepts of men (Matthew 15:9; Isaiah 29:13)." It takes patience, and the willingness to be taught, to have faith mature.
Advent, with its measured pace toward a Day we so want to rush, calls up for us once again the discipline of having to get in step with the beat God sets for us. The word "wait" is written out again for us, who run at such a speed that we see little, ponder less, and miss so much that is going on around us that is crucial. The "dry land shall be glad," but not yet. The "farmer waits for the precious fruit ... but it is not ready for picking yet. And "he who is to come" is moving in close to each one of us, as well as to his world, in a new attempt to gather them in, and we must wait for its fulfillment in God's good time. While the "world" keeps scurrying about, looking "for another," the church prays as we anticipate his arrival, "Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!"
OUTLINE I
Blossoms
Isaiah 35:1-10
A. vv. 1-2. Every Christian should get to the land of the Bible, and do it as early in life as possible. The scriptures come alive as never before once you have seen the stage on which the action happened and the frame of reference for what is to come.
I have seen happen what Isaiah describes in these verses. The "desert" does bloom in a few days after the spring rains. ("Desert" in Palestine is not rolling dunes of sand, but a parched rock-filled crusty soil which quickly turns to dust in the long dry seasons.) When the rain falls, almost like a grateful straggler dragged in to an oasis dehydrated and on the point of death, once the thirst of the land is satisfied it gives thanks and rejoices with blossoms shooting up everywhere in stunningly beautiful array! How much the land has to teach us about gratitude! Just wait until the "glory" of the God who sends the blessing of rain appears when he sets foot on his earth. The display of "praise" will be something to behold!
B. vv. 3-7. That promise of a divine Presence awaiting the return of the people who had been carried into exile, and their descendants, should provide the strength and determination to pull up stakes in Babylon and head for home back in the Land of Promise. "Weak hands," "feeble knees," "fearful hearts," "blind eyes," "deaf ears, and "muted tongues," all shall be given what they lack by God. He "will come with vengeance, with ... recompense ... and save (them)." What they cannot supply for their own renewal, God will deliver, as the waters empower the desert to rebound.
C. vv. 8-10. What God does he does exquisitely! Not only will he give them the strength to make it home, but the Lord will "pave the way" for them, and "sweep the area" of all threats to their arrival at their destination. "No lion shall be there," (Palestine at this time was so populated with lions that it had a sub-species of its own, and royalty from Egypt and Mesopotamia came there to hunt), nor "any ravenous beast shall come up on it." (The area still has a number of leopards that roam the vicinity where the "highway" is preducted to run.)
Note: the "ransomed of the Lord" shall return to Zion, the highest hill in Jerusalem and the seat of the Temple. The "ransomed" were the enslaved Hebrews for whom God had to pay the price of defeating the Babylonians with the Persians. We must keep in mind that when God implements his will by force, as he must do on occasion, the ones "removed" were his children, too! That is a heavy price to pay for a parent. "Fools" and the "unclean," those who pay no heed to God's call to align their lives with his direction, shall not have the chance to flaunt him again by walking the "road" back. What will be heard is celebration, with "sorrow and sighing" taking flight. When God unwraps his gifts, anything we have pulled together looks embarrassing!
OUTLINE II
Patience
James 5:7-10
A. vv. 7-10. Remember the spoiled little girl in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, who kept pressuring her father to get her everything she saw? Every new item brought the demand, "I want it now, Daddy! I want it now!" We often are about as insistent as she was when there is a need we want God to fill! "I want you to send it to me now, Father! I want it now!"
James tells us to "slow down." Note his words, "Be patient," "establish your hearts," "Do not grumble." Though all of them are dirty words in the scheme of things of demanding human beings, including the "brethren," they are "trainer-terms" for building a winning attitude for the saints who are counting on the return of the Lord. If all we do is sit and moan about what hasn't been delivered by God yet, we get distracted from the mission of getting others, especially outside of the "household of faith," set to benefit from that "appearing." The task of the church as it waits is to gather the scattered, so like the shepherds, they can be ready to see Jesus' face with eager anticipation instead of dread for an opportunity let slip by. Farmers wait for the crop to mature before they harvest it, don't they? Remember Jesus told a parable about that (Matthew 13:25ff)! Get busy, instead of complaining, and like the prophets, spread the word about what is in store for us all!
OUTLINE III
Open eyes!
Matthew 11:2-11
A. vv. 2-6. In the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pitman, the aged matriarch sits on her porch looking at the babies that are born into her community and family asking the question, "Is you the one?" The query is her whispered hope that the infant before her will be the one who will lead her people into equality, justice, acceptance and freedom.
John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus, sent his disciples to ask that question of Christ, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" Jesus' reply is for the disciples to go and report to John what they have seen with their own eyes and heard from others about what he said and demonstrated the power to accomplish!
That is a marvelously concise description for all evangelists about their task. There is nothing complicated about delivering the news to others about who Jesus is. Just tell them about what you have seen and heard about him personally! No "canned" scripts written by some editor somewhere are needed. In fact most of them turn folks off, and make you look foolish when someone asks you a question not in the script. You have to blush, and fumble over whether to "fake it" or tell them you will get back with the answer sometime later.
Listen to the writer of 1 John tell you how it is best done: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands concerning the word of life ... we proclaim also to you, so you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the father and with his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:1-3)." Nothing fancy ... but powerfully effective!
B. vv. 7-11. John's greatness came from his being willing to be an "opener for Jesus. That is a hard thing for most people to do. In our own spheres of influence we like to be front-and-center. Being second banana to a brother or sister, a friend, or a spouse, can make pouters of us. But Jesus is the "Big News" of this season, and of all of life beyond it! We are sent, like John, to put him forward, and bring as many individuals as possible to meet him. Whatever it is in our lives that chips away at that purpose in those of us who have come to see Christ for Who he Is, needs to be taken to the Jordan and either "baptized" or drowned!
