The triumph of humility
Commentary
What exactly was Jesus doing when he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey the week that Passover festivities began? Historical scholars regard it as an "acted parable," a symbolic demonstration intended to send a message to the city's inhabitants. Prophets, we know, were prone to such actions: Isaiah walked around naked for three years (Isaiah 20:3); Jeremiah wore a yoke around his neck (Jeremiah 27:1-7). Jesus staged an absurd procession, posing as a king on a donkey accompanied by a ragtag bunch of children and peasants. To call this "the triumphal entry" is highly ironic. The people of Jerusalem were accustomed to seeing processions that were truly triumphant, complete with dancers and musicians, horses, chariots, and long columns of soldiers.
This, of course, was the whole point. Most Jerusalemites in Jesus' day thought (or at least hoped) that the kingdom of God would soon come and, quite naturally, they envisioned "kingdom" in the only categories available to them: glory, power, and might. Jesus seized upon what may have been a rather obscure scripture passage that spoke of a humble king riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and he and his disciples decided to act this out. The message was: "Yes, the kingdom of God is coming, but not in the way you expect. It comes in humility and service, even in suffering." The triumphal entry marks the triumph of humility. This is indeed the theme in all three lessons for today.
Isaiah 50:4-9a
These words come from one of the four passages that have traditionally been called "Servant Songs" in the writings of Second Isaiah. There are two themes here: speaking and listening (vv. 4-5) and suffering and vindication (vv. 6-9). The latter is clearly the one linked to today's theme, but on our way there, let's pause to look at the other also.
The person who is called to proclaim God's word, Isaiah says, is given two gifts: the tongue of a teacher and the ear of one who is taught. Teachers must hear the word from God before they can speak the word to others. This is an obvious lesson, but one that is often casually discarded in the practice of pastoral ministry. Too easily the lifestyle of clergy assumes the busy serving of Martha without the patient listening of Mary (Luke 10:38-42). How often do you choose the better part, just take time to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to the Word? Every morning? That's what our text suggests: "Morning by morning, God wakens my ear to listen as one who is taught...." I know there are many ways to hear God's word: the preaching of colleagues, continuing education events, clergy cluster groups. But this text suggests the time-honored practice of regular morning devotions. No guilt trip, just a suggestion: if you're not currently having these, why not start? Why not start during holy week, the busiest time of the year? Begin every day by meditating privately on a word of scripture, giving God the chance to waken your ear. Why not?
Verses 6-9 speak of the prophet as one who submits to suffering in confidence of vindication by God. What is striking is the ironic relationship between the two. Read verse 7 first. The prophet says, "I have not been disgraced." Then read verse 6. He says that he has been beaten or flogged. The hairs of his beard were pulled out. People spit in his face and insulted him -- if that's not being disgraced, what is? He is confident that because God helps him, he will not be put to shame. Any reasonable person would respond, "You already have been put to shame, buddy. They spit in your face. They pulled out your beard. And God didn't help." Clearly, there is another mentality at work here than that which we usually call "reasonable." It is a mentality that not only trusts in the ultimate vindication when God's enemies are consumed like a garment devoured by moths, but one that also views the triumph of suffering as present vindication of God's rule. It is a mentality that redefines "disgrace" and "shame."
Christians, of course, relate verse 6 to the passion of Jesus. They are right to do so, not because it "predicts" his suffering, but because it describes the mentality that Paul will term "the mind of Christ."
Philippians 2:5-11
Paul is either citing or composing an early Christian hymn, one that describes Jesus' life and ministry and death as a voluntary "emptying" of self for the sake of others. This attitude, Paul says, is to be adopted by the whole Christian church. The late Nelson Trout (the ELCA's first African-American bishop) used to say, "In Jesus Christ, God stooped down very low." Paul's hymn describes Jesus as emblematic of this God who stoops, as one in the form of God who does not count it a disgrace to be human or to die, even to die on a cross.
Since I quoted Gospel music three weeks ago, maybe we should hear from the other side. About a decade ago, the rock group Concrete Blonde had a blasphemous hit on FM radio stations with the song "Tomorrow, Wendy." Compare this hymn to Paul's:
I told my priest, don't expect no Second Coming.
God got his ass kicked the first time that he came down slumming. He had the gall to die and then forgive us
No, I don't wonder why --
I wonder what he thought it would get us.
That last line poses the question, doesn't it? What was the point? "Atonement!" most Christian theologians would say. But, actually, that's not the issue here. Not a word in this text about Jesus' death being substitutionary, a sacrifice, a ransom to pay for our sins. The point stressed here is different: what we gain from God's "slumming" is a new perspective on life, the mentality to be known hitherto and forever as "the mind of Christ."
If Concrete Blonde and many others fail to grasp this new mentality, it may be because they "don't expect no Second Coming." Stanza Two of Paul's hymn promises that when this event occurs (expected or not), then the triumph of humiliation will become apparent to all.
Luke 22:14--23:56
Each year, the lectionary selects one of the three Synoptic passion narratives to be read on this Sunday. The strong suggestion is that the entire narrative be read, often through some creative means such as a Readers' Theater involving congregational participants. Of course, this leaves little time for preaching -- especially if there is a "Palm Sunday" procession and other such events. The justification for this is a notion that "the drama of the passion narrative preaches itself." Maybe -- maybe not. You'll have to decide for your church.
I have prepared a list of key themes related to Luke's passion narrative (see outline). A similar list is also provided for John's passion, which serves as the Gospel reading later this week on Good Friday. Both narratives are rich with sermonic possibilities. I have only accented those themes that are distinctive to these two Gospels. What is most notable about the Gospel of Luke is that it never directly relates the death of Jesus on the cross to the theme of atonement for sin. Luke does not say that Jesus gives his life as a ransom (compare Mark 10:45) or that Jesus sheds his blood for the forgiveness of sins (compare Matthew 26:28). These themes are important and they dominate Holy Week two-thirds of the time. In Cycle C, however, the Gospel of Luke takes us elsewhere. It takes us, basically, to consideration of the moral consequences and implications of Jesus' death. How should we respond to it? With repentance and praise, and by modeling our lives (and, if necessary, our deaths) on his. In this way, Luke's passion story forms a perfect complement to Paul's hymn in Philippians.
THE PASSION OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
Theme: Jesus Is Innocent
Pilate declares three times that Jesus is innocent (23:4, 14, 22). A thief on the cross says Jesus has done nothing wrong (23:41).
The centurion says, "Certainly, this man was innocent" (23:47).
Theme: Jesus' Death Is His Destiny
Jesus predicts his passion three times and says it is "necessary" for him to die (9:22, 44; 18:31). Jesus says at the Last Supper, "The Son of Man goes as it has been determined" (22:22). Jesus views his death as the will of the Father (22:42).
Jesus views his passion as the fulfillment of Scripture (18:31; 22:37; 24:25-27; 24:44-46). After his resurrection, Jesus explains three times that his passion was "necessary" (24:7, 26, 44).
Theme: Jesus' Death Confirms His Life
Jesus is God's Great Benefactor to all, in death as in life.
He brings healing (22:51).
He brings peace and good will (23:12).
He brings forgiveness (23:34).
He brings salvation (23:43).
Jesus' death causes people to praise God and to repent (23:47-
48).
Theme: Jesus' Death Provides A Model For Discipleship
In the events leading up to his death, Jesus explains the nature of discipleship (22:24-27), prepares his disciples for trials ahead (22:35-38), and models for them the necessary perseverance in prayer (22:39-46). Jesus' trial becomes the model for the trials of Paul in Acts (16:19-24; 17:6-9; 18:12-17; 23:23-30), and his death a model for that of Stephen (Acts 7:59-60).
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 50:4-9a
When approaching any text in the scriptures, one of the first questions we need to ask is, "Who is speaking to us in this passage?" The question is no less necessary for our text for the morning.
This is a poem in the writings of Second Isaiah that scholars have long called a "Servant Song," one of the four that occur in this prophetic book. (The others are found in Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6, and 52:13--53:12). Although the question has been hotly debated for many years, many scholars have said -- and I would agree -- that the speaker in the Servant Songs is Israel, but it is Israel as she is meant to be, Israel as she is called to be, Israel as God will make her. In short, the one who speaks to us here in our lesson is an ideal Israel of the future. She is called to be the Lord's special servant, who will give her life for the sake of all nations, and who, through her suffering, will draw all nations to the Lord.
Thus, in our passage, Israel hears the Word of the Lord and does not rebel against it, but rather undergoes suffering and scorn for the sake of obeying that Word, in the sure trust that in the end her course will be vindicated by God. So we could read the passage from that standpoint.
Surely, however, the text also says something about the life of the prophet, Second Isaiah, himself. And it is a revealing glimpse into the source of revelation to the prophet. Why does the prophet speak particular words? The answer is that he does not dredge up those words from his own thoughts and imagination. Rather the words are given him by the Lord.
But how does the prophet receive those words? It has always been a mystery to us moderns as to what a prophet means when he says, "Thus says the Lord," or "The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears" (Isaiah 22:14). We have a hard time identifying that with anything in our experience. But Second Isaiah tells us here in our text that God gives him words in the most intimate communion. Every morning the prophet listens, like a pupil listening to a teacher. He opens his ears in prayer, expectant, ready to hear what God says to him, and God speaks. Moreover, the prophet receives those words and obeys them and proclaims them.
Prophets, however, are never very readily received. We human beings don't like our lives interrupted by God. As a result, most of the prophets of the Old Testament are the victims of suffering and scorn. Sometimes kings or queens put prophets to death for defying them (cf. 1 Kings 18:4). Sometimes the populace or religious establishment plots to kill them or puts them in prison or in the stocks (cf. Jeremiah 11:18-19; 20:1-2; 32:1-3). As Jesus mourned when he approached Jerusalem, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not" (Luke 13:34). Apparently, therefore, judging from verse 6 of our text, Second Isaiah also suffered for his faithfulness in his ministry. Yet he was sure that God would help him endure the suffering and calumny and that in the end, he would be vindicated and proven right. And the fact that we now have his words in our Bible shows that his faith was not in vain. Sometimes prophets had to wait a long time, however, for their words to be proven true.
When we average Christians approach this lectionary passage, however, most often we interpret it as the words of Jesus Christ. It was not written by the Second Isaiah with Christ in mind -- the incarnation had not yet taken place. But surely the New Testament is correct when it says that our Lord fulfills the picture that we have in these songs of the true Servant of the Lord.
Can any one of us doubt that Jesus lived in the most intimate communion with his Father? "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority," he told his disciples; "but the Father who dwells in me does his works" (John 14:10). And so the teachings and commandments that emerge from the mouth of Jesus are the words of God himself.
Further, Jesus is not rebellious, as our text says of the Servant (v. 5). He is tempted in all things as we are, we are told, but he does not sin (Hebrews 4:15). That is, he never loses his trust in his Father in order to follow his own will. His agonized prayer in Gethsemane is, "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).
So the awful picture of suffering portrayed in our text (v. 6) is played out in the passion of our Lord. His is the back that is scourged with the whips of Pilate's soldiers. His is the face that is spit upon. His is the beard that is pulled in scorn. Until finally the shouts of "Crucify him!" hang him on the cross.
We are told that when Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem to meet his death he set his face like a stone (Luke 9:51 in the Greek) -- like the flint in our text (v. 7) -- in unwavering determination to carry out the will of his Father. For he knew, as the Servant knows in our text, that God would vindicate him and show him righteous in the resurrection on Easter morn. That knowledge did not lessen his suffering, or the torture of the death that awaited him. But it enabled him to undergo crucifixion in the certainty that God would help him (v. 9 in our text).
Suppose, however, that we also read this text for the morning as our words. Because it so accurately pictures the life of our Lord, it is also a model for our Christian living, and it holds up before us the way we are to walk day by day.
First, there is that intimate communion in prayer to God that begins every morning, and that is the undergirding of all Christian living. The words of God now speak to us through the Holy Scriptures, and to know God and to abide in a living fellowship with him is to read those words of scripture expectantly, with eyes and ears open, to hear what God says to us through the Bible. On the basis of that hearing, then, we are to pray -- to pray to the Lord whom we know through the scriptures -- daily, consistently, eager for his Word. The Christian life cannot be lived nor can it be sustained, except we enter into that daily, intimate communion with our Lord.
Second, there is in our text the determination to be faithful to the Lord, even if it means we will suffer. And we should not delude ourselves about that. If we want to be faithful Christians in our society we will have to undergo suffering. It is not easy in our society to hold a marriage together in faithfulness, when around us one out of two marriages is failing. It is not easy to believe that the accumulation of wealth and goods is not the goal of living, when advertisers bombard us daily and the whole point of our labor seems to be to show a big profit on the bottom line. It is not easy to practice forgiveness or mercy or love toward others when most people are just out for themselves. It is not easy to believe that God is the Ruler yet, when evil and violence are all around us. Others who watch our activities and hear our beliefs may call us wimps or nerds or squares, or even worst of all, irrelevant and divorced from the "real world." Can we live a good life in a society where goodness is out of fashion, and believe with all our hearts that God's goodness will triumph? Our text for the morning sets forth that sure belief.
Jesus' command to all us disciples was, "Take up your cross and follow me," and if we wish to obey that command, we may expect the words of our Isaiah text to become true in our lives also, as they became true in his. But that's life abundant with God, good Christians, and the glories of Easter morn.
This, of course, was the whole point. Most Jerusalemites in Jesus' day thought (or at least hoped) that the kingdom of God would soon come and, quite naturally, they envisioned "kingdom" in the only categories available to them: glory, power, and might. Jesus seized upon what may have been a rather obscure scripture passage that spoke of a humble king riding a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) and he and his disciples decided to act this out. The message was: "Yes, the kingdom of God is coming, but not in the way you expect. It comes in humility and service, even in suffering." The triumphal entry marks the triumph of humility. This is indeed the theme in all three lessons for today.
Isaiah 50:4-9a
These words come from one of the four passages that have traditionally been called "Servant Songs" in the writings of Second Isaiah. There are two themes here: speaking and listening (vv. 4-5) and suffering and vindication (vv. 6-9). The latter is clearly the one linked to today's theme, but on our way there, let's pause to look at the other also.
The person who is called to proclaim God's word, Isaiah says, is given two gifts: the tongue of a teacher and the ear of one who is taught. Teachers must hear the word from God before they can speak the word to others. This is an obvious lesson, but one that is often casually discarded in the practice of pastoral ministry. Too easily the lifestyle of clergy assumes the busy serving of Martha without the patient listening of Mary (Luke 10:38-42). How often do you choose the better part, just take time to sit at the Lord's feet and listen to the Word? Every morning? That's what our text suggests: "Morning by morning, God wakens my ear to listen as one who is taught...." I know there are many ways to hear God's word: the preaching of colleagues, continuing education events, clergy cluster groups. But this text suggests the time-honored practice of regular morning devotions. No guilt trip, just a suggestion: if you're not currently having these, why not start? Why not start during holy week, the busiest time of the year? Begin every day by meditating privately on a word of scripture, giving God the chance to waken your ear. Why not?
Verses 6-9 speak of the prophet as one who submits to suffering in confidence of vindication by God. What is striking is the ironic relationship between the two. Read verse 7 first. The prophet says, "I have not been disgraced." Then read verse 6. He says that he has been beaten or flogged. The hairs of his beard were pulled out. People spit in his face and insulted him -- if that's not being disgraced, what is? He is confident that because God helps him, he will not be put to shame. Any reasonable person would respond, "You already have been put to shame, buddy. They spit in your face. They pulled out your beard. And God didn't help." Clearly, there is another mentality at work here than that which we usually call "reasonable." It is a mentality that not only trusts in the ultimate vindication when God's enemies are consumed like a garment devoured by moths, but one that also views the triumph of suffering as present vindication of God's rule. It is a mentality that redefines "disgrace" and "shame."
Christians, of course, relate verse 6 to the passion of Jesus. They are right to do so, not because it "predicts" his suffering, but because it describes the mentality that Paul will term "the mind of Christ."
Philippians 2:5-11
Paul is either citing or composing an early Christian hymn, one that describes Jesus' life and ministry and death as a voluntary "emptying" of self for the sake of others. This attitude, Paul says, is to be adopted by the whole Christian church. The late Nelson Trout (the ELCA's first African-American bishop) used to say, "In Jesus Christ, God stooped down very low." Paul's hymn describes Jesus as emblematic of this God who stoops, as one in the form of God who does not count it a disgrace to be human or to die, even to die on a cross.
Since I quoted Gospel music three weeks ago, maybe we should hear from the other side. About a decade ago, the rock group Concrete Blonde had a blasphemous hit on FM radio stations with the song "Tomorrow, Wendy." Compare this hymn to Paul's:
I told my priest, don't expect no Second Coming.
God got his ass kicked the first time that he came down slumming. He had the gall to die and then forgive us
No, I don't wonder why --
I wonder what he thought it would get us.
That last line poses the question, doesn't it? What was the point? "Atonement!" most Christian theologians would say. But, actually, that's not the issue here. Not a word in this text about Jesus' death being substitutionary, a sacrifice, a ransom to pay for our sins. The point stressed here is different: what we gain from God's "slumming" is a new perspective on life, the mentality to be known hitherto and forever as "the mind of Christ."
If Concrete Blonde and many others fail to grasp this new mentality, it may be because they "don't expect no Second Coming." Stanza Two of Paul's hymn promises that when this event occurs (expected or not), then the triumph of humiliation will become apparent to all.
Luke 22:14--23:56
Each year, the lectionary selects one of the three Synoptic passion narratives to be read on this Sunday. The strong suggestion is that the entire narrative be read, often through some creative means such as a Readers' Theater involving congregational participants. Of course, this leaves little time for preaching -- especially if there is a "Palm Sunday" procession and other such events. The justification for this is a notion that "the drama of the passion narrative preaches itself." Maybe -- maybe not. You'll have to decide for your church.
I have prepared a list of key themes related to Luke's passion narrative (see outline). A similar list is also provided for John's passion, which serves as the Gospel reading later this week on Good Friday. Both narratives are rich with sermonic possibilities. I have only accented those themes that are distinctive to these two Gospels. What is most notable about the Gospel of Luke is that it never directly relates the death of Jesus on the cross to the theme of atonement for sin. Luke does not say that Jesus gives his life as a ransom (compare Mark 10:45) or that Jesus sheds his blood for the forgiveness of sins (compare Matthew 26:28). These themes are important and they dominate Holy Week two-thirds of the time. In Cycle C, however, the Gospel of Luke takes us elsewhere. It takes us, basically, to consideration of the moral consequences and implications of Jesus' death. How should we respond to it? With repentance and praise, and by modeling our lives (and, if necessary, our deaths) on his. In this way, Luke's passion story forms a perfect complement to Paul's hymn in Philippians.
THE PASSION OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
Theme: Jesus Is Innocent
Pilate declares three times that Jesus is innocent (23:4, 14, 22). A thief on the cross says Jesus has done nothing wrong (23:41).
The centurion says, "Certainly, this man was innocent" (23:47).
Theme: Jesus' Death Is His Destiny
Jesus predicts his passion three times and says it is "necessary" for him to die (9:22, 44; 18:31). Jesus says at the Last Supper, "The Son of Man goes as it has been determined" (22:22). Jesus views his death as the will of the Father (22:42).
Jesus views his passion as the fulfillment of Scripture (18:31; 22:37; 24:25-27; 24:44-46). After his resurrection, Jesus explains three times that his passion was "necessary" (24:7, 26, 44).
Theme: Jesus' Death Confirms His Life
Jesus is God's Great Benefactor to all, in death as in life.
He brings healing (22:51).
He brings peace and good will (23:12).
He brings forgiveness (23:34).
He brings salvation (23:43).
Jesus' death causes people to praise God and to repent (23:47-
48).
Theme: Jesus' Death Provides A Model For Discipleship
In the events leading up to his death, Jesus explains the nature of discipleship (22:24-27), prepares his disciples for trials ahead (22:35-38), and models for them the necessary perseverance in prayer (22:39-46). Jesus' trial becomes the model for the trials of Paul in Acts (16:19-24; 17:6-9; 18:12-17; 23:23-30), and his death a model for that of Stephen (Acts 7:59-60).
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 50:4-9a
When approaching any text in the scriptures, one of the first questions we need to ask is, "Who is speaking to us in this passage?" The question is no less necessary for our text for the morning.
This is a poem in the writings of Second Isaiah that scholars have long called a "Servant Song," one of the four that occur in this prophetic book. (The others are found in Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6, and 52:13--53:12). Although the question has been hotly debated for many years, many scholars have said -- and I would agree -- that the speaker in the Servant Songs is Israel, but it is Israel as she is meant to be, Israel as she is called to be, Israel as God will make her. In short, the one who speaks to us here in our lesson is an ideal Israel of the future. She is called to be the Lord's special servant, who will give her life for the sake of all nations, and who, through her suffering, will draw all nations to the Lord.
Thus, in our passage, Israel hears the Word of the Lord and does not rebel against it, but rather undergoes suffering and scorn for the sake of obeying that Word, in the sure trust that in the end her course will be vindicated by God. So we could read the passage from that standpoint.
Surely, however, the text also says something about the life of the prophet, Second Isaiah, himself. And it is a revealing glimpse into the source of revelation to the prophet. Why does the prophet speak particular words? The answer is that he does not dredge up those words from his own thoughts and imagination. Rather the words are given him by the Lord.
But how does the prophet receive those words? It has always been a mystery to us moderns as to what a prophet means when he says, "Thus says the Lord," or "The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears" (Isaiah 22:14). We have a hard time identifying that with anything in our experience. But Second Isaiah tells us here in our text that God gives him words in the most intimate communion. Every morning the prophet listens, like a pupil listening to a teacher. He opens his ears in prayer, expectant, ready to hear what God says to him, and God speaks. Moreover, the prophet receives those words and obeys them and proclaims them.
Prophets, however, are never very readily received. We human beings don't like our lives interrupted by God. As a result, most of the prophets of the Old Testament are the victims of suffering and scorn. Sometimes kings or queens put prophets to death for defying them (cf. 1 Kings 18:4). Sometimes the populace or religious establishment plots to kill them or puts them in prison or in the stocks (cf. Jeremiah 11:18-19; 20:1-2; 32:1-3). As Jesus mourned when he approached Jerusalem, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not" (Luke 13:34). Apparently, therefore, judging from verse 6 of our text, Second Isaiah also suffered for his faithfulness in his ministry. Yet he was sure that God would help him endure the suffering and calumny and that in the end, he would be vindicated and proven right. And the fact that we now have his words in our Bible shows that his faith was not in vain. Sometimes prophets had to wait a long time, however, for their words to be proven true.
When we average Christians approach this lectionary passage, however, most often we interpret it as the words of Jesus Christ. It was not written by the Second Isaiah with Christ in mind -- the incarnation had not yet taken place. But surely the New Testament is correct when it says that our Lord fulfills the picture that we have in these songs of the true Servant of the Lord.
Can any one of us doubt that Jesus lived in the most intimate communion with his Father? "The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority," he told his disciples; "but the Father who dwells in me does his works" (John 14:10). And so the teachings and commandments that emerge from the mouth of Jesus are the words of God himself.
Further, Jesus is not rebellious, as our text says of the Servant (v. 5). He is tempted in all things as we are, we are told, but he does not sin (Hebrews 4:15). That is, he never loses his trust in his Father in order to follow his own will. His agonized prayer in Gethsemane is, "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).
So the awful picture of suffering portrayed in our text (v. 6) is played out in the passion of our Lord. His is the back that is scourged with the whips of Pilate's soldiers. His is the face that is spit upon. His is the beard that is pulled in scorn. Until finally the shouts of "Crucify him!" hang him on the cross.
We are told that when Jesus determined to go to Jerusalem to meet his death he set his face like a stone (Luke 9:51 in the Greek) -- like the flint in our text (v. 7) -- in unwavering determination to carry out the will of his Father. For he knew, as the Servant knows in our text, that God would vindicate him and show him righteous in the resurrection on Easter morn. That knowledge did not lessen his suffering, or the torture of the death that awaited him. But it enabled him to undergo crucifixion in the certainty that God would help him (v. 9 in our text).
Suppose, however, that we also read this text for the morning as our words. Because it so accurately pictures the life of our Lord, it is also a model for our Christian living, and it holds up before us the way we are to walk day by day.
First, there is that intimate communion in prayer to God that begins every morning, and that is the undergirding of all Christian living. The words of God now speak to us through the Holy Scriptures, and to know God and to abide in a living fellowship with him is to read those words of scripture expectantly, with eyes and ears open, to hear what God says to us through the Bible. On the basis of that hearing, then, we are to pray -- to pray to the Lord whom we know through the scriptures -- daily, consistently, eager for his Word. The Christian life cannot be lived nor can it be sustained, except we enter into that daily, intimate communion with our Lord.
Second, there is in our text the determination to be faithful to the Lord, even if it means we will suffer. And we should not delude ourselves about that. If we want to be faithful Christians in our society we will have to undergo suffering. It is not easy in our society to hold a marriage together in faithfulness, when around us one out of two marriages is failing. It is not easy to believe that the accumulation of wealth and goods is not the goal of living, when advertisers bombard us daily and the whole point of our labor seems to be to show a big profit on the bottom line. It is not easy to practice forgiveness or mercy or love toward others when most people are just out for themselves. It is not easy to believe that God is the Ruler yet, when evil and violence are all around us. Others who watch our activities and hear our beliefs may call us wimps or nerds or squares, or even worst of all, irrelevant and divorced from the "real world." Can we live a good life in a society where goodness is out of fashion, and believe with all our hearts that God's goodness will triumph? Our text for the morning sets forth that sure belief.
Jesus' command to all us disciples was, "Take up your cross and follow me," and if we wish to obey that command, we may expect the words of our Isaiah text to become true in our lives also, as they became true in his. But that's life abundant with God, good Christians, and the glories of Easter morn.
