Isaiah 35:1–10 Isaiah offers a beautifully poetic picture of hope for the future for the exiled people of Judea. They’ve lost everything and, while wandering without a sense of place or future, he assures them that, looking ahead, God will come to their rescue and no more harm will come to them. They will have everything they need and won’t know want anymore.
Psalm 146:5–10 This is another poem of hope for the Israelites (also plenty familiar with exile and suffering), assuring them that they worship a God of provision and protection, particularly for the marginalized. Their future is secure.
James 5:7–10 James calls on Jesus’s adherents to be patient, like a farmer is patient with his crops, trusting that they will come again. He offers them the example of the prophets, who spoke of amazing things not yet realized, but who waited in faithful steadfastness for these visions to be fulfilled. Finally, he offers them a gentle warning not to get cranky as they wait, taking out their impatience on each other.
Matthew 11:2–11 John the Baptist hears about Jesus and his ministry from prison. He sends word to ask if Jesus is the Messiah John has been speaking of who was coming. Jesus questions people who come to see him to determine if he is who they hear he is. He says that the evidence of his works should be all they need. Then he tells those around him that John is not just a prophet but is himself a fulfilment of the ancient prophecy about the coming of a “way-maker” for the Anointed One.
Lebanon—A territory that stretches along the Mediterranean coast, known especially for its mountains. In particular, Mount Lebanon was considered to be a particularly holy place. It was also a region known for its cedar trees, which were perfect material for ship building and other construction.
Zion—Zion is considered to be a sort of geographic and spiritual centre for the tribes of Israel. Specifically, the city of David was located on Mount Zion.
Carmel—This can usually be translated as “the park.” It was a hilly (some might say mountainous) region in what we now call central Palestine. Mount Carmel was the highest peak in this region, which stretched to the sea.
Sharon—Contrasted with the other elevated regions described above, Sharon was a valley lush with vegetation, often prized as valuable grazing area for livestock.
It’s frequent that the visions and promises of hope described in the Bible are cast out sometime in the indefinite future. In particular, these usually are intended for those currently suffering or marginalized. Most of the warnings are more immediate and are reserved largely for people of comfort and privilege.
In the James text, there is something strangely comforting in knowing that, even way back then, people were getting snappy with each other because they hated to wait. And in a time when immediacy is the currency of the culture, our snappiness tends to border on a nervous breakdown. Imagine how we would respond now to such vague, indefinite timelines!
It’s particularly notable, given all of these words of comfort and assurance, that John the Baptist—who is in prison and likely facing his death—isn’t focused at all on his own situation. Rather, his sole focus is knowing whether the things he has been talking about are coming to be for everyone else. He knows his fate will likely be execution, but like a true prophet, his heart is with his people, rough as he may be around the edges.
We implore the mercy of God, not that He may leave us at peace in our vices, but that He may deliver us from them. Blaise Pascal
1 O for a thousand tongues to sing
my great Redeemer's praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
2 My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread thro' all the earth abroad
the honors of your name.
3 Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease,
'tis music in the sinner's ears,
'tis life and health and peace.
4 He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.
5 To God all glory, praise, and love
be now and ever given
by saints below and saints above,
the Church in earth and heaven.
Charles Wesley
You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then he is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne
1608: Born on this date, the English poet John Milton was a bookworm—the best kind, the kind who uses his intellect and knowledge to serve God. Milton’s poetic career got side-tracked by England’s Civil War in which Milton sided with Oliver Cromwell and his Puritans against King Charles and the Royalists. Cromwell tried to establish England as a Christian commonwealth, and Milton held a post in Cromwell’s government. After Cromwell’s death England reverted to a monarchy, and Milton lost faith in all human governments. In his youth he had thought of writing an epic poem about the great King Arthur, but he became so disillusioned with human rulers—and humans in general—that he decided to write an epic about the universal problem: human sin. In the King James Version of the Bible in Genesis 3 the story of the fall of man is told in 695 words. Milton took that small amount of material and created the greatest epic poem in English, Paradise Lost, more than 10,000 lines of poetry. Milton did not confine himself to Genesis 3 but told of the fall of the rebel angels led by the angel Lucifer who takes the new name Satan and resolves to corrupt God’s creation, man. The cast of characters includes not only Adam, Eve, and Satan but also the angels Michael and Gabriel, as well as the devils Beelzebub, Belial, and Mammon. With scenes in heaven, hell, and on earth, Paradise Lost is truly a cosmic poem. Technically, Milton did not “write” Paradise Lost because by this time he was completely blind and had to dictate to secretaries. Blind to the external world, Milton had keen sight into spiritual matters. Though his poems are, by our twenty-first-century standards, difficult to read, they repay the effort. In our secular world, English-speaking people should be proud that the greatest English poem deals with God, man, sin, and salvation.
If this text seems at all familiar, it might be because some of it appears in Handel’s Messiah. That familiarity aside, there are lots of words and phrases that are straight-up confusing if you’re not a Bible history nerd. Honestly, I don’t think you have to get too deep in the weeds in order to get what the author is trying to convey.
One of the best things about many of the prophets, as well as a lot of the psalms, is that they’re written in lyrical or poetic form. This means that we’re not just supposed to focus on what the words help us know; we should also take time to reflect on what they help us see.
A more contemporary approach in postmodern theological thought calls this nonliteral, nondidactic approach to the Bible theopoetics. When we engage things theopoetically, we’re supposed to get out of our “right-brained” thinking and allow the images and other senses the text evokes wash over us.
One benefit of this sort of engagement is that it is more inductive rather than deductive. By this I mean that we’re not taking big ideas and distilling them down to one or two straightforward points. On the contrary, it’s an opening up of the text, allowing each person to connect with it on their own terms.
Some contemporary preachers and teachers hedge at this approach because it requires them to let go of a lot of control of what people walk away with.
But if the authors are comfortable with conveying their messages in this nonliteral, nonlinear way, it stands to reason that we should consider teaching this way too. Even in the Gospel, when John’s messengers ask him if he’s the Messiah, he doesn’t answer directly, but rather in this more inductive way. If it’s good enough for Jesus . . .
Usually I spend time in this section teasing out what the texts means for us, but this week, I suggest that we put more emphasis on how we read and experience them. And if you preach or lead a class, see if you can resist the urge to tell people what to think. You might be amazed by what you all find together.
I want it all fixed; help me sit with the brokenness. I want to feel better; help me make peace with the pain. I want to know; help me find hope in the dimness of ignorance. Amen
Ten little Christians standing in a line,
One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.
Nine little Christians stayed up very late,
One slept in on Sunday, then there were eight.
Eight little Christians on their way to heaven,
One took the low road, then there were seven.
Seven little Christians chirping like chicks,
One disliked the music, then there were six.
Six little Christians seemed very much alive,
But one lost his interest, then there were five.
Five little Christians pulling for Heaven’s shore,
But one stopped to rest, then there were four.
Four little Christians, each busy as a bee,
One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.
Three little Christians knew what to do,
One joined the sports crowd, then there were two.
Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,
Differed with each other, then there was one.
One little Christian can’t do much ’tis true;
Brought his friend to Bible study, then there were two.
Two earnest Christians, each won one more,
That doubled their number, then there were four.
Four sincere Christians worked early and late,
Each won another, then there were eight.
Eight little Christians, if they doubled as before,
In just a few short weeks, we’d have 1,024.
In this little jingle, there’s a lesson true,
You belong to the building, or the wrecking crew
Author unknown
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