The Fourth Sunday of Advent

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations...He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law."

These verses, from the forty-second chapter of Isaiah, were probably written by someone other than Isaiah of Jerusalem, possibly while the exiles from the southern kingdom of Judah were languishing as captives in Babylon. If this is the case, what the first Isaiah saw, through his Spirit-inspired prophetic consciousness in the latter part of the 8th century BCE, has come to pass. 

The Assyrian Empire, having overrun the northern Jewish kingdom of Israel (and having failed to take Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah), eventually find themselves overtaken by the Babylonians. The Babylonians, in turn, accomplish what the Assyrians could not -- taking Jerusalem in approximately 586 BCE -- over 120 years after the ministry of Isaiah of Jerusalem. "Second Isaiah", possibly a prophet who had been trained in the prophetic school associated with Isaiah of Jerusalem, continues to work with the themes so prevalent in the portions of the book of Isaiah we've read during these weeks of Advent. 

In some ways, 2nd Isaiah has an expanded vision of God's justice. No longer is God's justice simply a localized phenomenon. In this prophet's mind, God's justice is for "the nations" (a code phrase for "the Gentiles"). What a bold claim! 

In a time when each individual nation had their own deity/dieties, 2nd Isaiah makes the radical claim that the only God who will execute ultimate justice -- to the Covenant People and to everyone else in the entire world -- is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses.

The witness to and harbinger of God's justice is the "Suffering Servant", whose actual identity remains somewhat obscure. The Servant will readily be recognized as one empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. This Servant of God's justice will not be bellicose or harsh. In fact, "he will not lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street..." His gentleness will be witnessed by the fact that, "a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.."

But the most captivating characteristic of the Servant will be his faithfulness to the mission of justice. By the time the captives in Babylon hear 2nd Isaiah's description of the Servant, they are living in the aftermath of the Jerusalem monarchy that had been more concerned with its own survival than with justice or mercy for the poor and marginalized of the kingdom. To hear the news of God's own Servant, must have evoked a sense of hopefulness and enkindled a flame of resolve in the remnant of Judah scattered from one end of the Babylonian Empire to the other.   

When the early Church began scouring the only scriptures it had, the Servant Songs of 2nd Isaiah became closely identified with the ministry of Jesus. And now, 2000 years from Jesus' ministry and 2600 years after 2nd Isaiah, the Covenant People and the Followers of Jesus still wait. The Covenant People wait for the Advent of the Servant and the Followers of Jesus wait for the Second Advent of the Son of God. Both peoples look for the day when the whole earth "Sings to the Lord with a new song." Both peoples yearn for the time when the eyes of the blind are opened, prisoners are set free from the dungeons that hold them captive; when the seas roar with the praises of the Almighty One.

In these waning days of the season of Advent, the Church is reminded to hold fast to our hopefulness. We are challenged to tenaciously tend to the flame of our resolve. We await the fullness of time and the flood of God's merciful justice. We are called to be the Servant of God in the world -- hands to the helpless, food for the hungry, rescue for the oppressed. We are to be witnesses, in word and deed to the One Who Comes, all the while praying, "Come quickly, King of Glory, King of Peace!"

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent)