Isaiah 61: 1-3 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
The Prophet Isaiah was given some of the most magnificent prophecies in the entire Old Testament, and this is certainly one of them! This prophecy speaks of the purpose and ministry of the coming Messiah. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, just after Jesus had completed being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth. On the Sabbath, Jesus was invited to read the Haftorah and this was the section for that particular day. Jesus took this opportunity to announce the beginning of His ministry. (Luke 4:21 “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled…”)
After the Children of Israel reached the Promised Land, they broke their covenant with God. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that they annihilated their covenant with God! God had warned them to have nothing to do with the terrible religions practiced by the Canaanites and Philistines; however, holiness was such a drag and fertility cults were soooooo attractive. Although the Bible does not state it, Rabbinical tradition holds that evil King Manasseh killed the prophet Isiah by sawing him in two. As a result of this cumulative wickedness, both the Northern and Southern kingdoms were destroyed and many of their citizens carried off to Babylon. There in exile, the Jews began to take their own prophecies seriously and long for the coming of the Messiah. And the passage from Isaiah 61 was one of the best – beloved prophecies.
Sadly, after years of waiting for the Messiah to appear, many of the religious leaders failed to recognize Him when He actually came. The Jewish religious leaders expected the Messiah to be a triumphant military leader; in no way did Jesus fit their expectations. Today Jesus still comes in ways that we least expect. But the purpose of Jesus’ coming has not changed. Jesus still comes “to comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” Who among us does not need comfort? Who among us has not watched treasured hopes and dreams turn to ashes? Who among us has not suffered from a spirit of heaviness? And who among us can honestly state that he/she feels like a tree of righteousness?
Jesus came to heal, to restore, and to give us joy! But we cannot dictate terms; we cannot cling to darkness if we expect light to come into our lives. The speed of light is also the speed of darkness; darkness flees when light comes. Jesus came as the Light of the world. Today, let us open our hearts to receive Jesus’ Light and Joy!
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, today many of us are sad. It has been a tough year. Many of us have lost loved ones, jobs, hopes, dreams, perhaps even our homes. Lord, you are the One who sent Jesus to comfort all who mourn. Please comfort us! Give us joy! And give us hope that with Your help, this coming year will bring new beginnings. Amen.
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