To Comfort All Who Mourn
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; Isaiah 61:1
Isaiah 61:1–4– Isaiah
Third Sunday of Advent – December 13, 2020 (am)
I’ve told you before that at the head of my preaching notes each Sunday I ask and answer four questions. What is God’s message in this book? How does this passage contribute to that? What do I pray He will move His people to do? How does Jesus alone enable this? My answer to question three today is: I pray God will enable us to leave this service in awe and wonder at the great salvation we’ve received and at the God Who provided it.
That is oftentimes our aim during the Advent season as we cultivate hope of Christ’s return, of His appearing, by rehearsing the original promises of His coming. And we still wait in hope even though Christ has now come because His coming happens in two parts, already and not yet: His first coming to provide for our salvation (already) and His second coming to deliver it fully and finally (not yet).
And as we see this, not only are we amazed at the salvation He provides but we’re also strengthened in our hope each time we see Him deliver His people through lesser saviors like the judges or the kings or other heroes in Israel—Joseph or Jael or prophets like Elijah. Each one of these deliverances reminds us that God is true to His Word. He keeps His promises. We can trust that.
So, what does His Word say? What promises does He make? What is His salvation like? Today’s text tells us. The me we meet in v.1 is a mysterious figure. We’ll call him the anointed One because that’s how he identifies himself here. He’s been assigned by God and enabled for a particular task that we’ll see in a moment. But this is the second time we meet Him in Isaiah’s prophecy. The first time was just over a chapter ago: 59:21 “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, this mysterious anointed One, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”
So, this anointed One mediates covenant relationship with God, delivering [His Word] to a people who will be bound to Him in this relationship [for all eternity]. That means He’s anointed by the Spirit of God to deliver salvation—he is the repository and mediator of the Lord’s Spirit, bringing the gift of the Lord’s word (Motyer 419) which will never be taken away from its recipients.
Now, in our passage, we meet this figure a second time (two more will follow [61:10ff.; 63:1-6]). Here we begin to see that He bears a striking resemblance to another mysterious figure we met back in cc.42-53, the servant. This servant is also endowed with the Spirit and will be a Champion of justice (42:1-4). But He’ll also bear the iniquities of many so that they may be accounted righteous (53:4-11).
And both of these figures recall a third, the King Who was promised in the early chapters of Isaiah. Remember the One Whose name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace? (9:6) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, Isaiah wrote (9:7). He will sit on David’s throne as King and establish eternal justice and righteousness (9:7).
So, when we get to this anointed One in our text today, he’s really joined in our minds with these other two as being God’s Agents of promised blessing, of victory over Israel’s rebellion and idolatry against God enabling righteousness and covenant faithfulness not only in Israel, but among all the nations, just as was promised through Abraham. In brief, here is a third messianic figure, completing the earlier portrayals of King (cc.1-37) and Servant (cc.38-55). The King reigns, the Servant saves, and the Anointed One consummates salvation and vengeance (Motyer 420). And to cut right to the chase, we believe each of these figures are fulfilled in Jesus, God’s promised Messiah.
But that’s all set-up. Let’s look into our passage that speaks of the work of this anointed One and see how it sets us up to leave this service today in awe and wonder at our great salvation, and at our God Who has provided it. We’ll trace this out through three passages.
The Hope of Deliverance Is Promised – Isaiah 61:1-4
As we see from the start, this anointed One identifies Himself only by that distinctive: 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…, and then He begins to share His work, the purpose for which He was anointed. He gives it in a succession of seven infinitives (Motyer 426), the final two of which seem to work together (so, some say six [Smith 633]).
And the content of these infinitives expresses the essence of our salvation, of God’s salvation, the message of His coming Kingdom that’s for Israel and for the nations. His salvation is intended to comfort all who mourn (2) just as He said through Isaiah back in 49:6 … I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
And it’s described in these beautiful infinitives that refresh us precisely where we feel [weary] and heavy-laden (cf. Mat.11:28). They greet us like cold water just where we feel parched and dry. 1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon [this One] because the Lord has anointed [Him] to bring good news to the poor; … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, a message of great meaning to those held captive in Babylon, but to many, many more besides, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, suggesting an extended season of His blessing on His servants but the immediate removal of adversaries and oppressors and all the wicked (Motyer 427). Again, we already heard back in c.59, among other passages, that 59:18 According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies…. 20 “And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord. The blessing of God’s people means His judgement falls on their enemies. His salvation of the [righteous] means destruction for the wicked.
Now comes the big finish: 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit…. This metaphorical way of describing the outward transformation of a person’s clothes and behavior betrays a deep transformation of this person’s situation as well as their psychological reaction to the changes [announced by the anointed One]. The point is that mourning, which was so often a part of the nation’s history, will end and praise will begin (Smith 636)—the Anointed One replaces mourning with new life (Motyer 427); that they may be called oaks of righteousness—Can you think of any other way you’d rather be described, honestly, any other way?—the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. This is perfect! This is the goal, the end game, of the salvation of our God: the complete restoration and establishment of His people in righteousness followed by the restoration of their land, the place where they live as the people of God. 4 They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
This is the announcement the anointed One was commissioned to make. Its earliest hearers then may have sensed its fulfillment when the Lord delivered them from the hands of the Assyrian army in answer to the prayer of their King Hezekiah (cc.36-37). But it was sensed even more clearly, I’m sure, by those exiles who were freed from Babylon some century-and-a-half later by the decree of Cyrus the Persian (cf. c.45). But that’s barely the start of the salvation that’s promised in this passage, the good news, the [healing], the liberty and [divine] favor and comfort that magnifies the [glory] of God! No, there’s more to this promise—much, much more!
The Fulfillment of a New Deliverance Is Announced – Luke 4:16-21
Some seven centuries after Hezekiah and five-and-a-half after Cyrus, the anointed One, the truest servant of God, the promised Messianic King, was born in Israel, in Bethlehem of Judah (Mic.5:2). At roughly the age of thirty, after He was baptized by John, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, saying: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased (Luk.3:21-22). Then, full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil (Luk.4:1-2).
And after Jesus passed that test, Luke records that 16 … he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. If we understand things correctly, this service would’ve opened in prayer followed by a reading from the Law before Jesus read here from the Prophets. He stood as a show of respect for God’s Word. And then He sat down to teach (Morris 125). 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled [it] and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was most likely reading from the LXX but there are some differences (Pao & Schnabel B&C 287-290). He omits the phrase about [binding] up the brokenhearted (1). And the LXX translates the opening of the prison to those who are bound (1) as recovering of sight to the blind (18). This idea is certainly not strange to Isaiah’s prophecy (cf. Isa.42:7), but it can catch us by surprise here if we don’t know where it came from. The final thing we notice about Jesus’ reading here is that he stopped after the opening clause of v.2. We don’t know exactly why. But it surely seems He could’ve been suggesting that it was not yet the day of vengeance of our God (2). That would await His second coming. Regardless, when He was finished reading Isa.61:1-2 20 … he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down to teach. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Can you imagine?! Grand as was Hezekiah’s answered prayer, glorious as was Cyrus’ decree that freed the exiles and sent them home, there’s still a new and better day of salvation coming to fulfill Isa.61:1-4! And it’s coming through Jesus! But how?! When?!
The Reality of This New Deliverance Is Inaugurated – Matthew 11:2-6
One of the best answers is again given by Jesus Himself when He was questioned by the disciples of John the Baptist. John may have been in prison for up to a year (Carson 303) when He sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the promised Messiah or not. Not only may the Baptist have become [discouraged], like his namesake Elijah, but [he] had preached in terms of imminent blessing and judgment. By contrast, Jesus was preaching in veiled fulfillment terms and bringing much blessing but no real judgment, even for John’s unjust oppressor, and as a result the Baptist was having second thoughts (Carson 304). It just seemed like Israel was expecting restoration of their land and kingdom, but Jesus was focused more on individual physical healings.
And yet, that’s just where He stayed with His response. 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Jesus is identifying themes that point to an even grander salvation than Israel or John were understanding. Yes, these images were anchored into Isa.35:5-6 and, again, 61:1, but they drew in more than just that. What Jesus was doing inaugurated a reversal of the covenant curses for disobedience (Deu.28:15ff.)), of the harsh conditions [associated with] exile, and even of the suffering that Ezekiel described that happens under the rule of wicked shepherds (Carson 304). Jesus is reversing all of this!
His salvation is not just going to land them back at home under yet another king who doesn’t rule in righteousness. But neither is it just going to place them under a new King Who does! The salvation Jesus is granting in fulfillment of Isa.61, the good news He is [bringing], the liberty and [divine] favor He’s [proclaiming], the comfort He’s providing to all who mourn (2), is not just socio-political in nature! It’s personal! And it’s truly all-encompassing! The relief it provides goes well beyond the joy of finally living under a righteous Ruler. To make a long story short and very current, this Ruler has a healthcare plan makes all others not just obsolete but empty! The salvation, the deliverance, He provides involves walking through the rooms of each and every hospital and repairing, once for all, everything that landed you there! It involves walking through the streets of every city and freeing you of every addiction that ever ensnared you! It involves entering the despair of every third-world orphanage and providing loving, attentive parents to all who had lost hope. And, get this, it involves invading every cemetery and welcoming back to life each and every one who died awaiting the day of resurrection!
Conclusion
Can you rejoice in a salvation like this, and in the God Who provides it? Are you filled with awe and wonder at both? We celebrate this salvation! And we glorify the God Who grants it! But we still lament and mourn as we wait for it, as we remain in our sinful bodies longing for the day of our full and final deliverance, the consummation of this Kingdom, the time when we will rightly be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, [to the praise of His glory] (Isa.61:3). But we wait in certain hope because the God Who promises salvation in and through His Anointed One keeps His promise, inconceivably grand though they are. He will surely comfort all who mourn (Isa.61:2). So, have you received this salvation today?
Next Sunday: Luke 1, Ray Glinski