ISAIAH 6:1-13

THE BACKGROUND

This event records Isaiah’s call as a prophet of God.  Both Israel and Judah have experienced a level of prosperity, but it was at the expense of the lower class.  Just as to this day, the rich got richer and the poorer got poorer.  Meanwhile, Assyria to the north is gaining military might. To Isaiah, the future looks bleak. God needs a spokesman to instruct His people on the consequences of their actions (and inactions).

THE DETAIL

• Things went from bad to worse on the death of King Uzziah.  The united kingdoms of Israel and Judah were threatened by Assyria. This was a political crisis.  In the midst of this crisis, God provided Isaiah with a vision.  Isaiah is in the temple in Jerusalem, when he receives this vision.  God comes to Isaiah.  In this vision, he sees God sitting on a high throne.  His regal robe fills the temple.  (v. 1)
• The Lord is attended by seraphs.  We actually don’t have an accurate description of them, other than what is given here.  The word “seraph” is only used six times in the Old Testament.  The word means “fiery ones” or “serpent”.  Ancient Hebrew scholars consider them not to be angels, but a different sort of being.  Whatever they were, they had three pairs of wings.  One pair was used for flying, and one pair for covering their faces. Apparently, they also could not gaze upon the face of God without perishing.  The third pair was used to cover their “feet”.  Now, you can believe that Isaiah really meant their feet, but most scholars feel differently.  A euphemism is like when you are at a restaurant with friends, and you tell them “I’m going to go ‘wash my hands’”.  Everybody knows that you’ll probably do more than just wash your hands, but it is the polite thing to say.  The word “feet” is used in the Old Testament as a euphemism for their private parts.  Another example can be found in the book of Ruth, chapter 3, verses 1-6.  Ruth “uncovers the feet” of Boaz.  Simply because of this, they get married and have a child.  So, with the third pair of wings, the seraphs were being modest in the presence of the Lord. (v. 2) 
• Back to the story.  As the seraphs flew, they praised the Lord, causing the whole place to shake like an earthquake.  If that wasn’t enough, the temple was filled with smoke.  (vv. 3-4) 
• Isaiah panicked. Not only does he feel out of place here, but he has seen the face of God.  By rights, Isaiah should be dead.  (v. 5)
• Next, something cool happens.  A seraph carries a burning coal from the altar fire to Isaiah, and cauterizes his lips. He declares Isaiah’s sin and guilt to be gone.  (vv. 6-7)
• Now, the Lord speaks, asking for someone to speak for us*.  Isaiah volunteers, saying “send me!”  (v. 8)
• In most churches, the reading will end with verse 8.  But the lectionary allows the option of continuing to verse 13.  We will call this the “fine print”.  God gives Isaiah a heads up as to what to expect. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to take a long time.  (vv. 9-12)
• There’s a slight glimmer of hope at the very end.  Almost all of God’s people will be wiped out; cut down like a tree.  But in the stump is a holy seed.  (v. 13)

THE TAKEAWAY

God came to earth to speak to us as well, in life-work of Jesus.  God calls us to speak for Him today.  The world is in political crisis.  It is also in environmental crisis, people are starving, the rich still neglect the poor, and on and on.  There is much work to do.  People will stop their ears, and shut their eyes.  No matter.  We must press on, and do the Lord’s work.

* The Lord uses the plural “us” instead of “me”.  Some like to reason that this is a reference to the Holy Trinity.  This would not have made any sense to Isaiah.  The concept of the Holy Trinity would not begin to form for another 800 years.  We Americans are not familiar with how kings speak.  Even into the 19th century, kings have used a verb tense called the “majestic plural”.  They rarely said “I”, but used “we” instead.  Another example of this occurs in Genesis 1:26.
 

1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11

THE BACKGROUND

So, we’ve finally “eaten” our Oreo cookie about the gift of tongues.  (Chapters 12-14)  If you didn’t read last week’s reflections, you might want to ignore this last sentence. This week and next, we will study the concepts of salvation and resurrection. 

THE DETAIL

• Paul starts out as if he were starting a new letter.  He reminds them of the Good News (the gospel message) that he proclaimed to them, they received, and stand.  (v.1)
• The next verse contains an interesting point.  But overall, he says that they are being saved, if they hold to the message he taught them; otherwise his teaching was in vain.  But notice in the beginning of this verse he doesn’t say “which also you were saved”, he says “you are being saved”.  Many of us Christians like to point to the time and place, long ago, when we were saved.  I only need to look back to yesterday to recognize this saving grace.  For me, salvation is an ongoing action.  Trust me—I need this saving grace daily!  I suspect that you need it too.  So if someone asks me when I was saved, I hope I say “yesterday” or “this morning”!  (v. 2)
• Verses three and four make up a concise description of Jesus’ mission on earth.
• Next, comes a listing of the times that the resurrected Jesus was seen by his followers, ending in Paul himself.  These witnesses to the resurrection become important in next week’s study.  (vv. 5-8)
• Paul starts out humble in verse 9, but by the middle of verse 10 he begins to brag a little. But then he checks himself, and credits it all to the Holy Spirit’s work, all for the purpose of bringing these Corinthians to Christ.  (vv. 9-11)

THE TAKEAWAY

There are several things that we can take away from this passage.  But I want to focus my thoughts on verse 2.  One of my pastors taught me that salvation is “God’s salvaging operation on each of us”.  This operation is on-going; it needs to continue in all of us daily, as long as we draw breath.

LUKE 5:1-11

THE BACKGROUND

This year, we are studying the gospel of Luke.  This week, we read about Jesus’ calling of his first apostles.  In chapter 4, we have the temptation of Jesus, which we are saving for Lent.  Also in chapter 4, verses 31-39, he teaches in the synagogue in the lakeside town of Capernaum.  There, performs some miracles, including healing Simon  Peter’s mother of a high fever.  He is preaching, teaching, and performing miracles.  Word spreads.  People gather.

THE DETAIL

• He is teaching on the shore of Lake Gennesaret (AKA the Sea of Galilee).  The crowd presses closer.  He sees some fishing boats, and one is Simon’s.  They hop in, and he continues to teach from the boat. (vv.1-3)
• Here’s where it gets interesting.  Jesus, a carpenter by trade, suggests that they go into the deep water and lower their nets.  Everybody knows that fish are not in the deep water, but inshore.  Peter’s crew has spent all night fishing, and has come up empty-handed. But what the heck.  Why not listen to the carpenter?  (vv. 4-5)
• You know the story.  The catch is so abundant that their fragile nets are breaking; the boats are so full they nearly sink!  (vv. 6-7)
• Simon Peter knows a miracle when he sees one, and falls on his knees.  His words sound a lot like Isaiah’s words in the first reading. (v. 8)
• All of the fishermen were amazed at this catch.  So much so, that Zebedee’s sons James and John, along with Simon Peter, abandon their fishing business and follow Jesus to become “fishers of men”, or “catching people” as our NRSV translation calls it.  (vv. 9-11)

THE TAKEAWAY

Everybody in this story was common folk.  Even Jesus was “only” the son of a carpenter from the hick town of Nazareth.  None of them were qualified clergy.  Jesus performed miracles for two reasons.  One was out of compassion for the outcasts, the suffering, and the sick.  The other reason was to alert those around him that he wasn’t just your ordinary Nazarene carpenter.  Something bigger was going on.  Simon Peter, James, and John recognize this, and drop everything to heed the call. We, too, are called to do Jesus’ work in our surroundings.  People are weak and suffering.  People are living lives without purpose or meaning.  We are ordinary people, called to share the Good News just as Paul shared it with the people of Corinth.  None of us may be pure or qualified, but that doesn’t matter.  Jesus calls us all.