ISAIAH 49:1-7
THE BACKGROUND
In the central portion of the book of Isaiah are found four “Servant Songs”. Last week’s first lesson was the first of the four. This week’s first lesson is the second of these songs. The third and fourth are found in Is. 50:4-9 and 52:13-53:1-12, if you are interested in looking them up. In between the first and second song, a lot happens. In chapter 45, God announces that he has appointed the Persian king Cyrus as the liberator of His People. In chapter 47, Babylon is defeated and humiliated. In 48:20, captive Israel is told to flee Babylon, and go home. The songs describe a person who will lead them on the way of rebuilding. The big question is who this servant might be. I will provide three answers in the takeaway, all of which are valid.
THE DETAIL
- The Servant calls for our attention. The Servant claims that he was called to be God’s servant, even before he was born. (v. 1)
- The Lord gave him the skills needed to do the job. God names him “Israel”, or His chosen people. (vv. 2-4)
- But The Servant is frustrated. Things do not go smoothly. He is frustrated. (v. 4)
- God gives The Servant a pep talk, reminding him that God chose him for this task even before he was even born. (v. 5)
- Then, God ups the ante. The Servant is not to save only Israel, but the whole world! (Remember the meaning of “the nations” from last week?) (v. 6)
- God concludes the pep talk by telling The Servant that kings and princes will bow before him, because God has chosen him. (v. 7)
THE TAKEAWAY
So, who was this Servant? We never get his name. Maybe that was intentional. I see three possible answers.
- To the liberated people of Israel, this Servant represented the one who would lead them home and guide them in the rebuilding of their homeland. I believe that no one was named to this role because the role needed to be filled by many people. It could be a standard by which all leaders would be compared. This standard could be applied to anybody who did the Lord’s work.
- To Christians, going all the way back to the very early days, these Servant Songs were applied to the life of Jesus. Jesus, being God’s son on earth, would most certainly aim to live up to these standards set by His Father. It was his nature and mission to present us all with a perfect model of these attributes.
- These standards can also apply to us today. We are God’s Servants in this time and place. These are God’s expectations of our behavior, as we serve Him where we live. We are called by Him to do this work. When we do so, we shall be “honored in the sight of the Lord, and God will become our strength”. (Verse 5, slightly paraphrased.)
1 CORINTHIANS 1:1-9
THE BACKGROUND
This is the introduction section of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. It is chock full of God actions. Keep in mind that God’s grace is “God’s love, freely given”. The word “called” appears repeatedly. The calling in all cases is done by God.
THE DETAIL
- This letter follows the classic form of Paul’s letters. Paul and Sosthenes are the authors of this letter. Paul reminds them that God has called him to be an apostle of Christ. (v. 1)
- They are sending this letter to the church in Corinth, who are also called to be saints* by God. This is a remarkable statement. The church in Corinth was not comprised of fulfilled Jews. They were outsiders—Gentiles. Paul, who is a fulfilled Jew, states that God calls everyone. God’s love is for the whole world. (v. 2a)
- This letter is also intended for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord”, namely you and me. (v. 2b)
- Next comes the customary greeting from God through Paul. (v. 3)
- Paul also thanks God for bestowing His grace on this church. (v. 4)
- God’s grace has been lavished on them and us) in many ways—through speech, knowledge and “spiritual gifts”. (vv. 5-7)
- He assures us that Jesus will strengthen us to the end, and that [because of Jesus dying on the cross] we will be held blameless on Judgement Day. We are finally reminded that we have all been called into fellowship with Jesus, so God will be faithful to us. (vv. 8-9)
* When Paus uses the word “saints”, he is referring to all those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. The practice of canonizing saints did not begin until several centuries later.
THE TAKEAWAY
This passage is rich in God-actions! As we will see in the weeks ahead, the church in Corinth was far from perfect. Yet, God lavishly blesses them with His love. This is good for us to understand, since we, too, are not perfect. But God blesses us, warts and all! We must always remind ourselves that we are all called to be God’s saints. As saints, we are in fellowship with Jesus, and God will be faithful to us. Thanks be to God!
JOHN 1:29-43
THE BACKGROUND
The gospel of John begins with a very short introduction to John the Baptist’s mission. The scene shifts quickly to John being questioned by the religious authorities. John makes it clear that he is merely the one announcing the coming of someone greater than he. Then, Jesus comes on the scene. It should be noted that John also had disciples—people who followed him to learn his teachings.
THE DETAIL
- When John sees Jesus approaching, he tells his disciples “Here is the Lamb of God…”! (v. 29)
- John gives them his testimony, including the telling of Jesus’ baptism. (vv. 30-34)
- The next day, Jesus walked by John and two of John’s disciples. John again calls Jesus the Lamb of God. (vv. 35-36)
- Those two disciples of John left John, and followed Jesus. (v. 37)
- Jesus asked them what they wanted. Oddly, they answer by asking where he was staying. Jesus invites them to tag along, and see for themselves. (vv. 38-39)
- One of the two was named Andrew. Andrew went & got his brother Simon, saying “We have found the Messiah!”. When Andrew presented his brother Simon to Jesus, Jesus gave Simon a new name, straightaway. He called him Rock. (Aramaic: Cephas; Greek: Petra, or Peter) I like to say that Jesus called him “Rocky”. Am I wrong??? (vv. 40-42)
THE TAKEAWAY
It’s good to know why Jesus wanted to rename Simon. In Holy Scripture where people or animals are named or renamed, it indicates a bond; it is the start of a new relationship. When Adam names the creatures in the Garden of Eden, it indicates that they are under his care. We do this, too. We always name a pet as soon as we bring it home, even if it had a different name before. Sometimes, we give nicknames to our friends, children or grandchildren. These indicate that there is a special relationship between them and us. This is what Jesus is doing with Simon.
Jesus gets many titles in this passage.
- John the Baptist calls him the Lamb of God, as in the lamb sacrificed for the Passover act. The blood of the lamb saves the lives of the believers who have the blood smeared across their doorways.
- John the Baptist also clearly calls Jesus the Son of God (v. 34)
- The two disciples of John the Baptist address him as “Rabbi”. Yes Jesus came to teach us many things.
- Finally, Andrew calls Jesus the Messiah. God’s anointed one.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Jesus is, of course, all these titles and more. What do you call him?