Open

Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-9

Title: Open

Structure:

• Introduction
• Listening
• Suffering
• Vindication
• Conclusion

Introduction:

On the wall here is the sketch of a young Jesus (as an apprentice carpenter) balancing a length of wood on his shoulders with parents, Joseph & Mary, watching in the background

–         The light falls across Jesus and his burden in such a way as to caste the shadow of a cross on the ground

–         The picture foreshadows Jesus’ future when he will carry his cross

This morning our sermon focuses on Isaiah chapter 50, verses 4-9, one of the lectionary readings for today

–         Isaiah 50 is sometimes read in preparation for Easter as it foreshadows Jesus’ experience

–         From Isaiah 50, verses 4-9, in the NIV we read…

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back. I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who is he that will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.

May the Sovereign Lord illuminate this Scripture for us

As we read the prophet’s words in Isaiah 50 it is apparent how open God’s servant is

–         He is open to listening to what God says

–         He is open to suffering abuse for sharing his message

–         And he is open to facing his accusers with truth

–         How is he able to do this – where does his confidence come from?

–         It comes from knowing God will vindicate him

 

Listening:

Around 251AD a man by the name of Anthony was born

–         Anthony was the son of Egyptian peasants

–         When he was 18, Anthony responded to what he sensed was God’s call on his life

–         He sold what he owned (which wasn’t much), and after a period of living as a poor labourer at the edge of the village, he withdrew into the desert, where for 20 years he lived in complete solitude and silence

–         Those 20 years in the desert were a trial to him

–         They were a time when his superficial securities and the illusions he had about himself were stripped away

–         A time when he was open before God

 

There are a variety of different ways in which we can pray

–         For example, we can sit and talk to God using either our own words or words written by someone else

–         We can keep a journal, writing our prayers and reflections on paper

–         And then there is the prayer of silence – when we don’t say or write or do anything at all, we simply sit quietly, waiting on God

I say ‘simply’ but actually it’s quite difficult to do that sometimes

–         Thoughts fill our minds and we may find ourselves planning our ‘to do’ list or worrying about something or other

–         Finding that sacred internal silence can be quite illusive

Now I’m not suggesting you go bush for 20 years and just listen for God, like Anthony did

–         Nor am I suggesting all prayer should be silent prayer – we still need to use words in our prayer time

–         The point is, we need to observe times of silence too

–         Silence is a way of opening ourselves up to God

–         Silence in prayer reminds us we are not in charge – we are not calling the shots

–         In times of silence we may become aware of our own spiritual poverty, our nakedness before God

–         Without the scaffolding of words we realise just how dependent on God we are for support

–         Silence cultivates an attitude of openness to God, it makes room for God’s voice

When Anthony finally emerged from his time of solitude and silence, people recognized a wholeness, a wisdom and a compassion in him

–         And they flocked to him for healing, for comfort, for strength and for direction

–         St Anthony’s service to others, flowed out of his being open to God – listening to Him in an attitude of trusting dependence

 

In Isaiah 50, verse 4, the servant of the Lord describes how he listens to God in a spirit of openness

He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

–         This tells us the first inclination of a prophet is to listen

–         It also tells us the prophet’s message is not his own – it comes from God and so it has an inherent authority to it

When we read this verse we might feel a bit jealous of the prophet’s clarity and we might think, ‘How can I hear God like that?’

–         Well, before we can hear God He has to ‘waken our ears to listen’

–         So our ability to hear God depends on God’s initiative in the first place, but we still need to do our part and pay attention

–         I don’t believe there is a set formula for hearing God – we can listen for God in a whole variety of ways

–         Normally we wouldn’t expect to hear God speaking to us in an external audible voice – although we might hear an inner voice, sort of like the implantation of a thought that is not our own

–         Personally I listen for God through a combination of reading, talking with others, reflecting on circumstances, common sense, silence with solitude, interpreting dreams and through the process of writing

–         Your experience of listening to God may be similar or different

–         In any case, once we think we have heard God speak we then need to measure what we’ve heard against Scripture and ask trusted friends what they think

–         Generally speaking God’s word is best discerned in community, not in isolation

Having said that there will be times when the community are wrong – when they won’t get it and we have to trust the minority report

–         This was often Jesus’ experience – for Jesus listening to God was done in solitude. In Mark chapter 1 we read…

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed… when they found him, they exclaimed, ‘Everyone is looking for you’. Jesus replied, ‘Let us go to the nearby villages so I can preach there also… 

The community wanted Jesus to stay with them but Jesus didn’t agree

–         He had spent time alone with God, listening to his Father in prayer – so he knew there were others who were weary and in need of a sustaining word from God too

 

Returning to Isaiah 50, the prophet’s listening to God serves the purpose of providing a word that sustains the weary

–         That is, the right word in season – a word that can be depended on

Who then are the weary?

–         Well, the historical context of Isaiah 50 is most likely Israel in exile – so the weary are God’s people in a foreign land under the thumb of a foreign government

–         The weary are those who are low in hope, low in energy, low in joy, depressed and worn out by the circumstances of their existence

–         While we are not politically oppressed in the same way the Jewish exiles were, (or in the way the persecuted church overseas is today) many of us have been made weary in other ways

–         We know what it is to be tired, worn out, depressed and despairing

Isaiah 50 foreshadows Jesus’ ministry

–         Jesus had an instructed tongue – here are just some of the things he says to sustain the weary (both in his day and in ours)…

–         ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven’

–         ‘Go in peace, your sins are forgiven’

–         And, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

 

Suffering:

Of course there is risk in letting our guard down and being open

–         We can’t expect to listen and remain unaffected

–         The Lord’s servant isn’t just open to Yahweh – he is open to the world also and all the suffering & abuse that comes with it

 

In the Lord of the Rings trilogy the Hobbit, Frodo, is charged with the responsibility of taking the ring back to the land of Mordor and destroying it in the fires from which it was forged

–         This takes a great deal of courage for a wee Hobbit, because Mordor is a dark and evil land

–         Mordor is the last place that Frodo wants to go for it is the headquarters of his enemies

–         Not just his enemies the Orcs but also his own inner enemy – the power of the ring

–         Nevertheless Frodo summons his courage and resolutely sets out for Mordor

 

In Isaiah 50:5-7 we read of the courageous suffering of the Lord’s servant

The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.

–         In other words, the Sovereign Lord has told me what he wants me to say & do and I have been obedient to that, even though his command results in my suffering

I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.

–         The servant knows that God has told him to face his enemies openly, without resisting and without defending himself

–         Not only is the servant required to suffer physical pain, he is also required to suffer public humiliation and insult

 

We may wonder at this point, who is it that is opposing the Lord’s Servant?

–         If Isaiah 50 was originally intended for the Jewish exiles then perhaps the ones handing out the abuse are the Babylonian overlords

–         Or maybe the prophet is facing opposition from his own people – when people are angry at God they sometimes take it out on God’s servants

 

In any case, the suffering of the Lord’s Servant gives more credibility to his message

–         In his commentary on these verses Paul Hanson writes…

–         “Those with the greatest ability to encourage the distraught are often people who… discover special gifts of empathy and empowerment… in their own valleys of personal suffering.”

–         For example, if you are facing cancer then you are more likely to believe a word of encouragement from someone who has been through it themselves, because you know they understand

–         Or if you are struggling with depression then you are more likely to trust the word of someone who has faced depression themselves – knowing something from experience carries weight

–         The prophet in Isaiah 50 encourages the weary from alongside them, not from above them

–         He is not standing at a safe distance removed from their suffering – he is close and present, sharing in their suffering

–         This sounds a lot like Jesus doesn’t it – alongside us, sharing our pain

 

In all of this the servant knows his suffering won’t last: Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.

–         A flint is a very hard stone that you strike in order to start a fire

–         To set your face like flint means to set out to do something without flinching and without compromise

–         The servant knows the words he speaks from God will cause his enemies to strike him, but in striking him they will start a fire

–         For some that fire will mean warmth and light

–         But for others it will mean torment and pain

 

One thing we notice here is that the Lord’s servant sets his face like flint, not his heart – He is tough on the outside but tender on the inside

 

Isaiah 50, verse 7, foreshadows Jesus’ experience

In Luke 9 we read…

–         As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.

–         Ironically, Jerusalem was Jesus’ Mordor

–         It was the headquarters of his enemies

–         It was a destination of suffering for Jesus

Jerusalem was the place where Jesus would offer his back to be flogged

–         It was the place where Jesus would be mocked and spat on

–         It was the place where Jesus would be beaten with fists and with sticks

–         It was the place where Jesus would be used like a flint to start a fire

–         A fire that would give warmth and light to some but torment and pain to others

Pilate had Jesus flogged and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus, stripped him, put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They mocked him… they spat on him… and they hit him over the head with a staff, again and again… 

 

But it wasn’t just the Romans who abused Jesus

–         Sadly, Jesus’ greatest opposition came from his own people

–         Nevertheless, Jesus did not draw back or shy away – he confronted false religion with the truth and disarmed sin by his own sacrifice

 

Vindication:

The servant of the Lord is able to remain open, despite the abuse he faces, because he knows he is on the side of right – and therefore he is confident that God will vindicate him

William Blake wrote a number of poems that became quite famous, including some verses he called Auguries of Innocence

–         An augury is like a sign or an omen or a prediction of something given by a prophet

–         So Auguries of Innocence is like a prophecy or a list of signs or omens that one could expect to accompany innocence

–         Let me read you a few lines now … 

To see a World in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour…
…Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine;
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine…
…God appears and God is Light,
To those poor souls who dwell in Night;
But does a Human Form display
To those who dwell in realms of Day… 

Blake is describing here how the innocent see life, with the eyes of faith

–         The innocent believe that even the small and seemingly insignificant, ordinary, transient things of life (like sand and flowers and their own lives) all serve a greater eternal purpose, in God’s hand

For those who are innocent, joy and woe are woven fine

–         The innocent may suffer grief and they may pine for their loss

–         But with their grief and loss they will also have joy – running through with silken twine

For the innocent, God appears as light, even though they may dwell in night or in darkness

–         But to those innocent who dwell in the realms of day, God’s light is displayed in human form – through people

 

In Isaiah 50, verses 8-9, we read how the servant of the Lord is open to facing his enemies (his accusers) in court

–         The servant knows he is innocent and that his unjust treatment is actually the result of his obedience to God

–         So he can say confidently: He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me!

The Lord’s servant may sit in the dark night of the soul, but he is innocent and so he has the light of certain hope that God will vindicate him because God is just

 

It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.

–         The expression Sovereign Lord is used four times in this passage

–         To say the Lord is Sovereign is to say the Lord is in charge – he is in control of the outcome

–         In other words, the Lord’s servant doesn’t need to worry because his master ‘holds infinity in the palm of his hand’

In contrast to the Sovereign Lord, who ‘holds eternity in an hour’, the servant’s accusers …will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.

At his trial Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Don’t you realise I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to set Jesus free…

Jesus knew he was innocent and that God would vindicate him in the end

–         Pilate sensed this too and that’s why he tried to free Jesus

The prophet in Isaiah 50 was expecting God to vindicate him in the court room – but it didn’t happen this way for Jesus

–         Despite his every effort Pilate couldn’t persuade the people to let him release Jesus and Jesus went to his death on a cross

–         Jesus’ vindication didn’t happen in Pilate’s court

–         Jesus’ vindication happened silently, three days later, when God raised his servant from death to eternal life

–         Pilate’s reign and the reign of the Jewish religious leaders was short lived – while Jesus reigns forever

 

Conclusion:

This morning we’ve heard how Isaiah 50 foreshadows Jesus’ experience

–         Like the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah Jesus is open

–         Jesus is open to listening to the word God gives him

–         Jesus is open to suffering for sharing that word

–         And Jesus is open to facing his enemies with the truth, for he knows God will vindicate him in the end

In a moment we will sing a song about Jesus’ suffering. In whatever troubles we face, may we know that Jesus has faced every difficulty and overcome them all – so he knows exactly what we are going through

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

–         Why do you think this stood out to you?

2.)    Discuss (or reflect on) the ways Isaiah 50:4-9 foreshadows Jesus’ experience?

3.)    How can we listen to God?

4.)    Why might we sit in silence before God?

–         What affect might this have on us?

5.)    Who are the weary in our world today?

6.)    What is the significance of the four times repeated ‘Sovereign Lord’?

–         What assurance does this give to those who suffer injustice?

7.)    What difficulties are you facing at the moment?

–         Can you see how your experience of suffering connects with Jesus’ experience?