Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 2:2). Amen.
We have had a week to adjust to the time change of Daylight Saving Time. I don’t know how it is going as you attempt to reset your circadian rhythm—your internal body clock. Perhaps it is back in tune or in sync after you lost 60 minutes of sleep or whatever it was last Sunday at 2:00 AM. (Or as someone described it—free jet lag without the airplane trip.)
We are not going to debate the pros and cons or discuss the good or bad of springing ahead one hour. But spring is ahead. You more than likely noticed that we are enjoying light a bit longer than in December when it was dark and in January when it was darker. The season of Lent falls during this time of increasing light. So then it is accurate. There is light during Lent. It is bright. And it is right. We read from …
Isaiah 42:14-21
Dear People of God, who look at and live in the light,
The Third Sunday in Lent marks the midpoint of this stretch before Easter. It might be good for us to review the meaning of Lent. It is not code for “sad” or “somber.” It derives from an old English word that signifies “spring.” We see the root in our “lengthen.” Sometimes people claim that the days are getting longer. That is not entirely precise since they all are still 24 hours. To be more exact, the hours of daylight are getting longer.
Since we are appreciating more of what comes from that fiery ball in the sky, the thought is not lost on us on the church calendar.
There Is Light during Lent
1. It is bright (14)
2. It is right (15-21)
1. It is bright (14)
I suppose there is a loophole. Light comes in different intensities—40, 60, 100 watts. But the reality is that where there is darkness, there cannot be light. And the opposite is true. So if there is light, it stands out and sticks out. It is that way now. There is light during Lent. It is bright.
By the time Isaiah puts pen to parchment, a lot of history has happened. God had created the world and called Abraham. The Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt and placed David on the throne. The Assyrians had flexed their muscles and Babylon was warming up. I realize that is a broad brushstroke of the past. In a sense, the Lord was working behind the scenes—not always apparent or evident as Isaiah now looked ahead to the coming of the Messiah.
But things were going to change. “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now …” (Is 42:14). The Lord was about to act. And God compares himself to a pregnant woman who cries out, gasps, and pants (Is 42:14). The concept is clear. When it is time for the baby to come, there is no stopping it, no putting it off, no scheduling for a more convenient moment. Now. The nine months are over. And so it is with God.
For many millennia, God was orchestrating when he would send his Son into the world. There is judgment involved in that. Those who deny him will perish. But those who believe in him will live (Jn 3:16). As Jesus explained to the blind man who was now able to see: “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (Jn 9:39). The spiritually blind have spiritual sight as they look to and lean on Jesus as the Savior. And the ones who don’t understand that they are spiritually blind will remain that way because they refuse and reject Jesus.
And then Jesus came—“when the time had fully come” (Ga 4:4), at just the right time. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to save us from our sins (Mt 1:21). Think of how the night sky light up with the angels giving glory to God for the good news of Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:11,14).
Fast forward to Jesus’ ministry. He went from town to town and village to village and pointed to himself as the Christ. Just as he did with the man born without vision. “’Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him” (Jn 9:35-38).
You and I look back at Jesus. As the Son of Man, he heads to the cross with our sins and heads out of the grave with our salvation. Such is our focus and emphasis in Lent. We believe too that he has removed us from sin and Satan and rescued us from death and the devil. We follow Jesus, the Light of the world. We no longer walk in darkness, but have the light of life (Jn 8:12). There is light during Lent. And it is bright. Jesus has arrived once. We were ready for Jesus who has come.
2. It is right (15-21)
My guess is that if you go to one of those home improvement stores (not a highlight of my day, month, or year), you can talk to an expert in lighting. They will share with you the best options for what you need. Is it for the background? Or frontground? (I made that up.) Inside or outside? You go home with what is correct. It is the same right now. There is light during Lent. It is right.
Isaiah didn’t have the perspective of time that we have. We see the span of years between Jesus’ first coming as a baby and his second coming as a Judge. To him it was the same. We could liken it to driving past downtown on 35 or 94. From a distance, two building might look right next to each other, but they could be blocks or even miles apart. To him, Christmas Day and Judgment Day run together.
God has set a day for the second one, just like the first one. We wait for it to happen—sometime in the future. Isaiah depicts the destruction: “I will lay waste the mountains and hills and dry up all their vegetation; I will turn rivers into islands and dry up the pools” (Is 42:15). There will be ruins.
But there will be another reality: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them” (Is 42:16). Those who cannot see will be led to safety. The Lord will do it. Perhaps like a fireman takes you by the hand and directs you through the burning house to fresh air—what you were unable to do. But this is bigger than that, even more than the removal of Israel from Egypt long ago and the return of Israel from Babylon in days ahead. He is referring to change spiritual darkness into spiritual light. God will not leave us or abandon us (He 13:5). He has made that plain by delivering us from guilt and hell. And then the Holy Spirit has called us by the gospel. He has enlightened us, turned on the light so that we see Jesus distinctly. As the apostle Paul put it: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8).
But not everyone observes the light. “But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame” (Is 42:17). It makes no difference if they are made out of silver or stone, cast or carved—the images of yesterday for Israel, or are wealth or wisdom, pleasure or possessions—the idols of today for us, they will lead to embarrassment and despair on the Last Day. Individuals like that put their confidence in the wrong place. Really the wrong person. And they will understand their foolishness when they are let down. Only too late. Like if we would only pack flip flops to go to the Northeast right now with all the record snow in that corner of the US. You walk out of the airport to learn of your mistake. Boots would have been the better choice.
There was a stern warning for Israel (Is 42:8). They had a tendency to chase after other gods that were fakes and frauds. The ones who were to serve only God, served other gods. That made them deaf and blind. “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one committed to me, blind like the servant of the LORD?” (Is 42:18,19). And the Lord calls them on it: “You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing” (Is 42:20). It would be as strange as a student who has a perfect attendance record in school, but he cannot read or write. Unthinkable. The children of Israel missed all of the pictures and promises of the Savior from the prophets of the Old Testament.
But that is not what the Lord wants. So he did something about it: “It pleased the LORD for the sake of his righteousness to make his law great and glorious” (Is 42:21). It brought him joy to make his Word (The law is not just the 10 Commandments, but all of his teaching and instruction.) special and splendid. In it we read that Jesus carted our sin so that God could credit his holiness to us (2 Co 5:21). As the psalmist had us sing: “O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief” (Ps 143:1). He has. All is well between us and God—at this time and for all eternity. The One who is righteous declares us to be righteous. There is light during Lent. And it is right. Jesus will appear again. And we are ready for Jesus who will come.
Perhaps you don’t like the feeling of sleepiness a week later, but you do love the fact of added light the past week. Whether there is gray and gloom or heat and humidity the next three weeks doesn’t matter. There is light during Lent. It is bright. And it is right. Jesus entered our world one time in humility. The next time in glory. And we will see Jesus. There will be no disappointment, only delight. It is so. Amen.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Eph 3:20,21).
March 19, 2017
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