Is your heart ready for all that God promises?
At a time when they are suffering in exile in Babylon, the people of Israel need to hear a message of hope. The prophet Isaiah offers just such a promise in which that which had been dead and barren is transformed, becoming full of life. The desert and the parched land will exult, Isaiah tells them; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. Likewise, the people themselves will be transformed: Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, Isaiah proclaims, Here is your God! Do we have enough emotional energy to accomplish all that is necessary? Is our heart ready, fully invested, prepared to be energized by the Lord? As Psalm 146 exhorts us, we must trust that the Lord will come and save us, that he will raise up those who are bowed down. Isaiah promises that those whom the Lord has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy. It is God who will strengthen hearts that are feeble, transforming those who are open and ready for his coming.
In Jesus’ time, not everyone was ready for the coming of the Messiah, at least not on his terms. Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? John the Baptist asks in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus reminds them that he is fulfilling the promises Isaiah himself made: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised…. God is unfolding before them, but he’s not what they expect; he is not going to fit their definitions or their parameters. Jesus is a stumbling block only for those who have a pre-conceived idea of what the Messiah should look like: he eats with sinners and invites tax collectors into his fold, and some find this conduct objectionable. Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me, Jesus says; those who take offense have not yet made their hearts ready to accept God’s promise fulfilled.
God is unfolding God’s promise before us, too, but it’s not what we expect; it’s not going to fit our definitions or parameters. We don’t know all that God plans to accomplish in us, but we must remain ready, open, and willing to participate, letting God’s plan unfold in us and going with it as it does so. Does God meet our expectations? It’s not God’s job to do so. Jesus didn’t come to meet our expectations either; he came to save us, which is far more important, far more difficult, far more extraordinary. Ultimately, through his death and rising, we hope to be one with Christ – not better, not worse, but one with, perfect union. As the Letter of James reminds us, we must simply be patient, waiting for the precious fruit of the Lord to manifest in us, ready for all that he promises to unfold!
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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