Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38
Matthew 3:13-17
There are a series of what are called Servant Songs in Isaiah. Each one describes in beautiful poetic fashion a mysterious servant that the Lord has singled out to be the one whom He favors and puts His blessing on to lead the people. There is scholarly debate on who exactly it is that the Lord has selected, Isaiah himself, the people of Israel or and individual person who the Lord has chosen? Who it is that the Lord has chosen is not as important as to the role that they will have in leading the chosen people of God.
The Servant is one whom the Lord is “well pleased,” a term we shall see later that has an important context in the New Testament. What is clear is that the Servant has the responsibility to bring justice to the nations, to the entire earth, but to do so through non-violent ways. Those who it is directed are thought to be the exiles who had been sent to foreign lands after Israel had been conquered by its enemies. To accomplish this change, the Lord has put His divine spirit on him, just like He would anoint the Messianic King.
The love and tenderness of the Lord stands out when Isaiah writes those who are bruised and broken will not be harmed, those who are blind will be able to see, those who have even the smallest of sparks of divine life within them will be encouraged to continue to grow in the Lord, even those who live in distant lands are invited to participate in this relationship the Lord is establishing, this covenant with the people.
What we can easily see is that the Lord is using divine signs to reach out to the people through His servant, just as if He were doing it Himself. Calling, grasping you by the hand, forming you, setting you up as an example, are all signs that the Lord is calling His servant to be the one He wants as a servant to the people.
This passage should be familiar to anyone who the Lord has called to be one of His servants. For me, this is one of several passages that helped me to understand that I had received a call from the Lord, that lead me to be ordained as a deacon.
Peter, in our Act of the Apostles reading today, is really restating a verse from the Old Testament, back to Deuteronomy 10:17 when “God shows no partiality.” Not only Peter, but Paul also uses this phrase in Romans and Galatians. With Peter, his reference is that God not only accepts the Jews, but Gentiles as well who act rightly.
This is a major statement from Peter because it shows a change in his own heart. Up until this time Peter did not accept that God was also calling the Gentiles to be part of the People of God. His dream, from verses 11-16, was a vision of all of the animals that God was calling clean. The Jewish understanding was that some animals were unclean, but God was pointing him to a different reality. He understood then that what ever God had made clean were, that those who were upright were part of the chosen one by the Lord.
Peter then addresses the whole household of Cornelius and uses the standard Jewish story telling methodology of reciting the history of Jesus, His life, death and resurrection and finally His commissioning the Apostles to go forth to preach the Good News and baptize the people. It is then after this that Peter baptizes the whole household of Cornelius.
In prior passages we had heard John the Baptist has been preaching and baptizing the people in the Jordan so they could have their sins washed away and turn back to the Lord. We even hear John make the statement that there is one coming after him that is mightier than he is, the one who baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus comes from Galilee to John at the Jordan river to be baptized. We hear John declare, in all humility, that he should not be the one to baptize Jesus. Prior to Jesus arrival, John has been saying that there is one mightier than he who is coming, that he is not even worthy enough to carry His sandals.
Jesus tells John that he should allow it for now to fulfill what had been spoken about in the prophets. This goes back to Isaiah when the Servant will not harm the bruised reed and will not quench the smoldering wick.
As we heard in Isaiah, the Lord’s voice comes down from heaven and says “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Today we are the bruised reeds in need of healing, we are the ones who have a glimmer of a spark within us that can be fanned into flames to be burning brightly for the Lord, a light to the people. Ask the Lord to fan your spark so you too can be part of His chosen ones.