NOTES for Isa 61:1-11

Today's reading again offers us the messianic preaching of Isaiah of Babylon. Among other things, it is remarkable also because, as the Gospel tells us, Jesus read this very passage in the synagogue at Nazareth. Still, in the text of today's passage itself there is no sign that it speaks about the Messiah rather than about the prophet himself, testifying to his mission: to proclaim the nearness of the messianic Kingdom (vv. 1-3). Of course, Isaiah speaks here chiefly about the coming return of the Jews to the land of their fathers and about the rebirth of Judea after decades of desolation (vv. 3-6). At the same time, however, the prophet mentions the poor, or "the needy," to whom he has been sent to bring the good news of consolation (v. 1).

It is quite possible that the first verse refers to a completely concrete situation connected with the persecutions to which the Jewish community was probably subjected in the final years of Babylonia's existence. Still, the Hebrew word usually translated into Russian as "needy" or "poor" carries another meaning as well, connected with the understanding of poverty as a spiritual state, one that presupposes complete surrender of oneself to the will of God. Such poor people could receive what they were waiting for only when the Messiah promised by God came into the world, and with Him the messianic Kingdom. And when Isaiah says that he has been sent to bring such poor people good news, he evidently wanted thereby also to bear witness to the nearness of the Kingdom awaited by the poor.

And again before us is an interweaving of the historical perspective with the messianic perspective: on the one hand, the end of the exile and the return of the Jews to the land of their fathers was an event that fully fit within the bounds of earthly history; on the other hand, it became the beginning of a process that truly, centuries later, ended with the coming of the Savior. Of course, everything did not happen as easily and quickly as the repatriates returning to Judea expected, and perhaps as Isaiah himself expected. But the only spiritual force that shaped the post-exilic history of the people of God was precisely the coming of Christ, and in this sense the messianic perspective that becomes so clearly visible specifically at the end of the era of exile is, of course, visible not by accident.

The spiritual world has its own laws and its own flow of time. But all the lines of history at the end of time converge at one point: where the Risen One, who brought the Kingdom to the world, triumphs.

The Lord promises the people a new life in the renewed land, and it is portrayed, as in many other prophecies, through images of earthly prosperity. But we know that such images should not always be understood literally, although many prophecies have, of course, also been fulfilled literally. Yet it is no less important to see what is revealed behind these images. And now, too, when we cast a superficial glance over the lines that mention foreigners working in the fields and vineyards and tending the flocks, we might conclude that a dream of domination and the exploitation of other peoples is being expressed here.

But let us also read the other lines attentively: those to whom the words of the prophecy are directly addressed are called priests, and then we remember why, and for what responsible ministry, the Lord called the people. The exiles, accustomed to life in slavery and having forgotten much, must remember the height of their calling. Priests are called not to rule over other people but to serve God; and even if not all those who heard the prophetic word become priests in the literal sense, all of them—and therefore we as well—should still constantly remember Him.

Is God just? Yes, and, moreover, He loves judgment, a realized justice. Is God cruel in His justice? Probably yes, because He hates sin (or as here - robbery and iniquity). But is He really cruel? And what do we understand by cruelty? Usually it is the realization of one’s will by all means, without taking into consideration the opinion, the feelings, the will of other people, and thus - do injustice to other people. But indeed, God hates injustice! It means His justice is not cruel; He accomplishes judgment by other means. And through the prophet Isaiah God explains how: by giving a deserved reward and by agreeing with people (a covenant is an agreement). Nonviolent methods from God’s point of view are the most effectives! Are we able of learning that from the One, Who is meek and humble of heart?