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Not a Religious, a Revolutionary, a Politician, but a Friend
ADVENT 2- Isaiah 11:1-5, 42:1-4
Andy Nagahara
A. The Arrival of the Prophesied Savior (Messiah) (Isaiah 11:1-5)
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD–
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
1. A shoot coming up from the stump of Jesse (1, See Matthew 1)
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Jesse was the father of King David. David was the one who had the greatest prestige among other kings in the history of Israel, but the glory of the Davidian dynasty did not last long.
Then, Israel was longing for a Messiah who would defeat the occupiers and rebuild the kingdom. It was prophesied that the Messiah would come from the line of David.
But in the days of Isaiah, Israel was like a stump, where the sprout of David had once flourished, but now there was no sign of him, and it was hard to tell whether it was alive or dead.
Isaiah prophesied a new hope from this ancient stock. And it was fulfilled 700 years later, a thousand years after David’s reign, as the birth of Jesus.
The motif of a person’s birth being long awaited and eventually fulfilled is often introduced in the Bible as an event that alludes to the birth of Jesus, such as Abraham and Isaac, Hannah and Samuel, and Zechariah and John.
The fact that the birth of Jesus was an event that had been awaited for generations gives us a good indication of how we should look forward to the completion of the Kingdom of God and the return of Jesus in our troubled world.
None of us like to be patient, but God never ruins the patience of those who believe in Him.
We also have to deal with suffering, sorrow, and troubles in our earthly walk until we are welcomed into the Kingdom of God.
But none of this is unbearable for us. For Jesus, who has appeared as a new young branch, will always be there to guide us as Immanuel: the One who is with us.
2. One who is full of the Spirit (2, John 1:32-34)
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD–
The original meaning of the word Messiah, which refers to the Savior, is “the anointed one”. When the king of Israel ascends to the throne, he receives an anointing on his head. The oil, which is the fuel for the fire, symbolizes the Holy Spirit who is the power behind the work.
To save the world as a king is a difficult role that can only be done when you are filled with the Spirit of God. David, too, was found by the prophet Samuel to be the successor to King Saul, and he received anointing and became king.
Isaiah is prophesying here that the coming Savior will be more than just a king who will hold power on earth.
What he said was not that the oil would be poured on him ritually, but that the spirit that the oil symbolized would clearly stay on him.
Of course, John the Baptist took this prophecy to his heart. So when he saw the Holy Spirit poured out on Jesus when he baptized him with water, he acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God.
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34)
This is “the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD”.
Jesus was filled with this spirit and walked through the difficult path to the cross.
And now, the Holy Spirit is with each of us, and the church that sent as the body of Christ into this world.
3. One who judges with righteousness (3-5, John 5:30, 9:39)
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Injustice abounds in this world. And in those days, it was even worse. There were no human rights for women and children. Paul had Roman citizenship, but it was not the same as saying that everyone who lived in Machida was a citizen of Machida. It was a privilege that the common people could not have.
Even in Israel under the Roman rule, a handful of people monopolized the wealth and power, and the rest of the people were not given enough human rights and the justice that God wanted was not done.
By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. (John 5:30)
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”(John 9:39)
The world began to change when Jesus came as the one who judges righteously and with justice. However, it seems that we still have a long way to go before it is complete.
Why is it that people are unable to judge righteously? It is because all people have self-interest. Individual and collective (family, ethnic, national) selfishness hinders righteous judgment, which in turn affects the weakest members of society.
But those who have inherited the heart of Jesus, who judges righteously, and who have carried out the Lord’s righteous judgment, are gradually advancing the Kingdom of God. People who follow Jesus have been responsible for various movements to restore human rights.
The gospel of Jesus is not only for the salvation of people’s souls. It has the power to save both body and soul.
No matter how much we proclaim the greatness of Jesus and how much we care about people’s souls, we cannot be his disciples if we are indifferent to justice.
We have a responsibility to speak out and work against the injustices that exist today.
B. A Disappointing Savior (Messiah)?
Today, I would like to introduce another passage from the same book, Isaiah 42:1-4.
1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”
1. For the people in Jesus’ time, he was a disappointing messiah (Isaiah 42:1-4)
“Immanuel” God with us is that God loves us as His precious children while God knows our faults and weaknesses. He proved it by being a man to devote His own life for us.
We will re-walk the path Joseph walked so that we can believe it with all of our heart, and that we can live feeling that joy. We may feel lost in front of issues we cannot handle, we may feel in the darkness of loneliness, but we will start walking, looking up with the help of angels and the Holy Spirit. We will get to know the light that God is with us, in the darkness where we are lost for God. We will encounter Jesus on the cross in pain when we are lonely and in pain the most. We will know the power of the Holy Spirit who helps, and we will realize the existence of an angel who tells us that. And we are able to keep moving ahead with those who are trying to move on the same path.
（Prayer）Lord Jesus, you know all of our weaknesses and mistakes, what we are worrying about. Please help so that we can walk ahead with you, trusting you, please light up in the heart of each of us. Please help so that we can be the lights for each other so that we can walk together even though we are weak. Lord Jesus, we pray in your name. Amen
2. Why do we still believe in the disappointing messiah?
While Jesus’ will has been passed on to those who follow him and is moving forward in some areas, the essence of today’s society does not seem to have changed from Jesus’ time.
For the wealthy, a further increase in their stock price or salary is far more important than justice, and they do not want to reduce the rights they already have as much as possible.
It seems that discrimination and inequality among individuals, nations, and races will continue to grow.
The technologies that make our lives convenient, such as the use of nuclear energy, the Internet, and GPS, were originally researched for military purposes and then applied to our daily lives.
They are also technologies that carry with them the risk of taking away individual lives and freedom. In fact, the latter half of the 20th century was a time when the arms race centered on nuclear weapons was so fierce that the entire planet could be destroyed at any moment.
Although the tensions have eased a bit, the fact remains that there are still nuclear bombs capable of killing many times the world’s total population.
It is nothing but God’s mercy that the world has still managed to avoid destruction.
We have been reminded that no human being can be expected to lead the world to peace. That is why trust in Jesus has been passed on unceasingly by those who are willing to follow him.
3. Who do you put your hope
We are now worshipping together because we have placed our hope and expectation in Jesus who is receiving our worship. But sometimes we expect Jesus out of focus. irrelevantly
We expect Jesus to show us the criteria for value judgments like a religious person, to tell us what is sin and what is not, and to assure us that we will pass the test.
We also hope that Jesus will take power from the powerful and become king like a revolutionary and that our status as disciples will be guaranteed.
And we expect Jesus to be like a politician, who brings us wealth through good policies.
Since such false expectations will never be realized, some will be disappointed and turn their backs on Jesus as well as his people of his time.
But do not misunderstand. Jesus came as a friend, not as your religious leader, revolutionary, or politician.
That’ s why you can count on him. Jesus is not going to do what you want. He will not bring you riches. He is not going to destroy your enemies. He just came to be your friend.
Jesus does not take account of his own gain or loss, he does not try to gauge others’ feelings, and he will do his best for you.
The one who laughs with you cries with you and never leaves your side unless you want him to. Jesus came to this world 2000 years ago as such a person.
(Prayer) Dear God, thank you that you are closer to us than anyone else and that you understand each of us.
Thank you for existing as a person, Jesus, for taking care of all our problems and offering your life, for overcoming the power of death and the power of sin and being resurrected, and for being with us now as the Holy Spirit.
It is our salvation that you are not a religious person, a revolutionary, or a politician, but a friend of us. Guide us in our walk on earth until the end of the world, until the last day of our lives.
Please make our walk brighter so that we can help as many people in this world as possible to know that you are their friend and to walk with you as their best friend.
I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Summary
Jesus, who came into this world as a person 2000 years ago, was misunderstood, disappointed, took his last breath on the cross, was buried, and was resurrected three days later. When he ascended into heaven, we lost the ability to see him with our eyes, and yet, he is still at work in our hearts today. Religion, politics, and ideas cannot save us, but Jesus wants to be your closest friend and set you free from all that troubles you.
For Discussion
1) What did the people of Jesus’ time hope for from the coming Messiah?
2) What do you hope for from Jesus?