Called and sent by God
Commentary
Career Day at school is always an exciting time for children. They get to explore what it would be like to be a doctor or fireman or pastor or secretary or mayor. Children like to dream about what they want to be when they grow up. They want to do something with their lives and they imagine their lives counting for something. One never knows just where a particular childhood will lead one in adulthood. The obnoxious troublemaker beating up on other children during recess may turn out to be a pediatrician. The class clown may end up on Broadway. The wallflower may be walking down the fashion runways in a few years.
On the way to maturity, there are defining moments that can chart the course of one's life. Pastors who experience the mystical call into the ministry know what this is all about. Recently, there was a news report on a young man from Nigeria, whose parents and sister died from AIDS. He is now a field educator in AIDS prevention, traveling from village to village talking with men and women and children about proper sexual behavior and protection. He sees this as his life's work, and he pursues it with a passion.
Today, we encounter several individuals who experienced defining moments in their lives. As they responded appropriately and with passion, they participated in extending the kingdom of God into the kingdoms of this world.
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
"In the year that King Uzziah died ..." (6:1). Certainly a fateful year for Uzziah. He was basically a good king, but was nonetheless judged for his neglect to take down the high places and eliminate the syncratistic worship practices of the people of God (2 Kings 15:1-7). He had to live out his rule with the dreaded disease of leprosy. A fateful year for Isaiah also. It was in this year, about 740 B.C., that Isaiah was called into his office of prophet in the Southern Kingdom. He would see the destruction of the Northern Kingdom (721 B.C.) and the near devastation of the Southern Kingdom (701 B.C.), when Assyria was knocking on the gates of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he was to herald the Word of God to a people of unclean lips (a veiled reference to Uzziah's symbolic illness, representing the entire people?).
Isaiah experienced a vision, a confluence of the apocalyptic and the cultic, when in the temple he saw the Lord and heard his call for a messenger. Smoke and earthquake accompanied the heavenly anthem, "Holy, holy, holy" (6:3). The king of Israel (here of the Southern Kingdom) may die, but the King of Israel rules forever and holy is his name! The image of court (throne) and temple (altar) converge with God at the center. Isaiah is overwhelmed in the presence of the eminence of God and is reduced to repentance. "Woe is me!" (6:5). Unclean lips, the lepers' consignment, becomes the metaphor with which Isaiah confesses his sins and the sins of the people before the Lord of hosts. Expecting the righteousness of God's judgment, Isaiah is surprised to receive the righteousness of God's mercy. A burning coal is applied to his unclean lips, at once applying the burning fire of judgment and the purifying fire of mercy, removing Isaiah's guilt and calling upon him to represent God to the people. To this, Isaiah eagerly responded, "Here am I! Send me" (6:8).
Though particular to Isaiah, his experience is shared by many upon whom the Lord shows his mercy. Isaiah expected to die. The woe he expressed was not the idle, "Oh, my goodness!" or the ever useful "Uffda." He had seen the Almighty! It is true that no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). Even one so great as Moses was not permitted to see the face of God; rather, he was permitted to see the back side of God after God had passed by (Exodus 33:17-23). Although in a vision, the sight of God was unmistakable. Isaiah would never be the same, no matter what happened. With the foundations of the threshold, Isaiah also, no doubt, shook. But, God consoled Isaiah with the gift of forgiveness and the privilege to serve him as prophet. Centuries later, Paul would express the woefulness of humanity in the presence of God and the initiative God takes to deal with our sins gracefully (Romans 3:9-26).
Jesus picks up the melody of Isaiah and applies it to his own day. In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus explains his use of parables against the background of Isaiah's characterization of God's people. The storied meanings of parables are perceived by faith, but cloaked by unbelief. The fault lies not in the story, but in the hearer. There is a kind of "in your face" attitude subtly layered just beneath the surface of these words used by Isaiah and Jesus. It is as if to say, "Come on, people! It's as simple as listening and seeing. Of course, you would have to repent, turn to the Lord; that would certainly change the course of your life. Are you up for it, or do you want to remain blind and deaf?"
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Finally, after examining all the problems at the Corinthian church, after exploring the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ, and after explicating the nature of love, Paul explodes with the essential doctrine of the Christian faith -- the death and resurrection of the Messiah. Paul has expressed this aspect of the faith in other letters (for example, Romans 6, Philippians 3) and Luke reports his words at the Areopagus (Acts 17) on this matter. But, here in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is exquisite in his articulation of the certainty of the resurrection of Jesus.
Paul does not mind repeating himself, like a reprise in a musical score. Paul's style in communication (whether spoken or written) is not simply to go on and on in one new direction after another, seeking to be a kind of "Jack-of-all-religious-views," like the eclectic New Age religious philosophers of our day. He has a theme to which he returns time and again: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, Lord and Savior! From this central theme, all the variations of Christian life and doctrine arise. And, to this central theme they return.
It is quite a list of eyewitnesses that Paul sets forth to verify the claim that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. Just to say, "Jesus is risen," will not make it true, nor will it be essentially believable, except to the most gullible. So, Paul identifies those to whom the risen Lord appeared. If the Corinthians do not want to take his word and the witness of his own experience (conversion, Acts 9), they can check with others, interview them, and reach their own conclusions on the preponderance of evidence. There is Cephas, the Twelve (perhaps a reference to the Easter day appearance to the Ten and then later to the Eleven, when Thomas was also present, recorded in John 20), more than 500 at one time, James, and all the apostles. This is a convincing list. The argument for the resurrection does not necessarily rest on philosophical speculation (If God didn't exist, we would have to invent God) nor proof texting (The ancient documents refer to something like this, so this must be it; contemporary prognosticators do this with Nostradamus). It relies on physical, human witnesses, as Mary said, "I have seen the Lord!" (John 20:18). Paul identifies a host of others who will substantiate the claim that the crucified Jesus is indeed the risen Lord.
When Paul refers to his own experience with the risen Lord, he humbles himself as unworthy of such an honor. He refers to himself as "the least of the apostles ... unfit" (15:9). His record is blemished, for he once persecuted the faith which he now proclaims. He arrested the very Christians with whom he now associates. Paul credits the grace of God for this marvelous turn-around. With Isaiah, he confesses his sinfulness. Whereas Isaiah spoke in the image of "unclean lips," Paul would have used, no doubt, the image of "bloodied hands," due to his compliance with the death of Stephen (Acts 7-8:3). Both Isaiah and Paul understand the magnanimous nature of God's love that seeks out those to whom mercy needs to be shown, even when it is not asked for!
A phrase that should not be overlooked in this text is the one where Paul relates the recent events of Jesus' death and resurrection with the Jewish scriptures. Both Jesus' death and his resurrection are "in accordance with the scriptures" (15:3, 4). He does not cite any of them at this time, however. Actually, Paul was much better at relating cultural practices and social concepts to the gospel, contextualizing the message, especially to the Gentile world. The writer to the Hebrews and Matthew do the best at explicitly connecting the First Covenant with the New Covenant. But, Paul wants his readers (both Jews and Gentiles in Corinth) to understand that the new day that has dawned upon them was preceded and anticipated by yesterday, as recorded in the ancient writings of Jewish tradition -- the Law and the prophets. What is new is that it has happened in our day, Paul would say. What is new is that the fulfillment has come from the hand of God (as always intended) and not from our own doing (as we had come to believe it would), Paul would say. What is new is that we have been changed by this glorious event and are no longer the same people, Paul would say (as he did write in 2 Corinthians 5:17-
18).
Luke 5:1-11
The critical scholar may be interested to examine the connection, if any, between Luke's account of Peter's call to discipleship and John's account (John 1:35-42). The parishioner in the pew is not going to be too concerned. Of more interest to the worshiper will be why Peter lets Jesus commandeer his boat and then calls him Master. To satisfy this interest, one has to glance back a few verses into Luke 4 to read about Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law of a fever. It must have impressed Peter greatly to witness the power of Jesus' word over the fever. At his rebuke, the fever left, like a bat seeking a dark shelter at sunrise. Assuming that this event in the house happened before the event by the lake, one can understand why Peter would allow Jesus to make use of one of his boats. This would also explain his salutation of Master. After all, Jesus proved himself master of the mysterious forces that affect our daily lives.
Master looks backward to what has already occurred, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. At your word looks forward. Jesus gives Peter a command to resume fishing. Peter thinks about the night's toil already spent in vain. "But at your word" (5:5) -- here Peter reveals an attitude of respect and obeisance (which is a level beyond obedience, which can be done without heart). Peter recognized the power in Jesus' word; if he can cure a fever, he can catch a fish. This would have been a great opening miracle to announce his public ministry, much like the miracle at Cana, as used in John's Gospel. However, Luke is not John. The first miracles in Luke, the Physician's Gospel, are healing ones (4:38-42).
The catch of fish becomes a metaphor for Peter's new vocation, "catching men" (5:10). He is called into the public ministry of the kingdom of God. He will follow Jesus in training and then be sent off (the noun apostle has as it verbal correlate apostellw, send forth) to share the good news with words of power and acts of wonder. Peter demonstrates the essential character of faith: faith moves one to action, not by sight, but "at your word" (5:5). Faith takes Jesus at his word, whether that be about fishing or forgiveness, sacrifice, death, or eternal life.
Like Isaiah and Paul, Peter has his moment of confession and sorrow. "I am a sinful man, O Lord," Peter laments. In the presence of the Holy One, whose voice even the demons obey, sin is revealed. Rather than flee the holiness, one is invited to linger in the presence, to follow him day and night and be involved in the coming of the kingdom. Peter can fall down at Jesus' knees and beg for mercy, which he will receive from our gracious God. After Peter's confession, he will be comforted with Jesus' oft-repeated words, "Do not be afraid" (5:10) and then commissioned into service (5:10). The Lord calls him into his service, just like he did with Isaiah and Paul. Like them, Peter did not seek it. It sought him and found him in the midst of his daily chores.
Perhaps it is all these things -- the healing, the message from the boat, the catch of fish, and the acceptance of the sinner -- that propelled Peter to leave everything and follow Jesus. The Bible doesn't tell us about the family and business consequences of Peter's decision. Maybe by its silence, the message is that whatever the consequences of that action, it is well worth the troubles, when all is said and done. Any sacrifice is not too great when it comes to being in the presence of the glory of the Lord. The wise men made theirs. Now, Peter makes his. In a few verses, Matthew will make his and, like Peter, leave everything to follow Jesus.
Application
One of the noticeable features of movies, especially after The Exorcist came out in the '70s, is the detailed and graphic portrayal of gore and the demonic. What has happened through all the Freddie Kruger movies and others like them is a desensitizing of our response to the gore and demonic. We have become more tolerant of gross horror, coming to believe that it is but special effects and not to be taken seriously. As long as it entertains, we are willing to be scared to death, never really believing that it is to death. If it does happen, it's out there somewhere happening to someone else; never to me.
What we need in our society that has been glazed over by opulence and the art of screen magic is a renewed sense of the holy, the mysterium tremendum that is at the core of Isaiah's vision and Paul's experience on the Road to Damascus and Peter's encounter with Jesus in the daily pursuits of making a living. Unfortunately, such a sense of the holy usually comes through trying times, which we really do not want to wish upon our society. However, if it means repentance and restored relationship with God, then, such a price would certainly be worth it.
We don't have to wait for dreadful events to overshadow us. If Strauss and Howe are correct in The Fourth Turning, we may not have to wait too long. By faith we can turn now to the presence of the Holy One in our midst in the form of the Humble One, Jesus. The glory of the mysterium tremendum is revealed in the flesh and blood of Jesus, born in Bethlehem and crucified outside Jerusalem and risen to rule in every village and city. As we discover the holy in him, we are drawn to him, only to learn that he, all along, has been drawing near to us with tongs in hand and with cross on shoulders.
When our society was, at least, perceptively Christian, we could count to some degree upon the assimilation of Christian thought and behavior in the lives of most people. This occurred through a kind of cultural osmosis. But, now our society is decidedly post-Christian. This means that we cannot count on sympathetic values of society bolstering, if not conveying, Christian virtues. How important it is now that each person be a "sent one" (apostoloz, apostle), a preacher for the sake of others coming to the faith. Peter was nudged by Andrew, his brother (according to John 1:35-42), to recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Paul was able to pass on only what he had received from others, who nurtured him in the faith (Acts 9:10f., 1 Corinthians 15:3).
Isaiah, Paul, and Peter each had a unique life story which was brought into a greater story, expanding the meaning of each life. All three were actually "second career" people, who became enamored with God's great saga of creation, redemption, and sanctification. Their lives were swept up in a great calling to be God's spokesperson. There are many second career people today for any number of reasons. The fortunate thing is that each can discover new meaning in just about any career, when one remains open to how God is calling the individual to newness of life as a witness to God's grace simply through what they say and do.
This certainly requires taking a risk with Jesus. Faith is being willing to "put out into the deep" (Luke 5:4). It is taking Jesus at his word. It is virtually leaving everything behind as refuse (Philippians 3:8, 13b-14) for the surpassing worth of knowing and following Jesus Christ. In doing this, regardless of whether it be played out in a religious or secular arena, one's defining characteristic is that life becomes centered in the relationship with God.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Now Uzziah of Judah was a great king who had a good deal of power and wealth in the eighth century B.C. Mediterranean world. He strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem and built up Judah's army, so that he was able to regain much of the territory around Judah, as well as to subdue Edom, Ammon, and several of the Philistine cities along the coastal plain. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tells us that he "hewed out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah (the hill country) and the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil." Trade prospered under Uzziah's reign and many in the populace grew wealthy. So Uzziah reigned for 41 years (783-742 B.C.), although 2 Chronicles also tells us that Uzziah was struck with leprosy because of his pride, and his son Jotham had to act as his regent for Uzziah's last twelve years.
In 742 B.C., however, Uzziah died, as we all die, and in that same year a young Isaiah of Jerusalem was given the vision of the real King of the universe. "In the year that king Uzziah died," Isaiah tells us in our text, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." And flowing out from that regal figure Isaiah saw a royal robe, filling all the temple (v. 1). But this was no ordinary temple to which Isaiah had entrance. It was not as if he had wandered in off of the steets of Jerusalem to Israel's house of worship. Isaiah, like so many of the prophets (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-23; Jeremiah 23:18; Isaiah 40:1-8), was given entrance into the royal court in the heaven of heavens, where the King of kings and Lord of lords sat on his throne, surrounded by his heavenly court.
Perhaps when we enter the church to worship God, we should remember what the prophet Isaiah saw, for he describes the overwhelming majesty of the God whom we approach in our worship service. As is true throughout the scriptures, Isaiah does not describe what God himself looks like. We cannot see God and live (Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 5:26). But the prophet does tell us about God's surroundings, as other texts often do (cf. Exodus 24:9-11).
Isaiah says that there were seraphim around the Lord, those messengers of God that had something like serpentine forms, and each one of them had six wings. With two of the wings, a seraph covered his face and with two he shielded his body from the shining glory of God's radiant presence. But with the two other wings the seraph hovered in the air, waiting for the Lord's command. And then, at a word from God, the seraph sped off to fulfill the Lord's request. As the seraphim hovered there in midair, however, around the throne of the Lord of hosts, they sang an antiphonal song that echoed back and forth across the reaches of the heavens -- the same song that we sing in our communion service. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." That is, the whole earth shows forth the works of God that bring honor to his name. As that song echoed back and forth through the heavens, it shook the very lintels of the heavenly temple, and the smoke from incense rose to fill the air. And all things trembled and sounded and were filled with the praise of God's magnificence. Such is the Lord whom we come to worship in this sanctuary this morning.
Is it any wonder then that Isaiah is filled with awe and fear, for he realizes that in the presence of the pure morality and shining righteousness of God, he is immoral and unrighteous, a man whose lips have sometimes not spoken the truth, unfit to be a prophet -- a man who lives in the midst of an evil society, for Uzziah's kingdom is indeed evil. Judah is shot through with corruption of the law courts and conspicuous consumption by the wealthy, while the poor languish in helplessness and need (cf. the "woe oracles" in Isaiah 5). Judah is a land that has forgotten the will of the Lord. And is our society and are our lives any different? And so Isaiah cries out in the realization of the penalty for all sin. "I am going to die!" he exclaims. "I am lost!" And surely, friends, that is the realization that every one of us should have when we come into the holy presence of the Father of Jesus Christ -- that compared to him our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags and that we deserve nothing more for our sinful waywardness than the wages of death. It is not for nothing that we begin our service with a confession of our sin, for sinners we are and apart from the mediation of Jesus Christ, we do not have a prayer.
But Isaiah is forgiven, according to our text, as you and I are forgiven. Isaiah's lips are cleansed, as our lives are cleansed by God's forgiveness in Christ, and then, and only then in our text, can Isaiah hear the voice of the Lord. God does not traffic with evil, good Christians, but he does speak to forgiven lives. And he tells Isaiah that he has a mission on which to send him, as he always has a mission for us. God asks in his heavenly council, "Who will go for us?" And Isaiah, cleansed and inspired, volunteers his service. "Here am I, Lord," he replies. "Send me." We often sing that in praise services, don't we? "Here I am, Lord," we sing out, offering ourselves to God's tasks. And how we do love that wonderful affirmation of commitment. We're ready, Lord. Use us in your work.
I wonder if we know what we are getting into. Jesus warned us that it was not easy to be his followers (cf. e.g. Luke 14:26-33). It cost him scorn and whipping and a cross, and he said it involves a cross for us also, the crucifixion of our own wills and desires, in order to follow only God's ways. That way of life does not play very well in the twenty-first century, not in America where Jesse Ventura can say that religion is only for the weak, or where it is foolishness not to look out for our own self-interests.
Certainly Isaiah was shocked to hear the task to which the Lord assigned him. He was told that his ministry would make the Judeans even more stubborn and sinful. His preaching would close their ears and shut their eyes, so they were even more deserving of the judgment that was coming upon them. In other words, Isaiah was told that his ministry would be a failure in the eyes of the world. And Christians too are sometimes regarded as nothing but losers in modern society.
No wonder Isaiah cried out, "How long, Lord, how long?" And the fearful word that came back to him was that his prophesying would last until Judah was destroyed, with maybe only a tiny remnant left from the cleansing judgment of the Lord. And that Word of God was fulfilled in the fall of the Judean nation.
You see, good Christians, judging from the testimony of this text and the witness of all the scriptures, it takes a mighty faith to be servants of our God. We have to believe that the Lord of hosts is in fact King of kings and Lord of lords. We have to believe that he has all the ways of this wayward world in his mighty hand. And we have to trust that God's will be the victory over all the sins and wrongs of human beings. We have to know, deep in our hearts, that God rules and that his kingdom is coming. But if we know that, if we trust God in Christ, who has triumphed over even death, then we are able indeed to say with Isaiah, "Here am I, Lord. Send me."
On the way to maturity, there are defining moments that can chart the course of one's life. Pastors who experience the mystical call into the ministry know what this is all about. Recently, there was a news report on a young man from Nigeria, whose parents and sister died from AIDS. He is now a field educator in AIDS prevention, traveling from village to village talking with men and women and children about proper sexual behavior and protection. He sees this as his life's work, and he pursues it with a passion.
Today, we encounter several individuals who experienced defining moments in their lives. As they responded appropriately and with passion, they participated in extending the kingdom of God into the kingdoms of this world.
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
"In the year that King Uzziah died ..." (6:1). Certainly a fateful year for Uzziah. He was basically a good king, but was nonetheless judged for his neglect to take down the high places and eliminate the syncratistic worship practices of the people of God (2 Kings 15:1-7). He had to live out his rule with the dreaded disease of leprosy. A fateful year for Isaiah also. It was in this year, about 740 B.C., that Isaiah was called into his office of prophet in the Southern Kingdom. He would see the destruction of the Northern Kingdom (721 B.C.) and the near devastation of the Southern Kingdom (701 B.C.), when Assyria was knocking on the gates of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he was to herald the Word of God to a people of unclean lips (a veiled reference to Uzziah's symbolic illness, representing the entire people?).
Isaiah experienced a vision, a confluence of the apocalyptic and the cultic, when in the temple he saw the Lord and heard his call for a messenger. Smoke and earthquake accompanied the heavenly anthem, "Holy, holy, holy" (6:3). The king of Israel (here of the Southern Kingdom) may die, but the King of Israel rules forever and holy is his name! The image of court (throne) and temple (altar) converge with God at the center. Isaiah is overwhelmed in the presence of the eminence of God and is reduced to repentance. "Woe is me!" (6:5). Unclean lips, the lepers' consignment, becomes the metaphor with which Isaiah confesses his sins and the sins of the people before the Lord of hosts. Expecting the righteousness of God's judgment, Isaiah is surprised to receive the righteousness of God's mercy. A burning coal is applied to his unclean lips, at once applying the burning fire of judgment and the purifying fire of mercy, removing Isaiah's guilt and calling upon him to represent God to the people. To this, Isaiah eagerly responded, "Here am I! Send me" (6:8).
Though particular to Isaiah, his experience is shared by many upon whom the Lord shows his mercy. Isaiah expected to die. The woe he expressed was not the idle, "Oh, my goodness!" or the ever useful "Uffda." He had seen the Almighty! It is true that no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). Even one so great as Moses was not permitted to see the face of God; rather, he was permitted to see the back side of God after God had passed by (Exodus 33:17-23). Although in a vision, the sight of God was unmistakable. Isaiah would never be the same, no matter what happened. With the foundations of the threshold, Isaiah also, no doubt, shook. But, God consoled Isaiah with the gift of forgiveness and the privilege to serve him as prophet. Centuries later, Paul would express the woefulness of humanity in the presence of God and the initiative God takes to deal with our sins gracefully (Romans 3:9-26).
Jesus picks up the melody of Isaiah and applies it to his own day. In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus explains his use of parables against the background of Isaiah's characterization of God's people. The storied meanings of parables are perceived by faith, but cloaked by unbelief. The fault lies not in the story, but in the hearer. There is a kind of "in your face" attitude subtly layered just beneath the surface of these words used by Isaiah and Jesus. It is as if to say, "Come on, people! It's as simple as listening and seeing. Of course, you would have to repent, turn to the Lord; that would certainly change the course of your life. Are you up for it, or do you want to remain blind and deaf?"
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Finally, after examining all the problems at the Corinthian church, after exploring the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ, and after explicating the nature of love, Paul explodes with the essential doctrine of the Christian faith -- the death and resurrection of the Messiah. Paul has expressed this aspect of the faith in other letters (for example, Romans 6, Philippians 3) and Luke reports his words at the Areopagus (Acts 17) on this matter. But, here in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is exquisite in his articulation of the certainty of the resurrection of Jesus.
Paul does not mind repeating himself, like a reprise in a musical score. Paul's style in communication (whether spoken or written) is not simply to go on and on in one new direction after another, seeking to be a kind of "Jack-of-all-religious-views," like the eclectic New Age religious philosophers of our day. He has a theme to which he returns time and again: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, Lord and Savior! From this central theme, all the variations of Christian life and doctrine arise. And, to this central theme they return.
It is quite a list of eyewitnesses that Paul sets forth to verify the claim that Jesus indeed rose from the dead. Just to say, "Jesus is risen," will not make it true, nor will it be essentially believable, except to the most gullible. So, Paul identifies those to whom the risen Lord appeared. If the Corinthians do not want to take his word and the witness of his own experience (conversion, Acts 9), they can check with others, interview them, and reach their own conclusions on the preponderance of evidence. There is Cephas, the Twelve (perhaps a reference to the Easter day appearance to the Ten and then later to the Eleven, when Thomas was also present, recorded in John 20), more than 500 at one time, James, and all the apostles. This is a convincing list. The argument for the resurrection does not necessarily rest on philosophical speculation (If God didn't exist, we would have to invent God) nor proof texting (The ancient documents refer to something like this, so this must be it; contemporary prognosticators do this with Nostradamus). It relies on physical, human witnesses, as Mary said, "I have seen the Lord!" (John 20:18). Paul identifies a host of others who will substantiate the claim that the crucified Jesus is indeed the risen Lord.
When Paul refers to his own experience with the risen Lord, he humbles himself as unworthy of such an honor. He refers to himself as "the least of the apostles ... unfit" (15:9). His record is blemished, for he once persecuted the faith which he now proclaims. He arrested the very Christians with whom he now associates. Paul credits the grace of God for this marvelous turn-around. With Isaiah, he confesses his sinfulness. Whereas Isaiah spoke in the image of "unclean lips," Paul would have used, no doubt, the image of "bloodied hands," due to his compliance with the death of Stephen (Acts 7-8:3). Both Isaiah and Paul understand the magnanimous nature of God's love that seeks out those to whom mercy needs to be shown, even when it is not asked for!
A phrase that should not be overlooked in this text is the one where Paul relates the recent events of Jesus' death and resurrection with the Jewish scriptures. Both Jesus' death and his resurrection are "in accordance with the scriptures" (15:3, 4). He does not cite any of them at this time, however. Actually, Paul was much better at relating cultural practices and social concepts to the gospel, contextualizing the message, especially to the Gentile world. The writer to the Hebrews and Matthew do the best at explicitly connecting the First Covenant with the New Covenant. But, Paul wants his readers (both Jews and Gentiles in Corinth) to understand that the new day that has dawned upon them was preceded and anticipated by yesterday, as recorded in the ancient writings of Jewish tradition -- the Law and the prophets. What is new is that it has happened in our day, Paul would say. What is new is that the fulfillment has come from the hand of God (as always intended) and not from our own doing (as we had come to believe it would), Paul would say. What is new is that we have been changed by this glorious event and are no longer the same people, Paul would say (as he did write in 2 Corinthians 5:17-
18).
Luke 5:1-11
The critical scholar may be interested to examine the connection, if any, between Luke's account of Peter's call to discipleship and John's account (John 1:35-42). The parishioner in the pew is not going to be too concerned. Of more interest to the worshiper will be why Peter lets Jesus commandeer his boat and then calls him Master. To satisfy this interest, one has to glance back a few verses into Luke 4 to read about Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law of a fever. It must have impressed Peter greatly to witness the power of Jesus' word over the fever. At his rebuke, the fever left, like a bat seeking a dark shelter at sunrise. Assuming that this event in the house happened before the event by the lake, one can understand why Peter would allow Jesus to make use of one of his boats. This would also explain his salutation of Master. After all, Jesus proved himself master of the mysterious forces that affect our daily lives.
Master looks backward to what has already occurred, the healing of Peter's mother-in-law. At your word looks forward. Jesus gives Peter a command to resume fishing. Peter thinks about the night's toil already spent in vain. "But at your word" (5:5) -- here Peter reveals an attitude of respect and obeisance (which is a level beyond obedience, which can be done without heart). Peter recognized the power in Jesus' word; if he can cure a fever, he can catch a fish. This would have been a great opening miracle to announce his public ministry, much like the miracle at Cana, as used in John's Gospel. However, Luke is not John. The first miracles in Luke, the Physician's Gospel, are healing ones (4:38-42).
The catch of fish becomes a metaphor for Peter's new vocation, "catching men" (5:10). He is called into the public ministry of the kingdom of God. He will follow Jesus in training and then be sent off (the noun apostle has as it verbal correlate apostellw, send forth) to share the good news with words of power and acts of wonder. Peter demonstrates the essential character of faith: faith moves one to action, not by sight, but "at your word" (5:5). Faith takes Jesus at his word, whether that be about fishing or forgiveness, sacrifice, death, or eternal life.
Like Isaiah and Paul, Peter has his moment of confession and sorrow. "I am a sinful man, O Lord," Peter laments. In the presence of the Holy One, whose voice even the demons obey, sin is revealed. Rather than flee the holiness, one is invited to linger in the presence, to follow him day and night and be involved in the coming of the kingdom. Peter can fall down at Jesus' knees and beg for mercy, which he will receive from our gracious God. After Peter's confession, he will be comforted with Jesus' oft-repeated words, "Do not be afraid" (5:10) and then commissioned into service (5:10). The Lord calls him into his service, just like he did with Isaiah and Paul. Like them, Peter did not seek it. It sought him and found him in the midst of his daily chores.
Perhaps it is all these things -- the healing, the message from the boat, the catch of fish, and the acceptance of the sinner -- that propelled Peter to leave everything and follow Jesus. The Bible doesn't tell us about the family and business consequences of Peter's decision. Maybe by its silence, the message is that whatever the consequences of that action, it is well worth the troubles, when all is said and done. Any sacrifice is not too great when it comes to being in the presence of the glory of the Lord. The wise men made theirs. Now, Peter makes his. In a few verses, Matthew will make his and, like Peter, leave everything to follow Jesus.
Application
One of the noticeable features of movies, especially after The Exorcist came out in the '70s, is the detailed and graphic portrayal of gore and the demonic. What has happened through all the Freddie Kruger movies and others like them is a desensitizing of our response to the gore and demonic. We have become more tolerant of gross horror, coming to believe that it is but special effects and not to be taken seriously. As long as it entertains, we are willing to be scared to death, never really believing that it is to death. If it does happen, it's out there somewhere happening to someone else; never to me.
What we need in our society that has been glazed over by opulence and the art of screen magic is a renewed sense of the holy, the mysterium tremendum that is at the core of Isaiah's vision and Paul's experience on the Road to Damascus and Peter's encounter with Jesus in the daily pursuits of making a living. Unfortunately, such a sense of the holy usually comes through trying times, which we really do not want to wish upon our society. However, if it means repentance and restored relationship with God, then, such a price would certainly be worth it.
We don't have to wait for dreadful events to overshadow us. If Strauss and Howe are correct in The Fourth Turning, we may not have to wait too long. By faith we can turn now to the presence of the Holy One in our midst in the form of the Humble One, Jesus. The glory of the mysterium tremendum is revealed in the flesh and blood of Jesus, born in Bethlehem and crucified outside Jerusalem and risen to rule in every village and city. As we discover the holy in him, we are drawn to him, only to learn that he, all along, has been drawing near to us with tongs in hand and with cross on shoulders.
When our society was, at least, perceptively Christian, we could count to some degree upon the assimilation of Christian thought and behavior in the lives of most people. This occurred through a kind of cultural osmosis. But, now our society is decidedly post-Christian. This means that we cannot count on sympathetic values of society bolstering, if not conveying, Christian virtues. How important it is now that each person be a "sent one" (apostoloz, apostle), a preacher for the sake of others coming to the faith. Peter was nudged by Andrew, his brother (according to John 1:35-42), to recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. Paul was able to pass on only what he had received from others, who nurtured him in the faith (Acts 9:10f., 1 Corinthians 15:3).
Isaiah, Paul, and Peter each had a unique life story which was brought into a greater story, expanding the meaning of each life. All three were actually "second career" people, who became enamored with God's great saga of creation, redemption, and sanctification. Their lives were swept up in a great calling to be God's spokesperson. There are many second career people today for any number of reasons. The fortunate thing is that each can discover new meaning in just about any career, when one remains open to how God is calling the individual to newness of life as a witness to God's grace simply through what they say and do.
This certainly requires taking a risk with Jesus. Faith is being willing to "put out into the deep" (Luke 5:4). It is taking Jesus at his word. It is virtually leaving everything behind as refuse (Philippians 3:8, 13b-14) for the surpassing worth of knowing and following Jesus Christ. In doing this, regardless of whether it be played out in a religious or secular arena, one's defining characteristic is that life becomes centered in the relationship with God.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Now Uzziah of Judah was a great king who had a good deal of power and wealth in the eighth century B.C. Mediterranean world. He strengthened the fortifications of Jerusalem and built up Judah's army, so that he was able to regain much of the territory around Judah, as well as to subdue Edom, Ammon, and several of the Philistine cities along the coastal plain. 2 Chronicles 26:10 tells us that he "hewed out many cisterns, for he had large herds, both in the Shephelah (the hill country) and the plain, and he had farmers and vinedressers in the hills and in the fertile lands, for he loved the soil." Trade prospered under Uzziah's reign and many in the populace grew wealthy. So Uzziah reigned for 41 years (783-742 B.C.), although 2 Chronicles also tells us that Uzziah was struck with leprosy because of his pride, and his son Jotham had to act as his regent for Uzziah's last twelve years.
In 742 B.C., however, Uzziah died, as we all die, and in that same year a young Isaiah of Jerusalem was given the vision of the real King of the universe. "In the year that king Uzziah died," Isaiah tells us in our text, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up." And flowing out from that regal figure Isaiah saw a royal robe, filling all the temple (v. 1). But this was no ordinary temple to which Isaiah had entrance. It was not as if he had wandered in off of the steets of Jerusalem to Israel's house of worship. Isaiah, like so many of the prophets (cf. 1 Kings 22:19-23; Jeremiah 23:18; Isaiah 40:1-8), was given entrance into the royal court in the heaven of heavens, where the King of kings and Lord of lords sat on his throne, surrounded by his heavenly court.
Perhaps when we enter the church to worship God, we should remember what the prophet Isaiah saw, for he describes the overwhelming majesty of the God whom we approach in our worship service. As is true throughout the scriptures, Isaiah does not describe what God himself looks like. We cannot see God and live (Exodus 33:20; Deuteronomy 5:26). But the prophet does tell us about God's surroundings, as other texts often do (cf. Exodus 24:9-11).
Isaiah says that there were seraphim around the Lord, those messengers of God that had something like serpentine forms, and each one of them had six wings. With two of the wings, a seraph covered his face and with two he shielded his body from the shining glory of God's radiant presence. But with the two other wings the seraph hovered in the air, waiting for the Lord's command. And then, at a word from God, the seraph sped off to fulfill the Lord's request. As the seraphim hovered there in midair, however, around the throne of the Lord of hosts, they sang an antiphonal song that echoed back and forth across the reaches of the heavens -- the same song that we sing in our communion service. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." That is, the whole earth shows forth the works of God that bring honor to his name. As that song echoed back and forth through the heavens, it shook the very lintels of the heavenly temple, and the smoke from incense rose to fill the air. And all things trembled and sounded and were filled with the praise of God's magnificence. Such is the Lord whom we come to worship in this sanctuary this morning.
Is it any wonder then that Isaiah is filled with awe and fear, for he realizes that in the presence of the pure morality and shining righteousness of God, he is immoral and unrighteous, a man whose lips have sometimes not spoken the truth, unfit to be a prophet -- a man who lives in the midst of an evil society, for Uzziah's kingdom is indeed evil. Judah is shot through with corruption of the law courts and conspicuous consumption by the wealthy, while the poor languish in helplessness and need (cf. the "woe oracles" in Isaiah 5). Judah is a land that has forgotten the will of the Lord. And is our society and are our lives any different? And so Isaiah cries out in the realization of the penalty for all sin. "I am going to die!" he exclaims. "I am lost!" And surely, friends, that is the realization that every one of us should have when we come into the holy presence of the Father of Jesus Christ -- that compared to him our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags and that we deserve nothing more for our sinful waywardness than the wages of death. It is not for nothing that we begin our service with a confession of our sin, for sinners we are and apart from the mediation of Jesus Christ, we do not have a prayer.
But Isaiah is forgiven, according to our text, as you and I are forgiven. Isaiah's lips are cleansed, as our lives are cleansed by God's forgiveness in Christ, and then, and only then in our text, can Isaiah hear the voice of the Lord. God does not traffic with evil, good Christians, but he does speak to forgiven lives. And he tells Isaiah that he has a mission on which to send him, as he always has a mission for us. God asks in his heavenly council, "Who will go for us?" And Isaiah, cleansed and inspired, volunteers his service. "Here am I, Lord," he replies. "Send me." We often sing that in praise services, don't we? "Here I am, Lord," we sing out, offering ourselves to God's tasks. And how we do love that wonderful affirmation of commitment. We're ready, Lord. Use us in your work.
I wonder if we know what we are getting into. Jesus warned us that it was not easy to be his followers (cf. e.g. Luke 14:26-33). It cost him scorn and whipping and a cross, and he said it involves a cross for us also, the crucifixion of our own wills and desires, in order to follow only God's ways. That way of life does not play very well in the twenty-first century, not in America where Jesse Ventura can say that religion is only for the weak, or where it is foolishness not to look out for our own self-interests.
Certainly Isaiah was shocked to hear the task to which the Lord assigned him. He was told that his ministry would make the Judeans even more stubborn and sinful. His preaching would close their ears and shut their eyes, so they were even more deserving of the judgment that was coming upon them. In other words, Isaiah was told that his ministry would be a failure in the eyes of the world. And Christians too are sometimes regarded as nothing but losers in modern society.
No wonder Isaiah cried out, "How long, Lord, how long?" And the fearful word that came back to him was that his prophesying would last until Judah was destroyed, with maybe only a tiny remnant left from the cleansing judgment of the Lord. And that Word of God was fulfilled in the fall of the Judean nation.
You see, good Christians, judging from the testimony of this text and the witness of all the scriptures, it takes a mighty faith to be servants of our God. We have to believe that the Lord of hosts is in fact King of kings and Lord of lords. We have to believe that he has all the ways of this wayward world in his mighty hand. And we have to trust that God's will be the victory over all the sins and wrongs of human beings. We have to know, deep in our hearts, that God rules and that his kingdom is coming. But if we know that, if we trust God in Christ, who has triumphed over even death, then we are able indeed to say with Isaiah, "Here am I, Lord. Send me."
