A Desert in Bloom (Dec. 11 2022) Isaiah 35.1-10

In Nevada and Arizona there is a desert. This place is by the very word desert, dry and unfruitful. In this place there is nothing growing except some scrub bushes and trees. But look around a second time and you will see something different. Where there is water, there is life and growth. This can be seen in areas of high population near a river (the Colorado) in the form of yards with flowers, green grass and on many golf courses. But in the areas outside of human habitation there is only the scrub. That is until there is some rain. Rain does not fall much in the desert, but it does fall sometimes. And when it does, something magical happens. There is an eruption of color from the wildflowers and the trees that bloom in the desert.

Bert and I were talking about this the other day and he described it from his experiences in Namaqualand in South Africa. There the desert blooms towards the end of their winter in August September. It not only blooms, but he said that it comes alive with color. The sense of awe in his voice told me that it was a sight to behold. Something happened in a place where things normally did not happen.

The land around Judah was a desert. It had been destroyed by invading armies. There was nothing left but scrub bushes and very hardy vegetation that can grow in the desert. It was land only good for the shepherds to bring their sheep to graze. It was land that would have been difficult in which to live.

But Isaiah calls out that something new is about to happen. The land will rejoice and blossom, there will be blooms like the crocus, a flower whose bulb is hardy enough to live in a harsh climate and bloom when there is rain. It is a flower that blooms in a riot of color. And Isaiah is saying that the desert will be full of them.

In fact, the land will be like Lebanon and Carmel, two places known for their verdant growth. The land will know the majesty of God and rejoice.

Turning from the glorious sight that will be the desert in bloom, the prophet makes a proclamation to those who were left in the land and to those returning to the land following the invasions of the conquering armies. The TANAK, the Jewish translation of the First Testament, puts it like this: “Strengthen the hands that are slack; Make firm the tottering knees! Say to the anxious of heart, “Be strong, fear not; Behold your God! Requital is coming, The recompense of God—He Himself is coming to give you triumph.”[1] This is a call to all those who are in fear of what happened in the past to look forward to the future. They will no longer need to quail before those who are stronger than they. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be there for them. The coming judgement against those who put the people of God to flight. God will come and save the people who are waiting for him. There will be great rejoicing when this occurs.

But there is also healing that will come in this time. The blind will see, and the deaf will hear. This is not just literal, physical healing. No longer will the people be unable to repent as they were in Isaiah’s call in chapter six. They will no longer be held back by their unwillingness to see and hear. They will now be saved. There is also healing for those whose bodies are wracked with pain and who can no longer move. They will also be healed and be able to leap like deer. If you have ever seen a deer leap you understand the reaction to this proclamation. Even those who are unable to speak will be healed. They will shout aloud and there will be much singing. John Goldingay says this about the translation of singing for joy: “The translation shout for joy obscures the point. There is no word for “joy” there. The verb simply refers to the ability to make a noise at all, for that is the miracle!”[2]

Christians know this healing from the Gospel according to Matthew. There John, who is in prison, asks Jesus if he is the one to come or should they look for another one as Jesus is not acting like much like the expected Messiah. Jesus’ reply is this in Mt. 11.5: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”[3]Jesus obviously had Isaiah in mind when he sent the message back to John.

But there is more. Water will come to the desert. Where there was once only dry land there will be streams of water. Where there were once burning sands (imagine walking across hot sand at the beach) there will be pools welling up. In the thirsty ground there will be springs of water. The desert that bloomed in joy will no longer bloom only when it rains but will bloom in perpetuity.

The people will return because there is a highway call the Holy Way. It will not be a cart track, but a proper road, made level and without holes or rocks that would cause those traveling to stumble. There will not be any who are unclean traveling on it. Those who do not put their trust in the God of Israel will not be there, but only those who are the people of God, including those who are not Israelites by birth but who have come to know the God of Israel. And it will be a safe road. No predators will be found there. They will be nowhere near the road and the people will be able to walk freely there on this road.

The final verse in the passage tells of the people’s return and what they shall be like: “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come with shouting to Zion, Crowned with joy everlasting. They shall attain joy and gladness, While sorrow and sighing flee.”[4] The text began with joy of the land blossoming by Gods’ good provision and ends with the joy of those returning to Zion. There will be joy in the land from both humans and humus as one writer says.

Today we lit the candle of Joy. While Advent is a time of waiting and contemplation on the coming of Jesus, there is much to be joyful about this season. There is the coming of the little baby who will bring salvation to the people, not just those in the land of Israel but to all people, those who will become God’s people. Those people would be us. And it is with great joy that we proclaim this. As I stated before, we find the fulfillment of Isaiah 35 in Matthew 11. But we would make a mistake to point to the Isaiah passage and say that it is prophecy of Jesus. That would take the text out of its context and put it in a place where it was never intended to be at the first writing. Tyler Mayfield says this: “This type of reading falters on two fronts. First, this reading depends on the problematic notion of prophecy as future-telling. It ultimately insists that Isaiah’s prophecy in some fashion had in mind Jesus’s future actions. Second, this reading results in an understanding of the Old Testament as an incomplete word from God. Isaiah 35 becomes an exercise in wishful thinking and dreaming that cannot possibly be realized until the work of Jesus. Alternatively, one could speak of the hope and partial fulfillment found in both contexts. Or, even better, the dreams of a better world of joy and liberation found in both biblical passages. Isaiah 35 and its hopes of transformation are realized to an extent in the postexilic community as Jerusalem is rebuilt and the temple is reconstructed. Matthew 11 and its hopes of transformation are realized to an extent during the ministry of Jesus as he heals and preaches good news. These dreams, however, remain for us today.”[5] “These dreams remain for us today.” Today we still look for the return of Jesus. We still look for the desert to bloom and those afflicted to be healed. But there is still joy to be had because the one who will come and put things to rights has come and begun the renewal of all things. There is joy for both the Jewish readers and the Christians. Let us go out and proclaim and live that joy showing the world that a desert can bloom. Amen.

[1]Jewish Publication Society. Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Print. [2]Goldingay, John. Isaiah. Ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012. Print. Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. [3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [4]Jewish Publication Society. Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1985. Print. [5]Mayfield, Tyler D. Unto Us a Child Is Born: Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors (pp. 144-145). Eerdmans. Kindle Edition.