Provision for The Improbable (AW2)

Advent Pericopal Series: Visions of the Last Days

Based on Old Testament Readings from Isaiah

1. Time for a Beating ()

2. Provision for the Improbable ()

3. Overtaken by Joy ()

4. The Peaceful Invasion ( [15–17])

Liturgical Setting

The key hermeneutical principle is the “now/not yet” understanding of the kingdom of God. The kingdom described in our text clearly is not here yet; we still await the glorious harmony Isaiah foretells. However, the “root of Jesse” foretold by the prophet has indeed appeared, establishing his kingdom in the hearts and lives of believers. The new harmony predicted by Isaiah finds a home in the church, where Christ Jesus proclaims peace to those who are far off and to those who are near (). The church is the “living prophecy” of Isaiah in our time, foretelling by its actions in the “now” the perfect harmony that has “not yet” arrived but will most certainly be obtained at the close of the age. (For further comments on this hermeneutical principle, please see the study for Advent 1.)

The Epistle states that what was written in former times (such as the text from Isaiah) was designed to give readers of every time encouragement and hope. The glorious kingdom promised in Isaiah gives hope to God’s saints as they struggle through the current age of division and conflict. Paul’s prayer is that by the use of these Scriptures believers might have a true spirit of unity and harmony, akin to that described by Isaiah. Setting aside all petty jealousies and personal preferences that may divide them, believers testify to God’s saving work by living in harmony.

The Gospel, paradoxically, contains the Law. The accusing words of John the Baptist lead us to acknowledge that we have no hope of bringing about the harmony described in Isaiah on our own. Our only hope is in Christ as we heed John’s call to repent and trust in the mercy of Jesus. Do not think to say, “We have Luther as our father!” Instead, in faith look to the “shoot come up from the stump of Jesse,” for the Spirit of the Lord is upon him to do the improbable, to reconcile us to the Father for all eternity.

The context in Isaiah refers to the gracious restoration of the remnant of Israel after its scattering among the Assyrians and Babylonians. God gave encouragement to the Israelites when, after the return from exile, he restored the descendants of Jesse’s line to a place of eminence. One thinks, for instance, of Zerubbabel, grandson of exiled King Jehoiachin. Haggai declares that Yahweh is with Zerubbabel and that the Lord’s Spirit is upon him (), words that echo Isaiah’s prophecies. In Zerubbabel the Israelites saw a post-exilic sign that God was continuing to keep his promise, that the messianic kingdom was still on track. In our day that sign is the church, the body of believers, who trace their spiritual lineage to the King of kings, Jesus. Jesus is the “full fulfillment” of Isaiah’s promises. As his spiritual descendants, we believers are a sign to the world that the full appearance of the messianic age is still on track.

Textual Notes

The text’s force is found in its wholeness, in its description of the wonder of the “edenic” harmony restored, and amplified in Christ. Sermons that obsess on, for example, what kind of poisonous snakes are referred to in v 8, will not only be dull, but will dull the point of the miraculous work of Jesus among us.

V 1 begins with the improbable prediction that new growth will come from the stump of Jesse. The lushness of the kingly line begun with David (and promised to endure forever []) had withered considerably by Isaiah’s time. In the exile God would cut the tree down to its stump and roots. No onlooker would have thought new growth could come again. The Almighty, however, makes provision for the improbable to happen. From this “dead” line of kings, Yahweh brings new life in a new Son of David, Jesus.

Vv 2–5 describe the character of the new King’s reign, accenting his approach to justice and righteousness: there will be no question of impropriety in his decisions. Considering the reigns of the kings of Israel known to Isaiah’s audience, the description of this King’s reign would have sounded highly improbable. A King who doesn’t give special preference to the wealthy and powerful? A King who attends to the needs of the weak and lowly? A King who punishes the wicked instead of consorting with them? That is the stuff of campaign promises, but the reality of earthly rulers is too often another story. The King predicted by Isaiah, however, has the Spirit of the Lord upon him, making provision for the improbable to happen. Under the Spirit’s anointing, his reign will exhibit wisdom, righteousness, and justice.

Vv 6–8 describe in most improbable terms the drastically different kingdom that will result with the “shooting forth” of this new King from Jesse’s stump. Natural enemies will dine together instead of on one another. (A wonderful picture is hidden in the translation of v 6, where the Hebrew root rbk, meaning “to stretch out,” is used of the leopard lying down with the goat; one can picture the big cat stretching out for a nap next to the goat instead of arching its back in preparation to pounce and devour its prey.) The carnivorous lion will become a vegetarian, the king of beasts taking a back seat to the King of creation. Under the King’s reign, parents will have no fear of any harm coming to their children, for there will be no harm that can come. A little Child, not the intelligentsia, does the leading. How improbable a kingdom this is! How can it come? Only in the miraculous intervention of God in history, who makes provision for the improbable to happen. God will send the Child-King, altering all history and bringing about the beginning of the messianic age.

Vv 9–10 accent that this King’s reign will include not just one nation (as was the case with the other descendants from Jesse) but all nations. The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh and his gracious work (“every knee should bow . . . and every tongue confess” []). The “root of Jesse” is called the “banner” for the peoples, a reference to the “ensign” or “battle flag” around which soldiers would rally in the confusion of battle so that they could regain their formation and win the fight (“so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” []). All nations together as one? How improbable, but the Lord makes provision for the improbable through the Spirit of Pentecost falling upon believers. All this takes place on the Lord’s holy mountain, which, literally, is, “the mountain of my holiness.” That phrase reminds us that the Lord’s holiness, not our own, makes provision for the improbable to occur.

Sermon Outline

Introduction: (To illustrate the difference between improbable and impossible, the preacher should find some contemporary events that most people would have regarded as too improbable to happen, but that did happen. For example, a generation ago the collapse of the Soviet Union would have been considered too improbable to happen, but it did. Two years ago it was improbable that Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth McCaughey of Des Moines, Iowa, would conceive children, but then septuplets were born! The more recent the example, the better the illustration will be.)

1. The Improbable Possible

A. These illustrations show that because something seems improbable, it is not necessarily impossible.

B. In today’s text from Isaiah a most improbable kingdom is described. Here enemies become friends, wolf and lamb live together, and children and poisonous snakes play together without fear of harm or danger. Could such an improbable kingdom ever exist? Yes, if provision were made for the improbable to happen.

2. The Improbable Provided

A. God provided for the improbable restoration of the “dead” kingship of Israel.

(1) When the kingly line of Israel, corrupt and exiled, was considered dead and lifeless, God foretold through the prophet Isaiah a renewed kingship, a new shoot growing out of a seemingly dead stump.

(2) It seemed improbable, but God brought it to pass, bringing David’s kingly line out of exile and back to Jerusalem.

(3) This kingly line found its full growth in the birth of Jesus. He was a physical descendant of Jesse and David, the “shoot of Jesse’s stem.” God had Jesus in mind in these words of Isaiah.

(4) The child Jesus born in Bethlehem may have seemed an improbable candidate to lead the world to salvation, but God’s power provided for that improbable event to take place in history.

B. In Jesus God makes provision for the most improbable act of all, making saints of sinners.

(1) Isn’t this improbable, to consider us candidates for inclusion in heaven?

(2) Improbable because we know our sin, both our outright transgressions of God’s commands and our sins of self-righteousness. The latter creep into a Christian’s heart, leaving us thinking that we will be saved simply because we are confirmed Lutherans. John the Baptist cuts through this charade by telling us who we are in our sin—snakes!

(3) But God has made provision for the improbable, the provision of his own Son, the shoot from Jesse’s stump.

(4) Although we have no righteousness or holiness of our own to qualify for heaven, God provides Jesus to be holy and righteous for us. Jesus is the provision God made to remove our sin through his sacrifice on the cross.

(5) It may seem improbable for sinners to become saints, but it has actually happened because a loving God has made provision for the improbable. God counts us righteous and holy through faith in Jesus.

C. In Jesus God makes provision for his improbable kingdom to be previewed in the church.

(1) The kingdom of harmony prophesied by Isaiah may seem too improbable ever to be found on earth, but God makes provision for the improbable.

(2) In the Christian church God draws us together as a unified people through our Baptism into Christ.

(3) In the church we are safe, for in the church the forgiveness and healing of the cross mend all of our wounds. In the church love reigns, not wealth or power.

(4) In the church God leads people of all kinds to live in harmony. All of us share a singular devotion to the King, just as Isaiah had predicted. Although by nature some of us may be lambs and some of us may be lions, we are not here to devour or to be devoured, but to display the harmonious joy of our unity in Christ.

(5) Since we are still sinners, our harmony now is imperfect. We work, nevertheless, to demonstrate the peace and unity we have in Jesus. Our unity will offer the rest of the world an insight into the transforming power of the Gospel, and the nations will be drawn to him.

3. The Improbable Awaited

A. Days are coming, however, when the imperfect will give way to the perfect.

(1) When Jesus returns at the end, the perfect kingdom of peace and harmony will fully be ours.

(2) Then no war, death, injustice, or enemies will threaten us; we will be safe, secure, and at peace.

(3) Then believers in Christ will receive a glorious rest.

B. The promise of this future perfect kingdom gives us hope during the present troubled times, especially when we see the poor and powerless ignored, officials bribed by the wealthy, and wickedness going unpunished.

(1) A kingdom is coming where all will be set right.

(2) A kingdom is coming where we will live no longer by faith, but by sight, beholding the face of the King of kings.

C. Until this kingdom comes, we will strive to live in righteousness and harmony now. We will hold up the truth of the Gospel, calling those broken by sin to rally around it. God has made provision for us to live in this remarkable way, feeding us with his Word and with his body and blood in the Lord’s Supper. Improbable for us to live as God’s saints? Not with God on our side, the God who makes provision for the improbable.

Conclusion: God has provided a true wonder in this King and kingdom. They are ours now through faith as God considers us saints for Christ’s sake. Following our Child-King in faith, we will live in harmony with one another in the church. Now we can give the world a picture of the perfect kingdom still to come. We await such a kingdom with confident hope. While it may seem an improbable kingdom to the eyes of this world, we trust our God who makes provision for the improbable. We believe this kingdom is not only possible but certain. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly.