Isaiah 61 BibleGateway.com
Simone Weil explains that there are different categories of need: (1) physical needs of the body; (2) spiritual needs of the soul; and (3) physical needs of the soul. It is this third category that is most often neglected. We tend to think of the “Good News” as primarily spiritual in content. Yet the Good News Isaiah brings the oppressed is that God will meet the physical needs of souls. The gates of jails will be unlocked, and prisoners will be freed. Devastated cities will be rebuilt, and dislocated persons will reclaim their homes and heritages. Victims of robbery and wrongdoing will be compensated, vindicated, and restored. And in and through all this concrete, physical healing will be accomplished the healing of souls. Mourning will be replaced by gladness; we will rejoice in the Lord. Free, sheltered, and blessed, we–whose physical brokenness is no more–will also be healed of our spiritual brokenness. Sin will no longer cling to us; we will instead be clothed with “the garments of salvation” and “the robe of righteousness.”
In Luke 4 Jesus said that these words in Isaiah have been “fulfilled.” If so, then why is there still so much brokenness, both physical and spiritual? Perhaps our frenetic materialism and yuletide overindulgences are somehow fueled by a deep yearning for physical healing that is finally essential to the healing of our souls. Isaiah’s words challenge me, therefore, to consider: How, this season, will I attend to my and others’ physical needs in ways that fully participate in the Good News?
Your Kingdom come, Lord God! Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give all, on this day, the food they need to live and flourish. Forgive us, as we forgive others. Deliver us from robbery and wrongdoing, and guide us into the justice and righteousness that is your promise. Amen
Simone Weil explains that there are different categories of need: (1) physical needs of the body; (2) spiritual needs of the soul; and (3) physical needs of the soul. It is this third category that is most often neglected. We tend to think of the “Good News” as primarily spiritual in content. Yet the Good News Isaiah brings the oppressed is that God will meet the physical needs of souls. The gates of jails will be unlocked, and prisoners will be freed. Devastated cities will be rebuilt, and dislocated persons will reclaim their homes and heritages. Victims of robbery and wrongdoing will be compensated, vindicated, and restored. And in and through all this concrete, physical healing will be accomplished the healing of souls. Mourning will be replaced by gladness; we will rejoice in the Lord. Free, sheltered, and blessed, we–whose physical brokenness is no more–will also be healed of our spiritual brokenness. Sin will no longer cling to us; we will instead be clothed with “the garments of salvation” and “the robe of righteousness.”
In Luke 4 Jesus said that these words in Isaiah have been “fulfilled.” If so, then why is there still so much brokenness, both physical and spiritual? Perhaps our frenetic materialism and yuletide overindulgences are somehow fueled by a deep yearning for physical healing that is finally essential to the healing of our souls. Isaiah’s words challenge me, therefore, to consider: How, this season, will I attend to my and others’ physical needs in ways that fully participate in the Good News?
Your Kingdom come, Lord God! Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give all, on this day, the food they need to live and flourish. Forgive us, as we forgive others. Deliver us from robbery and wrongdoing, and guide us into the justice and righteousness that is your promise. Amen
Cynthia L. Rigby, W.C. Brown Professor of Theology
Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.CLICK HERE to learn how you can support the mission of Austin Seminary
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