THE JOY OF SALVATION Having proclaimed His collective invitation to enjoy the unique work of salvation, and revealed the weaknesses of His people, because of which they tasted bitterness, He now opens widely the door of hope, and speaks of the joy and splendor of salvation. 1. Put on your garments of splendor 1-2. 2. Free salvation 3-6. 3. Bringing good tidings 7-10. 4. Departure from evil 11-12. 5. The glory of God’s Servant 13-15. 1. PUT ON YOUR GARMENTS OF SPLENDOR “Awake, awake! Put on your strength O Zion. Put on you your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer come to you. Shake yourself from the dust. Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem. Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” (Is. 52: 1, 2) While confirming the return of the people from captivity with unexpected dignity, the prophet is talking of the return of humanity to its original state; its return to the spiritual city of God, and its enjoyment of His exalted splendor, to live free from any defilement, as God planned for it. God loves man, and yearns to let him enter His glories, to live a holy dignified and glorious life. That is why that invitation came to enjoy the following divine blessings: a. The resurrected glorious life: “Awake, awake!” She descended as though into a grave, to lie in darkness and corruption. That was the condition of Israel in Babylon, where they lost every hope of returning to their land and of freedom, to count themselves as dead. That is the condition of every man, captivated by sin, to have his inner life collapsed, to lose good will, and ability to enjoy the holy life, and to become like a dead corrupted corpse. He is in need of someone to wake him up from the death of sin, and to grant him the new life of resurrection. The apostle says, “awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 5: 14) “He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2: 6) Now, the Savior came to every fallen and humiliated soul, to say to her: “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love, so I spread the corner of my garment over you.” (Ezekiel 16: 8) What does spreading the corner of His garment over her, but accepting her as a bride, to unite with Him and to enjoy His resurrected life? He came to her as a Groom, to find in Him “resurrection,” to wake up as though from eternal death. That is what the apostle meant by saying, “For if by the one man’s offense, death reigned through that one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5: 17) When the soul unites with her Groom, the Life-giver, she takes off its grave clothes to put on those of the wedding: “Put on your strength O Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem the holy city.” (Is. 52: 1) He tells her: “‘I clothed you 7 with an embroidered dress and gave you sandals of badger skin I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with ornaments... You were exceedingly beautiful and succeeded to royalty… Your fame went out among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through My splendor which I had bestowed on you,’ says the Lord God.” (Ezekiel 16: 10 - 14) What is this clothing with which the splendor of the Lord is poured on His bride to become very beautiful, and to be like a queen, but the Person of Christ Himself, in whom we hide, according to the expression of the apostle: “You have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3: 27). It is fitting for the whole Church to rejoice, praising the Lord Christ, as did the saintly women, when they became sure that the Lord has risen, He who awakened humanity from sleep, granting it life and filling it with the light of faith1. St. Jerome Today is the “Feast of the Resurrection;” for me, it is a new beginning. I am anointed by the divine sacrament that brought me to this shining day, giving help to my weakness, to be granted by him, who has risen, life for my soul; “to put on the new man, which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4: 23, 24), and to make me one of the new creation, of those born from God... to make me ready to die with Him and rise with Him... Yesterday (the great Friday), the Lamb was slain, and the lintel and the two doorposts were sprinkled with His blood... When the destroyer angel with his sword passed by, we were not terrified, because the precious blood keeps us. Yesterday, I was crucified with Christ. Today, I am glorified in Him! Yesterday, I died with Christ. Today, I was granted life with Him! Yesterday, I was buried with Christ. Today I rise with Him! Whoever got to understand this great mystery in Christ, and what He did for us, but did not give his soul to Christ, he gave Him nothing!2 St. Gregory of Nazianzus b. It will become a holy city, into which no uncircumcised or defiled (namely foreigners) will enter again. Being the city of God, it will be sanctified from any defilement, to carry the nature of heavenly life, worthy of the heavenly King. And now dear friends... Satan was slain, that monster, who is an opponent to the whole world. We are not approaching a worldly feast, but a continuous heavenly one. Now, death is abolished, and the kingdom of the devil is destroyed; so every thing is filled with joy and happiness. We should approach this feast, not with a defiled garment, but should clothe our souls with pure ones. We should put on Christ, to be worthy of celebrating the feast with Him. We put Him on, when we love virtue and hate evil, when we practice purity and put our lusts to death, when we love righteousness and not transgression, when we adorn ourselves with reasonable mind, when we open our doors before all people and we forget not the poor, when we help الحب الإلهي، ص 1 .638 2 .657 - الحب الإلهي، ص 654 8 the weak and reject pride1. Pope Athanasius the Apostolic c. “Shakes yourself from the dust;” The soul will no longer desire the temporary things, but will first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then everything else will be added; will live, set forth toward eternity, free from all bonds of the world. d. Rise up, sit on her royal throne (Is. 52: 2); after having been a captive slave, sitting on dust, and serving her masters in humility, she is now on the right of the heavenly King. And as the Psalmist says, “At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir” (Psalm 45: 9). e. Enjoy freedom: “Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” (Is. 52: 2) After having been dragged by the neck as an animal, she regained the dignity of freedom, to live a mistress of herself, to have inner authority. If sin humiliates man to drag him anywhere it likes, as a toy in the hands of the devil, in Jesus Christ, man would live like a king (Revelation 1: 6), with authority over his heart, thoughts, feelings, and body. In short, man rises up from the death of sin, takes off his grave clothes to put on Christ Himself as an eternal garment; reject every defilement to carry in himself the righteousness of Christ; shakes off the dust of earthly loves, to soar up in heaven; rises from humility to sit on the right hand of God, to participate in glory; and to have his inner chains loosened, to enjoy the freedom of God’s children. 2. FREE SALVATION “For thus says the Lord, ‘you have sold yourself for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.”(Is. 52: 3) God did not sell His people to Babylon, but it was they who sold themselves through forsaking God and rebelling against Him; so He delivered them to their enemies. Neither they nor God got any benefit. Babylon did not thank God for delivering them, but blasphemed Him instead. God did not wish to deliver His people to Babylon; they made Him do that, by delivering themselves to sin and pagan defilements. God’s people previously went to Egypt, and were humiliated by Pharaoh. They did not learn their lesson, and sold themselves to Assyria who afflicted them for no reason or challenge. Yet God always intervenes to save His people and to glorify His Holy Name. We also delivered ourselves to the authority of sin, and enslaved ourselves to the devil for nothing... Now, the Savior came to give us free salvation, not by gold or silver, but by His precious blood (Revelation 5: 9). 3. BRINGING THE GOOD TIDINGS The good tidings of bringing the people back from captivity came from the Lord Himself who reigns over His people (Is. 52: 7). Voices of singing and praise were heard, not for their return to their homeland, but because “the Lord brings back Zion” (Is. 52: 8). He came by Himself to comfort His people, and to “lay bare His holy arm” to repair the desolation that happened to them and to His city, to proclaim “in the sight of all nations” (Is. 52: 10), to have His name glorified by the entire world. 1 .644- الحب الإلهي، ص 643 9 Talk has been more so about the good news concerning the Gospel of salvation, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Is. 52: 7) What are these beautiful feet but the Church of the New Testament, that utters through the Word of God (the mountains), to preach the Gospel, and to proclaim that our Lord Jesus has reigned on a cross, and resurrected us with Him? Isaiah believes that there is nothing more beautiful or fitting than the preaching of the apostles walking in the Lord who says, “I am the Way,” commending the feet of those walking that way of Jesus Christ; as through it, they enter to God (the Father). They bring the good tidings, those with beautiful feet, as Jesus became for them (a way for their feet and the mystery of their beauty)1. Origen As they preach for us the Gospel of peace, previously prophesied, “How beautiful are the feet of those who proclaim peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.” (Is. 52: 7) Each one of us starts to become a son of peace, through his keeping and his faith in that Gospel; as he is justified by faith, he gains peace with God2. Who are the feet of the Lord? They are the saintly Evangelists!3 Through the beautiful feet of men, bringing the good tidings, the hearts of humanity became an open way for the Lord4. St. Augustine 4. DEPARTURE FROM EVIL With the Spirit of prophecy, Isaiah saw the priests carrying the vessels of the Lord - previously taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and used with no respect to drink wine, by Belshazzar (Daniel 5) - in a dignified procession that lasted about four months. The prophet Isaiah revealed the mystery of the dignity of that procession: a. On the negative side: Departure from evil, and continuous liberation from the captivity of sin. “Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from the midst of her, be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.” (Is. 52: 11) It is a call for continuous separation from evil. “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord, ‘Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters.’” (2 Corinthians 6: 17, 18)) Paul advises saying, “Put away from yourselves that wicked person... that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5: 13, 2) How really horrible is the congregation of the wicked; their plague quickly move and infect all who deal with them… “Evil company corrupts good habits.” (1 Corinthians 15: 33)... I wish no one of us would have an evil friend5. 1 On John 1:11. 2 On Rebuke and Grace, ch. 46. 3 On Ps. 52. 4 On Ps.68. 5 In John hom 57:3. 10 St. John Chrysostom b. On the positive side: Receiving God Himself as the leader of the procession, makes us go confidently, trusting in the ability of our leader and in His protection all along the way. “But you will not go out with haste, not go in flight; for the Lord will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Is. 52: 12) 5. THE GLORY OF THE LORD Having commended to let the Lord Savior lead the procession, he presented us with a portrait of the glory of the Savior, who became a Servant, to be glorified on our behalf and in our name. The ancient Jews interpreted this text as concerning the Messiah. a. “Behold, My Servant...” (Is. 52: 13): The Word became flesh, and as a representative of humanity He was counted a Servant to the Father, so that we in Him, are counted obedient to God. b. “He shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.” (Is 52: 13) He is the wisdom of God. For our sake, He received the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, to rest upon Him (Is. 11: 2), although He is His Holy Spirit, inseparable from Him. c. Because of His appearance on the cross, the heavenly hosts and earthly beings were astonished. “Just as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” (Is. 52: 14) This is proclaimed more clearly in the following chapter. “He has no form or comeliness, and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” (Is. 53: 2, 3) d. Through that painful appearance as a sacrifice nailed on the cross, He sprinkled the nations with His blood to sanctify them for Himself, and shut the mouths of kings (probably means the powers of darkness), having seen salvation, they have not heard of before.
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