“I GAVE MY BACK TO THOSE WHO STRUCK ME” In the previous chapter we saw a marvelous portrait of God’s salvation work, having proclaimed that His love for us is greater than that of a mother toward her newborn. He would never forget His people, but has engraved them on the palms of His hands; has set them as a holy bride and a crowned queen to share His heavenly glories. Before that divine love, the Jewish nation stood furious. Now, He is now admonishing it for her denial of faith in Him, seeking her acceptance of the work of the Cross in her life. 1. A certificate of divorce 1-3. 2. Obedience of the cross 4-9. 3. A call for obedience 10-11. 1. A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE The Jew, when divorcing his wife, even with no reasonable cause, used to give her a certificate of divorce, before sending her out of his house. He could also sell her as a slave to his creditors (Deuteronomy 24: 1 - 3), and could sell his children as well. God, on His part, did not do that to them, He is asking the Jewish nation who denied Him, and rejected His faith, about her certificate of divorce if any, in confirmation that He did not intend to divorce or dismiss her, but she divorced herself by her own will, and dismissed herself out of God’s house, her Groom, through her transgressions and uncleanness, breaking the holy matrimony. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, whom I have put away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? For your iniquities you have sold ourselves, and for your transgressions your mother has been put away.” (Is. 50: 1) “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1: 11) That is why, in a fatherly admonition, he asks the deniers of faith to provide the certificate of divorce or the creditor’s name to whom He delivered His children. As though He is saying to them, that He did not wish to divorce their mother, or to sell them to anyone. She chose the devil, His enemy, a groom; and you as well, sold yourselves for the lusts and desires of sins; and as the Lord Christ said to His oppressors: “You are of your father the devil.” (John 8: 44) Abbot Abraham in the “Conferences” of Cassian says, [The same lusts we enjoy, will turn into punishment for us; the joys and enjoyments will turn into sufferings1.] Origen believes that the Jewish Sanhedrin has committed adultery against the Groom and killed Him (John 19: 6, 15; Luke 23: 18). [She (the Jewish nation), as a bride, rebelled against her man, more than he did against her. He, who sent her away, rejected and rebuked her because of alienating herself from him2.] If He has sent her away, it was because she rejected Him and dismissed herself by her free will, so He gave her the wish of her evil heart. The Lord Christ came as though to His house, to find no one there. She deserted Him together with her children (Is. 50: 2). 1 Cassian: Conf. 24:24. 2 In Matt., Book 14:17. 7 He tried to call her back, with no avail. She did not respond to his call, and deprived Him of his parental and matrimonial rights. St. John Chrysostom says, [He utters these things to reveal that we initiated the desertion that led to our perdition. God does not wish to forsake or punish us; and even if He does, it would be, as though it is against His will, saying,” ‘I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God, ‘Therefore turn and live.’” (Ezekiel 18: 32) Jesus cries for the devastation of Jerusalem, like we do for our friends1.] God does not wish us to perish, but wants us to act always like a bride rejoicing for her Groom, and not like a rebellious wife who deserts her home. And as said by St. John Chrysostom: [He went deeper to quote another impressive example, saying, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” (Is. 62: 5) As love between newly married couples is at its maximum in the beginning of their life, He used this analogy to let us appreciate how far His true love for us goes2.] From her side, she forsook Him and refused to live in the eternal heavenly joy; yet from His side, He continues to work capably for their sake, as a Savior He redeem them with His life, saying, “Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the river a wilderness. Their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.” (Is. 50: 2, 3) The Lord came by Himself, as though to His own household, as a Savior, after having called them through the Law and the prophets. Yet His nation and His own said mockingly: “He saved others. Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the Cross, and we will believe Him.” (Matthew 27: 42) That was how His own nation ridiculed Him, although He made a way for her through the Red Sea and across the River Jordan, and despite the fact that at His crucifixion, nature rebelled, the sun and the moon eclipsed, and darkness fell on the face of the earth. 2. OBEDIENCE OF THE CROSS Some scholars and Fathers believe that the speaker here is the prophet Isaiah, who proclaims that God granted him the “tongue of the learned,” to sustain the weary souls with the living word of God. That word has no specific time, but works in him every morning, to grant him a spiritual ear, capable of hearkening to the divine voice (Is. 50: 4). “He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” (Is. 50: 4) Namely, He granted me an additional spiritual ear... After the Spirit granted him the heart of prophets, he no longer has a human heart, but a spiritual one, as said by the apostle: “We have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2: 16) As though he is saying, I received the blessing of the Spirit, and learned things unutterable by man, or comprehended by no one, even prophets, through their own minds3. St. John Chrysostom 1 In John, hom. 68:2. 2 On Providence, 6. 3 In 1 Cor. Hom 7. 8 The prophet Isaiah heard more than any other prophet did... In the same way, believers hear more than (catechumens); the later should understand, that they are not being taught by men but “they are taught by the Lord.” (Is. 54: 13)1 St. John Chrysostom If Isaiah speaks of himself as having been granted an additional spiritual ear, more so than several other prophets have got, he is also speaking of himself as a symbol of the Lord Christ, the way the prophet David did, when he spoke of himself as a symbol of the Messiah. If Christ came as a Teacher to humanity, He came unique in this concern as far as: a. Although He is the Word of God, Grantor of wisdom and knowledge, He received our Manhood, to become the Son of Man, who submits and obeys. He is the ‘Hebrew slave,’ who willingly approaches His Master on the day of the jubilee, to get his ear pierced, out of love for His Father’s house. That is why He says, “The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, nor I turn away” (Is. 50: 5) He willingly presented Himself, not just to get His ear pierced (Exodus 21:6), but to deliver His life; He obeyed to the point of death, death of the cross. In His loving obedience, He, not only offered His ears to piercing, but also His back to striking, His cheeks to beard plucking, and His face to spitting. He offered His whole life, suffering pain, so that we, the rebels, might be counted as obedient in Him, and we, who contemplate in Him might find comfort. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is an example to teach us how to bear sufferance. By His own will He allowed them to lead Him - the all goodness - to death. Following His example, we can trample over serpents, scorpions, and all powers of the enemy2. Pope Athanasius the Apostolic You may say, ‘The enemy is horrible and dangerous; he cannot be opposed...’ Look at him again, and compare him with another image, to learn how to despise him. All accusations, insults, rebukes, ridicules, and plans of the enemies, are like a garment eaten by the moths (Is. 50: 9)... Now, do not let any of this trouble you; stop seeking help from this or that; do not chase shadows. But insistently seek Jesus whom you serve; With a little bow of His head, all evils will come to an end3. St. John Chrysostom He chose to bear all these things to comfort those who suffer4. St. Augustine In a clear and frank prophecy, Isaiah spoke of the events of the cross, saying on the tongue of the Savior: “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard. I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.” (Is. 50: 6) 1 In 2 Cor. Hom 2. 2 Pasc. Letters, 8. 3 To Olympias, 1:2. 4 On Ps., 92. 9 For me, my Lord, You did not hide Your face from shame and spitting... You came to slaughtering like a lamb, even to the cross... The Liturgy of St. Gregory You ignorant, how did you dare to spit on His face? How did your tongue dare? How did the earth bear to watch that scene? How horrible and amazing for man to see the wax spits on flame! That also happened because of Adam, who was worthy of being spat on. Instead of the slave who sinned, the Master Himself bore all that shame! He offered His face to receive spitting, as He promised in the book of Isaiah not to hide His face from shame of spitting! Mar Jacob El-Serougui1 The Lord Christ delivered Himself to passion, bearing shame and disgrace, in order to consummate for our sake, and in our name, the way of obedience, proclaiming that passion and shame are not able to destroy believers, and confirming that the way of the cross is royal, leading us to His righteousness, saying, “I will not be ashamed; He is near who justifies Me.” (Is. 50: 7, 8) And the apostle Paul says, “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” (Romans 3: 25) As to saying, “to demonstrate His righteousness,” He means, not only being righteous, but to make of those covered by soars of the filthy sin righteous. Therefore do not doubt... Do not reject the righteousness of God, which is not through works (of Law), but through the (living) faith, that is easy and open to all2. St. John Chrysostom 3. AN INVITATION FOR OBEDIENCE The Lord obeyed, to call us to obedience; becoming an example, as well as help, in which we hide to walk along the way of obedience, saying, “Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.” (Is. 50: 10) As though, whoever wants to enjoy the light of obedience, and to hear the voice of God and His Messiah, let him rely on Him to get saved from the darkness of rebellion. He likens the rebels to those who kindle a fire of their own (Is. 50: 11), to burn for the Lord a foreign incense, not that of obedience mixed with love, but incense of selfishness and relyness on oneself. Therefore we should not kindle the fire of our own righteousness and human wisdom, but accept the fire of the Holy Spirit of God, Grantor of righteousness and obedience to commandment. I wish we do not walk in the light of our own fire (Is. 50: 11), and in the sparks we have kindled. I know of a purified fire, sent by Christ on the earth (Luke 12: 49). He Himself symbolically seemed as a fire that would consume all our bad habits; that fire الحب الإلهي، ص 1 .424 2 .425- الحب الإلهي، ص 424 10 He wishes to kindle swiftly, yearning to hasten us to do goodness1. St. Gregory of Nazianzus 1 Oration on the Holy Baptism 40:36.
Welcome