From: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
First Song of the Servant of the Lord
[6] “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the
hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the
nations, [7] to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the
dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
42:1-9. The Lord, who revealed his power by creating the world (40:12-31) and
showed his determination to save mankind by his intervention in history (4l:1-29),
now announces a new stage in his plans (v. 9). To advance them he will give a
special mission to the “servant of the Lord”; in the prophetic text, this personage
plays the key role in making known and putting into effect the salvific plans of
God. Four passages over the course of chapters 42-55 speak of the servant and
his mission; these passages may originally have made up a poem of their own.
These oracles are usually called the “Songs of the Servant”. Most biblical scho-
lars see 42:1-9 as being the first song or, rather, the first stanza of that poem.
The other three passages are: 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. They combine
to make a very beautiful poem, but they raise difficult questions as to style and
content. They have been the subject of a great deal of commentary, and the
identity of the “servant” is still a matter of debate. Those who consider the four
passages to be parts of the one poem take it that the “servant” in each is one
and the same person and has one and the same mission. Scholars who do not
regard the four passages as originally part of a single poem interpret the person
and mission of the servant as being different in each.
There are basically three theories as to who the servant is. One theory is that he
is a particular individual — a king of the house of Judah, or the prophet himself or,
Of course, a future Messiah, who will redeem Israel The second theory is that the
servant is a collectivity he stands for Israel, or for some group within Israel. The
third theory argues that the servant is meant to be depicted ambiguously — that is
in a way that allows him to be interpreted in both of the ways mentioned previous-
ly — as a person of significance but someone who can symbolize all Israel.
In this first song (vv 1-9) the servant certainly comes across as a figure of mystery:
v. 1 gives him very special universal transcendental attributes, Verses 2-3a show
his humility but they are followed immediately by verses saying that he is some-
one able to “establish justice in the earth”, to be “a light to the nations’ someone
who can “bring light to the nations” and “open the eyes that are blind and set cap-
tives free...”. The “servant” can do all this because the Lord has “put his Spirit on
him” (cf. v. 1), that is, he is someone chosen by God and he has the help of the
Spirit of the Lord to carry out his mission to teach his Law to the very ends of the
earth. So, these words could be describing the prophet’s own conviction that he
has a mission to perform — to proclaim the word of God; a mission that he did not
seek but, rather, had given to him. But the servant could also stand for the whole
people of Israel (cf. 41:8) — for in the same way were the people chosen by God
to bear witness to him before all mankind concerning the Law they had received
from the Lord.
The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles without attempting to discover exact-
ly who this servant was originally (or whom he was meant to stand for) interpre-
ted the main features of the servant as being a prophecy about Jesus, in whom
the Father is most pleased, and who, in the unity of the Holy Spirit is truly the
light for all nations and the liberation of all the oppressed. For example, in the
accounts of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and of the Transfiguration, the
voice of the Father refers to those features: This is my beloved Son with whom
I am well pleased (Mt 3:17); “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk
9:35). The Gospel of Matthew, which makes a point of showing that the Scrip-
tures find fulfillment in Jesus, explicitly quotes vv. 2-4 of this oracle of Isaiah to
show that in Jesus is fulfilled the prophecy of the servant, who was rejected by
the leaders of the people and whose quiet and kindly teaching would bring the
light of truth to the world (Mt 12:15-21). And later in his Gospel, when St Mat-
thew recounts the passion and death of our Lord (cf. Mt 27:30), he again makes
the link between Christ and the servant.
The expression “light to the nations” (v. 6) seems to find an echo in what Jesus
says about his being the light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5) and also in the “Bene-
dictus” of Zechariah (Lk 1:78-79). There is an evocation of v. 7 in Jesus’ reply to
the messengers from John the Baptist who ask him whether he is he who is to
come (cf. Mt 11:4-6: Lk 7:18-22); cf. the note on 29:15-24. And so St Justin will
say, commenting on vv. 6-7: “Everything that is said here, my friends, refers to
Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his presence” (Dialo-
gus Cum Tryphone”, 122, 2).
The Church in the Second Vatican Council acknowledges her duty to strive to
use every opportunity to show that Christ is truly, the “light of the nations” (v. 6):
“Christ is the Light of nations. Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered
together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires by proclaiming the Gospel to every
creature, to bring the light of Christ to all men a light brightly visible on the
countenance of the Church (”Lumen Gentium”, 1).
*********************************************************************************************
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
For: Sunday, January 12, 2014
Feast: Baptism of the Lord
From: Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7
First Song of the Servant of the Lord
[6] “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the
hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the
nations, [7] to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the
dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
42:1-9. The Lord, who revealed his power by creating the world (40:12-31) and
showed his determination to save mankind by his intervention in history (4l:1-29),
now announces a new stage in his plans (v. 9). To advance them he will give a
special mission to the “servant of the Lord”; in the prophetic text, this personage
plays the key role in making known and putting into effect the salvific plans of
God. Four passages over the course of chapters 42-55 speak of the servant and
his mission; these passages may originally have made up a poem of their own.
These oracles are usually called the “Songs of the Servant”. Most biblical scho-
lars see 42:1-9 as being the first song or, rather, the first stanza of that poem.
The other three passages are: 49:1-6; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. They combine
to make a very beautiful poem, but they raise difficult questions as to style and
content. They have been the subject of a great deal of commentary, and the
identity of the “servant” is still a matter of debate. Those who consider the four
passages to be parts of the one poem take it that the “servant” in each is one
and the same person and has one and the same mission. Scholars who do not
regard the four passages as originally part of a single poem interpret the person
and mission of the servant as being different in each.
There are basically three theories as to who the servant is. One theory is that he
is a particular individual — a king of the house of Judah, or the prophet himself or,
Of course, a future Messiah, who will redeem Israel The second theory is that the
servant is a collectivity he stands for Israel, or for some group within Israel. The
third theory argues that the servant is meant to be depicted ambiguously — that is
in a way that allows him to be interpreted in both of the ways mentioned previous-
ly — as a person of significance but someone who can symbolize all Israel.
In this first song (vv 1-9) the servant certainly comes across as a figure of mystery:
v. 1 gives him very special universal transcendental attributes, Verses 2-3a show
his humility but they are followed immediately by verses saying that he is some-
one able to “establish justice in the earth”, to be “a light to the nations’ someone
who can “bring light to the nations” and “open the eyes that are blind and set cap-
tives free...”. The “servant” can do all this because the Lord has “put his Spirit on
him” (cf. v. 1), that is, he is someone chosen by God and he has the help of the
Spirit of the Lord to carry out his mission to teach his Law to the very ends of the
earth. So, these words could be describing the prophet’s own conviction that he
has a mission to perform — to proclaim the word of God; a mission that he did not
seek but, rather, had given to him. But the servant could also stand for the whole
people of Israel (cf. 41:8) — for in the same way were the people chosen by God
to bear witness to him before all mankind concerning the Law they had received
from the Lord.
The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles without attempting to discover exact-
ly who this servant was originally (or whom he was meant to stand for) interpre-
ted the main features of the servant as being a prophecy about Jesus, in whom
the Father is most pleased, and who, in the unity of the Holy Spirit is truly the
light for all nations and the liberation of all the oppressed. For example, in the
accounts of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan and of the Transfiguration, the
voice of the Father refers to those features: This is my beloved Son with whom
I am well pleased (Mt 3:17); “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk
9:35). The Gospel of Matthew, which makes a point of showing that the Scrip-
tures find fulfillment in Jesus, explicitly quotes vv. 2-4 of this oracle of Isaiah to
show that in Jesus is fulfilled the prophecy of the servant, who was rejected by
the leaders of the people and whose quiet and kindly teaching would bring the
light of truth to the world (Mt 12:15-21). And later in his Gospel, when St Mat-
thew recounts the passion and death of our Lord (cf. Mt 27:30), he again makes
the link between Christ and the servant.
The expression “light to the nations” (v. 6) seems to find an echo in what Jesus
says about his being the light of the world (Jn 8:12; 9:5) and also in the “Bene-
dictus” of Zechariah (Lk 1:78-79). There is an evocation of v. 7 in Jesus’ reply to
the messengers from John the Baptist who ask him whether he is he who is to
come (cf. Mt 11:4-6: Lk 7:18-22); cf. the note on 29:15-24. And so St Justin will
say, commenting on vv. 6-7: “Everything that is said here, my friends, refers to
Christ and to the peoples who have been enlightened by his presence” (Dialo-
gus Cum Tryphone”, 122, 2).
The Church in the Second Vatican Council acknowledges her duty to strive to
use every opportunity to show that Christ is truly, the “light of the nations” (v. 6):
“Christ is the Light of nations. Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered
together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires by proclaiming the Gospel to every
creature, to bring the light of Christ to all men a light brightly visible on the
countenance of the Church (”Lumen Gentium”, 1).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Isaiah 55:1-1
Epilogue: Invitation to partake of the banquet of the Lord’s Covenant
[6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near;
[7] let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he
may have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon.
[8] For my thoughts are not your
thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,
says the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain and the snow come
down from heaven,
and return not thither but water
the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread
to the eater,
[11[ so shall my word be that goes forth
from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which
I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which
I sent it.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
55:1-13. The invitation to the Covenant banquet acts as the epilogue to the se-
cond part of the book of Isaiah, and picks up on themes in chapter 40, which is
its prologue. The two chapters help to give literary and thematic unity to this part
of the book. The oracle in chapter 55 sums up in a way the teachings contained
in the preceding chapters — the invitation to the Covenant banquet (vv. 1-3), remi-
niscent of that celebrated by Moses at Mount Sinai (Ex 24:5, 11); the renewal
of the Covenant with David on Zion (vv. 4-5); the transcendence of God, who is
unaffected by the sins of men (vv. 8-9); the power of the word of God (vv. 10-11);
and, as a final synthesis, the promise of a new exodus, a sign of God’s ever-
lasting salvation.
These oracles are a call for conversion, a call to take advantage of the salvific
gifts so generously offered: “Come to the waters” (v. 1), “Come to me” (v. 3),
“Seek the Lord” (v. 6), “Let the wicked forsake his way” (v. 7). Originally, it was
a call to those exiled in Babylon to return to Jerusalem; but it is a call that is made
at all times, to everyone. The reference to an everlasting Covenant, in keeping
with promises made to David (cf. v. 3), can be read by Christians as an invitation
to share in the new and eternal Covenant sealed with the Blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ, a pledge of salvation for all mankind. In the Eucharist, the banquet of the
New Testament, the words of the prophet come true in the complete sense in the
words spoken by our Lord when he instituted that sacrament: “Take and eat” (cf.
v. 1) the true bread of life, the very finest food, which money cannot buy (vv. 1-3).
Therefore, the invitation extended by the prophet is a call to Christians to partake
of the Blessed Eucharist. Paul VI, urging the faithful to take part in the Sunday ce-
lebration of the Eucharist, wrote: “How could we fail to take part in this encounter,
to partake of the banquet that Christ has lovingly prepared for us? Our participa-
tion should be dignified and filled with joy. Christ, crucified and glorified, comes
among his disciples to draw them all into the power of his resurrection. It is the
pinnacle, here on earth, of the Covenant of love between God and his people: the
sign and source of Christian joy, the preparation for the eternal banquet in heaven”
(Gaudete in Domino, 322). Verses 1-11, like 54:5-14, are read in the liturgy of the
Easter Vigil, which celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and which invites the faithful
to partake of the banquet of the Covenant sealed by his death and resurrection:
“On the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they pro-
claim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been given, as
when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, ‘Christ is risen!’ Now too are life and re-
surrection conferred on whoever receives Christ” (Fanqith, Brevarium iuxta ritum
Ecclesiae Antiochenae Syrorum, in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1391).
6-9. The Israelites are called to conversion. In order to return to their homeland,
they must return to God, must “seek” him (vv. 6-7). And the Lord, who allows him-
self to be found and who does not judge in the way that men do, is willing and a-
ble to grant forgiveness (vv. 8-9). In other words, the call to repentance is groun-
ded on the goodness of God who “will abundantly pardon” (v. 7). Man, for his
part, should grasp this opportunity that God offers him. So, the words in this pas-
sage are a constant encouragement to begin and begin again in the pursuit of vir-
tue: “To be converted means to ask for forgiveness and to seek out the strength
of God in the Sacrament of reconciliation, and thus begin again, advancing step
by step every day, learning to overcome ourselves, to win the spiritual battles that
we face, and to give of ourselves joyfully, ‘for God loves a cheerful giver’ (2 Cor
9:7)” (John Paul II, Novo incipiente, 8 April 1979). And St Augustine, apropos of
conversion, wrote: “Do not say: ‘Tomorrow, I will he converted; tomorrow, I will
give thanks to God; and all my sins, today’s and yesterday’s, will be forgiven’. It
is true that God promises forgiveness for your conversion; but He does not pro-
mise tomorrow for your delays” (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 144, 11).
The words of v. 8 are echoed by St Paul in Romans 11:33, and are a reminder to
us of just how narrow-minded we can be and how we can fail even to imagine the
great things that God has in store for us.
10-11. The prophet uses comparisons that are particularly meaningful to those
who live in the arid countries of the East, to describe how very powerful the word
of God is: it actually delivers the salvation that it promises. The personified word
of God (cf. ‘Ms 8:4; 9:9-10; 18:14-15) is a figure of the incarnation of Jesus Christ,
the eternal Word of the Father, who comes down to save mankind. “The Word of
God, he says, will not return to him empty and barren; rather, it will flourish in all
things, nourished by the good deeds of those who obey and fulfill his teachings.
The word is fulfilled when it is put into practice; if it is not put into practice, it re-
mains barren and withered and starved. Listen carefully, then, when he tells of
the food that nourishes him: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me’ (Jn
4:34)” (St Bernard, “In Cantica Canticorum”, 71, 12-13).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.