Wednesday 03 April 2019
- Bible Book:
- Isaiah
He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench. (v. 3)
Psalm: Psalm 107:33-43
Background
Gentleness is a Messianic value, an expression of the love and tenderness of God. If anything, this is what we should aspire to, not argument, polemic, violence or war. This is what religion should be about, though often it isn’t, it is also exactly what Jesus taught and lived. We should bear this in mind amidst triumphalist views of prophetic fulfilment and Jesus as ‘king’. The slogan ‘Not in my name’ is very familiar these days and ‘Not that sort of king!’ should be equally present in our own proclamation.
Gentleness should extend to other religions, heightened by the fact that Christianity is one of the other religions in comparison to the paradigm offered in this chapter. The salvific promise made in this passage – ‘I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations' (v. 6) – is directly from God, as understood in the Hebrew tradition, within the religion of Isaiah. As Christians we are joined to this ancient covenant, which Jesus recalls through his use of Hebrew Scripture. Likewise, we see it echoed in Islam too, through its scripture which often reminds the reader of Isaiah.
To Ponder:
- How does gentleness feature in your religious life?
- What place does religious interconnectedness have in your life?