Both the New Testament, and that which we refer to as the Old Testament, contain mystical numbers--numbers which are representative of something else. If the number were, for example, seventy times seven, it might represent eternity, or a large number of things.

Reading this again, as much as possible as if it were the first time, I could not help wondering how anyone could bring justice without crying in the street or lifting up his voice. This soft-spoken person would have to speak with great authority and actually be listened to by a lot of people over time in order to establish justice on earth, especially in a day without microphones and speakers. Human nature makes this terribly difficult, if not impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

Yet, Isaiah says he not only will not cry out, but "a bruised reed he will not break," meaning, I suppose, that he comes and goes so softly that he does no injury, and "a dimly burning wick he will not quench." Now what does that mean? Does it mean that he does not stir the air so a flickering candle will not be snuffed by his passage? Or does it have a deeper meaning? Perhaps it means that whoever is injured spiritually and lacking in faith will not have that faith quenched by His words. Perhaps it means He will fan that small flame into a glowing fire. I can only conjecture. I usually consult my Oxford study Bible, and in this case it makes no comment. There are tantalizing possibilities, but nothing concrete.

Isaiah also says that this servant of God will not be crushed or grow faint until justice is established. We who are Christians look to Jesus and His ministry. In the story of His crucifixion and death, He clearly submitted Himself to His destiny, when He could have called upon legions of angels, or slipped away without being caught. While Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane for deliverance from His painful task, He was still obedient to His father's will, and allowed himself to be spat upon, abused and executed, without pleading for mercy. He was, as it is said elsewhere, "lead as a lamb to the slaughter." There is no doubt, according to the four Gospels, that He knew what he would endure, nor did He try to escape it. In spite of all He endured, there is no evidence in the Gospels that He was crushed or grew faint.

Does this mean that Jesus has established justice in the earth, by His act of personal sacrifice? If He was fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy, either he has established justice, or He will in future, it seems. We have come a long way from the days when women and slaves were property and infanticide was accepted morality. The meek shall inherit the earth someday. Perhaps the problem is a matter of perspective. Our time is not God's time.

I love the imagery of the coastlands waiting for His teaching. At one point Jesus traveled to Tyre, then to Sidon, both on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

In the days of His earthly ministry, Jesus healed the blind, the deaf, and the lame, but Isaiah's prophecy also mentions the releasing of prisoners in dungeons. There is one example in Acts, that of Peter being released from prison by an angel, but no examples can be found in the Gospels of Jesus physically releasing anyone from prison. If this prophecy is about Jesus, then, it may refer to the spiritual prison of sin. It may have to do with the end of Roman persecution of Christians, or even the Gulag Archipelago, where Christ overcame Stalin's death camps. Then again, those mentioned may be prisoners of dispair or emotional anguish, and yet not be imprisoned physically, just as a person physically imprisoned in a prison cell can also be spiritually free.

The phrase "Those who sit in darkness" may resonate with those of us who had to sit in darkness this last week thanks to recent storms, especially those who have been trapped in their houses by falling trees and power lines, as some friends of mine were. I am thankful none of my friends and family were injured or sustained great loss, though one friend may be homeless for a while, since the roof of her apartment blew off. I am also confident this line does not apply to our recent situation.

The first thing I thought of when I read this phrase was the verse from chapter nine of Isaiah: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness--on them light has shined." This darkess may refer to ignorance or spiritual darkness, but I believe the light refers to the light of Jesus, the Messiah.

The passage in Acts is taken out of context, and so it needs a bit more background. Cornelius, a Centurion of the Italian cohort, who lives in Cesarea, on the coast of the Mediterranean sea, has been visited by an angel, who tells him his prayers are answered, and to send servants to ask for Simon, called Peter, who is staying in the house of Simon the tanner, in Joppa, which is to the south, also on the coast. Meanwhile, Peter has a vision in which a blanket is lowered from heaven with all kinds of beasts that are not kosher to eat, and he is told to kill and eat. He protests that he has been observant, never eating anything unclean. He is told, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane." Peter is told this three times, again that mystic number three, a sure sign that there is special emphasis. He awakes, puzzled about the dream, and immediately three servants call from the gate and ask for him, saying their master, Cornelius the Centurion, needs to speak with him.

Cornelius is a Gentile, in Hebrew, Goy. Good Jews are not supposed to associate with Gentiles, to feed them, house them, or especially to eat with them. The Spirit moves Peter to answer them, and he allows the servants to stay the night at his house, and then goes to meet Cornelius. He might have refused the journey had it not been for the vision. It is nearly 50 miles from Joppa to Cesarea. While it is not mentioned, that is too long a distance to travel in a day on foot, so they must have had horses or donkeys or something to ride, because when they arrive, Cornelius mentions having had a vision the day before that he should contact Simon Peter, which prompted him to send his servants.

At this point in the narrative, Peter begins to speak to them about God not being partial, literally, "God accepts no one's face." He gives a brief synopsis of Jesus' life and ministry. The reading today is followed by an account of the people with Peter being filled by the Holy Spirit, whether circumcised or not, thus shocking the circumcised in the group. Remember, most of those who followed the teachings of Jesus were still observant Jews. In fact, they were not called Christians until Paul reached Antioch. That happens in Acts 11:26. They were known as followers of "The Way."

Peter then calls for water to baptize them, since they have already been baptized by the Holy Spirit. After he leaves Cesarea, Peter will be criticized by the circumcised followers for having accepted Gentiles into their midst without circumcision. In fact, they are still arguing about it in Chapter 11.

Clearly, the dream Peter had was not just about whether or not to keep the Halakhik law on eating kosher, but to accept everyone, Jew or Gentile, as we are all accepted by God if we do what is right and acceptable. Neither Jew nor Gentile receive preferential treatment.

Today in Mark's Gospel we start again at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, with His baptism. The prophecy of Isaiah is quoted in this short passage, with the Spirit resting on Jesus, and the Father's voice coming from heaven saying, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

All these readings point to the ministry of Jesus. The New Testament readings mention His baptism and the Father's praise, quoting the reading from Isaiah. The only reading that seems out of place is the psalm for today, which seems to be about David's reign. While Jesus is called "Son of David" at least once in the Gospels, there is very little connection. It is still a beautiful song of praise. Parts of it have been set to music many times. My favorite is John Michael Talbot's "Forever Will I Sing."

Since we are members of the body of Christ, it is our duty to carry out His mission here on earth, which means to establish justice through our actions, as He would. As God is no respecter of persons, we also should not give preferential treatment to others. The sacrifice of Jesus made us all children of God, and our sins have been washed away. As members in the body of Christ, and his brothers and sisters, we may live in hope, then, that some day we too will hear our Father's voice say, "you are my child, my Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Amen