Understanding the Word

By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

The second major section of Isaiah tells the people to prepare for the com ing of their God by removing any obstacle that might prevent God’s approach or  obstruct the view of God’s glory that onlookers might enjoy. A second directive  is given to people living within the broken and desolate city of Jerusalem. They  too are to be heralds of good news, announcing that the mighty, victorious God  is coming to them. In both cases, the people are directed to act out their release  even before they have tangible evidence of it, suggesting that future events are  being accomplished in the present. The people’s faith in this prophetic word is  itself the strongest evidence of their deliverance. 

The author of Second Peter insists that despite the long delay, the Day of the  Lord will indeed come. Its timing, like that of a thief in the night, is unpredict able. Therefore, the Christians should not grow weary of waiting, nor should they  become careless. As God has been patient in the face of their sinfulness, so they  must be patient in the face of God’s apparent delay. The author of the letter then  employs apocalyptic imagery to describe the dissolution of everything, both the  heavens and the earth. Finally, behavior that suits one who stands in anticipation  of the salvation that is to come is addressed briefly but succinctly.  

Mark’s Gospel points to the new beginning of God’s manifestation to all.  He interweaves the words of the prophets Malachi (3:1, 23) and Isaiah (40:3;  cf. Exodus 23:20). By using these two references to identify John the Baptist, he  identifies the prophetic authority of the man whose austere life and exacting  message may have appeared too demanding to be accepted by some. John got  the attention of the crowds, but he quickly deflected it from himself, pointing  instead to Jesus, the long-awaited one. John’s appearance, his message, and his  baptism all announced that the reign of God was about to appear. 

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