Written in Isaiah

When at temple they read from the Jewish Publication Society's scroll of the prophet Isaiah and say

Hark! One calleth: 'Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make plain in the desert a highway for our God,'

some have said that John the Baptizer is the voice Isaiah hears calling.

I remember the same society's scroll of Malachi:

Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he cometh, saith the LORD of hosts.

Now, there are many about whom we have cause to wonder is he the one? Could this be the messenger? Certainly many have claimed that mantle. It has been refreshing for one whose home is associated with a sinful King to discern the identity of righteous men. Indeed, my betrothed and I are not the only ones in Galilee, Samaria, or Judea who would jump to learn that a Messiah has come to free us from the Romans. However, we are continually disappointed by charlatans and pretenders who may even have deluded themselves. Leah expressed our fatigue best when, in a conversation about whether this Baptizer might finally be the one, she said "I'm starting to think that no news is Good News."

It would be so good for the Lord to come to his temple in Jerusalem. He would purge the Roman gods from our society. He could purge the temple of those priests and Pharisees who have sold out to the Romans for a bit of stature and allowance, that they act on the concerns of our imperial rulers instead of their own flock! Maybe none of these are the one, but maybe one is. It may be worth the trek to see him.

We know that Isaiah had hope the Messenger would announce the beginning of a reign over Israel of the Lord, ending the Persian rule of his own time. Elia, with whom I work the vineyards, was told by a peddler in Tiberias that John is the Son of David, come to free us now from the Romans.

Ah, freedom from the Romans. Freedom to be Israel. Now I must worship the Roman god Caesar even when I receive pay for my labors, for his visage is on my coins. To be freed from this blasphemy, and to worship only the Lord!

I told Leah of Elia's words, but she remained skeptical. She wondered, "if John were the Son of David, why isn't he a warrior instead of a Baptizer?" She doesn't understand that he is likely assembling an army of the baptized even as we speak. An army for freedom--for that I will gladly make paths straight in the wilderness.

We met a Pharisee who was also headed to see the Baptizer. It was his belief, which he was not so humble as to keep to himself during a common meal, that John is not raising an army, but that he already has an army of angels and is merely waiting for all of Israel to be baptized before unleashing them. Judging by how the others spoke in Rumah, that may take a while.

Who or what oppresses you? What does freedom look like to you? What do you think the Messiah will do?

posted by Jerad @ 11:00 PM Comments: 0