2019, January 6 ~ Isaiah 60:1-6 and Ephesians 3:1-12
Isaiah 60:1-6
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were compiled from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH) who called for Jerusalem to repent in the 20 years before Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66. For the most part, a prophet gave encouragement to Judeans who returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile.
Today’s reading is from “Third Isaiah” and speaks of a time of restoration and glory for Zion/Jerusalem, and (by extension) all of Israel. The “peoples” (v.2) and the “nations” (v.3) are non-Jews (“goyim” in Hebrew) who will be in darkness (v.2). YHWH (translated as LORD in all capital letters) will give glory to Zion, and “foreigners/nations” will come to the light of Zion. Isaiah does not say that a Messiah will cause this transformation of Zion; YHWH will bring it about. The wealth of the “nations” shall come to Zion, including camels from Midian (in the Sinai) and Sheba (either Arabia or Ethiopia, scholars are not sure).
The author of the Gospel According to Matthew used the motif of foreigners bringing gifts of gold and frankincense (60:6) as a basis for the Gifts of the Magi (Matt. 2:11).
Ephesians 3:1-12
Ephesus was a large and prosperous city in what is now western Turkey. In the Acts of the Apostles and 1 Corinthians, Paul is said to have visited there. In Ephesus, there were Jesus Followers who were Jews and Jesus Followers who were Gentiles, and they didn’t always agree on what it meant to be a Jesus Follower.
Because the letter contains a number of terms not used in Paul’s other letters and gives new meanings to some of Paul’s characteristic terms, most scholars believe that this letter was written by one of Paul’s disciples late in the First Century. The letter was intended to unify the Jesus Follower community in Ephesus. The first three chapters are theological teachings and the last three chapters consist of ethical exhortations.
In today’s reading, the author (speaking as Paul) describes himself as a prisoner of (or for) Christ Jesus, and says the “mystery” (v.3) was made known to him by revelation. He hopes to convey to the Gentiles this “mystery of Christ” (v.4). This mystery is described in 1:9 as God’s plan for the fullness of time in which all things will be gathered up into the Christ, including the uniting of Gentiles and Jews as Jesus Followers. This “plan” is the “eternal purpose that he [God] has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v.11).