He is a God who changes curses into blessings. We see that clearest in Jesus, whose life, ministry, atoning death, and glorious resurrection is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Our text for this Sunday is remarkably similar to Isaiah 24-25:9 in that they both deal with God’s judgment for sin and His universal salvation. When we hear the word “vengeance” in verse 4, we might be nervous that this will be a text without a gospel. However, everything in Isaiah 35 is a quick movement from Law to Gospel. The deserts quickly spring forth with flowers, like after a rain, and the good news springs forth after the cosmic judgement of God, just the same. The famous Isaianic “do not fear” pops up again (8:12; 41:10, 13; 43:1; 51:7; 54:4) to let us know there is a gospel for us to proclaim from this text. Jesus actually uses verses 5-6 of our text to summarize the goal of His ministry. This was a clear message to John the Baptist and his followers that Jesus was the promised Messiah (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22). If John the Baptist prepared the way, then the message Jesus sent back to him in prison is that He is Himself the Way (John 14:6).
Now, if you want to see a cool connection between this gospel and our reading, you just have to look one verse past our pericope in Isaiah 35:8 where it clearly says God is making “a highway there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness.” Jesus was pointing John the Baptist, his followers, and all of us to the way of salvation. If you follow Jesus, who is the Way, all of the way to Calvary, you will see where God settled judgment for sin and brought universal salvation to all through His death and resurrection. In order to see the proof though, you have to go just a little bit past the crucifixion to see if this is true. You have to follow Jesus past His temporary tomb, and then you will see God has made a way past death and that way is Jesus.
This is exactly what John the Baptist, and his followers were concerned about. They were wondering if Jesus’ way was the correct way. John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ. This is why he sent word by his disciples who asked Jesus, “Are you the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?” I genuinely love Jesus’ answer: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” Did you hear that? The good news you preach this Sunday is the fulfillment of this text.
Whether or not you believe John was sending his followers to be encouraged by Jesus or if you think John was himself struggling as he waited for deliverance from a cursed prison, the best news of all is that the “dead are raised up.” Jesus is telling John, even if he has to die in a den of Jackals, He has the power to raise John up. We know this to be true because Jesus Himself was raised up on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:20-26; Isaiah 25:8).
Jesus is telling John, even if he has to die in a den of Jackals, He has the power to raise John up.
A key to developing the Gospel in this text is to point out how all the “cursed” places like “the haunts where jackals once lay” (verse 7) are now under God’s blessing. He is a God who changes curses into blessings (Deuteronomy 23:5; Nehemiah 13:2). We see that clearest in Jesus, whose life, ministry, atoning death, and glorious resurrection is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Since this sermon is dealing with an analogy in the text (verse 8), we will utilize the “Thematic Analogy” as our structure as well. Be sure to develop the story of John the Baptist and his followers in the sermon to make a meaningful connection to the lives of our hearers:
“This structure introduces hearers to a theological topic by moving from the known to the unknown. The sermon is based upon an act of comparison as the preacher compares a topic that is familiar to the hearers but of secondary importance (in other words, the analogy or secondary topic) to the topic of primary importance that might be unfamiliar to the hearers (which will be the main topic of the sermon). By doing this, the preacher moves from the familiar to the unfamiliar and allows the analogy to shed light on the theological topic.”[1]
For our situation this week in Isaiah 35, you may compare the Highway (the topic of secondary importance that is familiar to the hearers) to the way God’s eschatological promises were fulfilled in Jesus who is Himself the way from on High (the topic of primary importance that is unfamiliar to the hearers). Through a listing of the points of comparison, you advance from the known to the unknown while using the story of John the Baptist and his followers in Matthew 11 as the vehicle which carries us through this experience.
“Analogical preaching sometimes includes objects and is often occasional, drawing the analogy from a recent and immediate experience in the lives of the hearers.
In this structure, the secondary topic needs to (1) be familiar to the hearers so the preacher is not forced to explain two topics at once and the secondary topic might serve as a mnemonic device, (2) be of a different nature than the main topic so it incites interest for the hearers in the comparison, and (3) have a positive effect so the hearers are not offended by the comparison. Also, the preacher needs to be aware that all analogies break down and, thereby, prevent his hearers from falling into that confusion, either by clarifying for them the limits of the analogy or avoiding development which would lead toward that error.”[2]
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Additional Resources:
Craft of Preaching-Check out out 1517’s resources on Isaiah 35:4-7a.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Isaiah 35:4-7a.
Text Week-A treasury of resources from various traditions to help you preach Isaiah 35:4-7a.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
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[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/analogy/
[2] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/thematic/analogy/
