Isaiah 35:1–10
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear;your God will come, he will come with vengeance;with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs.In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way.The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there.But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the Lord has rescued will return.They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Matthew 11:2–11
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
by Mercedes Thomas
My sister and I recently went to a drive-through display of Christmas lights with my niece (age four) and nephew (age two). I love Christmas lights, and I love when they’re synced to blink and flash along with music. But as we drove through the display, I kept looking back to my niece and nephew to watch their reactions to the lights.
My niece kept jumping up and down in her seat, excitedly yelling and pointing out each new thing she saw. She would lean over to her mom or I to make sure we had seen it too. Even my nephew—quieter than usual because it was past his bedtime and he was tired—had his wide eyes fixed on all the passing lights and colors.
There is just something so beautiful about the easy joy of children.
I have learned a lot about the heart of God our Father by being an aunt to some amazing kids. My own faith and relationship with Him has been strengthened and deepened as I better understand the love He has for all His children, including me. This holiday season, the Lord is gently teaching me about having a heart of joy, using my niblings1 as my guides.
I’ve watched as my oldest niece (age nine) made a small, watermelon slice ornament and then joyfully gave it to me—and how excited she was when she saw it on my Christmas tree the next time she visited. I have answered hundreds and hundreds of curious questions from my middle niece (age eight) as she observes the world around her and seeks to better understand it, finding great joy in learning. And I receive the excitement and joy of my nephew whenever I see him, as he shouts “Cedes!” and runs straight to me. It doesn’t matter how we spend our time; as long as we’re doing something together, he’s happy.
Joy is not always easy to have, but I have found myself adopting a posture of joy myself as I see the joy my niblings have. This is a heart posture we should adopt as we navigate life—and the posture we are to take as we look forward to when Jesus returns.
The vision in Isaiah chapter 35 paints a picture of nature and humanity responding with rejoicing, gladness, and joy once Jesus returns and restores creation. What was once desolate and destroyed (Is. 34), will become like a desert that is blossoming. It is through this transformative work that humanity will see and understand the glory and splendor of the Lord.2
Humanity will be restored as well. The blind will be able to see, the deaf able to hear, the lame able to leap, and the mute able to shout. And those who are redeemed will walk the Way of Holiness (Is. 35:8) and enter Zion with singing in joy and gladness.
While we should find hope and joy in this future inevitability, perhaps we find it difficult to reconcile with our present reality. Perhaps this is why John the Baptist—thrown in prison by Herod—sent his disciples to Jesus. Throughout John’s ministry, he had been proclaiming that he was preparing the way for the one to come after him: the Messiah (Luke 3:4–6). And when John saw Jesus approaching him, he declared he was the Lamb of God (John 1:29). John the Baptist seemingly knew who Jesus was.
So why did he send his disciples to confirm Jesus’ identity as the Messiah in this week’s passage in Matthew?
In the face of imprisonment, John may have been experiencing some wavering faith. As a messenger, John shared about the Messiah that was coming and described the judgment he would bring. And yet, there he sat in prison (and would soon be executed). Perhaps, like many of the other Jews of his day, John expected the Messiah to be different than who Jesus was. If the Messiah was coming to deliver his people, why wouldn’t he deliver John from his jail cell?3
Jesus’ responded by telling the disciples to share with John what they heard and saw: “the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matt. 11:5). These signs and miracles are ones the prophet Isaiah anticipated (Is. 26:19; 29:18–19; 35:5–7; 61:1). John, who would have been well-versed in the prophecies about the Messiah, would have heard these words as Jesus’ confirmation that he was indeed the “one who is to come” (Matt. 11:3).
It is also worth noting that Jesus didn’t rebuke John for his doubt. Instead, he responded with gentle teaching and reassurance, then praised John to the listening crowd. Doubt and genuine questions that seek to understand are met with kindness and compassion, and can even strengthen our faith when the Lord responds.4
Even if our present reality looks far different than the promised future we know that awaits us (like John’s imprisonment was completely opposite to the deliverance he proclaimed), we can have a heart posture of joy. Find the things in your day-to-day life that bring you joy, like your family, your friends, nature, art, pets, hobbies, etc. And spend time daily with God, delighting in his presence and reflecting on the promises he’s made throughout Scripture.
May we all be like little children (Matt. 18:3), finding easy joy in trusting and depending on the Lord.