The prophet Isaiah wrote his prophecies more than seven-hundred years before Jesus came into this world. So, when Jesus speaks of what God expects of his people, He isn’t stating something new. Jesus is reiterating and rejuvenating God’s Word.
God provides a list of things he wants us to do, but it is not a checklist for us as individuals. It is a list of what we, collectively as the church, should seek to do. And we must remember that the church is the worldwide church, not just our local church. We are to be one body, one church.
Yesterday, we saw how God was not happy with the fasting of Jews, largely because their heart was not committed to him. There is nothing wrong with fasting when we are fully committed to God. But God wants more than fasting. He desires that we rid ourselves of injustice. We are to treat people right according to God’s commands. Along with that, we are to set people free, relieve them of oppression. We are not to discriminate.
The list continues with feeding the hungry, taking care of the poor, clothing the naked, and fellowshipping with our relatives. We may do some of this by donating food to soup kitchen, clothing to charities, helping someone with a bill, and having family dinners. But we may not always do all of them. We may have relatives we prefer not to be around. We may not always donate to charities (or the church) who can help those in need.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-39 that we are to love God and our neighbor, and all the Law and the Prophets hang on those two commands. If we do this, we will inherently do what God tells the Israelites to do through the prophet Isaiah. As we walk through life, a good practice is to try to see the people we interact with as Jesus sees them, and Jesus sees them with the amazing love of God. Each person is a child of God whom God cares for dearly. Therefore, we should see them as we see our own children.
I pray we all choose to love God and love our neighbor. I pray we seek to care for the people we meet. I pray each one of us sees others as Jesus sees them, a child of God whom God loves. Love God. Love your neighbor. Care for others. See people as Jesus sees them. Remember every person is a child of God.
Isaiah 58:5-7
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Marty Pressey 