Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky.Yes the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. (Verses 11-12)
Your people shall all be righteous. They shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. Isaiah 60
"...that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." Isaiah 61
The day had been busy for Jesus. Most notably an argument with the Pharisees. They wanted to see signs from Hm that He was Messiah. While He was in a house speaking intensely with these men, the place became so crowded there wasn't even room to eat. The teachings of Jesus caused such a ruckus that his mother and brothers were concerned about His sanity. Came to the door. Knock. Knock. "We've come to seize Him." What?
"Your mom is at the door with Your brothers." This coming gossip-game style from the back of the house all the way to Jesus speaking up front.
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" Jesus knew. Those who'd grown up with Him thought He was loony-tunes. His ministry didn't look like it was going anywhere. And He kept offending the people in church with His radical ideas.
After the crowds left, Jesus went out in the late afternoon sunshine to sit by the sea. Take deep breaths and be with the Father. That didn't last long. People saw Him there and came in droves to hear Jesus speak. He stepped from shore to sit in a boat anchored close by and began teaching the people about seeds. Hmm. Consider His day. The sower sowed seeds that fell along the path and the birds ate them. Some landed on rocky ground where they sprang up for a minute then died because they had no root to nourish them when the scorching sun rose. A handful fell among thorns that grew up and choked the fragile plants. Ah, but some fell on good soil and sprang up to produce lots and lots of grain. The birds, or the evil one, snatch the word before it is understood. The seed on the rocky path springs up for a bit but doesn't have a deep enough root to endure. The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the seed among the thorns. But, oh the joy of the seed planted to flourish. She hears the word and understands it! This little acorn gets to become a mighty oak.
A little later, in Matthew 15, Jesus says, "Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted." If God hasn't planted us, we don't grow. He puts a tiny seed of faith--mustard seed small--into our hearts. If we are good ground, the kind that receives and understands the message, we take that seed and nurture it, small as it is at first. We water it with the Word and feed it with time in the Son. It sprouts little roots that entwine themselves into every part of us. Fed by the Vine (John 15), the plant endures troubles, resists the evils of riches and hubris, and even stays strong when the Vinedresser does some pruning that hurts in the moment but produces a huge crop of acorns later.
How do we know which soil we fell on? By our fruit. As we oaks of righteousness get bigger and bigger our faith growing up should be reaching His righteousness flowing down. In faith, the plant reaches higher and higher, yearning for more of the glory flowing from above. And on the horizon, one who looks at the oak from afar cannot distinguish between trust as it ascends and God's ways as they descend, for all they see is the glory of the tree at dusk.
Your people shall all be righteous. They shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified. Isaiah 60
"...that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified." Isaiah 61
The day had been busy for Jesus. Most notably an argument with the Pharisees. They wanted to see signs from Hm that He was Messiah. While He was in a house speaking intensely with these men, the place became so crowded there wasn't even room to eat. The teachings of Jesus caused such a ruckus that his mother and brothers were concerned about His sanity. Came to the door. Knock. Knock. "We've come to seize Him." What?
"Your mom is at the door with Your brothers." This coming gossip-game style from the back of the house all the way to Jesus speaking up front.
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" Jesus knew. Those who'd grown up with Him thought He was loony-tunes. His ministry didn't look like it was going anywhere. And He kept offending the people in church with His radical ideas.
After the crowds left, Jesus went out in the late afternoon sunshine to sit by the sea. Take deep breaths and be with the Father. That didn't last long. People saw Him there and came in droves to hear Jesus speak. He stepped from shore to sit in a boat anchored close by and began teaching the people about seeds. Hmm. Consider His day. The sower sowed seeds that fell along the path and the birds ate them. Some landed on rocky ground where they sprang up for a minute then died because they had no root to nourish them when the scorching sun rose. A handful fell among thorns that grew up and choked the fragile plants. Ah, but some fell on good soil and sprang up to produce lots and lots of grain. The birds, or the evil one, snatch the word before it is understood. The seed on the rocky path springs up for a bit but doesn't have a deep enough root to endure. The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the seed among the thorns. But, oh the joy of the seed planted to flourish. She hears the word and understands it! This little acorn gets to become a mighty oak.
A little later, in Matthew 15, Jesus says, "Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted." If God hasn't planted us, we don't grow. He puts a tiny seed of faith--mustard seed small--into our hearts. If we are good ground, the kind that receives and understands the message, we take that seed and nurture it, small as it is at first. We water it with the Word and feed it with time in the Son. It sprouts little roots that entwine themselves into every part of us. Fed by the Vine (John 15), the plant endures troubles, resists the evils of riches and hubris, and even stays strong when the Vinedresser does some pruning that hurts in the moment but produces a huge crop of acorns later.
How do we know which soil we fell on? By our fruit. As we oaks of righteousness get bigger and bigger our faith growing up should be reaching His righteousness flowing down. In faith, the plant reaches higher and higher, yearning for more of the glory flowing from above. And on the horizon, one who looks at the oak from afar cannot distinguish between trust as it ascends and God's ways as they descend, for all they see is the glory of the tree at dusk.
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