Third Sunday of Advent (OT)

Isaiah 35:1-10
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Is 35:1-10). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

There is a royal highway that runs through creation. Upon this road there are no wild beasts. Upon the royal highway the unrighteous can not walk. This road is made for those who have been redeemed and ransomed for the LORD. It is the Messiah to come who will be the way of life for his people.

Jesus told the disciples of John to report what they see. Isaiah reports what he foresees concerning the Messiah. The blind see. The deaf have their ears unstopped. The lame leap like a deer. The mute sings for joy. Here the promises of God are fulfilled in Christ Jesus our LORD.

He is the one who brings new life to the desert places. He is the one who brings life where death appears. The LORD is the Lord of Life, therefore he sends sorrow and pain and suffering fleeing from his presence. You who have been ransomed by the LORD Jesus Christ walk upon this royal Highway to Heaven.