The reading from Isaiah, chapter forty-two, begins with the first of four “Servant Songs,” as they have been called (Isa. 42:1-4 [1-9?]; cf 49:1-6; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12). This song calls the servant “my chosen in whom my soul delights” (Isa. 42:1). The reference to the “spirit” reminds us of tomorrow’s reading (yesterday’s Presbyterian reading), which has been called the Old Testament version of the “Gifts of the Spirit,” from the description of the messianic king in Isaiah 11:2). The servant’s mission was to “bring forth justice to the nations” (Isa. 42:1, cf. v. 3, 4). God’s voice, through the prophet, changes to direct address–first person–in verses 6 to 9.

            I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,

               I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

            I have given you as a covenant to the people,

               a light to the nations,

               to open the eyes that are blind,

            to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

               from the prison those who sit in darkness. (Isa. 42:6-7)

The continuation describes victory brought by God, with a “Song of Victory” in verses 10-13.

Who is the Servant of these Servant Songs? Some say that the Servant is Israel, the nation. Other passages in this part of Isaiah address Israel the nation as “my servant,” that is, God’s servant.

            But now hear, O Jacob my servant,

               Israel whom I have chosen!

            Thus says the LORD who made you,

               who formed you in the womb and will help you:

            Do not fear, O Jacob my servant.

               Jeshurun whom I have chosen. (Isa. 44:1-2)

And some would include such passages with the Servant Songs, and see them all as addressed to Israel the nation. Others consider the Servant an individual, an Old Testament person, perhaps, but many consider this a prophetic reference to Christ. John Oswalt, who sees this as a prophetic reference to Christ, analyzes the situation as follows:

The servant Israel is fearful and blind, yet God loves him and will deliver him so that he can be God’s evidence to the nations that he is indeed God. But this Servant, who only appears hear in chapters 40-48 and but three times in chapters 49-50, is of a different sort. He is always obedient and responsive to God, his mission is to bring justice to the nations for God, and he is to be a “light” to the nations and a “covenant” to the people (of Israel . . .). In contrast to the promises of divine blessing constantly being given to the servant Israel, this servant receives no benefits through his ministry but only increasing difficulty. In sum, whoever this is, it is not the nation of Israel; it is another figure altogether. (John Oswalt, The NIV Application Commentary, p. 470).

As the section of Ephesians with instructions (“rules”) for living draws to a close, Paul urges us to “be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:10) and “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (v. 11). With reference to the typical armor of a Roman soldier, he reminds us that we need “the belt of truth” and “the breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14), “shoes [to] make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace” (v. 15), “the shield of faith” (v. 16), “the helmet of salvation” and “the sword of the Spirit”–the only offensive weapon in the list–“which is the word of God” (v. 17). With all of that, we are to “stand firm” (v. 13) and “pray” (vv. 18-20). At the time of this writing, concerns are being expressed in the U.S.A. Congress and news media about the need for armor for vehicles and soldiers, both in Afghanistan and Iraq. If armor is so important in those situations–as it certainly must be!–is it not equally important for us as we face spiritual battles in our lives and ministries?

The (Presbyterian) reading from Revelation describes final battles against Satan–the ultimate “spiritual” battle! Satan is bound and the martyrs reign for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-6), but Satan is loosed for a final, decisive conflict (vv. 7-10). The victory, similar to Joshua’s victory at Jericho, is won not by the action of people, but rather, “fire came down from heaven and consumed them” (v. 9), that is, Satan and the nations whom he deceives (vv. 7-8).

The Gospel reading for today begins with the verse that has been called the Gospel in a nutshell. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16). The continuation emphasizes the fact that Jesus did not come “to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (v. 17). The following verses draw a distinction between those who believe in him and are not condemned, but come to the light, and those who are condemned because they do not believe; they “loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil” (v. 19). In reading this chapter, I have sometimes wondered where the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus ends, and the “commentary” of John the Evangelist begins. Ancient writers did not use quotation marks as we know them.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, quotation marks, the apostrophe, the dash, and the exclamation point were added to the basic set of punctuation marks in consistent use. (http://www.completetranslation.com/punctuation.htm)

The King James Version of John, chapter three, has no quotation marks (nor does it have them elsewhere, e.g. in the account of the Wedding at Cana, Jn. 2:1-22, which is full of dialogue). Jesus refers to himself in the first person “I” in John 3:3, 5, 7, 11 and 12. The editors of the Revised Standard Version, New Testament Section, second edition (1971), print John 3:1-15 as a single paragraph, and enclose verses 10-15 in quotation marks as Jesus last response to Nicodemus. In the New Revised Standard Version (1989), there are paragraph breaks between verses ten and eleven, verses fifteen and sixteen, and between verses sixteen and seventeen. The quotation marks indicate that verses sixteen to twenty were spoken by Jesus, though he refers to the “Son” rather than “I” or “me.” Where to put quotation marks in a modern edition of the Bible is, of course, a decision of the modern editors. The sense is usually clear, and the placement is usually obvious, but sometimes, as here, editors must use their best judgment. Whether the words, “For God so loved the world that he gave . . .” were spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus (as in the NRSV) or they represent the Apostle John’s presentation of the significance of Jesus’ coming into the world, they are God’s inspired word of promise and invitation to us. But it is often helpful to observe such indicators as paragraphs and punctuation marks, including quotation marks, when reading the Bible. Even the King James Version, which indents the beginning of every verse, uses paragraph markers (¶).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

rworden@houston.rr.com