BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Yahweh is sending his servant to rescue Israel, not by destroying others but by giving himself. This leads to the servant’s willful surrender.

The book of Isaiah poetically envisions the servant’s surprising rescue mission as one that transforms Jerusalem from scorched ruins to a glittering beacon of blessing. At the heart of the city, Yahweh has the table set for a magnificent feast.

God issues an open invitation: Are you thirsty? Hungry for true life? Grab a seat. No money, no status, nothing? No problem. You don’t need to show a ticket here or swipe your credit card after dessert. All are welcome, not just exiled Israelites on their way back home, but foreigners and outsiders, too. They only need to open their hands and receive what Yahweh’s servant has done for them. All who take Yahweh up on his offer of life and blessing are called his “servants.”

Oddly, not everyone accepts Yahweh’s generous invitation. While the servants pull up a chair at Yahweh’s table, the wicked sneer at his offer, preferring to dine with idolatry and greed. The door to true life is open, but it always comes with a choice. Walk in and receive ongoing life, or walk away and try to sustain it on your own?

Reflection Questions

• God intended his temple to be a “house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7) where non-Israelites could gather. How does Jesus’ quotation of this verse in Matthew 21:12-17 help you understand his condemnation of the temple leadership in his day?
• Compare the rules about who can enter Yahweh’s assembly in Deuteronomy 23:1-7 to the invitation in today’s passage. What does the inclusion of foreigners and eunuchs in Isaiah’s new creation feast reveal about God’s hospitality to outsiders? How do these passages inform your understanding of the story about Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40?