The Living Branch From The Living Tree (Isaiah 4)

In the midst of Isaiah’s strong condemnations of injustice and corruption, is a beautiful ray of hope. A day of peace and justice will come.

Isaiah 4:2 (ESV)

In that day the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and honor of the survivors of Israel.

The branch is a frequently used image in the book of Isaiah. A branch goes somewhere new, but it is part of the same source, not something entirely different. The fruit of a branch is healthy and mature because of the health of the plant from which the branch comes. In Isaiah, the image of a vine is the nation of Israel, the covenant people of God. The branch is the promised coming Messiah, the King who will judge the corrupt and bring peace to the covenant people of God.

The beautiful thing about this promise of Messiah and a coming peace in this short chapter is that it is included as part of the whole story of salvation that Isaiah is prophesying. Though so much corruption and injustice is being called out, and warnings of judgment are being declared, this hope for redemption still exists in the midst of the darkness.

The gift of the branch, Messiah, was the incarnation of eternal God in humanity. Though God’s people had been corrupt, by the interjection of the very being of Holy God into the family of God, all the branches of the vine could be made holy. The good news of the branch in this chapter of Isaiah is that this salvation from corruption was not an afterthought. God did not respond to sin with the incarnation of Messiah, a cleanup project because of a world gone wrong. This story of salvation is the original plan since before time.

1 Peter 1:17-21 (ESVUK)

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The salvation offered by Jesus Christ was foreknown before the creation of the world, before there ever was corruption or injustice. Every one of us is in exile before receiving this salvation. Israel will be in exile by the judgments Isaiah prophesies. We too are separated from our spiritual Father because of our own corruption. In Ephesians, it says that we were also chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be adopted into the family of God. We may, by faith, be grafted into the branch of God, and receive from him the source of all goodness and life in order to live justly and love mercy and walk humbly, as we are empowered by Jesus to do so. All of this was planned from the beginning. Like the nation of Israel in the book of Isaiah, even in the midst of our condemnation, the hope of our salvation is sure.

Isaiah 4:3-4 (ESVUK)

And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgement and by a spirit of burning.

The worship of the people of God could not be received for the blood in their hands from injustice in Isaiah 1:15. God promises that because of the branch, the blood and the filth of God’s people will be cleaned. In 1 Peter 1, it says that it is by the blood of Christ we are ransomed from our exile. Peter describes Jesus as being without any blemish or spot. When we are grafted into his branch, all our guilt is washed away, and we are able to begin fresh in the power of his life, the life of God.

Isaiah 4:5 (ESV)

Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.

The chapter ends with a beautiful reminder of Israel’s experience of God’s presence while they were in the wilderness after their liberation from Egypt. In the book of Exodus, the people of Israel could see the presence of God among them in the form of a pillar of smoke to give them shade during the day, and fire at night for light and warmth. The pillar would rise and move when it was time for the nation to move, and they would follow (e.g., Exodus 13:21-22). God's presence was always there. It protected them. It led them. Isaiah says that when the Messiah comes, the people of God will once again have the presence of God among them as they did then.

The book of Acts tells a powerful story of the coming of the presence of God in a new way on Jesus’ followers. The disciples were all waiting together in an upper room during the feast of Pentecost, Israel’s celebration of the giving of God’s law at Sinai in the wilderness. It was after Jesus’ death and resurrection. They had been told that they would soon receive a gift from God.

Acts 2:2-3 (ESVUK)

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The presence of God had come again to the people of God. This time, instead of a single pillar before the entire community, every person in the family of God was able to personally experience the presence of God with them. By their faith in Jesus Christ, they were filled with the very spirit of God, grafted to the branch, part of the family, according to God’s very nature.

Even this is not the end of the salvation story. Isaiah describes a time when the family of God will all be together in one place, gathered from their exile, living together in justice and peace with the presence of God among them. The book of Revelation agrees with this hopeful future.

Revelation 20:1-7 (ESVUK)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

By the life of the living branch of God does the family of God in exile among the nations live according to the justice, love, and peace of the spirit of God, who fills them with true life. We live in hope every day for the day when the fulfillment of God’s justice, love, and peace will be seen on earth, surrounded by the protecting and refreshing presence of God, living among us. God will complete the good work that began even before Creation.

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Tomorrow: Isaiah 5 - Replanting the Vineyard

Thursday: 1 Peter 2 - Living Lights in the Land of Death

Click the image above for the entire series from Isaiah

Pentecost and the Radical Jesus People Community - Acts 2

(Click here to read Acts 2)

Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

That mixed multitude waiting in the upper room were together for only a few days before the feast of Pentecost arrived. As they prepared together to celebrate the giving of the law at Sinai, the first covenant God made with his people, God prepared to visit them again, in fire, to write the New Covenant on their hearts.

It is necessary for us to consider and remember this event and its consequences on all that follows. Jesus had preached and lived the Kingdom of God, wherein a Great Reversal was going to turn the entire world back to justice as God intended. The corruption and striving that marked the culture of the empires would be replaced by humility and generosity. In the New Kingdom, all would live and love equally, for all were equally saved from sin, corruption, oppression, and death.

And the expression of the first followers did, indeed look like an outpost of this Kingdom. But their practice was not based on simply following Jesus' example or teaching alone. They lived in Holy Spirit power. The Kingdom of God set every authority on its head. A utopian commune can share all things in common, but only a Holy Spirit filled, Gospel believing community can raise the dead and heal the sick. And that's exactly what they did.

This divine event at the beginning of Acts 2 is the initial seed that precipitates all that comes after it. Jesus is no longer among his people. But Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, is now among them, dwelling within them, empowering them to truly live the life of the Kingdom of which Jesus preached. The Kingdom is among them. The mustard seed has fallen. The living yeast is added to the dough.

It has begun, the beginning of the end of the age of empire.

Acts 2:5-6 (ESV)
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

Pentecost brought Jewish travelers from all over the known world. The religious faithful traveled to their holy city, Jerusalem, to worship at the rebuilt temple, the same impressive fifteen-story structure Jesus and his followers had occupied in the week before his death. This diaspora had lived apart long enough that they'd learned the language of the lands where they had settled. Though still one faith, they now represented many cultures, languages, and histories.

Appropriate, then, that on this day the power of the Holy Spirit would gift the waiting disciples with the ability to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God in every language unknown to them. God's message would not be confined to their limited abilities. They were now clothed with power to live and share wherever, however, with whomever God wished.

This Good News was for everyone, everywhere. This first Jewish mixed multitude was a good reflection of the gospel's eventual universality.

As the excited and empowered disciples left the building, an international crowd drew in to see. They each heard the people speaking about God in their own language. As one would imagine anyone doing when witnessing such a miracle, some of the crowd assumed the disciples were drunk.

At this, Peter, the disciple that denied Jesus at his trial only a few chapters before, stood up and began to preach. This, the very first Christian sermon, ever, began with an hilarious but necessary introduction.

Acts 2:14-21 (ESV)
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17  “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
   and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 even on my male servants and female servants
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above
   and signs on the earth below,
   blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke;
20  the sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
   before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

 
The very first gospel sermon begins with the end. Jesus is coming back, and the world will be forever changed.

Peter goes on to explain how Jesus is the fulfillment of all the scriptures. His life and death and resurrection has changed the entire order, setting us free from all bondage, even the bondage of religious legalism.

This man who had been afraid to identify with Jesus in the dark around a campfire now stood before thousands and preached boldly that this Jesus had changed the order, and was now the new King. He told the people to repent, get in the right side of the Kingdom, be baptized in the name of Jesus and they would also receive the Holy Spirit, the seed of the Kingdom that would change the world.

3000 joined the church that day, by the power of the conviction of the gospel preached in the anointing of Holy Spirit. And this was just the beginning. 

Acts 2:42-47 (ESV)
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

And this is the beautiful beginning of the church, the signposts of the Kingdom of Heaven, alive in the world, and actively loving all people everywhere, while resisting the corrupt systems that kept those people bound. 

The principle of radical, voluntary, generosity without coercion shown in Acts 2:42-47 (and Acts 4 - see notes) does not stop with the early church. Later, Paul writes to a church of means about a church of less means, and says it is their responsibility as Kingdom family to meet their needs. Paul tells the church that it is Jesus' example and the Father's promise of provision that leads to this generosity.

2 Corinthians 8:9-15 (ESV)

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. ¹⁰ And in this matter I give my judgement: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. ¹¹ So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. ¹² For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. ¹³ For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness ¹⁴ your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. ¹⁵ As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

(for more on radical generosity of the early Kingdom communities, see notes on Acts 4)

In the power of the Holy Spirit, the following are the marks of the church when it first began in Acts 2.

1) The local church was made up of regenerated, Holy Spirit filled believers in Jesus (context– vv36-41).

2) The local church accepted and submitted to the authority of the apostles and scripture (v42).

3) The local church (literally “ecclesia” in Greek, meaning “gathering”) met together regularly (v46).
When they gathered they
a. studied and learned scripture together (v42).
b. praised God together (v47). They probably shared stories of miracles (v43) and provision (v45).
c. worshiped God and were in awe of his miracles together (v43).
d. participated in God’s Kingdom by sharing and being generous together (vv44,5).

4) The local church broke bread together (vv42,46) and baptized people (context v38. implied v47.) as visible symbols to remember the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

5) The local church was in unity (v44) and they shared real life together (v46).
The unity of the church in Christ was expressed by the members in a diversity of God given gifts through faith.

6) The local church was an agent of God’s demonstrative love on Earth. (v43,44,45. v47 – favour – evidence of their love)
The church loved
a. God (Mt 22:37).
b. each other (Jn 3:14;13:34-35).
c. their neighbours (Mt 22:39; Rm 13:9-10).
d. strangers (Hb 13:1-2).
e. their enemies (Mt 5:43-45).

7) The local church shared the GOSPEL of the Kingdom of God with the world.
(v47, context – Ax 1:8, Jn 3:16-17)
This is God’s mission to the world.


Jesus inaugurated his ministry in his hometown of Galilee (Luke 4). He traveled across the land from his hometown to Jerusalem, the centre of cultural influence in his world, gathering disciples and preaching to the crowds. It is from here in Jerusalem that these disciples will now launch their ministry.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, like Jesus did in Galilee, they will remain first in Jerusalem, then move beyond it as the message of the Kingdom travels toward Rome, the centre of the world's political and military power, establishing Kingdom Outpost communities like this one along the way, more seeds of the Kingdom whose roots find their way into the cracks of the empire's very foundation.

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v4 – Every one of them, including women, and those not designated “apostles” began to speak in other unknown languages. This should be considered when we discuss the significance and purpose of tongues.
v6 – Because they were all speaking different languages, or because that’s what they heard? Bewilderment – reminds me of the town of Babel when languages were confused, but in this case, it brings everyone from every nation into one place.
v7 – Galileans – uneducated people with a “hillbilly” rep.
v11 – Arabs are called Jews here.
v15 – A great intro to history’s first recorded gospel sermon.
v17 – ALL PEOPLE – significant. He’s still only preaching to Jews.
v21 – EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord.
v33 – The Godhead
v36 – The crux of the matter.
vv42-47 – The first church
Dedicated to teaching
Communion
Prayer
Moving of the Holy Spirit
Common ownership
Meeting daily in churches and homes
Gratitude
Favour
Salvation
See 4:32-37

(Click here to read Acts 2)