Good News or Something Else?

This is the time of year we hear much about “good news” and “glad tidings.”  We sing about comfort and joy, and we think about hope and peace and joy again!  And I want to give my affirmation that these words, and the ideas they stand for, are at that the heart of the Christmas season.  I also want to ask a series of questions, like:

• Who was the target of the good news proclaimed by the prophets and Gospel writers?
• Who would have seen this news as not-so-good-news?  
• Who might have categorized this news as “fake news?”  
• Do I really think that the good news is actually good news?  

Listen to the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61:
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
    the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
    that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
4 They shall build up the ancient ruins;
    they shall raise up the former devastations;
    they shall repair the ruined cities,
    the devastations of many generations.

If we listen carefully to the words of the prophet, we know that Jesus himself reads from this very passage as he begins his ministry in Luke 4.  I also hear some of the Beatitudes from Matthew 5 and ideas echoed in the Magnificat of Mary in Luke 1.  Let’s reflect on a few more verses of Isaiah 61:

8 For I the Lord love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrong;
    I will faithfully give them their recompense,
    and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their offspring shall be known among the nations,
    and their descendants in the midst of the peoples;
    all who see them shall acknowledge them,
    that they are an offspring the Lord has blessed.
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
    for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
    as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
    and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up,
    so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
    to sprout up before all the nations. 

So, let’s reflect and briefly answer the questions above:

Who was the target of the good news proclaimed by the prophets and Gospel writers?
The good news is for the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, and the mourning -- good news that includes "the day of vengeance of our God." Why is that mentioned? None of these folks would get much good news in the ancient social order unless that order was destroyed and replaced with a new Kingdom. When that order was destroyed, rebuilding God's "ancient ruins" could begin (vs. 4). In the meantime, the prophet rejoices, clothed in the hope this good news brings (vs. 8-11).

Who would have seen this news as not-so-good-news?
It seems fair to notice that those who were considered oppressors, captors, and those loving the life of the world would see the good news as not so good news.  When the prophet claims that God “hates robbery and wrong,” I hear more than those who are labeled as thieves, but those whose greed moves them to take more than they need and those whose power allows them to exploit others for their own benefit.  If the Lord comforts those who mourn, then we might flip the statement to suggest that God also evokes mourning for those who are comfortable.  

Who might have categorized this news as “fake news?”
Well, this isn’t hard to speculate because in the Gospel stories the chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees seem to think Jesus is fake and the stories regarding his power and ministry are also false.  I think it is safe to say that those who have the most to lose in accepting any “news” are the quickest to label it and try to prove it “fake.”   Herod sure doesn’t like the notion that there is another leader and King in town.  So much so that he kills John the Baptist, the one who proclaim’s Christ’s coming.  

Do I really think that the good news is actually good news?
I think this is the real question…because to answer it I have to admit that I am quite comfortable in my life.  I have to admit that my bank account is ok and that I have everything I need—plus some.  My belly is full and my wants are vast.  Can I truly follow a King who is the leader of the oppressed and depressed, the anxious and the addict?  Can I trust in a God who loves justice so much that it confronts my life and calls me to question the ways of my culture, government, and my own mind and will?  Do I want to live as an example of the contemporary “American Dream,” or do I want to be an oak of righteousness that brings glory to God?  Is there a scenario where I can even try to accomplish both or are these two lifestyles diametrically opposed to one another?   

O Lord, help me join the prophet who proclaimed…”I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness…” Our life in the Spirit of God makes the good news actually good news!

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