From the Responsive Reading

Isaiah 40:4, 10

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: . . . Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 

Powerful poetry depicts a smooth, straight path through rugged terrain—a message that would have been compelling to Babylonian captives. The land between Babylonia and Judah was indeed rough, and the journey would typically be extremely difficult. Now exiles are both assured of their return to Judah and guaranteed an easy passage. (Luke 3:1–6 cites this oracle in introducing the ministry of John the Baptist.)

In the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh’s might is often portrayed as His hand or arm (see other examples in Deuteronomy 5:15; Psalms 89:13; Jeremiah 32:17). And similar imagery occurs a few times in the New Testament. Luke 1:66 says of the newborn John the Baptist: “The hand of the Lord was with him”—an affirmation also applied to some early Christians (see Acts 11:21). Quoting Isaiah 53:1, John 12:38 asks, “To whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

From Section 1

3 | Isaiah 40:31

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Translation

4 | I Corinthians 15:1, 3, 4

Brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; . . . For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

Paul’s declaration rests on three essential points: Christ Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of us all, his burial, and his resurrection. Together they are viewed as creedal, forming a basis on which the new Christian doctrine rested and from which it would grow. 

“That which I also received” links Paul to the chain of witnesses who verified the resurrection. In a culture largely dependent on oral tradition, supplying provenance for his testimony gives it weight and credibility—­especially critical in light of widespread questions about bodily resurrection.

5 | John 20:1, 11–17

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. . . . And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

At first addressing Mary as “Woman,” Jesus gently leads her to look beyond a buried Messiah to the risen Savior. Though initially assuming him to be a gardener, Mary recognizes him when he then speaks her name. Her heartfelt reply is in one word—Rabboni, the Aramaic term for Master. 

Commentators understand Jesus’ warning “Touch me not” as a demand not to cling to a physical sense of him—and to surrender any expectation that he would resume an ongoing presence on earth.

From Section 2

6 | I Corinthians 15:20

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

7 | Luke 24:13–16, 27, 30–32

Behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. . . . And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. . . . And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Throughout his ministry, Jesus makes clear that his advent fulfills prophecy—for instance, at his reading in the Nazareth synagogue, in answer to the Baptist’s inquiry, and in predicting his crucifixion and resurrection (see Luke 4:16–21; 7:19–23; 18:31–33). Now he grounds his response to these two followers in Scripture as well, explaining its references to his Messiahship. (“Moses and all the prophets” indicates the entirety of Hebrew teachings.)

“Opening” is mentioned frequently in New Testament accounts, from physical healing (see Mark 7:34, 35) to the awakening that takes place here—an opening of eyes that has been compared to the experience of Elisha’s servant in II Kings 6:15–17. Later, Jesus opens his disciples’ comprehension to his completed passion events (see Luke 24:44–48). In the book of Acts, Lydia’s heart is opened to the gospel and Paul opens biblical texts to listeners in Thessalonica (see 16:14; 17:1–3).

“A burning heart,” suggests one source, “expresses more than a relational warmth of intimacy; it signifies an inner transformation. . . . With Jesus’ help, the two have connected the dots in their Scriptures and drawn the line from Moses through the prophets to Jesus. They now understand the necessity of the death of the Messiah and the victory of his resurrection.”

From Section 3

8 | Galatians 6:7, 8

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

9 | Luke 16:19–26 

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

In this parable, Jesus admonishes Pharisees for their love of money and neglect of those in poverty. To call themselves sons of Abraham they must obey scriptural instruction about caring for the poor (see examples in Leviticus 25:25, 35).

Jesus’ hearers would probably have been surprised that he gave a name solely to the beggar. (Since medieval times some have identified the wealthy man as Dives, a Latin term for rich or rich man.) Scholars surmise that the naming of Lazarus foreshadows the story’s lesson about his elevated status.

That the affluent man was clothed in purple underscores his wealth. Purple was the costliest dye to produce, so purple garments were worn only by royalty, the priesthood, or the very rich. And fine linen was likewise a luxury. Pharaoh dressed Joseph in this fabric (see Genesis 41:42) and Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus’ body with it (see Mark 15:46).

“Abraham’s bosom” symbolized what was believed to be the heavenly home of the righteous—including the patriarch Abraham—after death. 

10 | Philippians 2:12, 13

Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Translation

Continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.

—Amplified^®  Bible

Fear and trembling are paired several times in the Bible. Sometimes they express fright (see, for instance, Job 4:14; Psalms 55:5). Here, however, the combined wording indicates reverence, commitment, and singleness of purpose.

In verse 13, both worketh and do are translated from the Greek verb energeō, which conveys effectiveness in work or activity. It describes prayer in James 5:16: “The effectual fervent [energeō] prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

From Section 4

11 | Romans 8:6

To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

12 | Proverbs 12:28

In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

From Section 5

13 | Galatians 2:20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

In this letter Paul recounts his rebuke of Peter for observing the strict Hebrew practice of separating Jews from Gentiles. His reasoning is that Jesus’ crucifixion has brought justification—sinless identity—to everyone who has faith in him. This was a rationale for unity, not division, among believers.

To the Romans Paul writes: “Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. . . . Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:6, 11).

From Section 6

15 | Isaiah 42:6, 7

I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

16 | Revelation 21:1–4

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The Revelator’s vision of a new order draws on scriptural prophecy (see Isaiah 35:10; 51:11; 65:17–25, for instance). His use of kainos, the Greek adjective rendered new, relates to quality rather than time—meaning not recently created but agelessly fresh and vital. Paul references this concept in an epistle: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new [kainos] creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new [kainos]” (II Corinthians 5:17).

“Former things” signifies not only the material world with its appetites and desires but also every source of pain and suffering. In this passage, the Greek word translated former (prōtos)—and rendered first in “the first heaven and the first earth”—denotes first in time, place, or rank. It appears in Jesus’ counsel “Many that are first [prōtos] shall be last; and the last shall be first [prōtos]” (Matthew 19:30).

In verse 4, the writer recalls Hebrew prophecy: “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth” (Isaiah 25:8, Responsive Reading; see also 35:10; 51:11; 65:19). “John’s final vision is climactic,” a scholar reflects. “It’s not an ending, as we might expect, but rather a beginning. A fresh, new beginning, full of promise.” 

From section 7

19 | Psalms 119:52, 54 

I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted myself. . . . Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.

The Hebrew term rendered of old (‘ôlām) can mean perpetual and everlasting as well as ancient. “God’s law is not fickle,” notes one source, “but is grounded firmly in his unchanging . . . character.” 

“The house of my pilgrimage” is considered an allusion to exiled or homeless people, making this a strong encouragement to all “stranger[s] in the earth” (v. 19).

Read a related article, “Death: a mythological misconception” by Ruth Elizabeth Jenks.