Thomas J Parlette
“A Shout Out to Isaiah”
Luke 3: 1-6
12/8/24
What if you could bring back a species of animal from the past? Such was the concept of Michael Crichton’s book “Jurassic Park,” in which various species of dinosaurs were brought back to life using DNA found in a mosquito preserved in amber. It certainly made for a great movie.
Turns out, that is not as far-fetched as it seems. There is a company called Colossal Biosciences that is trying to bring back the wooly mammoth.
The wooly mammoth was as big as an African elephant, but it was covered with long, scraggly fur. It lived during the last ice age – it’s ears and tail were short, to minimize heat loss in the cold environment. The wooly mammoth ate grass as it roamed northern Europe, Asia and North America. It provided food and clothing for early humans who hunted them for their meat, fur and it’s long, curved tusks, used for fighting and foraging.
Then it disappeared, with the last survivors dying off about 4,00 years ago. The wooly mammoth became extinct.
And now Colossal Biosciences wants to give the wooly mammoth a fresh start. It wants to revive the giant animal through modern genetics, and then repopulate the Arctic tundra. According to the Washington Post, Colossal Biosciences “has produced a line of Asian elephant stem cells that can be coaxed to transform into other types of cells needed to reconstruct the extinct giant.” Or, if this is not possible, the want to create “a mammoth-like elephant designed to thrive in the cold.”
Researchers have sequenced enough of the genetic blueprint of the wooly mammoth to create a guide for remaking the animal. But to discover which genes control the animals curved tusks and thick fur, tissue samples must be grown in the lab. George Church, a Harvard geneticist, wants to use elephant stem cells to engineer mammoth DNA and grow these tissue samples. Sounds a bit like the plot of an upcoming “Jurassic Park – Part 7”
So, why would a scientist do this? Bringing back a lost species is an attempt to reverse the toll that humans have played in the ongoing extinction crisis. About 800 extinctions have been documented in the last 400 years, although some scientists believe the number is far higher. Even if researchers cannot resurrect wooly mammoths, they want to make discoveries that will help save animals that are still with us from extinction - including endangered animals such as elephants. (1)
At the beginning of the 1st century, the people of Israel believed that the prophets of God went the way of extinction. Elijah and Elisha had roamed the earth some 900 years earlier. Then came Jonah, Amos, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The last prophet was Malachi – about 400 years before the birth of Christ. And then…. Silence. In fact, some scholars refer to this period of time as “the silent years. Between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament, there were these 400 years of silence – no word from God, no major or minor prophetic activity. Nothing. The prophets seemed like the wooly mammoths of the Hebrew Scriptures – they appeared gone forever.
But then, in “the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, When Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high Priest hood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”
John “wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.” You might say he looked a wooly, but smaller than a mammoth.
Luke tells us that John “went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
John message was not new – he was actually giving a shout out to a prophet the people thought had gone extinct. Isaiah had said all this before – hundreds of years earlier – “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
John’s version is certainly not a word for word translation – but John is clearly giving Isaiah a shout out, bringing back to life a prophet thought to have disappeared forever.
Although the people of Israel thought the prophets were long gone, Suddenly John appeared and stated preparing them to see Jesus as “the salvation of God.” No stem cells needed to bring this prophet to life – all John needed was the inspiration of the word of God, a word that has had life-giving power throughout human history. Isaiah himself said, “The grass withers; the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Get you up to a high mountain… lift your voice with strength… say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!”
That’s what John is saying – “Here is your God!” with his finger pointed straight at Jesus.
The same challenge is placed before us today on this second Sunday of Advent – listen for the word of God, bring Isaiah back to prominence and prepare people for Jesus, the salvation of God.
First, we listen for the word of God. In a world of competing messages, we need to open our ears, our hearts and our minds to what God wants to say to us. As we know, God’s word can be difficult to follow, but it is always designed to help us. Think of the words of the 10 commandments – “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” Or the advice of Isaiah to “seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.” And the command of Jesus to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
All those words, advice and commands are meant to help us, not hurt us. Keeping the Sabbath gives us time for rest and renewal, what we call “self-care” these days. Caring for the poor makes our community a better place, and loving our enemies breaks the cycle of violence, retribution and revenge. God’s word may be challenging, and it is usually countercultural, but it is designed to maximize our health and happiness. If we are walking away from this word, we need to hear John’s call to repent, turn around, check out your spiritual GPS and get yourself re-routed, as Siri might say.
Next, join John in giving a shout out to Isaiah by reviving his message. Isaiah lived in the 8th century before Christ, but he was no wooly mammoth. He insisted on the practice of social justice, commanding people to “loose the bonds of injustice… let the oppressed go free… and share bread with the hungry.” He wanted everyone in society to be treated fairly, especially the most vulnerable.
At the same time, he preached a message of radical inclusion, saying that God’s house “shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Old Testament scholar Brevard Childs says that this verse “removes any doubt that God’s purpose for God’s house is directed to ALL people without restriction.” (2) This is a new vision of community, in which all people who honor the Lord in their actions are to be included, even those previously excluded, such as eunuchs and foreigners.
What a radical shift – to be honest, it still is a radical shift. Suddenly, the community of faith was not limited to people of the same nationality, and being admitted to the congregation did not require being part of a traditional family. Through Isaiah, God called for barriers to fall, which began a movement of inclusiveness that only accelerated when Jesus began his ministry.
A strong connection exists between Isaiah and Jesus, since Jesus is the fulfillment of many of Isaiah’s prophecies, and Isaiah is the prophet quoted by Jesus the most – eight times, in fact. Do you remember when Jesus cleansed the Temple? He said “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” bringing Isaiah back to life. We give Isaiah a shout out whenever we take action to make our church “a house of prayer for ALL peoples.”
Finally, we are challenged to prepare people for Jesus, the salvation of God. This connection between Jesus and salvation is made by John, a messenger in the mold of Isaiah, one “who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation.” The Hebrew word for salvation is “yeshu’ah”, a noun derived from a verb that means “relief” in the sense of being rescued from an enemy, trouble or illness. The name “Joshua” comes from this word, and eventually it evolved into the name “Jesus.”
No surprise there – Jesus means salvation.
Throughout its long history, the word “yeshu’ah” has meant victory over danger, defeat or distress. I’m sure you remember what the angel said to Joseph – “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Salvation means rescue from every trouble and fear, including being saved from our sins. We prepare people for Jesus when we are messengers of Peace instead of conflict – Good News instead of bad, and Salvation instead of destruction, revenge and retribution. Jesus is the salvation of God proclaimed by John, and now, by us. When we gather to celebrate the birth of Christ, we always hear these words from Isaiah – “All this took place took fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: Look a virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.”
Yes, God is with us – in every time and place. God speaks a word meant to help us, and God gathers us into congregations and fellowships that should include ALL people. And most importantly, Jesus is our salvation, saving us from anything that can hurt or destroy us.
May God be praised. Amen.
1. Dino Grandino, “Scientists say they’re closer to reviving mammoths. What could go wrong? The Washington Post, March 6, 2024.
2. Brevard Childs, Isaiah, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, p 459.
