"Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah 6:8
God asks the prophet Isaiah, in the first lesson, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”Isaiah 6:8. This invitation Isaiah to be God’s messenger came as God granted him a sneak peak of the heaven. Isaiah saw the highestranking members of the heavenly host, Seraphim. Seraphim are wondrous angelic creatures with six wings. They flew with two wings, traveling from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven in the twinkling of an eye. The Seraphim used the remaining four wings to show respect and reverence. They covered their faces with two wings out of respect for Isaiah. If no one could see the face of God and live, seeing the faces of God’s heavenly courtiers would be harmful to Isaiah. The Seraphim used the last set of two wings to cover their feet in reverence and deference to God. God asked Moses to remove the sandals from his feet during his encounter with God in the burning bush. Because of this, religious leaders established the religious law requiring priests to be bare foot while serving in the Temple sanctuary. Both Rabbinic and Christian scholars say raglayim is incorrectly translated as feet in English. In God’s presence human being uncovered their feet out of respect for God. In the other passages where the work raglayim appears it is used to refer to male genitals. (Bear with me a minute longer). In the Bible, male genitals are symbols of rule, dominance, and control. Since our biblical ancestors assumed Seraphim were males, scholars deduced they would have covered the symbol of their virility while in the presence of God, the One Great Power in heaven and on earth. Isaiah watched these angelic beings flying around God and heard them sing God’s praise, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty. God in three persons blessed Trinity.” Unlike my voice, the Seraphim’s musical adoration was powerful. It potent and meaning filled that it shook the doors of heaven. According to this text, the doors of heaven were hung with pivot hinges. A pivot hinge allows a door to open both ways. The doors to kingdom of God swung in and out, to and fro: permitting angelic beings to leave and return to heaven and allowing Isaiah to enter heaven and then return to earth. Inside heaven, Isaiah saw God. He saw the One Great Power, his and our Sovereign seated on a throne. God was so big, grand and mighty God’s robes flowed out from the throne filling the temple.
This sneak peak of God’s kingdom moved the prophet. It touched, moved and inspired him to look honestly at himself and then declare, “Woe is me. I am lost.” What concerned Isaiah? Why did he assume he would not survive being in God’s presence? Apparently, the bright light of God’s glory, allowed the prophet to see and acknowledge his faults. Isaiah had not fulfilled his duties. Prophets were supposed to communicate messages from God to the people of Israel in a manner that held people to accountable to God. Isaiah served as his own witness, judge and jury. His verdict, “I man of unclean lips.” Isaiah’s failure was part of a larger failure. The people of Israel had not fulfill their duty to love and serve only God. The people, much like people today, let religious, social, political, and economic divisions deepen. In Isaiah’s lifetime those divisions split God’s chosen people into two states: Judea and Israel. Each state had a king. Each state had armies. Each state had prophets. Prophets whom the kings and people only listened to when the sermons they preached agreed with their world view. Today there are members of the US Congress, news pundits on Fox and CNN, and a few supreme court jurists who, like the people of Israel and Judea, are deepening divisions and only listening for or communicating what works for them. In Isaiah’s day, divisions turned people who professed the same faith and shared the same ancestors into enemies. The state of Israel and Judea made deals with foreign nations and employed mercenaries to help them fight invaders, turning away from God and turning their backs to their brothers and sisters. This is what lead Isaiah to confess, “I’m a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips.” Isaiah 6:5. Even though Isaiah doubted his worthiness, God invited him to speak, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Isaiah replied, “Here I am, send me.” So God sent Isaiah out the pivot doors of heaven to be God’s messenger.
Nicodemus was in a comparable circumstance: he was in the presence of Jesus, God’s Son, and he was a witness. The story of Nicodemus is in chapters 3, 7 and 19 in the Gospel of John. From this text we learn that Nicodemus was a religious leader serving with the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. He was educated: able to read and write Hebrew and he taught the law and prophets to temple visitors, students of the Torah, and other religious leaders. During the day, Nicodemus worked in the Temple. During the evening, he studied with Jesus when Jesus and the disciples where in town. Early in Jesus’ ministry some Pharisees and Sadducees were concerned that Jesus was leading people away from their teachings. They decided to put Jesus in jail until Nicodemus spoke up. He testified to the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus reminded his colleagues that Jewish law required evidence to be brought by witnesses in the presence of the accused before imprisonment. He persuaded many religious leaders in the Sanhedrin and thwarted the attempt to stop Jesus’ ministry. It was as if God had whispered in Nicodemus’ ear, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”The Gospel reading for today records one of Nicodemus’ study sessions with Jesus. They had a lively and loving exchange. Nicodemus was honored to learning from Jesus. Nicodemus described Jesus as a teacher who had come from God because he said to Jesus, “no one could do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." John 3:2. In response, Jesus explained to Nicodemus that people must be reborn if they want to dwell with God in this life and the life to come. Nicodemus struggled to understand. Sensing his confusion, Jesus offered more instructions:
Nicodemus, you are a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things. I am teaching about what I know and testify to what I have seen. You do the same thing when you teach in the temple. Listen carefully so that as I teach you about these earthly things you can come to believe in heavenly things. John 3:1-12
Like the prophet Isaiah, Nicodemus recognized his limitations. That lesson confused him, so he asked questions and continued to study with Jesus. He was honest with Jesus. Like Isaiah, Nicodemus knew himself to be “a man of unclean lips living among people of unclean lips.”Like Isaiah, Nicodemus, witnessed to the grace and glory of God. He courageously challenged his colleagues and prevent the premature arrest of Jesus. He courageously petitioned the religious authorities, after Jesus’ execution, to claim his body for burial, used his own money to purchase the linens, oils, and spices to prepare Jesus’ body for internment and, with Joseph of Arimathea, placed the body of the Christ in a new hewn tomb. When the need arose, God called on Nicodemus to use his professional connections and knowledge. God asked, whom shall I send to prevent this arrest, whom shall I send to collect body of my child? Nicodemus responded with his actions; I will go.
God wants and needs your witness. Just as God did not expect Isaiah to be without sin. God does not expect us to fix our faults before telling others about what we know and experience of God. Jesus wants and needs witnesses. Jesus was not troubled by Nicodemus nighttime visits and Jesus did not ask him to give up his “day job.” God partnered with Nicodemus to use his day job to bring justice and show mercy. God continues ask, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” With Isaiah, with Nicodemus, with me will you respond saying, “here I am, send me.”
