Isaiah 62:1-5 Every So Often We Hear the Rumors That Jesus Was Married

Sermon Lesson: Isaiah 62:1-5 Every so often we hear the rumors that Jesus was married. A number of years ago, there was a bestselling book and a hit movie in which Jesus was secretly married to Mary Magdalene. Supposedly, they had a child, whose bloodline still exists today and the church has covered it up for centuries. It’s just not true. The Bible gives no indication that Jesus was married, but plenty of evidence to the contrary. It’s not that Jesus took a vow of celibacy thinking that it’s more pleasing to God to remain single than to get married. From Bethlehem, he had the world’s salvation in mind and wouldn’t be distracted from that goal. But that doesn’t mean Jesus looked down on marriage, either. He took time out of his busy schedule to attend the wedding at Cana and blessed it with his first miracle. Throughout Scripture he pictures his relationship with his people as that of a husband and wife. Today, through Isaiah, the Lord tells us that he Takes Pride in his Bride. She is the crown of his splendor and is called by a new name. Isaiah gives us the maiden name of Christ’s bride: “Zion and Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, of course, was the capital city of Israel and the home of God’s temple. Zion was one of the hills on which Jerusalem was built. With unbridled enthusiasm the Lord declares that he “will not keep silent” about the righteousness and purity of his people. His beautiful bride shines like a gorgeous sunrise or like a blazing torch cutting through the darkness of night. “The nations will see her righteousness, and all kings her glory.” The Lord can’t and won’t stop talking about it. He wants the whole world to know how much he loves his people. The question is, which people is he referring to? It’s not the physical nation of Israel. Remember that God had chosen Israel to be the nation through which he would display his glory to the world. He had promised to bless the nation as long as she faithfully followed him. But time and again these people spiritually cheated on God. They committed spiritual adultery by giving their love, trust and worship to false gods. In the first chapter of Isaiah God actually used the picture of spiritual prostitution: “See how the city has become a harlot!” Because of their wicked, idolatrous practices, the people descended from Abraham’s bloodline were far from righteous. They were hardly the pure and perfect people the holy God could be proud of. While they were reading Bible stories one night, a little boy looked up and asked his mother, “Mama, do you know why God made us?” Sensing that her son had his own answer, she asked, “Well, what do you think?” He replied, “That’s easy. Because the people in the Bible were so bad that he wanted to start over.” When you think about it, it’s easy to see how a first-grader could come to that conclusion. Two different times Abraham dishonored Sarah by passing her off as his sister in order to save his own skin. His great-grandson Judah slept with a prostitute who turned out to be his daughter-in-law. And we can’t forget King David’s adultery with Bathsheba. The Bible doesn’t whitewash how it presents God’s chosen people, Israel. It’s brutally honest in exposing all their sins, faults, and flaws. But the Bible does that because the sins of all those bad people are our sins, too. Like Israel, we dishonor God by failing to give him the love, respect, trust and praise he deserves. Just look at the Sixth Commandment. Maybe you haven’t physically cheated on your spouse, but how about sleeping with someone before marriage? Maybe you haven’t physically cheated on your spouse, but what about online or in your mind? What about publicly demeaning your spouse in front of friends? Or take the First Commandment. Instead of spending every Sunday morning with him we choose to spend some with our pillows, some with family and friends, and some with sports. Instead of being content and trusting God to provide what we need, we spend how much money on lottery tickets that have virtually no chance of winning. Like Israel before us, we have prostituted ourselves to false gods. Rather than being proud, the Lord has every reason to be ashamed of us and the rest of humanity. But God provided a way for sinners to be reconciled to himself. He sent his only Son to live the kind of life God could be proud of. Last Sunday we heard the Father say of Jesus, “This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well-pleased.” While he wasn’t married, Jesus always obeyed the Bible’s command: “Marriage should be honored by all.” Jesus even kept his thoughts completely pure. He was perfectly faithful to his Father for us until his life was cut off by his enemies who crucified him. But Jesus’ death was not just another tragic end to a good life. On the cross he absorbed all of God’s wrath, anger and punishment against our unfaithfulness. He took the hit for our sins so we wouldn’t have to. He shed his precious blood to cleanse us from the stain of sin, including the stains of idolatry. He lived and died and lives again to forgive all people. Whoever trusts that message is a new creation, covered in the beautiful robe of Christ’s righteousness. Those who trust Jesus for righteousness and salvation are the people of God, the spiritual Israel, the Zion and Jerusalem of his delight. They come from the faith line, not the bloodline of Abraham. They are also called the Holy Christian Church, the Bride of Christ. The Lord takes pride in her, not because of her accomplishments, but because of his, for her. That thought is beautifully expressed by the hymn writer Samuel Stone: “The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord, she is his new creation by water and the word, from heaven he came and sought her to be his holy bride, with his own blood he bought her and for her life he died.” When you and I were brought to faith, we were personally washed and redeemed. We became part of the bride of Christ in whom he takes great delight. Isaiah described it like this: “You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” Believers are the jewels in God’s crowning achievement, the Church. He shows us off as his bride to the world so that nations and kings of nations will look and respond with praise. It’s still common for a bride to take a new name, her new husband’s last name, on her wedding day. I’ve heard some women say that it’s exciting because it’s brand new and different. The same thing happens to us as the Lord’s bride. Isaiah says, “You will be called by a new name.” Verse 4 says, “No longer will they call you Deserted or name your land Desolate.” Those names go back to Old Testament Israel’s days of rejecting the Lord. He sent prophet after prophet calling them to repentance, but the majority of Jews wouldn’t listen. So God would allow the Babylonian army to attack and annihilate the city and people of Jerusalem. Many Jews would be killed. Those who survived the sword could expect to join the long line of those leaving their homeland in chains. It seemed like God had deserted his people. The rich land of Israel, once described as flowing with milk and honey, was turned into a desolate wasteland. Those were our old names as well. Our sinful actions made life desolate. The Lord could and should have deserted us, if it hadn’t been for his promise of a Savior. The faithful God safely brought a remnant of Jews out of the Babylonian Captivity so that the promised Messiah could come from their nation, for people of all nations, just like God promised. To all who believe in Jesus, God gives new names: “You will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah.” Those may not sound like the prettiest names under the sun, until the Lord explains their meaning. Hephzibah means “My delight is in her.” Beulah means “married.” Christ delights in you and me, who belong to him by faith. He has bound himself to us and pledged his eternal love, loyalty, care, devotion, protection, and guidance to us as his bride. St. Paul uses that heavenly marriage as the basis for our earthly marriages, when he says, “As the Church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy…and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish.” Isaiah closes by saying, “As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.” We have God’s promise that, through Christ, he takes pride in us and wants to display his work. Before Christmas I was talking to a classmate who commented, “I love being a Christian.” Do you and I love being known by that new name? Do we rejoice over our favored status and “declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light?” How do we do that? In the language of this lesson, honor God’s gift of marriage.

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