Will the real Messiah please stand up?

Isaiah 35:1-10; Matthew 11:2-11 

Decades ago, a number of game shows were popular on prime time TV. One of them was To Tell the Truth, with host Gary Moore, and panelists Bill Cullen, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, and Betty Carlisle. The panelists asked questions of three guests, only one of whom was the true practitioner of a certain art or ability. At the end of the questioning, Gary Moore asked. “Will the real make-up artist, ventriloquist, or birdhouse maker, etc. please stand up?” And we would laugh and point at the results of who guessed correctly.

… In the ancient world of Jesus, there were a number of texts in the scriptures that were interpreted as pointing to a messiah. Once Jesus had lived, died, been raised, and ascended, his followers mostly looked at Isaiah to describe the coming messiah, especially the texts we now call the Suffering Servant songs from Isaiah 40-55. Christians widely interpret this servant as Jesus Christ, seeing prophecies fulfilled in His crucifixion and atonement, where He is "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities" to bring healing to humanity. Christians especially see the meaning for the suffering in the last line of Isaiah 53:5: By his wounds we are healed, or saved.  

In contrast, the Jewish interpretation sees the servant as the collective nation of Israel, suffering for their own sins and the sins of the world, though historical Jewish interpretations also saw a future Redeemer in this figure. [Credit to AI Overview for these summaries.]

It’s impossible to know, of course, what John the Baptizer was thinking, which texts were on his mind as he thought about the messiah he was supposed to be pointing to. But here are some suggestions.

Genesis 3:15 … ¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” …  The messiah will conquer the enemy.

Numbers 24:17 … ¹⁷ I see him but not now; I behold him but not near—a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the foreheads of Moab and the heads of all the Shethites. … A star will point to the messiah, who will be ruthless in defeating the enemy.

Daniel 7:13-14 …  As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being  coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.  To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. … The messiah comes as a ruler from beyond time and place and has an everlasting rule.

Clearly, the anticipation for the messiah is of a king whose reign will last forever. Kings typically gather an army to defeat the incumbent ruler, and it’s clear that Jesus is not doing that. Jesus is not hanging around with the Zealots and other folks who are actively trying to get rid of the Romans. He is not buying and stockpiling weapons.

We are wise to remember the word messiah means anointed one. Several men were anointed to serve as leaders in Israel’s history: Prophets Elijah and Elisha; Kings Saul, David, Solomon and others. Those who are anointed have God’s calling to serve as leaders among God’s people.  Anointing didn’t make them perfect, just called to serve.

Jesus, too, is called to serve, just not as the traditional image of king. His anointing is shaped by the words of Isaiah in our first reading last week and today: Lions lying with lambs, babies playing near snakes’ nests, sight for the blind, sound for the deaf, streams in the desert, and level roads for walking.

John the Baptizer was observing what Jesus was up to, and was stunned that Jesus wasn’t bringing the winnowing fork and the ax. “Is it you,” he wonders, “or someone else we should be looking for?” In other words, “Will the real messiah please stand up?”

… We know what kind of a messiah Jesus intended to be. He is the suffering servant who gave his life for us, so that we may have life in his name. We often talk about having a Christ-like life. Christus, or Christ, is the Latin translation of the Hebrew word mashiach, or messiah. Have you ever thought of it as a Messiah-like life? What does that do to your image of how to follow Jesus? I hope it expands it a bit.

… So, a story: In 1985, Fr Augustine Milon, a Franciscan friar, was serving in Chicago’s west side Back of the Yards neighborhood. He had noticed that the area was plagued with violence, homelessness, drug abuse, and gang activity. He couldn't stop the violence but he could feed people, so he started a one-room soup kitchen. Since then, his soup kitchen became Port Ministries, a wide-ranging organization that responds to the needs of the community. Today, they host a bread truck that travels the neighborhood, a health clinic, home visitation, and an after-school program.

As Gloria Dei leaders and members explore what is next for the congregation, we can learn from Port Ministries by checking to discover what is missing in our neighborhood. It doesn’t mean that we have to actually do the ministry, but rather to notice what is needed and check around to see how we could make that ministry happen through partnerships and creative thinking.

We, today, are Jesus’ living body on earth. We are called to Christ-like, Messiah-like living. What does it mean for us as a congregation? As individuals? So, let me ask you – “Will the real Messiah-like person please stand up?”  (Invite folks to stand up!) Amen