Commentary on the Gospel of
Isaiah makes a strange observation: after the Lord has given us the bread of anguish and the water of distress, the Saviour will appear, and our eyes will see him and the ears will hear him. Why does the Saviour wait until we have eaten the bread of anguish and drunk the water of distress?
Perhaps it is not God’s delay, but ours. Perhaps it is when we have suffered enough anguish and distress that we become open enough to see, hear, and receive the Lord. It is when tragedy strikes that we seek the Lord and beg for him to show us the way forward. A lovely Jewish story illustrates this point beautifully:
A student once asked his Master, “Rabbi, why in the scripture does it say, ‘May Thy words be upon my heart?’ Why not in my heart?” The Rabbi answered, “Even God, my child, cannot put the words directly into your heart. They are placed upon your heart, so that when your heart breaks, His words can drop in.”
Paulson Veliyannoor, CMF - frpaulson@gmail.com
