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1 Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. 3 He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.” 4 But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the LORD’s hand, and my reward is with my God. 5 And now the LORD says— he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has been my strength— 6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” 7 This is what the LORD says— the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel— to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: “Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:1-7 NIV)
When I was called into ministry I had a narrow world view. I had been born and raised in a Spanish-speaking church which was a member of the Spanish language conference of The United Methodist Church. I had no idea where God would lead me but it had to be a Spanish language church. My first language was Spanish and my second one was English. As I grew up in public schools my español escaped me. I never thought I'd be a master at preaching in Spanish but I knew I could get my points across, while trusting God to help me. As I prepared to graduate from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, I prepared for my oral final. SU made a big deal about taking an oral exam with all the professors of your major, and the graduate to be could invite a professor of his/her choice. My major was Sociology and there were only two professors at the time who would sit in and I invited a religion professor new to the faculty. The final went smoothly; not any difficult sociology questions asked of me; my invited professor did ask me the hardest one related to my field of study but then one of the sociology professors asked me the hardest question: "Eradio, would you consider coming to First United Methodist Church of Georgetown sometime in the future?" I answered it in knee-jerk response time, no. "NO? Why not?" This was the difficult part of the oral exam. I knew there would be no negative effect on my grade, but what about my life I asked myself silently. I would come to realize that my "distant nations" was limited only to the people of the Rio Grande Conference, where I was born and raised. Did God form me in my mother's womb to preach only in Spanish to Spanish people? Had my mouth been sharpened to share only with those who spoke Spanish?
Isaiah did not have the same sociological implications that I did; his audience was prepared for him; he was to preach to all the people of the world, both those of islands and those of distant nations. His was to find and retrieve the lost sons and daughters of Israel, to restore the tribes of Jacob. God then identifies His servant: "He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.'" This is complex—the servant is called "Israel," yet the servant's mission includes restoring Israel. The servant embodies what Israel was meant to be: God's representative to the nations, displaying God's splendor. Jesus is true Israel, faithful where Israel failed, accomplishing what Israel couldn't. Through Him, God's glory is displayed to the world. But the servant experiences discouragement: "But I said, 'I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all. Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God.'" This is brutally honest—feeling like effort was wasted, strength exhausted for no result. Jesus experienced this: rejected by His own people, misunderstood by His disciples, abandoned at His arrest, crucified as a criminal. From a human perspective, His ministry looked like failure. Yet the servant maintains faith: "What is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God." He trusts that God sees, God evaluates, God rewards—not according to human measurements but divine purposes. Epiphany teaches us that apparent failure in God's service isn't the final word; vindication comes from God, not from immediate visible results.
Then comes God's response to the servant's discouragement: "And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord and my God has been my strength." God affirms the servant's calling and reminds him of divine resources: "I am honored in the sight of the Lord"—God values him even when others reject him. "My God has been my strength"—not his own power but God's provision has sustained him. Then comes the stunning expansion of mission: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." Restoring Israel alone is "too small"—not unimportant, but insufficient for God's ultimate purpose. The servant's mission expands to encompass all nations. "I will also make you a light for the Gentiles"—not just to Israel but to the nations. This is Epiphany's central theme: the light revealed in Christ is for everyone, everywhere. "That my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth"—God's saving purpose knows no boundaries. Every nation, every tribe, every tongue—all are included in God's redemptive plan through His servant.
The passage concludes with God's declaration: "This is what the Lord says—the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: 'Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.'" The servant experiences profound rejection—"despised and abhorred by the nation," reduced to serving rulers rather than being honored. This describes Jesus perfectly: rejected by His own people, despised by religious leaders, crucified under Roman authority. Yet God promises reversal: "Kings will see you and stand up, princes will see and bow down." Those who rejected Him will recognize Him. Those who scorned Him will bow before Him. Why? "Because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you." The servant's vindication isn't self-promotion but God's faithfulness. God chose him, God will honor him, God will ensure that kings and princes acknowledge him. At Jesus' birth, Magi (representing Gentile kings) came to worship. At His return, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Epiphany celebrates that the light has dawned, the servant has been revealed, and though rejected by many, He will ultimately be recognized by all. The mission that seemed too small—restoring Israel—has become gloriously large: bringing God's salvation to the ends of the earth. As we grow in our faith, we should also grow in understanding the scope of our ministry; we are to reach all nations with all languages; we need to show love and acceptance to all people.
PRAYER: Lord, our Redeemer and Holy One, thank You for sending Your servant as a light not just for one nation but for all nations, that Your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; when we feel our service is in vain or our efforts wasted, remind us that You are faithful, that vindication comes from You, and that Your purposes are larger and more glorious than we can imagine; help us shine Your light to all people, in Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This Epiphany season, pray specifically for one nation or people group that hasn't yet heard the gospel, remembering that God's salvation is meant to reach the ends of the earth, and consider supporting a missionary or organization working to bring Christ's light to the nations.
I love you and I thank God for you. You matter to God, and you matter to me. You're a person of much positivity that needs to be shared with the world. Start now.
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
