From: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Prologue: Promise of Deliverance
[9] Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your
voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say
to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” [10] Behold, the Lord God comes with
might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recom-
pense before him. [11] He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the
lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that
are with young.
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Commentary:
40:1-55:13. These chapters make up the second part of the book of Isaiah, also
known as “Second Isaiah” or “Deutero-Isaiah”. Almost everything here refers to a
period of history one or two centuries later than that of “First Isaiah”. The oppres-
sor is no longer Assyria but Babylon, which conquered Jerusalem in 587-586 BC,
and then began a series of deportations that sent the upper classes of Jerusalem
and Judah into exile. Many years later (539 BC), Cyrus, king of the Persians,
conquered the Babylonians and issued a decree allowing those deportees who
so wished to return home. These events are echoed in Second Isaiah’s oracles,
songs, lamentations and denunciations,and the prophetic visions of the final, en-
during deliverance and restoration of the chosen people and the city of Zion.
The various literary units in this part of the book are grouped into two Is 52:7-11
sections more or less by subject. The first (40:1-48:22) implies that the Jews are
still held against their will in Babylon. Their deliverance is announced, thanks to
the power of the Lord, who rules the world and determines the course of human
affairs; he has chosen Cyrus, king of Persia, called here his “anointed”, his mes-
siah, to redeem Israel from exile (44:24-45:25).
This section, too, contains the announcement that God will choose a “servant”,
whom he will send empowered by the Spirit to establish law and justice (42:1-9,
the first “song of the Servant”).
The second section celebrates the glorious restoration of the people of God on
Zion; in this, too, the “Servant of the Lord” will play the key role; the section con-
tains the last three “songs of the Servant” (49: 1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12).
40:1-48:22. The historical background to these chapters is the time immediately
after the return of the exiles from Babylon, which is depicted as a “new exodus”.
The exodus from Egypt was the prototype of all God’s interventions on his peo-
ple’s behalf: now we hear of another one, “new” because the power with which
God, the Creator of all things, acts now surpasses that to be seen in the exodus.
The news that deliverance is at hand greatly consoles the people: we are told
this at the start, and it is repeated in the oracles that follow. For this reason, this
part of the book of Isaiah is usually called the “Book of Consolation”, and it has
been interpreted as an anticipation of the consolation that Christ will bring: “The
true consolation, balm and release from all human ills is the Incarnation of our
God and Saviour” (Theodoret of Cyrus, “Commentaria In Isaiam”, 40, 3).
The section opens with a song of joy over the imminent release of the exiles (40:
1-11). After this a number of oracles are grouped together which describe the rea-
son why the people should hope in the Lord who is mighty and desires to save,
who is ready to do so (42:1-25), to manifest himself as the Redeemer of Israel
(43:1-44:23) and bring salvation to Jerusalem (44:24-48:19). The section ends
with a prophecy of the redemption of his people and a call to leave Babylon (48:
20-22).
40:1-11. The section begins on a formal note with an anonymous voice proclai-
ming the Lord’s consolation (vv 1-5) The same voice calls on the prophet himself
to proclaim that the word of God and his message of salvation will endure forever
(vv. 6-11). The oracles are addressed to those people of Jerusalem who have
been deported to Babylon. When they were first spoken, many decades had
passed since these people and the previous generation were forced to leave the
holy city. Those years of suffering and exile have more than atoned for their sins.
The time comes for them, with the Lord’s help, to set out on the return journey.
That journey is mentioned throughout this section. The voice speaking in the
name of the Lord boosts their morale: it won’t be a difficult journey; they will find
a way opened up for them which will bring them to the glory of the Lord. As in
the exodus from Egypt, on the “way” from Babylon to Jerusalem they will see
wonderful evidence of the power of God. The words spoken by the mysterious
voice, inviting them to set out, fills the returnees with hope.
The four Gospels see these words fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist,
who is the voice crying in the wilderness “Prepare the way of the Lord” (cf. v. 3).
And, indeed, John, with his call to personal conversion and his baptism of repen-
tance, does prepare the way for people to find Jesus (cf. Mt 3:3; Mk 1:3; Lk 3:4;
Jn 1:23), whom the Gospels confess to be “the Lord” (cf. v. 3). John the Baptist
is his herald, the “precursor”: “The voice commands that a way be opened for
the Word of God, the path smoothed and all obstacles removed: when our God
comes, he will be able to walk without hindrance. Prepare the way of the Lord:
this means to preach the gospel and to offer consolation to his people, with the
desire that the salvation of God embrace all mankind” (Eusebius of Caesarea,
“Commentana In Isaiam”, 40, 366). Hence, in Christian tradition, “John the Bap-
tist is ‘more than a prophet’ (Lk 7:26). In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his spea-
king through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah
(cf. Mt 11:13-14). He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is
the ‘voice’ of the Consoler who is coming (Jn 1:23; cf. Is 40:1-3)” (”Catechism of
the Catholic Church”, 719).
In the second part of the oracle, the anonymous voice asks the prophet to speak
in the name of the Lord (vv. 6-8). Merely human plans can only go so far; but the
word of God stands forever In the things that the voice says there must be an al-
lusion to the might of Babylon, which withers like the “flower of the field” when
the “breath of the Lord blows upon it”, because it challenged the goodness of
God. The message to be given to the people speaks of trusting in the power of
God, who comes not to lay waste but to protect and recompense those in his
care (vv. 9-11). Here we find for the first time the simile of the “flock” being ap-
plied to the people of God, one of a number of figures of speech used in Holy
Scripture to describe God’s tender care of his people (cf. Jer 23:3; Ezek 34:1ff;
Ps 23:4) and which Christian tradition uses to explain the mystery of the Church:
“The Church is a sheepfold whose one and indispensable door is Christ (Jn 10:
1-10). It is a flock of which God himself foretold he would be the shepherd (Is 40:
11; Ezek 34:11-31), and whose sheep, although ruled by human shepherds, are
nevertheless continuously led and nourished by Christ himself, the Good Shep-
herd and the Prince of the shepherds (cf. Jn 10:11; 1 Pet 5:4), who gave his life
for the sheep (cf. Jn 10:11-15)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 6). The words of
vv. 6-8 will later be used in the First Letter of St Peter to confirm the validity of
the precept of brotherly love (1 Pet 1:24-25).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Acts 10:34-38
Peter’s Address
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Commentary:
34-43. Peter’s short address is his first to non-Jews. It begins with the central
idea that God is impartial: he wants all men to be saved through the proclama-
tion of the Gospel (vv. 34-36). This is followed by a summary of Jesus’ public
life (vv. 37-41) and, finally, the statement (the first time it appears in Acts) that
Jesus Christ has been made Judge of the living and the dead (v. 42). As in all
Christian preaching to Gentiles, proofs from Scripture take a secondary place
(v. 43).
34. This verse refers to 1 Samuel 16:7, where the Lord, in connection with the
anointing of David as king of Israel, tells the prophet, “Do not look on his appea-
rance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord
sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord
looks on the heart.” When God calls and offers salvation to his elect, he does
not judge as men do. With him distinctions regarding social class, race, sex
or education do not count.
Here St Peter proclaims that the Old Testament prophecies about the Jews
and the Gentiles forming one single nation (Is 2:2-4; Joel 2:28; Amos 9:12;
Mich 4:1 ) and Jesus’ words calling everyone to enter his Kingdom (cf. Mt 8:11;
Mk 16:15-16; Jn 10:16) should be interpreted literally.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.