The Holy and Great-Martyr Theodore the Recruit (286-305)
Great Fast Day 3
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 2:3-11; Presanctified – Genesis 1:24-2:3; Proverbs 2:1-22
Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read Isaiah 2:3-11
The prophecies of the Old Testament are beautiful and encouraging to read; especially Isaiah as he is considered to have a high amount of prophecies pointing to the coming of the Messiah. In fact, the book of Isaiah is sometimes called the ‘Fifth Gospel’ because it has so many references to the life of Jesus Christ.
Today’s reading sets for us a reminder of the beauty of God’s plan of salvation—especially, what we need at the start of Great Lent. The plan is centred in the house of Jacob, that is the people of Israel who are the Lord’s people through whom he will enact the plan. The central power of this dynamic work of God’s salvation is His Word—the one who is born of the house of Jacob and who fulfils and recapitulates the life of Israel— and he will come out of Jerusalem.
He will come with judgement and great power to transform hearts. The word judgment is a good thing as it inaugurates stability, reliability, and God’s reign. This means we can depend on God’s ordinances and law as eternal and unchanging—unlike the instability and ever-changing world and it’s standards. We are given the judgment of what is true, good, beautiful and of the light. This judgement makes clear also what is wrong, sinful and dark. It also means justice will be brought for the poor, oppressed and downtrodden. Those who strive to live righteously have nothing to fear, but rather look forward and embrace God’s judgement.
The power of God’s grace pours out on those who willingly accept His reign and it does the unthinkable. It will transform the hearts of those who by earthly standards have no hope. Those who are wild and aggressive into peace-loving people: ‘they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.’ Isaiah tells us that God does not write off anyone as unloveable or unredeemable—everyone can be saved by repentance and the reception of grace. This is why repentance, which is our work, is the door to transformation and salvation.