Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Debbie Jorgens.
Text: Isaiah 55:1-13
My ears perked up the other day when I heard about the simple act of compassion shown by Ann Aiken, U.S. District Court Judge in Oregon, after a 22-year-old woman in immigration custody had taken the witness stand and mentioned that she was hungry. She hadn’t had anything to eat after being awakened at 2 a.m. for the drive from a detention center in Tacoma, Washington to the federal courthouse in Eugene. “That’s unacceptable,” Judge Aiken said. She immediately stopped the hearing and told ICE officers she would not continue until the woman had been fed, even offering up her own lunch. I was heartened by the judge’s actions. At the same time, I couldn’t help but think of all those across the country (and beyond our borders) who are treated with such cruelty that even their basic needs are denied. No wonder this story garnered national attention.
It’s interesting to note that the very first words of Isaiah 55 speak to the most fundamental of all human needs: sustenance for our bodies.
Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters;
and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
In his commentary on Isaiah 55, theologian Christopher B. Hays provides some helpful context:
The opening verses, with their appeal to those who do not have money to buy bread and the basic needs of life, would probably have been quite relevant to the exiles who returned to the land of Judah. It was not a prosperous time. Jerusalem had not been rebuilt since its destruction by the Babylonians fifty years earlier, social and economic structures were weak, and there were struggles for the most desirable land between those returning and those who had been on the land in the meantime….The invitation to eat and drink without paying would have been both gracious and exceedingly welcome.
Scholars argue as to whether we should read the opening words of Isaiah 55 as primarily spiritual realities or material realities. But we know that as human beings, our basic physiological needs must be met first and foremost. After all, it’s difficult to function, let alone flourish, until our thirst has been quenched and our hunger satisfied. So the people are invited to come to drink and to eat! And not only that; Isaiah emphasizes that the water and food are available for everyone, no questions asked, no payment required! Such is God’s abundant grace!
May God fill our hearts with compassion and show us the way to ensure that all people have access to clean water and nourishing food so they can flourish, as God intends for all of creation.