Oaks of Righteousness

Oaks of Righteousness:

Mark’s gospel has a formidable and unrelenting undercurrent of urgency and forward momentum. Jesus the Messiah/Christ/King has come as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s “good news” (i.e. gospel) prophecy: to heal the sickness of the human heart (autonomy/rebellion against God), to give sight to the blind (enable us to grasp reality and the depths of our depravity), to set the captives free (breaking sin & Satan’s hold over us), and release from prison those who put their faith in our Servant King.

Isaiah didn’t leave it there. Beyond “merely” being rescued by King Jesus from our dank prison of sin and eternal torment to be be brought into communion with God Almighty, in Isaiah 61 the prophet wrote that those redeemed by this future Servant King would also be “3...called oaks of righteousness, which the LORD has planted for his own glory.” And they would “6...be called priests of the LORD, ministers of our God. You will feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches.”

The fullness of Christianity is not “merely” our salvation. The predominant emphasis of practical Evangelical Christian theology rest upon the doctrine of soteriology, i.e. our salvation. The tragedy of such an emphasis is that it is neither biblical nor practical. From the very beginning God created us to be in right relationship with 1) our Creator (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), with 2) the rest of humanity, and with 3) creation (the physical “garden” God gave us to dwell in).

When the emphasis of our Christian faith is practically limited to our personal benefit, “What’s in it for me?” then we miss the fullness of the gospel and “the treasures of the nations” and the joy of “boasting in their riches.”

That’s not prosperity gospel, i.e. the idea that giving of your time, talent, and treasure will ensure physical health and material wealth. As one of my pastors used to preach, “That, my friends, is a lie from the pit of Hell!” Jesus was very clear that real treasures and riches are not the kind that are subject to moths and rust, but rather Jesus instructed us to “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break in nor steal.”

Isaiah was very clear in his gospel/good news presentation that when Messiah comes He would set the captives free and they would “be called oaks of righteousness.” Trees serve a purpose. They provide oxygen, nuts, fruit, wood, etc. God gave us trees for our benefit - shelter, transportation, food. So when Isaiah states that those redeemed by Messiah would “be called oaks of righteousness,” what Isaiah is say is that we would be useful and function for the King and the expanse of His kingdom.

In living out and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ we turn salvation from a selfish, self-centered, personal benefit, private “me thing” into what God intended it to be. We become those “oaks of righteousness, which the LORD has planted for his own glory.” We are then transformed into 1) “priests of the LORD” (a priest is anyone who serves as a mediator/ambassador between humanity and God), and 2) “ministers of our God” (minister simply means servant).

What does all of this have to do with John Mark’s gospel? Everything. John Mark, or just Mark, wrote his “good news” account to not only demonstrate that Jesus was the embodiment and total fulfillment of Isaiah’s anticipated “Servant of the LORD,” but that in being redeemed by Christ His followers/friends/disciples are grafted into the very fabric of God’s living, active, glorious story of redemption! Jesus’ friends truly become the unified Bride of Christ, the Church, which heralds Immanuel’s story of incarnation, obedience, and perfect love.

In living out the “good news” of King Jesus we truly do “feed on the treasures of the nations and boast in their riches,” because the ultimate treasure is reconciliation and fellowship with God Almighty. Jesus graciously invites us into His missional story of redeeming humanity. When we actively, willfully, and joyfully participate in that story we can then boast in their eternal riches in Jesus our Savior King.

John Mark’s relentless undercurrent of immediacy and forward momentum reaches its climax in Chapter 16.  Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion of our series on Mark’s gospel…

Blessings,

Kevin M. Kelley

#KMKelley1968

amostunlikelydisciple.com