Beauty for Ashes

When Jesus was bid to teach in the synagogue, He turned to where it was written in Isaiah 61:1-2a because this word was fulfilled in their hearing.  Jesus read what He previously dictated to the prophet:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Jesus stopped right there, for He was the anointed Messiah the Father promised to send to save His people from their sins.  Jesus came to preach the good tidings of the Gospel, to heal broken hearts, to proclaim liberty to captives of sin and death.  The special time God's people had waited for had finally arrived.

Jesus stopped mid-sentence for emphasis on what God had fulfilled in their hearing.  Isaiah 61:2b-3 continues:  "...and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, ³ to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."  The Jewish nation longed for vengeance to be taken upon their enemies, but the time was not yet.  The following verses, however, have been fulfilled by the sending of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit Who regenerates and fills disciples of Christ.  By the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, the divine exchanges spoken of here are promises to receive, a miraculous reality of the Gospel.

For all those who mourn, there is abundant consolation in Jesus--consolation we are not always willing or able to receive due to unbelief.  The pain is so raw, the feelings of being overwhelmed or depressed so real, that the peace and joy supplied by faith in Christ are foreign to our experience.  As I prepared for the sermon this week and considered God's offer of beauty for ashes, I was struck by an awful scene involving Tamar who was violated by her own half-brother Amnon.  2 Samuel 13:19-21 says, "Then Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly."  Tamar put ashes on her head out of profound grief, mourning and loss.  A person near to her robbed her of her virginity and likely ruined her chances in that culture of marriage and motherhood.  The violent and grave sin committed against her brought great shame, and the following verse said she remained desolate in Absalom's house.

Ashes are the waste product of combustion, the fine dusty remnants of wood that was once a tree, alive and beautiful.  Jesus has come with the offer of comfort and consolation for those who mourn over what has happened to them or sin they are guilty of:  there is hope of peace with God for a Tamar or an Amnon.  Due to sin all our hope of relationship with God is lost, but through the Gospel Jesus makes us trees of righteousness for the glory of God, growing and fruitful by His grace.  We do not need to remain desolate and alone because Jesus offers comfort for those who mourn, gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.  The God who cleanses us of sin did not hide His face from shame but atoned for all so we could be forgiven and redeemed.

Notice it says God will "give them beauty for ashes."  Our preference is for God to undo what has happened or to take our ashes away.  By faith in Jesus was can receive the consolation when we are willing to exchange our ruined life for His perfect, abundant life.  Instead of holding our ashes of shame, bitterness and grief close to our hearts, lamenting all we have lost, faith in Jesus allows us to release it to receive His comfort, beauty with praise for God's goodness.  There is great beauty in the cross for those who have eyes to see it, for out of the painful death Jesus suffered new life for lost sinners was assured by the Gospel.  How God will redeem our mourning, ashes and heaviness I cannot say, but I know He is faithful to do so by His grace.  We have this on the good authority of God's word and find comfort for our souls.