Nonviolent Atonement and the Lectionary: Isaiah 40:21-31 and Mark 1:29-39

Is there a way to interpret the Bible that reveals God’s radical love and nonviolence? This weekly video series, called Nonviolent Atonement and the Lectionary, explores that question. Today we look at Isaiah 40:21-31 and Mark 1:29-39.

Isaiah 40 begins the section known as Second Isaiah.* This section was written after the Babylonian Conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. The people were sent into exile. It was one of the most horrific moments of Jewish history. The people experienced personal and national crises. Their biggest questions were, “Has God abandoned us? Are the Babylonian gods greater than our God? And who are we now as a people?” Isaiah repeats the rhetorical questions, “Have you not known? Have you not heard?” The answer is that God has always been with them, giving strength to the powerless and power to faint. During difficult times, Isaiah inspires his people to trust in something bigger than their circumstances. God is present with them in their pain, and they can be present with one another.

Mark 1:21-31 is a story about Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law. After she is healed, she makes sandwiches for Jesus and the disciples. Okay, that was a bit snarky. But she is healed and she then serves the men. Is your inner feminist raging like mine? Well, hold on a minute. What’s Jesus point throughout his ministry? It’s that he came to serve, not to be served. He said that if you want to be his disciples that you should serve, too. According to Mark, his male disciples struggled to understand Jesus’ message. In fact, they often fought over who was the greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus repeatedly told them that they missed the point; that whoever was first had to be last. He called his disciples to a life of service. The first person to understand what discipleship truly meant wasn’t a male disciple. It was a female disciple. It was Simon’s mother-in-law.

Notice that in both of these stories, there is never a call for revenge or violence. Isaiah doesn’t call his people to seek revenge against the Babylonians. In a similar way, Jesus doesn’t blame the woman for her sickness, which was often done in the ancient world and in modern times. Jesus isn’t interested in blame. He’s interested in healing. That is the essence of nonviolent atonement.

*Although parts of Second Isaiah are thought to show up in earlier chapters.

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