Third Sunday of Lent
Text: Isaiah 35:1-10
Pastor Jean M. Hansen
The beautiful words of the Prophet Isaiah once again touch our hearts this morning. This is the third week that the Prophet has offered sentiments that lead us to hope, to peace, and today, to joy. But it’s joy that is not born of happy times, but challenging ones - what we might call “wilderness days”.
As Paul Dazet notes in his reflection on today’s Old Testament reading, “Isaiah imagines a world where the wilderness blooms, the fearful find courage, and exiles return home on a holy road.” This text is a reminder that, “Sacred space isn’t limited to lush landscapes, it appears in the most barren parts of our lives, wherever God’s joy begins to take root.” Or, as one ancient writer noted, “Where the desert blooms, there the heart discovers the One who renews all things.” (St. Ephrem the Syrian) (1)
Let’s first consider the context of the Prophet’s words. The time-frame is some 200 years later than our previous readings in which Assyria was the enemy of the people of Judah, a reminder that there was more than one Prophet using the name Isaiah. The enemy then was Babylon, who conquered Judah and destroyed the Holy City Jerusalem, decimating the temple. Most scholars believe that the original audience for this prophecy was those living under oppression by Babylon, particularly those who were carted off to exile in that foreign place after the Holy City Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed.
For them, redemption is freedom from political captivity; the actual physical release so that they can journey back to Jerusalem. This poem promises that God will not leave them desolate.
And what better image is there of the reversal of devastation than a once barren landscape bursting into life? Imagine a desert landscape, the ground hard and cracked, and suddenly a carpet of colorful crocuses covers the ground, and soaring cedars and mighty oaks replace the scrub brush, and roses of Sharon add a touch of beauty. Water flows in this previously parched place, and there is new life!
Prior to this chapter, the Prophet’s words were marked by judgment; what a surprise it must have been to hear this vision of healing and joy. As verse 4 proclaims, “Here is your God!”, and when your God comes to save you; your desert will be transformed into a garden, the Prophet announces, and a highway will be created to lead you home. In other words, there will be no wandering in the wilderness as was true for their ancestors who were freed from slavery in Egypt. Instead, they will travel on the “holy way”, a road for God’s people and no one (not even fools) will get lost. Nothing will threaten them, no enemies, not animal predators; they’ll sing in celebration and everlasting joy will be upon them. Destruction will not have the final word.
What a beautiful image! But, there are times in all of our lives when it seems as if that’s not the case. We are not enslaved and in exile as were the first hearers of these words, but fear of an uncertain future may indeed be a reality in our lives as we worry about what’s ahead for ourselves, our loved ones, our nation, our church and our planet. Perhaps this passage can help us remember that God begins renewal in the least likely places.
But if the wilderness symbolizes fear, discouragement, hopelessness and grief, how can it be where joy is revealed? “This reminds us that the barren parts of our lives are not abandoned but are potential sanctuaries where restoration can take root,” said Dazet. (2) Let me say that again, “…the barren parts of our lives are not abandoned but are potential sanctuaries where restoration can take root.”
I would venture a guess that most people do not feel that way about challenging times, and yet how often is it true that growth does happen, even in that personal desert. “Our deserts are not dead ends. They are beginnings,” writes Dazet, who then says, “I’ve known a few deserts in my own life. Seasons when my health was fragile … when every step felt heavier than the last … when grief and worry sat in the room like unwelcome guests who refused to leave.
“I remember wondering if anything good could ever grow there again … if joy, or laughter, or simple energy would ever return. At the time, it felt like nothing but dry ground. Only looking back can I see that even there, something small and stubborn was beginning to push through the cracks. The places we fear are barren are often the soil God chooses for new joy.” (3)
First century Palestine in the time of Jesus was one of those barren places. It’s interesting to note that in the sixth century BCE, as Isaiah described the time of restoration, he spoke of the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf being opened; the lame leaping like a deer and the tongue of the speechless singing for joy as signs of the return of joy.
Centuries later, as John the Baptist’s disciples question if Jesus is the “One”, Jesus tells them to report what he is doing. “…the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” Through Jesus, the signs of joy described by Isaiah are realities.
There are reasons to rejoice when God shows up! And who is present in the wilderness of our lives? God…who came among us in Jesus. Amazing things can happen; our deserts can blossom because God is there with us.
So it is that our prayers should be for two things, that we will have the eyes to see, the ears to hear and the hearts to believe that Jesus brings restoration and new life to barren places, including our personal wildernesses. And, second, our prayers should be that we would become signs of Jesus’ presence to those for who feel lost in the desert.
Our faith walk is a holy way, so that we may, as the Prophet promises, obtain joy in the here and now, even in wilderness times, and one day everlasting joy, as sorrow and sighing flee away. AMEN
1. “Sacred Space: When the Desert Starts to Sing” by Paul Dazet, Dec. 7, 2025, www.Paul dazed.com
2. Same as #1
3. Same as #1