Today’s passage can be read in two ways. One is the literal interpretation which is our most common way of reading. The other interpretation invites us to deeper thinking and discovering. Read Isaiah 35:1-10 with this in mind. Pay particular attention to verses 5-6.
How do you interpret this prophecy? Certainly, in Jesus, we see much of his ministry among the crowds revolve around the healing of physical ailments. Traversing the countryside, populated with the Jewish people, they would be keenly aware of this passage. The Good News of his presence marked the coming of the Promised One! This is great news!
Another read always pulls us to a deeper interpretation. To see can be a metaphor for those walking in the darkness (Isaiah 9:2). To hear can be about discernment of the spirits. To move is to be a people following The Way (vs. 8). To sing is the gift of having a voice, to have freedom…something that the majority of people didn’t have in that time!
The hope of this passage is found in the freedom that is promised. To each of these, new life is granted. It is remarkable that those that would have been deemed ‘sinful’ for their ailments would suddenly be invited into a spirit of jubilation—celebrating the wondrous work of God in their midst! Are you living in that same spirit?