LIFE Sunday
Jan. 23 & 27, 2008
Text: Isaiah
49: 1-6
WHY A WOMB?
Why a womb? If you were God and wanted to restore your
people, if you were God and wanted to bring salvation to the “end of the earth”
(v 6), if you were God and wanted to defeat sin, death, and Satan, if you were
God and wanted to be glorified in all of this (v 3), why enter the world
through a womb? Why not arrive on a
white horse wielding a flashing sword accompanied by legions of angels and blazing
chariots? Why a womb?
In last week’s Gospel, you might
remember, a few of John the Baptist’s disciples question Jesus as to where
Jesus is staying. They wind up following
Jesus. One of them, Andrew, goes and
tells his brother, “We have found the Messiah!”
He is so excited, he runs to tell his brother, who happens to be
Peter. (Now this is the first chapter of
John…) At the end of John’s Gospel,
after John tells us all about the Christ, the Messiah, we hear John say: “These words are written that you might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by believing, have LIFE
in His name.”
Jesus is about life. Real life. The Word of God before us today
provides answers to this questions about life. God will teach us that the Messiah would be
called from the womb to identify with and bring salvation for all humanity.
Why a womb? First, it took a womb to properly equip the
Messiah for the task of bringing salvation to the “end of the earth.” In the prophecy that is our text, Jesus Himself
speaks to us. He tells us that God the Father, “formed me from the womb to be his
servant” (v 5). God formed His mouth
“like a sharp sword” and made Him like a “polished arrow” (v 2). The servant’s task required a human body.
If Jesus, God’s servant, was to be
“wounded for our transgressions” (Is 53:5), then He needed a back to feel the
scourge, hands and feet to receive the nails, and a side to be pierced by the
spear. If He was to pour out “his soul
to death” (53:12), He needed lungs to stop breathing, a heart to stop beating,
and a brain to stop functioning. If He
was to be “an offering for sin” (53:10), He needed blood to shed.
Being formed in a womb made these
things possible. After His miraculous
conception by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus grew and developed in Mary’s
womb just like every human being. His heart began beating at around twenty-four
days. Blood flowed in His veins at
thirty days. He produced brain waves at forty-three days. About this same time His lungs were nearly
developed. By seven weeks He had little
feet and little hands complete with finger prints. By eight weeks He, like all of us, was a
small-scale baby one and an eighth inches long and weighing one thirtieth of an
ounce.[i]
In order to be a “light for the
nations” and bring salvation to the “end of the earth” (v 6), the servant Jesus
must suffer and die. In order to suffer
and die, Jesus had to become a human being. The writer to the Hebrews put it this way,
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise
partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has
the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear
of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb 2:14-15). It took a womb to do that.
It also took a womb to be the necessary
beginning point for the task of bringing salvation to a fallen world. Jesus says, “The LORD called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name” (v 1). The path of salvation that would lead to the
“end of the earth” had to begin in a womb. He who would be the “light for the nations” had
to begin His life in the darkness of His mother’s body.
The womb was an absolutely necessary
place to begin. Here’s why: “Surely I
was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps 51:5
NIV). Since our humanity begins at the
moment of conception, our sinfulness begins at the moment of conception. Because our sinfulness begins at the moment of
conception, our Savior from sin had to begin His sinless life from the moment
of conception. To be our Savior, Jesus
took our place, not only on a cross and in a tomb, but also in a womb. It was necessary for our salvation that the
servant Jesus be called “from the womb.”
It does seem strange though doesn’t
it? Instead of coming to save us with
legions of angels and blazing chariots, our God came hiding in a womb! We see this “hiding” language in our text. Jesus would have a mouth “like a sharp sword”
but—“in the shadow of his hand he hid me” (v 2a). Jesus
would be like a “polished arrow” but—“in his quiver he hid me away” (v 2b). Sometimes
God accomplishes His will visibly and powerfully—parting the Red Sea comes to
mind or the walls of
Jesus did not come on clouds in
blazing glory. He hid in a womb. Jesus did not come as a king but hid as a
servant. Jesus did not come to live in a
palace, but hid as someone who had no place to lay His head. Jesus did not come as a judge to condemn, but
hid as a teacher of truth in whom there is no condemnation. Jesus did not come to defeat earthly enemies
by leading an army. He came to defeat
Satan and sin and death by hiding on a cross. It was in all of this that God was glorified.
Still, it does seem strange that God
would choose to accomplish His will by hiding. It seems like such a difficult way filled with
humiliation and pain and suffering. The
servant Himself questioned the way of hiding. We hear Him in our text, “I have labored in
vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity” (v 4a). We hear Him in
Why a womb? It took a womb to equip the Messiah with the
human body He would need to suffer and die and rise again for the salvation of
the world. It took a womb as a necessary
starting point to bring salvation to the world. That leads us to our final point and our main
point. It took a womb for the Messiah to identify with and bring salvation for all humanity. This is the message of Epiphany. Jesus did not come just for a certain ethnic
group or for people with a certain skin color or for people with a certain
mental capacity. He came to be light for
all the nations. He came to bring salvation to the “end of the
earth.” In today’s Gospel, John points
to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29). (Emphasis added.)
As an embryo developing in His
mother’s womb, Jesus identifies with humanity at the point which is the very
essence of “sameness.” Although
individual characteristics are there genetically from the moment of conception,
outwardly we are all exactly the same. You cannot look at an early embryo and discern
whether it is male or female, black or white or red or brown. You cannot look
at an early embryo and know his or her intelligence or athletic ability. You cannot look at an early embryo and tell
whether he or she will be a person with a particular disease or disability. As embryos, we all looked exactly the same!
And guess what? Jesus looked exactly the same! Jesus looked just like all of you. Jesus looked just like people from Africa or
the Near East or the
How remiss we would be as Christ’s Church
if we were to exclude certain people from the message of salvation. Thank God we belong to a church body that
never says, “We’re not sending missionaries to that country. You know how those people are.” We never say, “We’re not going to start a
church in that part of town. Those people will never listen any way.” No, we belong to a church body that
understands “those people” are people for whom Jesus died and rose again. We belong to a church body that boldly
proclaims the message of salvation cross-culturally, to all nations wherever
and whenever God gives opportunity.
However, we do live in a country that
still openly discriminates against a certain people group. This discrimination is so entrenched and so
widespread that it can even deceptively draw God’s people into its bigotry. We live in a country that says people not yet
born are really not people and have no rights including the right to life. After thirty-five years of this prejudice,
many in the Church have forgotten the humanity of the unborn and, without even
thinking about it, exclude them from the message of salvation.
But Jesus did not exclude them! He became one of them. Every embryo in a womb is an embryo for whom
Jesus entered a womb as an embryo. Every
embryo in a womb is part of humanity for which Jesus suffered, died, and rose
again. Every embryo in a womb not only
has the right to life, but is someone for whom Jesus paid to have eternal life.
God formed Jesus in the womb and God
called Jesus from the womb so He could bring salvation to all humanity. All humanity—red or brown, black or white,
young or old, fit or feeble, born or unborn—is precious in His sight.
That is the message of Epiphany! This is the message that can change the
course of this country when it comes to the value of human life. This message gives value to those not yet born
and about to enter this life. This
message gives value to those who are frail and about to leave this life. It gives value to the young woman in a crisis
pregnancy for it speaks of God’s forgiveness and love and strength. It assures her she is not alone and enables
her to make a choice that is best for her and her baby. This message speaks compassionately and gives
value to those who have made an abortion choice and are now dealing with its
guilt and regret. This message speaks to
them as it does to us all for we all have sinned. It says, “You
are precious in His sight! Jesus entered
a womb, lived, suffered, died, and rose again for you. He made things right
with God for you. God, in Jesus, forgives you all your sins regardless of number or magnitude. In Jesus, you have hope and peace.”
Why a womb? The answer is the message of Epiphany. God formed Jesus in the womb and called Him
from the womb so He could identify with and bring salvation for all humanity. Why a womb? It enables us to sing not only with the
children but to the world, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children
of the world; red and yellow, black and white they are precious in his sight.”[ii]
Why a womb? It also enables us to sing, “Jesus loves His
precious children, all the children of the world; born and unborn all alike
they are precious in His sight.”[iii] Amen.
(Rev. James Lamb,
Lutherans For Life)