Fr. Eduardo Emilio Aguero, SCJ
Historical Setting
Two miraculous events mark the end of the first part of Isaiah: the deliverance of Jerusalem after it was besieged by the Assyrian King Sennacherib (cf. Is 36–37), and the healing of King Hezekiah (Is 38:1–20). More than a century later, power shifted from the Assyrians to the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar’s vassal, Zedekiah—whom he had placed on the throne of Jerusalem—rebelled. In 587/586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the city and its temple, deporting the nobility, the skilled, and a great number of people to Babylon. Among the exiles was the prophet Ezekiel, who received his call in a foreign land. Chapters 40–55, attributed to an anonymous prophet known as Second Isaiah or Deutero-Isaiah, were written toward the end of the Babylonian exile. Isaiah himself does not appear in this section. Instead, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, is named as the one chosen by God to defeat Babylon and liberate His people in 539 BC. The Judeans are exhorted to resist assimilation into Babylonian culture and religion, to remain faithful to the covenant, and to nurture hope in their imminent return to Judah, where the Lord will reign as King (cf. Is 52:7). This section contains poems describing God’s tender love and saving desire. Among them are the four “Servant Songs,” which reveal a profound and often resisted truth about the Messiah: he will not come as a warrior, but as one humiliated, led to a shameful death, bearing the sins of the people (cf. Is 42:1–9; 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12). The people are urged to renew their faith in God, whose liberating love is both merciful and powerful.
Three Imperatives
“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.” (Is 40:1–2)
Comfort my People
The first imperative is to console. God’s mercy is revealed in His act of purification. Love and truth are inseparable. As Pope Benedict XVI taught in Caritas in Veritate, authentic love must be grounded in truth. “Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of content and meaning.” Sin is a lie, a deviation from our true essence. Israel, by resisting God’s Word and the prophets, had strayed from its vocation: to be God’s chosen people and a light to the nations.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem
The second imperative is to speak tenderly to Jerusalem—literally, “speak to the heart.” God’s Word must penetrate the innermost being of His people. Renewal begins in the heart, where reconciliation and transformation take root. The Word of God is both creative and re-creative. It has the power to bring forth life, to restore it, and to elevate it. The gift of Redemption conveys a life superior and more abundant than the one Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall. God’s mercy aims at re-creating His people by His Word. Punishment is not destruction but purification. Renewal must happen in the heart, where reconciliation with God is made possible. The very word religion comes from the Latin re-ligare—to bind again, to reconnect. The initiative is always God’s. His justice and mercy are not opposed but united in His tender love.
Proclaim
The third imperative is to proclaim or cry out that the time of chastisement has ended. Sin has consequences, but reconciliation requires responsibility. The dynamic mirrors the sacrament of penance: recognition, contrition, confession, absolution, and penance. The Lord is willing to forgive, but sinners must acknowledge their sin and accept its consequences, for “the Lord disciplines those he loves” (Heb 12:6). In harmony with Second Isaiah, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mk 1:15). The joyful proclamation of the Gospel is inseparable from its essential condition: conversion, or metanoia in Greek—a change of mind and way of life, and a disposition to accept Jesus, the Son of God, as Lord and Savior.
The Lord Comes with Power
“Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; Here is his reward with him, his recompense before him. Like a shepherd, he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, Carrying them in his bosom, leading the ewes with care.” (Is 40:10–11)
The hope of the exiles is the Lord, who unites power with tenderness and justice with mercy. As the Good Shepherd, He nurtures, comforts, and heals His people, carrying them close to His heart, in His bosom. Just as the Son of God was in the bosom of the Father (Jn 1:18), so was the beloved disciple in the bosom of Jesus (Jn 13:23). We are also invited to find rest in Him: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). In Israel, kings were often described as shepherds of the people, entrusted with the responsibility to guide, protect, and nurture the flock of God. Yet many rulers failed in this mission, leading the people into idolatry, injustice, and ultimately exile. Without removing the responsibility of the people who followed them, the prophet reveals that the Lord Himself now comes as King to fulfill the role the rulers of Israel neglected. His mercy, His tenderness, and His heed—His steadfast loving-kindness—restore what human kings corrupted. In contrast to failed shepherds, the Lord gathers His scattered flock, heals their wounds, and leads them with care, embodying the perfect union of divine justice and mercy.
Conclusion
Second Isaiah speaks to a people in exile, reminding them that God is Lord of history, Redeemer, and Deliverer. His Word consoles, penetrates the heart, and calls for conversion. The promise of liberation through Cyrus, who defeated Babylon in 539 BC, foreshadows the definitive liberation brought by Christ, who redeems us through His passion, death, and resurrection. The imperatives—comfort, speak, and proclaim—remain timeless invitations to receive God’s mercy, to allow His Word to transform us, and to proclaim the Good News with courage.
Praying with the Word of God
Read this passage prayerfully (Is 40:1-11) Accept Jesus’ invitation to rest in his heart. Ask Him to console you and heal the wounds of your heart. Invite God’s Word to penetrate your innermost being, renewing and re-creating your life in grace. Pray for the courage to proclaim the Good News with joy, by living a true metanoia that witnesses to Christ as Lord and Savior.
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