Growing up in Church one of the Scriptures I heard during Advent was the story of the wise men.  In Matthew’s Gospel it says, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?’” Christians intuitively understand that this story is about the birth of Jesus Christ and the wise men who travel far to honor Him. However, one of the amazing things about God’s Word is that our understanding of Scripture can grow over time. Our Heavenly Father continues to help us grow in our knowledge of His Word. 

The Father through the Spirit uses a book’s purpose and structure to help us see more of the glory of God in Jesus Christ. In my view the Great Commission in Matthew 28 is the overarching point of the book. It appears that everything in Matthew is an argument why this new community of disciples should go make disciples beginning in their city and to the ends of the earth.  

 What about the structure of Matthew’s Gospel? Throughout Matthew the Holy Spirit uses three types of witnesses to drive home his overarching point in Matthew 28. Those three witnesses are 1) the God of Israel (usually by quoting Old Testament Scripture), 2) those who experienced Jesus, and 3) Jesus’ own words and deeds. Now we can go back to the story of the wise men and ask some questions. Which type of witness do we see in that story? What is their testimony? How does that particular type of witness especially drive home the argument of Matthew 28? 

This advent we are looking at what God says through the prophet Isaiah. Christians understand the basic meaning of many of the famous Scriptures from Isaiah read during Advent. However, let’s take a minute to consider the purpose and structure of Isaiah. How might we find the books’ overall purpose? There are four places where the Holy Spirit often reveals the point of any book in Scripture. 

1. The Bookends. A good place to start is with either the beginning or end. Authors will make their main point at the start or finish of a book. 
2. The Sandwich. Another good place to look is in the middle. Many times Biblical writers use a “sandwich structure” where the meat is in the middle of the book.
3. The Command. One more clue can be the imperative mood. When an author tells you to do something - that’s the imperative mood.  Often entire books will be an argument to obey a central command. 
4. The Label. Find the verse that would be a good label for the whole book. What verse would give a place for everything in the whole book?

 As I read Isaiah, his main point is found at the beginning. Isaiah 1:18-19 says “Come now let us reason together says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. But if you refuse and rebel you shall be eaten by the sword.” This verse meets the criteria of 1, 3, and 4 above.  Consequently, I think the Holy Spirit is making a very long and convincing argument over sixty-six chapters to do the reasonable thing, come to King Jesus, trust His promise of deep forgiveness, and put this new trust into action with obedience. 

Now we can go back to some of those famous Advent passages from Isaiah and ask some questions. Lord willing in my next blog post we will consider the structure of Isaiah and how it can help us understand the intention of the Spirit.