Take without money
The words of the prophet Isaiah that we have before us today are beautiful, full of comfort, hope, and promises of God’s mercy. The Lord invites the thirsty to come to the waters, promises abundant forgiveness to sinners, and reminds us that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. But before considering what these words mean for us, we should look at what comes before them. In the preceding chapters, Isaiah speaks to a people who have turned away from God and who will have to face the consequences of their unfaithfulness. And yet, the Lord does not leave them without hope. In chapter 53, we read about the Servant of the Lord, who suffers for the sins of others and gives them peace through His wounds. In chapter 54, God promises to restore His people and reassures them of His enduring love. Now, in chapter 55, that promise becomes a wonderful invitation: come and receive what you cannot obtain for yourselves.
The passage begins this way: “Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!” In the arid land of Israel, water was essential for life and was not always easy to find. And yet, the Lord invites all who are thirsty to receive water, food, wine, and milk without money and without price. It is a banquet of salvation prepared by God Himself, in which no one is excluded because of their social position or financial circumstances. This is a wonderful picture of grace: God’s gifts cannot be bought or earned. We often approach Him thinking that we must first offer Him something: better behavior, more prayers, or a life that is finally worthy of His attention. But the Lord does not tell us to come when we have become worthy. He invites us to come precisely because we need what only He can give us.
Isaiah then asks a question that touches our everyday lives: “Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” We know what it means to work hard to obtain something, only to discover that it does not bring us the happiness we had hoped for. We think that a better job, more money, or the approval of others will finally satisfy us. And yet, even when we obtain these things, the hunger within us remains. The same thing happens in our relationship with God. We may try to silence our conscience through good works and religious activities, hoping to find peace with Him in this way. But none of these things can erase our sins or reconcile us to God. That is why the Lord invites us to listen to Him: “Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good.” He offers us what money cannot buy and our efforts cannot produce: the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through His promises.
Isaiah continues: “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” Notice how the invitation to receive God’s gifts is closely connected to hearing His Word. The Lord does not leave us to search for salvation through our own wisdom, nor does He ask us to invent a way to reach Him. He comes to us through His Word and gives us what He promises. This is why we gather in church to hear the Scriptures and receive the preaching of the Gospel. This is why Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are so precious: in Baptism, God joins His Word to water and gives us His promise; in the Lord’s Supper, Christ gives us His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. We do not come because we have made ourselves worthy, but because we need the gifts that God freely offers.
The Lord then speaks of “an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” God had promised David that his kingdom would endure forever. And yet, the history of his descendants was marked by unfaithfulness and failure, eventually leading to exile. How, then, could that promise remain firm? Its fulfillment did not depend on the faithfulness of earthly kings, but on the faithfulness of God Himself. The promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Son of David, whose kingdom will never end. Through Him, salvation reaches not only Israel but all nations. The Servant who suffered for our sins has paid the price of our redemption. Therefore, we do not need to earn God’s favor or add anything to the work Christ has accomplished: His forgiveness is given to us freely because He has already borne our sins.
The prophet then gives us an urgent invitation: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” We are often tempted to put off returning to God, thinking that we will take our faith more seriously when life becomes less hectic or when we have resolved our problems. But the Lord calls us now through His Word. Isaiah explains: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Returning to the Lord means acknowledging our sins instead of defending them and abandoning the idea that we can establish our own righteousness before God. But notice what the Lord promises to those who return to Him: He will have compassion and will abundantly forgive. God does not forgive reluctantly, as though He must be persuaded to show mercy. No matter how great our sins may be, we are not beyond His ability to forgive us. As Saint Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans, where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. This does not give us permission to remain in our sins, but it gives us the confidence to return to the Lord, knowing that His mercy is greater than our guilt.
Finally, God declares: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” We expect everyone to receive what they deserve and forgiveness to be granted only to those who have proven themselves worthy of it. If we applied this reasoning to our relationship with God, we would have every reason to fear His judgment. But His ways are higher than ours. God does not ignore our sins; He deals with them through His Son, who takes our place and bears their consequences on the cross. We might expect Him to reject sinners, but through Christ, He offers them forgiveness. We might think that we must make ourselves worthy of His love, but He freely gives us His grace.
The Lord also assures us that His Word is not spoken in vain. Just as rain and snow come down from heaven to water the earth and make it fruitful, so His Word accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it. Our salvation does not depend on the strength of our own efforts, but on the faithfulness and power of God’s Word.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Isaiah invites us to draw near to the Lord, to hear the life-giving Word, and to trust in the Savior who has paid the price for our sins. When your conscience accuses you, when your efforts leave you unsatisfied, or when you wonder whether God can truly forgive you, do not seek peace in your own merits. Listen to His promise. Come to Christ, who died and rose again for you. His mercy does not depend on how worthy you are, but on His faithful love. The Lord invites you to come without money and without price because, in Jesus Christ, He has already provided everything you need. Amen.