Isaiah 60:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consistent with this idea, we note that sorrow is particularly fitting for those entrenched in sin, for they do not anticipate honor but rather punishment, fire, and darkness. Conversely, those who strive to do good rejoice in hope, as the wise Paul mentions (Romans 12:12); their righteous lives will lead to glory and joy in the ages to come. Even if an individual burdened with sin turns to the Lord, is justified through faith, and receives forgiveness, they too should expect to attain the honors set aside for the saints. At that point, their mourning will end, and they will be freed from labor and grief. This notion is reinforced by the following phrase: “They shall be, saith He, all thy people righteous.” This suggests that all those to come shall be justified. These words are directed to the church, as Christ extends grace and mercy, granting forgiveness to those ensnared in sin. The source of this grace is signified by the phrase, “Keeping the garden, the works of his hands to glory,” for we are the planting of Christ, our universal Savior, and His creation. As wild olive branches, we are grafted into the noble olive tree because Christ works within us, for neither intercessor nor angel, but the Lord Himself has redeemed us (Is. 63:9). Thus, He declared: “I am He that speaketh therein” (Is. 52:6). He states that there will be a little one among a thousand, and a little one in a great multitude. Currently, in this age, the saints' glory is concealed, and to the worldly eye, some may appear insignificant, lacking outward splendor. However, when Christ reveals Himself from heaven, even the least of these will be exalted among the nations, leading many as a reward for having conducted an honorable life (2 Tim. 4:7). This is reflected in Christ's words to the apostles: “When the Son of man sits upon the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). Similarly, in the parable regarding the distribution of talents, He states, “Be in charge of ten cities," while to others He entrusts lesser responsibilities, saying, “Be in charge of five cities” (Luke 19:17, 19), assigning rewards in proportion to their faithfulness and honoring each according to their deeds. Thus, finding joy in this, the saints proclaim, “Subdue the peoples under us, and nations under our feet” (Ps. 46:4). Those once deemed the least who later become many and great, I, the Lord of all, will gather in due time, especially at the moment of His heavenly return. Then, for the saints, there will be the fullness of good things; as the wise Paul states, they will be caught up in the clouds on the Day of the Lord, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), partaking in unending honors.

It is not surprising that to obtain the blessings of the promise, the land of the meek and the living may be withheld, as the prophet expresses with longing, saying, I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalms 26:13), for it is the product of the Lord's planting, the work of His hands for the glorification of God. For every garden not planted by My Father in heaven shall be uprooted (Matt. 15:13). According to the Seventy, those who tend the planting of God and the works of His hands shall be preserved for the glory of the Creator. Concerning a good planting, God proclaims through Jeremiah, ‘I will plant you as a fruitful vine full of truth’ (Jeremiah 2:21), which Isaiah refers to as the vine of Sorek (Isaiah 2).

Since Paul, aware of the virtues of Christ speaking through him, could declare, ‘Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ’ (1 Cor. 11:1), he stated to the Corinthians, ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase’ (1 Cor. 3:6). For those planted in the house of the Lord will thrive in His courts (Ps. 91:14). Thus, the one considered small will multiply a thousand-fold, hearing from the Lord, Be thou a region with over five cities or over ten cities (Luke 19:17, Luke 19:19), so that he will be called a ruler of thousands. And he who, along with the apostle, remarked, To me, the least of all saints, this grace is given (Eph. 3:8), will become the leader of a great assembly in heaven when, in due time, the Lord sends His angels to gather all His saints from the ends of heaven (Matt. 21)—not only from Israel but also from the nations, as the Savior indicated: ‘And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd’ (John 10:16). He will accomplish this swiftly, such that from what seems hopeless, a mighty nation will be formed. Although we witness the partial fulfillment of this daily, it will manifest more completely at the end of time, with the second coming of the Savior.

By receiving the Holy Spirit’s anointing, Christ, the Son of God, demonstrates that He is the chosen one, the only begotten. The mission He was sent on to proclaim the Gospel to the impoverished was realized in the fullness of time. When He shared the message of the kingdom of heaven, He blessed His disciples by stating, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). To the nations already bound in their souls by unseen adversaries, He offered liberation (Is 61:1) through those disciples whom He called. Likewise, He brought freedom to the captives and restoration to the blind, that those entrapped by the falsehood of polytheism might receive sight, announcing the favorable year of the Lord (Is 61:2), which He appropriated as His own time when He enlightened those around Him.

When He urged the proclamation of the favorable year of the Lord and the day of retribution of our God (Is 61:2), He did not solely reference events following the conclusion of this age. Instead, He spoke of the present moment, with the favorable year being a time close to the heart of God, and the day of vengeance perhaps being interconnected. At that same point, He would also offer rewards to those who have suffered in this life.