The Third Sunday in Advent - 12 December 2010
Isaiah 35:1-10
Canticle 15: The Magnificat
James 5:7-10
Saint Mathew 11:2-11
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| St. John the Baptist - Rodin |
BACKGROUND
John the Baptist – is cast in the guise of a prophet in the Birth Narratives in Matthew and Luke. As such he is identified with prophets from the Hebrew Scriptures, most especially Elijah. Passages from Malachi (3:1) speak of a messenger, “he will prepare the way before me”, and (4:5) “I will send you Elijah the prophet”. Matthew 17:11-13 makes the association with Elijah perfectly clear, “To be sure, Elijah comes…Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.” Luke associates John with Jesus by also relating them as cousins, but many biblical scholars see this as dubious.
Most important is John’s role as a baptizer, especially the baptizer of Jesus. There is considerable thought that John was somehow associated with the Essenes, an apocalyptic group that practiced baptism, who had settled along the shore of the Dead Sea at Qumran. It is John’s role as the preaching prophet and baptizer that seems primary, and that is mentioned in all of the Gospels. His influence lasted far beyond his death, which is evidenced in today’s Gospel reading. He also seems to aroused the ire of the Judean King, Herod Antipas, for speaking openly about court morals, specifically the marriage of Herod Antipas to his sister-in-law, Herodias. Herod had John beheaded for his intrusion into court affairs. The Gospels see him as forerunner and prophet, which is signaled by his apparel, the clothing of a Nazirite – one devoted and set apart for God’s service.
Isaiah 35:1-10
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you."
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God's people;
no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
It is assumed that the first 39 Chapters of Isaiah were written by a prophet before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and Judah’s subsequent exile in Babylon. Later chapters are assigned to a Second or even a Third Isaiah writing after the Exile. Thus, this reading in the thirty-fifth chapter, following a seething oracle against Edom (an enemy of Judah, who took advantage of the kingdom while it was under pressure from Babylon), is in stark contrast with it message of hope and restoration. The reading seems prescient, looking forward to the release from Exile. Or, is it rather a look backward at the Exodus from Egypt, the prophet gently reminding his readers of a former oppression and restoration. The images are mirrored in II Isaiah (40:3-5, and 43:19), where the images are fully related to the release from exile. Chapter 35, however, looks back at the Exodus. This time, the journey is through a desert that has been transformed, and the holy way leads to David’s City and God’s abode – Zion.
Breaking open Isaiah
- If some aspect of your life could be restored to you, what would it be?
- If some desert in your life could bloom, what would it be?
- If you could come home again, where would that be?
Canticle 15 Magnificat
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
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| The Blessed Virgin Mary and Elizabeth |
St. Luke regularly has characters burst into song. Simeon, Zechariah, and the Angels join Mary is singing about what God has done. The hymn is really a pastiche of several lines from the Hebrew Scriptures, and in the end shares a theological stance with Second Isaiah (see: 42:1-4, 49:1-7, 50:4-9, 52:13 – 53:12) where a “servant theology” is espoused. The hymn is also modeled after the Song of Hannah (I Samuel 2:1-10) in which the mother of Samuel praises God for the birth of her child. This connection lead some Latin translations to assign the song to Elizabeth, like Hannah, a child-less woman who is given the gift of a son late in life. The song in Luke enables a great deal of Luke’s on-going program about the poor and lowly, where God takes up their cause, and upholds and exalts them. Compare Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount in 6:17-49 to the thoughts of Mary’s song. The link of this song with the answer of Jesus to the disciples of John in the Gospel for today make it clear as to why the framers of the lectionary chose this reading for this day.
Breaking open the Magnificat
1. Mary says that all generations would call her blessed. What does that mean to you?
2. How have you been blessed in your life?
3. How have you been lifted up by God?
4. Have you ever been “sent away empty?”
James 5:7-10
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
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| Saint James of Jerusalem |
The Epistle of James is probably not an epistle, lacking some of the elements thereof, but rather a sermon preached to a Palestinian congregation. James was ever the pragmatist, embellishing Paul’s notion that faith, and the fruits of faith are inextricably joined. The image of the farmer that James uses betrays his Palestinian background, where spring and fall rains were depended upon to water the ploughed fields. Such waiting is poignant, because the hope is not only defined (food) but necessary (nourishment). He also understands the psychology of waiting, “do not grumble against one another”. Patient waiting is the vocation of the Advent Christian.
Breaking open James:
- Have you had to wait for something in your life? What was that time like for you?
- Is waiting in expectation of something good exhilarating or difficult for you?
- Are you awaiting something good in your life of faith? What is it?
Saint Matthew 11:2-11
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
`See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.'
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
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| St. John the Baptist, da Vinci |
In last Sunday’s Gospel reading, we hear the pronouncements and theology of the Baptist; best summarized in the statement, “Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees.” His expectations of the Messiah were not what he was hearing about Jesus. The Kingdom of Heaven, that Jesus proclaims, is not one of wrath, judgment, or a fiery end-time, nor was Jesus interested in some kind of political upheaval resulting in some kind of messianic empire, or retribution to those who oppressed Israel. Matthew calls Jesus “Messiah” in the first line of the reading, and we have to ask, like John, “what kind of Messiah do you intend to be”. The answer is inferential, relying on the messianic visions of Isaiah (Chapter 61). The signs of the Kingdom of Heaven are all about sight vs. blindness, mobility vs. lameness, health vs. illness, life vs. death.
Perhaps not so much in Matthew, as in John, the Gospels often wrestle with John’s continuing role, and the concerns of the disciples who followed him even after his death (see John 1:6-8). Jesus upholds the Baptist, however, and places him above Moses – a sign to the Jews that prophecy had indeed not ended, but was continued in the Baptist’s ministry. Matthew’s answer is intended not only for the disciples of the Baptist, but for the reader/hearer as well. “The Coming One” (see Matthew 3:11 and Malachi 3:1) is more than either the Baptist or Malachi imagined. His kingdom is gentleness and justice.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- Do you ever wonder about your relationship to Jesus and his role in your life?
- What questions do you have about the dynamic of your relationship?
- How do you see yourself as the Body of Christ in the world?
- How do you make happen the messianic hopes: “the blind see, the lame walk, etc.”?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
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