Breaking the Word

3^rd Week of Advent, Saturday – 18^th December 2021 — Gospel:  Mt 1,18-24

Step-out Crisis through Obedience

Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus does not read like a report. It gives us no indication about where and when Jesus was born. Because the purpose of the narrative is theological and not historical. This information about Jesus’ birth will be given to us later at the start of the next story (Mt 2,1). The present story is set within the frame of a dream to Joseph which parallels two other dreams he has (2,13-15; 2,19-21). These dreams follow the pattern of the OT ‘message dreams’ through which God communicates with people to direct the course of history (Gen 20,3; 31,24; 46,2-4). Here Matthew wishes to communicate two truths: 1) Jesus is conceived virginally through the action of God, as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isa 7,14; 2) He is adopted by Joseph as his son, and so becomes part of the family of David. However, both Mary and Joseph play a most significant role in the birth of Jesus in Matthew. Both underwent a moment of crisis, while it was implicit for Mary, for Joseph it was explicit.  On the one hand, Mary was asked to accept the challenge of having a child born through her without a natural father. On the other hand, Joseph was commanded to accept the voice of God and carry out what was asked of him. Indeed, both were obedient to God’s direction. Joseph’s obedience allows Jesus to be adopted as the true Son of David. Mary’s role allows Jesus, Son of God to be born through her.

3^rd week of Advent, Friday – 17^th December 2021 — Gospel: Mt 1,1-17

Jesus, as fulfillment of God’s design

The initial proclamation states boldly that Jesus is Son of David and Son of Abraham (1,1). Three messages are enunciated in both the titles. First Jesus is declared as an authentic king. As David’s descendant, he is the legitimate ruler of God’s people. He is the long-awaited Messiah, David’s ultimate successor. Second, Jesus is presented as an authentic Jew. Like all Jews, he is a son of Abraham. He is not a bearer of a divine message alone, but a Jew in whom Israel’s deepest hopes find fulfillment; i.e., in Abraham’s seed “all the nations” of the earth would be blessed (Gen 22,18; Mt 28,19).  Thirdly, Jesus was truly David’s son, not by the natural process of male procreation but by the direct will of God. This is pointed out in the genealogy, where in “holy irregularities” are cited in God’s orderly plan. These represent discontinuities within the continuity of salvation history, i.e., God writes straight with crooked lines. Jesus is born of the royal line within the flow of history, but as Messiah he not only concludes the old privileges but also opens up a new age.