Focusing On Jesus
Commentary
The difference the coming baby makes is the overall theme of Advent 4. The texts prod consideration of new behaviors and attitudes that having Christ in our lives provides.
Isaiah 7:10-16
The first lesson is in the context of a book that is an editorial compilation of two or three distinct historical strands of prophecy. This text is likely a genuine prophecy of the historical Isaiah, an 8th-century BC Prophet to Judah (the southern kingdom). This text emerges in the context of Judah’s Syro-Ephraimite War (734-733BC) (v.2). The Judean king Ahaz is addressed by Yahweh (as mediated by Isaiah) in the midst of turmoil and concern about the future. He commands the king to ask for a sign to verify the earlier prophecy of the demise of Ephraim (one of the tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel now aligned with Syria) (vv.9-10). In a pious-sounding response (perhaps not the reality) Ahaz refuses to test the Lord (v.12). Isaiah responds by challenging him, suggesting that Ahaz does not trust the Lord (v.13). The Prophet proceeds to proclaim that the sign is that a young woman (almah in Hebrew, though its Greek equivalent parthenos might be translated “virgin”) would bear Immanuel (God with us). This offspring is prophesied to eat curds and honey (choice foods for the newly weaned, but hard to obtain in a city like Jerusalem at this time under siege) (vv.14-15). The prophet adds that even before the child gains the ability to discern good and evil, (is weaned) Judah will be liberated (v.16). The last point seems to indicate the failure of Jesus to fulfill the prophecy, as Judah remained under Roman bondage throughout His life. But it could also be taken as testimony to the fact that even as an infant, His Incarnation has saved us and is the liberator of His people from injustice.
With the new year on the horizon, a presidential election ahead, Americans have reason to be anxious about the future. Many wonder how the immigration crisis can be resolved. Brookings Institute reported in 2018 that the median household income has barely budged in recent decades, while prices get higher and higher. As for racism, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Just Statistics reported that while African Americans comprise 13.2% of the population, the black prison population is 35.4%, over half (56.4%) of those sentenced to life without parole are African American, and 41.7% of the death row population are African Americans. And then let us not forget our ongoing wars, mostly fought on our behalf by a statistical preponderance of the poor and middle class and by minorities in comparison to their numbers in the U.S. labor force. We are a nation obviously still plagued by injustice.
Our lesson and the upcoming Christmas season offer a word of hope for what lies ahead. The coming infant will make a difference, we are assured! Indeed, this lesson assures us that the child who is coming will bring (has already brought) us justice! This is an opportunity to preach on the social implications of Christmas, that Jesus our Savior is also as transformer of society, that Christmas is not just about gifts and warm feelings, but a word of justice and freedom.
Romans 1:1-7
The second lesson consists of the opening verses of Paul’s self-introduction to the church in Rome, probably written between 54 and 58 AD. The great evangelist introduces himself as a servant of Christ called to be an Apostle of the gospel concerning Christ who was promised by the Hebraic Prophets, descended from David and declared Son of God according to the Holy Spirit by His resurrection (vv.1-4). Through Christ, it is asserted, we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among the Gentiles, including Roman recipients of the letter (vv.5-6). (Obedience [hupakoe] in faith is not to be understood as a work we do, but literally connotes a submissiveness to God, which is the essence of faith or trust [pistis].) Greetings to the church are offered at the end of the salutation. Recipients in Rome are referred to as saints. References to peace and grace in the greeting were common Greek and Hebraic greetings (v.7).
At least two options for sermons are suggested. One might be to focus on Paul’s claim in v.4 that Christ is declared Son of God by His resurrection. This opens the way to sermons on the significance of the divinity of Christ, that His divinity is more established by His saving work on Easter than by the virgin birth (that it is really Easter that makes a difference in our lives). But another option is the nature of faith which Paul describes. A 2017 Barna Research poll found that 4 in 10 American Christians believe that when they die, they will go to heaven because they have confessed sin and accepted Christ. When you add evangelicals to this number, the percentage of Christians maintaining this position swells. It is our faith that saves, so many of us believe!
Paul instead refers to the obedience of faith. By that he means that faith is submission, or trust. Faith is not what we do. It is just giving way to God, being used by the Holy Spirit like a car goes nowhere without gasoline. When the Spirit brings Christ to us our lives are changed. This is how Christ makes a difference in our lives. The pressure to live faithfully diminishes when faith become submission or trust that God will change our lives. Advent is about preparing ourselves to live this way, in joyful anticipation of Christ’s coming.
Matthew 1:18-25
The gospel for the fourth Sunday of Advent is an account of Mary’s pregnancy and Joseph’s reactions to it. It has no parallels in the other gospels, just as the Matthean author’s attempt in the preceding verses to link Jesus to David through Abraham and highlight his Hebraic-Davidic roots (vv.1-17) is unprecedented. Of course, that is hardly surprising given this gospel’s likely origins in an attempt to strengthen the faith of a group of Jewish Christians no longer in full communion with Judaism (21:25; 23:29), but still practicing many Jewish observances (24:20).
In purporting to describe Jesus the Messiah’s birth, the author first notes that Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before living together she found that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit (v.18). Her fiancé Joseph is described as righteous, addressed by an angel as a son of David. Originally planning to dismiss his apparently promiscuous fiancé quietly when her pregnancy was revealed, Joseph changes his mind after an angel reveals to him in a dream that the child was of the Holy Spirit (vv.19-20). The angel also reveals to Joseph that the son Jesus (the Greek form of Joshua meaning “He Who saves would save the people from their sins.” This would be in fulfillment of the prophetic utterance of Isaiah 7:14 regarding the virgin conceiving a son called Emmanuel, that is “God with us” (vv.21-23; see the discussion above regarding the First Lesson). It is reported finally that Joseph did as the angel commanded and took Mary as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she bore Jesus (vv.24-25).
If we want to focus on how Jesus makes a difference in our lives, there seem to be two good options for sermons on this text. One is to focus on the virgin birth. Of course, this miracle cannot be explained. And yet it is absolutely necessary that Jesus had a human mother. Since He has no earthly father, Christ can only be human if He has a human mother. Make clear to members that historically this has been the reason for the virgin birth, to affirm that Jesus is human and so must have had a human mother. He must be human, or He could not have borne our human sin! A valid sermon would be to help get parishioners’ minds off what the virgin birth is and on why we need it. Helping them to appreciate the significance of Jesus’ humanity reminds us all that the significance of Christmas is that God/Jesus has come to save us. And insofar as we have a body like His, we can begin to feel better about our own bodies, for they share the strengths and eternal destiny of Jesus’ own body.
Another avenue for a sermon might be to focus on the meaning of the name given our Lord, “Emmanuel.” The baby who is coming is God with us! No more are we alone. No longer need we be uncertain. We want to help hearers appreciate that God is always with us.
This is a Sunday for making clear that our focus this week needs to be on Jesus, to get our minds off those presents or preparation plans for the family gathering. We can do that with sermons which make clear the difference Jesus makes in our lives.
