4TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (YEAR A)

1st Reading                   Isaiah 7:10-14

Psalm                              24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. (R. 7c and 10b) 

"R://"Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory."

2nd Reading                Romans 1:1-7

Gospel                           Matthew 1:18-24

TRUST THE GOD WHO SAVES

Friends, Peace and Goodness! All too soon, we have arrived at the 4th Sunday of Advent (Year A), being ushered into the final week of Advent. Additionally, we are also in the second part of Advent (from 17th to 24th December), which focuses on the immediate coming of Christ at Christmas. Today, we shall also light the fourth Advent Candle, the Candle of Love. 

Our first reading is from Isaiah 7:10-14. Isaiah 7 deals primarily with issues about the IMMANUEL. The passage today has King Ahaz in view. I think we should advance the context to get a better appreciation of the text. 

Israel, at this time, is divided into two; Northern Kingdom (Israel) and Southern Kingdom (Judah). Ahaz was king in the Southern Kingdom (Judah). Meanwhile, the mighty Kingdom of Assyria was threatening to attack the Northern Kingdom (Israel). Israel formed an alliance with Syria to attack Assyria. This is the Syro-Ephraimite coalition of 734 BC. Ahaz and the Southern Kingdom, however, refused to join that coalition. He was threatened by the kings of that coalition. He feared. It is within this context that Isaiah was sent by God to Ahaz to tell Ahaz to ask for a "sign" ('ôṯ), one to indicate to Ahaz that God is with him and he is his deliverer. No nation shall destroy Judah. Israel relied on their own strength, but Ahaz and Judah seemed to refuse to rely on their human capacity. 

The problem is that Ahaz refused to ask for a sign, giving the reason that he did not want to put the Lord to the test (נסה). That reminds us of the injunction in Deuteronomy 6:16: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test (נסה), as you did at Massah". This is a valid reason for Ahaz not to ask for a sign. The problem of the day is that Ahaz did not refuse to ask for a sign out of reverence and piety, but that in another form, he relied on human strength. He is putting his hope in human capability to save. Unfortunately, he also went to seek refuge with the Assyrians. Because he did this, he said he would not ask for a sign. 

We need to guard against the loss of fidelity to God. There is fidelity to God that is lost clearly, as in the case of the Northern Kingdom (Israel). There is a more dangerous loss of fidelity that is done under the cover of piety and religion. This is pretence. God, out of love and wanting to still tell Ahaz about his sovereignty and power to save and make Ahaz trust him, gave a sign. I think that should provide enough reason for us to see why we should light the candle of LOVE. The sign is this: "The VIRGIN will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him IMMANUEL" (Isaiah 7:14).

Why is this necessary? Well, it has much to do with the Gospel passage for today (Matthew 1:18-24). Let us look at it closely. Isaiah says the sign entails a VIRGIN conceiving a SON. The Hebrew word translated as Virgin in the text is 'Almah. This word means a young woman of marriageable age who has reached puberty but has not given birth. The Greek rendition of that Hebrew word is Parthenos. Another word used to describe a Virgin is Bethulah. However, Bethulah also describes a widow  (Joel 1:8). This person was once married. The 'Almah shall give birth to a Son. That is clearly a male. The male shall be named IMMANUEL. 

In the Gospel passage, we find that the author uses the Greek word PARTHENOS in quoting Isaiah 7:14. He uses it in reference to Mary. What it means is that the prophecy of Isaiah finds fulfilment in Mary. Mary is that 'Almah Isaiah speaks about. This has much do with the virgin birth. 

The second issue is that the Gospel explicitly mentions EMMANUEL as the name of the Child. We already know the child of Mary. He is Jesus. Jesus in the Greek is Iesous. In Hebrew, it is Yeshu'ah. It means "Saviour". Mathew mentions that the child will be called Jesus because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins. Sin is the modern-day Assyria and the coalition that we fight. Additionally, the Saviour will be with us. He will not be against us. 

The final intriguing problem is the naming of the child. I think it is not much of a problem because it affirms the divinity of the child. Isaiah says, "She" will call him IMMANUEL. Matthew says, "they" will call him EMMANUEL. That leaves us with the one who traditionally and officially names a child in Jewish culture.

In Jewish tradition, the father was the one who officially named a child, as in the case of John the Baptist and Zechariah. This was not just about picking a name. It was a legal act that said, "This is my child, and he belongs to my family line." In the book of Isaiah, there is a strange detail: it says the woman (the mother) will name the child. This is a big "red flag" in that culture. It hints that the biological father is missing from the picture. This signals that this conception is a miracle from God rather than a normal human event.

Matthew’s Gospel solves this problem through Joseph. Even though Joseph is not the biological father, the angel tells him, "You are to name him Jesus" (Matt. 1:21). In giving the child a name, Joseph is officially adopting him. This simple act of obedience bridges the gap: it keeps the miracle of the virgin birth intact while legally placing Jesus into the family of King David. Joseph is of the Davidic lineage. If he names the Child, he adopts him into the Davidic line. He names him and Jesus legally and culturally becomes a member of the Davidic line. Joseph’s "yes" ensures that Jesus has a legal home and a royal heritage on earth.

Pax et Bonum