Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for Dec. 4, 2022 (Advent 2A)

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

When we hear a call to repent and wait for the Messiah’s coming through this week’s Sunday Lectionary readings, don’t think of “repent” in the sense of guilty remorse. Hear it rather in its traditional sense: “Change your mind” or “turn back” in the New Testament’s original Greek and in the Hebrew Bible.

If we are on the wrong path in our relationships with God and our neighbors, Sunday’s readings advise us, now is the time to turn back and watch for the light of God’s Kingdom. In our first reading, Isaiah envisions a time when the Messiah – the descendant of King David, whose father was named Jesse – will reign from the Temple on Zion’s holy mountain, where justice will prevail for the poor and the meek.

Psalm: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

The Psalmist seems to draw from the same wellsprings as Isaiah in this hymn of blessing for a new king. Tradition holds that Psalm 72 was written in memory of the coronation of King Solomon. In the verses chosen for Sunday’s reading, we hear the people call for a just and righteous king who will rule fairly. They ask God to provide a king who will bring prosperity to all the people; a king who will take special care to provide for the poor and the oppressed; a king who will reign as long as showers water the earth; a king who will bring peace on earth as long as the moon shines.

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13

At the time of Paul’s beautiful letter to the Romans, the city’s Jews – including Jewish converts to Christianity – had been banished to exile. Paul wrote this letter when Rome’s Jews were coming back home after years in exile. There was tension between the Jewish remnant and the Gentile Christian community that had stayed home all along. Paul turns to the passage we heard from Isaiah to remember the Root of Jesse, presenting the verses as if they were an explicit prophecy of Christ as king over all humanity. In the memory of that time of return, Paul urges the Romans, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

We met John, Jesus’s cousin, as an infant when we read the Song of Zechariah as a psalm on Christ the King Sunday. In that passage, John’s father – the temple priest Zechariah – regained his voice to foretell that the boy would grow up to become a great prophet. This Sunday we encounter John again. He has become a prophet indeed, a loud, wild prophet clad in camel’s hair robes and eating locusts and honey, urging people to repent as he baptizes them in the Jordan river. Matthew tells us that John is the fulfillment of another Hebrew Bible verse – Isaiah 40 – promising that a prophet would come to make way for the Messiah. That figure is coming, says John, speaking of Jesus; and he will baptize not with mere water but with the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Dec. 8, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

Repent! In our Advent readings this SundayListen to a bold call to repent and await the Messiah. But don’t think of repentance in its modern idea of deep regret and remorse.

Hear it rather in its ancient sense, as “change one’s mind” in New Testament Greek, or “turn back” in Old Testament Hebrew. If we are on the wrong path in our relationships with God and our neighbors, now is the time to turn back and watch for the light of God’s Kingdom. In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah envisions a time when the Messiah, the descendant of King David (whose father was named Jesse), will reign from Zion’s Holy Mountain. The lion and the lamb will lie down together, peace will reign, and the poor will receive justice.

Psalm: Psalm 72

Sunday’s Psalm – perhaps originally intended to be sung at a royal coronation – offers support and counterpoint to the Isaiah reading. Subtitled “Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King” in our New Revised Standard Edition, it hammers home the Hebrew Bible’s consistent call for justice and righteousness for all the people, including the poor, the needy and the oppressed. Jesus surely knew these verses, too, and proclaimed them in his commands to love our neighbors, shun riches, and bring good news to the poor.

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13

Paul wrote this letter at a time when all of Rome’s Jews, who had been banished to exile for a decade by the Emperor Claudius, were finally able to come back home after the emperor died. But there was tension in the young church as returning Jewish Christians rejoined Christian communities that had become entirely Gentile. Paul turns to the Isaiah passage that we heard in the first reading, and calls attention to the Root of Jesse, Isaiah’s prophecy of the Messiah coming as king over all humanity.

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

In this Gospel reading we encounter John, the cousin of Jesus. John has become – as his father, the temple priest Zechariah, had foreseen in the canticle we sang two Sundays past – a great prophet in the spirit of Isaiah and Jeremiah. John is a loud and angry prophet indeed, dressed in camel’s hair and eating locusts and honey. He insults the Pharisees and Sadducees as “a brood of vipers,” and calls on the people to be baptized in the Jordan river as a sign of repentance from sin. John, too, invokes the Prophet Isaiah as he declares himself the prophet who Isaiah said would cry out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. John says that while he baptizes with water, the coming Messiah will throw away the old traditions and baptize not with mere water but the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Dec. 4, 2016

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10

Repent! We hear an Advent call to repent and await the Messiah in our readings this week. Don’t think of “repent” in its modern definition of deep regret and remorse, though. Hear it rather in its ancient sense as “change one’s mind” in New Testament Greek, or “turn back” in Old Testament Hebrew. If we are on the wrong path in our relationships with God and our neighbors, now is the time to turn back and watch for the light of God’s Kingdom. Isaiah envisions a time when the Messiah, the descendant of King David (whose father was named Jesse), will reign from Zion’s Holy Mountain, where justice will prevail for the poor and the meek.

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

The Psalmist seems to draw from the same wellsprings as Isaiah in this hymn that may have been composed in memory of the crowning of King Solomon. We call for a just and righteous king who will rule fairly. We call for a king who will bring prosperity to all the people; a king who will take special care to provide for the poor and the oppressed; a king who will reign as long as showers water the earth; a king who will bring peace on earth as long as the moon shines. This is a Messiah devoutly to be wished.

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13

Paul wrote his letter at a time when all of Rome’s Jews, who had been banished to exile for a decade by the Emperor Claudius, were finally able to come back home after the emperor died. There was tension in the young church as returning Jewish Christians rejoined Christian communities that had become entirely Gentile. Paul devots much of the letter assuring both communities that they are all one in Christ. In today’s reading he cites the prophets, including Isaiah’s Root of Jesse, as foretelling Christ as the king of all humanity, the hope of Jew and Gentile alike.

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12

Today we meet John, the cousin of Jesus, now an adult and – as his father, the temple priest Zechariah, had foreseen – a great prophet in the spirit of Isaiah and Jeremiah. John is a loud, angry prophet indeed, dressed in camel’s hair and eating locusts and honey, calling on the people to be baptized in the Jordan river as a sign of their repentance from sin. In these verses, indeed, John invokes Isaiah to declare himself the prophet who would cry out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, a Messiah who will throw away the old traditions, baptizing not with mere water but the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec.8, 2013.

First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
These verses inspired the 19th century American artist Edward Hick to make more than 100 versions of his famous work, “The Peaceable Kingdom,” a memorable portrait of wild and domestic animals living in peace. surrounded by children in white. This is a beautiful image, and it portrays a peaceful life that surely appeals to us all. Isaiah prophesies this happy state as the glorious home of King David’s royal descendant on Zion’s holy mountain. It’s surely easy for Christians to read it as foreshadowing the reign of Christ, who the Gospels also declare a shoot from Jesse’s stock, a descendant of David the king.

Psalm: Psalm 72
Subtitled “Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King” in our New Revised Standard Edition Bible translation, this Psalm – perhaps originally intended to be sung at a royal coronation – offers support and counterpoint to the Isaiah reading. It hammers home the Old Testament’s consistent call for justice and righteousness for all the people, including the poor, the needy and the oppressed. Rabbi Jesus surely knew these verses, too, and proclaimed them in his commands to love our neighbors, shun riches, and bring good news to the poor.

Second Reading: Romans 15:4-13
At the time of Paul’s beautiful letter to the Romans, the city’s Jews – including Jewish Christians – had been banished to exile for years. Now the Roman Jews are coming back home, but there was tension between the Jewish and Gentile Christian communities. Paul turns to Isaiah and holds up the Root of Jesse, understanding the verses as Isaiah’s explicit prophecy of Christ as king over all humanity. His ultimate advice is universal: Live in harmony with Jesus and each other and glorify God.

Gospel: Matthew 3:1-12
We met John, Jesus’s cousin, as an infant in a recent reading in which his father, the temple priest Zechariah, foretold that the boy would become a great prophet. Now we meet John again as a loud, wild prophet, urging people to repent and baptizing them in the Jordan river. Matthew tells us that John is the fulfillment of another verse, Isaiah 40, promising that a prophet would come to make way for the Messiah. That figure is coming, says John, speaking of Jesus; and he will baptize not with mere water but with the Holy Spirit.