24.12.2023 – Villanueva del Arzobispo – Iznatoraf (Jaén)

Promise and Fulfillment – Saying Yes to God’s plan.

2Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Psalm 88 (89), Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent. This year’s fourth Sunday of Advent comes almost very late leaving us with little or no time for preparations for the Christmas celebration that begins with the Vigil Mass, Midnight Mass and Mass of the Christmas day. This year, all these will take place at least within 24 hours.   

I will like to invite us briefly to take some closer look at today’s readings which are beautifully selected and arranged. In effect, the Gospel is a fulfillment of the Messianic promise of the First Reading as reinforced by the Psalmist (in Psalm 89).

The Prophetic message of 2Sam 7 comes third in biblical tradition about the promise of the Messiah just behind Gen 3:15 and Gen 12:2-3. Jacob had seen that the leadership of the tribes would fall to his fourth son, Judah; Balaam had predicted that a star and a scepter would arise out of Jacob that would crush all his enemies. But Nathan now predicts that the one family in Judah on whom the mantle of ruling will descend is David’s family. And that rule, kingdom, and authority will not be limited; three times he emphasizes that it will be “forever” (2Sa 7:16).

After all his wars, conquering all his enemies and seeing how God had protected him over the years, David wanted to build a “house” for God and when he told this to the prophet Nathan, his immediate reaction was positive: David should proceed with his plans to build a new house for God. However, that night God warns Nathan that what he told David was his own opinion and not a divine instruction. Nathan is then told to deliver to David one of the most sensational predictions in the Bible. God’s point is decisive: Instead of having David build a “house” for the Almighty, God will make a “house” out of David (2Sa 7:13). He will do this by conferring on him and his “seed/offspring” (v. 12) the promises he gave to the patriarchs.

Nathan’s prophecy, predicts several important new features about the coming Messiah: (1) The Messiah will come from David’s flesh and seed; (2) he will be David’s heir; (3) he will also be God’s natural son, (4) he will have a kingdom, rule, and reign that will never end; and (5) he will surely come one day in the future.

Thus, we move from the “seed of the woman” (Gen 3:15) who will be victorious over Satan, to the “seed of Abraham” (Gen 12:2-3) who will be a blessing to all the earth, to the “seed of David,” (2Sam 7) who will have a rule that will never end. This progressive tripartite messianic promise-plan of God is fulfilled in Jesus – What we celebrate at Christmas is God’s fulfillment of those promises.

Thus, when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary, the mother of the Messiah, that “the Lord God will give [Jesus] the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Lk 1:32b-33) as we read in today’s gospel. The angel is thus reaffirming the promise that had been made to David. The Apostle Paul in today’s second reading reaffirms that this is a mystery that was kept secret for long ages and is now being disclosed. One can only imagine the gap in years between Nathan´s Prophetic Message and The Angel’s annunciation to Mary to understand Paul’s point here.

But how does all of this concern us here and now? The Apostle Paul says that all these should elicit in us “the obedience of faith.” Faith in the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever. That’s exactly Mary’s response in Gospel. Celebrating Christmas should elicit in us, a total yes to God’s plan just like Mary accepted God’s will – “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”