Second Sunday of Advent
ISAIAH 11:1-10
On that day:
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord.
He shall be imbued with the fear of the Lord. Not by appearances will he judge, nor by hearsay will he decide; he will judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted.
He will strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Justice will be the band around his waist, and faithfulness the belt upon his hips.
The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child will lead them. The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together; the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the child will put his hand into the viper’s nest.
They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a signal for the peoples; the nations will seek him, and his dwelling will be glorious.
The prophet Isaiah pronounces this oracle as a warning to the king of Judah, explaining how the King should be. The King is for the people of Israel (in this case, the kingdom of Judah, the southern kingdom) much more than a political leader. He is above the priests, he is the guide of the people, a special presence of the Lord. The prosperity of the people and the maintenance of the promise depend on his fidelity to the Lord. But King Ahaz has turned away from the Lord, he is idolatrous, he has submitted to the Assyrian gods…
Isaiah launches an oracle dreaming of the true King… and transcends time to speak of the definitive king, the new David, the new Moses, who will fully fulfill the Promise. Jesse is the father of David. The text therefore says that there will arise in Israel “a new David,” a new king and prophet, that is, “the Messiah.”
It is a “messianic” text, announcing the Messiah. But what a Messiah! He is not just a king, he does not speak of political or military power. Full of the spirit of God, which is wisdom, strength, justice, respect for the weak.
We find here an announcement of Jesus. Jesus is like this: full of the spirit of God, full of wisdom and strength and respect for the weak. It is also an announcement of humanity: that is what the human being is. It is not wealth, power, domination of the strong, greed, immediate pleasure… but the law of God, which is wisdom. And that is Jesus. Living Law, Living Wisdom, Living Word, spirit of God visible in a human being.
Thus a new humanity can be made, in which peace reigns: this is what the last images of the text refer to, so expressive, so poetic.
Wonderful Isaiah. Centuries before Jesus he already guessed the true path. Surrounded by people who believed that God served for Israel to be powerful, he already knew that God serves for all humans to have that Spirit. Yes, the Spirit of the Lord was blowing in those Prophets.
ROMANS 15:4-9
Brothers and sisters. Everything that was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that through the patience and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
May God, the source of all patience and encouragement, grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
As it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
Paul understands very well who Jesus is, and what he means for his time. With the arrival of Jesus, the old vessel of Israel overflows. The Spirit of God no longer fits in it. Israel sees, astonished, that the God of Israel is not the property of Israel. Israel has only been – and sometimes very badly – his messenger.
In this letter, Paul addresses the Christians of Rome, a community born from the Jewish colony residing in Rome, to which Gentiles, that is, pagans, are joining.
And he makes a revolutionary announcement. The Bible was not written for the Jews, but for all men. The Word of God is not chained to the people of Israel: it is for the salvation of the world. It is the first feeling that arises from Jesus: accept one another as God accepts everyone.
José Enrique Galarreta, S.J.