Fourth Sunday of Advent: Saved by Jesus

by the Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J.

nly the gospels according to Luke and Matthew have introductory sections about the birth and childhood of Jesus. In Luke this section foreshadows things to come in the gospel and in Acts, the second part of his work. These infancy narratives were in large part freely composed on the basis of earlier models and in imitation of Old Testament birth stories and include canticles composed of phrases drawn from the Greek Old Testament.

The author structures his infancy narratives by presenting parallel scenes, first of angelic announcements of the births of John the Baptist and of Jesus, and then of the birth, circumcision, and presentation of both John and Jesus. The purpose of these stories is to introduce and identify John and Jesus as agents of salvation history. Both come from God; but through this parallelism, the author is able to stress the preeminence of Jesus over John: John is presented as prophet of the Most High, Jesus as Son of the Most High.

Today's gospel selection (Luke 1:39-45) is the third episode in these infancy narratives. It is an episode complementary to the two preceding annunciation scenes. It brings together elements from each of them and acts as a link by having the two mothers come together. It is in turn followed by the Magnificat, an early Jewish Christian hymn composed of phrases from the Greek Old Testament.

In these beautiful infancy narratives, the author of this gospel presents a meditation on the redemptive work of Jesus. We too are invited to join him in his praise of God's saving activity in the person of Jesus as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas season.

The first reading is taken from the book of Micah (5:1-4). The Hebrew text reads, "And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you one (or: a king) shall go forth indeed, who shall be ruler over Israel." This forms part of the promises made to Israel in that book. The oracle contrasts the actual eighth-century king of Israel, just humiliated by the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib, with an ideal successor to the throne, whose birth would inaugurate the new era of glory and peace. The description of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in the New Testament is intimately connected with his Davidic role.

The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews (10:5-10) presents an early Christian reflection on the saving value of the death of Jesus. Christian faith gradually came to the conviction that the death of Jesus was the true sacrifice prefigured by the multiple sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood. The author here states his view that these sacrifices did not bring about the spiritual benefits they signified because human sinfulness could not be removed by the blood of animals.

So he placed a passage of Psalm 40 on the lips of Jesus at the time of his incarnation to show that Jesus understood his mission in these terms. He pictures Jesus acknowledging that the four principle types of temple sacrifices did not remit the sins of the people and so, perceiving the will of God, he offered his own body for this purpose.

This is an expression of Christian reflection on the meaning of Christ's death for us. It reminds us that what we prepare to celebrate at Christmas is not just the birth of a child but the beginning of our salvation. What happens to Jesus at his infancy, according to the gospel stories, foreshadows his saving death and resurrection. In these stories we have the seeds of our Easter joy, beckoning us to hear him and to follow him along his way. This is the message of Christmas: that God sent his Son to lead us to him. So let us open our hearts to him in a special way this Christmas.

The Rev. Francis T. Gignac, S.J., is a professor and chairperson of the Department of Biblical Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. A photo is available.

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Revised: 11 November 1997

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