December 24, 2023
Fourth Sunday of Advent
At first glance the link between the readings for this Fourth Sunday of Advent seems readily apparent. In the First Reading from 2Samuel (2 Sam. 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14a, 16) God promises King David that he will establish for him an everlasting dynasty which will give rise to a special heir who will become like a son to God. And in the Gospel from Luke (Lk. 1:26-38), we find the familiar scene where the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she is the chosen one who will conceive and bear this long-awaited savior.
King David is long remembered as being the greatest king in the history of ancient Israel. Chosen by God as a young shepherd among the sons of Jesse from the small town of Bethlehem, King David would go on to accomplish great things as a military leader and ruler of the people of Israel. One of his major victories was the capture of the city of Jerusalem which became the capital of the nation, later known as the royal “City of David.” Centrally located, Jerusalem would become the primary site of worship for Israel.
But in order for this to happen the Ark of the Covenant would have to be located there. This is because the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred container built at time of the covenant with Moses at Mount Sinai, represented the very presence of God dwelling among the Jewish people. Physically the Ark also contained a sample of the manna, the heavenly bread which God gave to the people to eat in the wilderness, the golden staff of the high priest and older brother of Moses, Aaron, and the tablets which contained the word of God, the Ten Commandments.
Subsequently, and with great fanfare, David would relocate the Ark of the Covenant from its resting place in a town called Kiriath-Jearim to the city of Jerusalem (2Sam. 6:1-23). This is the time period where the passage from the First Reading opens today. Here we are told, “When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” (2Sam. 7:1-2).
King David wants to build a Temple to house the Ark, but God instructs David, through the prophet Nathan, that He will be the one to take charge and instead build a house for David. God instructs Nathan, “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in? It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.’” (2Sam. 7:5-9).
God also promises to establish a royal throne in David’s name: “The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”
This promise to David serves as an obvious cross reference to the Gospel for today where Gabriel describes the connection between Jesus and King David by saying, “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk. 1:32-33).
In fact, these verses serve as the basis for the title of Jesus as the “Son of God” which is revealed at his baptism (Mk.1:9-11, Mt.3:13-17, Lk.3:21-23, Jn.1:32-33) and the occasion of the Transfiguration (Mt.17:1–8, Mk.9:2–8, Lk.9:28–36).
However, there is also a subtle, less familiar connection between the conversation of King David with God through Nathan in the historical book of 2Samuel and the interchange between Gabriel and Mary in the Annunciation of Luke. In fact, these two readings provide another one of the key themes for discovering the identity of Jesus as the heir of David and promised Messiah.
This has to do with the fact that surrounding the expectations for the arrival of the messiah were the rebuilding of the temple and the reappearance of the Ark of the Covenant which legends says was hidden by the prophet Jeremiah at the time of the exile (2Macc. 2:1-8). If we look a little more closely at the Gospel for today, we can detect that the Ark of the Covenant has indeed reappeared in the person of Mary and thus confirmed the identity of Jesus as the Messiah.
When Mary questions the angel about conceiving a child without having been with a man, he tells her that it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that she will become pregnant. He says, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” (Lk. 2:31).
Here is where we see the return of the Ark of the Covenant with its sacred contents – the manna, the staff of the high priest, and the word of God written on the tablets. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s womb will contain the very same treasures as the Ark in the form of Jesus.
As the living bread that came down from heaven, Jesus will become the New Manna. As he tells his disciples, “Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Jn. 6:51). As the word of God made flesh, Jesus will fulfill and bring to perfection the Laws of Moses, such as the Ten Commandments (Mt. 5:17). Through the ultimate sacrifice of the crucifixion and his subsequent resurrection, Jesus will become “the great high priest who has passed through the heavens” (Heb.4:14). And finally, he will be the very presence of God, once again dwelling among God’s people as a light shining in the darkness (Jn. 1:1-5).
It is only through the gracious cooperation of our Blessed Virgin Mother that this is accomplished. That is why the church venerates Mary with a number of feast days, including the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and the Solemnity of Mary. And why she is also given an abundance of titles of praise, such as Blessed Virgin Mother, Holy Queen, and Mother of the Church.
And most of all during this holy season of Advent, as we await the return of her son Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we honor Mary as the New Ark of the Covenant.
