REVELATION TO MERE CHILDREN


TUESDAY, FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Isa 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2,7-8,12-13,17; Lk 10:21-24

A Shoot from the Stock of Jesse

The prophecy of Isaiah about the stock of Jesse is a reference to the ancient faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The divine root of the said stock is the word of God. The promise God made to Abraham rested on faith and is passed on to all who believe in the word of God, just as Abraham did. Among Jacob’s children, Judah was singled out for the inheritance of the said blessing of Abraham, which took the form of kingship or ruler of the people of God. The reference to the stock of Jesse is therefore to the manifestation of Abraham’s blessing in terms of kingship in David, the son of Jesse. The stock is the ancient faith of the fathers in the word of God. As the word of God confirms, God is faithful to the faithful souls forever and fulfils his promises to them. The faith of the patriarchs forms a stock from which the blessings of God emerge for us. The greatest of these blessings is the dwelling of the Eternal Word in human flesh. This is in line with Our Lord’s statement that whoever listens to his word and acts on it is like someone who builds his house on the rock. Hence, our faith is the root we sink into the word of God, which makes our lives continuous with those of the patriarchs in faith.

The prophecy of Isaiah clearly refers to the ancient faith of the Fathers that sprouted anew in David in the form of a divine dynasty. The kingship belongs to no other person than the Son of Man. “A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: on him the spirit of the Lord rests, spirit of wisdom and insight, a spirit of counsel and power, a spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.” It is on him that the fullness of the Spirit of God descended and remained. According to this prophecy, John the Baptist was able to recognise the Saviour of the world when the Spirit descended on him like a dove and remained. The significance of the fullness of the Holy Spirit on the Son of Man is the indication of his fullness of divinity. It also shows his total conformity with the will of the Father. He is able to save because of this conformity with the Father. Thus, his presence will establish divine rule over men, and his words will carry divine weight. “His word is rod that strikes the ruthless, his sentences bring death to the wicked.” The prophecy foretold the coming of the Son of Man and the salvation that he established for us. He will bring back the harmony that existed in Eden between man and God, between man and other creatures. “The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion feed together. The lion eats straw like the ox. The infant plays over the cobra’s hole; into the viper’s lair the young child puts his hand.” The peace and harmony will be due to the knowledge of God that the Saviour will establish among us.

Because we are created free to choose knowledge over ignorance, wisdom over foolishness, peace and harmony will be available to the faithful alone. Those who refuse to believe in the Son of Man will still remain in the darkness of sin and its attendant disharmony with nature and God. Jesus confirms this when he says that the mysteries are revealed only to the mere children. “Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said: I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” The meek and the humble are those who believe in the Son of Man for salvation. Those who understand their sinful conditions seek salvation from the Son of Man who teaches us with divine authority. As we noted yesterday, without admission of our sins and confessing them to God, it would be impossible to receive the salvation the Son of Man brought to us. Advent is a time to learn humility and confess our sins before the Saviour who teaches us humility by appearing in our human nature in humble condescension. We are to re-listen to these wonderful prophecies of Salvation given to us through Isaiah and seek the face of God in repentance.

Let us pray: Look with favour, Lord God, on our petitions, and in our trials grant us your compassionate help, that, consoled by the presence of your Son, whose coming we now await, we may be tainted no longer by the corruption of former ways. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of Holy Sirit, God, for ever and ever.  

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