Third Sunday of Advent - Year A
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10 or Luke 1:46b-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
ACNA Readings – Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-20; Matthew 11:2-19
Seasonal Introduction. The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church calendar. It directly precedes and leads up to the season of Christmas. While Christmas music starts to be sung in churches around the world, Advent is more than an introduction to the Christmas season—it is a season of expectation that God will fulfill His promises.
Adventus speaks of an arrival—God coming to earth. The Nicene Creed states of Jesus: “For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” But the Nicene Creed also states: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.”
Common Theme. Our hope should be in God and His beloved Son—the God who redeems, heals, and judges righteously.
Hebraic Context. For the ancient Biblical writers, doing something defines both the action done and the doer of the action. Another way to put this is that people are known and defined through what they do. This holds true for both God and His creation. We say that God is good, but how do we actually know that to be true? God is good because He does good and what is good is known to be good by its being done by God.[1]
In Jewish hermeneutics, when this is applied to humans, you do the truth, not simply believe in the truth. If you believe something to be the truth and you act the opposite, then not only is this hypocritical but it also reveals that, deep down, you likely don’t really believe it to be true.[2] The prophets are clear when they say; “Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). To do the opposite is to walk toward a very dark path indeed.
In the sacred history of Israel God demonstrated that He is impartial in His behaviour. During the exodus from Egypt, the Lord not only rescued Hebrew slaves but a mixed multitude also accompanied the Israelites—they too were rescued out of darkness. Redemption at passover included both Jews and Gentiles, slaves and slave owners, the rich and the poor. Everyone equally passed through the Red Sea on the way to Mount Sinai, thus both Jews and Gentiles heard the voice of God. While the Scriptures often call the Lord the God of Israel, we know He is much more than that. Jewish prayer always begins with the omnipresent proclamation that He is “King of the universe”.
Following the example set by His Father, Jesus also served rich and poor, male and female, Jew and Gentile. While His primary ministry was to Israel, the promised redeemer was also to be a light to the Gentiles. The Gospels recorded several encounters with Gentiles and Samaritans and His behaviour towards them taught His disciples that God does not discriminate.[3] Jesus met with and taught the rich, healing their children and slaves. He also met with the poor, giving sight to the blind and making the lame leap. Finally when the apostle John was shown a vision of heaven he recorded in Revelation that he witnessed people from every tribe and tongue standing before the throne of God.[4]
Isaiah 35:1-10.[5] Amid war and potential exile, Isaiah speaks of a desolation of the land—cities burned and left without inhabitants, vineyards laid waste, and fields overrun by thorns and briers as drought draws near.[6] Even Zion would become a wilderness.[7] This is in accordance with God’s promises in Deuteronomy 28:23-24 and Deuteronomy 29:22-23, “And the foreigner who comes from a far land, will say, when they see the afflictions of that land and the sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick—the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout… ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land?’” However, Moses continues in Deuteronomy 30:9, promising that when the people returned to God, the land would be restored.
Isaiah was called to prophesy to a nation whose hearts were fearful because of their present-day trials.[8] The Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib had not yet been repelled.[9] In Isaiah 34, he had prophesied judgment on the Gentile nations, but would the wrath of God also remain on Israel? “Behold, your God will come with vengeance.” In the midst of the fear and desolation, Isaiah spoke of a time of restoration: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,”[10] and, “He will come and save you.”
In Isaiah 37, there would be a military victory against the Assyrians—purely through the vengeance and recompense of God. Yet the prophetic salvation is more than a military victory, for when God’s salvation comes, miraculous power accompanies it. With the coming redemption the Lord will heal and perform miracles among the sick. All creation, including the earth itself, will be affected. Everything that seems wrong will become right.
The Lord’s vengeance is accompanied by recompense for His people. Dry sands become streams of water; deaf ears hear, and blind eyes see. The coming redemption is indeed something to be extremely hopeful for. Jesus used these images in Matthew 11 to show the disciples of John the Baptist that the Messianic age had indeed arrived. Redemption is tangible, touching the physical world and is something that can be seen. Messianic salvation is not an esoteric spiritual thought or emotive feeling—it is God in action among His creation.
The Lord’s vengeance is also accompanied by grace. The Song of the Wilderness speaks of the restoration of Israel, who will return to Zion on a highway. This highway is a recurring theme throughout Isaiah. Isaiah 11 specifically mentions a highway that will return the diaspora from Assyria and the Middle East along with Egypt and North Africa to Israel. But Isaiah 11:16 and Isaiah 19:23-25 includes the inhabitants of those lands—Assyrians and Egyptians—who will also join Israel in turning to God. So while the military defeat of Assyria would bring hope to Israel, there would also be hope for Assyrians should they come and worship the LORD. Isaiah 33 mentions that this highway has no travelers, but Isaiah 35 says that one day the ransomed of the LORD would return to Zion (including fools). Isaiah 40 and 62 tells the people of God to prepare the highway of the LORD while Isaiah 49 speaks of God building the highway.
Psalm 146:5-10.[11] [12] After declaring their intention to praise God as long as they live, the authors of Psalm 146 compared two powerful agents on earth. The first is the princes. They may be the wealthy or great people in our society. There is a tendency to have greater fear or respect for those with wealth and power.[13] Our presidents, kings, and governors are, in reality, men of flesh like ourselves. In the end they will all disappoint, and their endeavours—no matter how well intentioned—will come to a close. Our faith should be in something that endures beyond the lifespan of a monarch or a short-lived parliamentary term.[14] Our trust and hope should rest in the eternal Lord—it is to Him that we should profess our love and loyalty.
The psalmists then presented evidence of God’s goodness and creative power. God made the heavens and the earth. He is thus supremely powerful and able to exercise his dominion in ways mortals cannot. The Lord’s use of His power is for truth and justice.[15] God provides food and sustains all His creatures that He called into being. The Lord is able to do the things that our modern elites and intellectuals promise to do, but inevitably fail to deliver. God rescues the captives and heals the sick. It is the Lord, not a philosophy or government of man, who cares for the widows and orphans—the ones at the bottom of the socioeconomic levels. In contrast to the great and renowned of the earth, the Lord will live and reign forever. If there is anyone worthy of our allegiance with oaths of loyalty, then surely it is only the Lord.
In describing the reasons to trust the eternal God over frail human leadership, the psalmist incorporates much of the redemptive imagery of God, perhaps sourced from Deuteronomy 10:12-21. This redemptive imagery became messianic in nature, particularly in Isaiah. Certainly both Psalm 146:7-8 and Isaiah 61:1-2 seem to speak of a great time of God’s redemption, which comes to fruition in Luke 4:18-19 and Matthew 11:5.
Jesus continued the work that God had continuously done, giving justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.[16] This was what Jesus was anointed to do and it should not come as a surprise. Jesus is God and, of course, would continue to do what God desires to do. But Deuteronomy made it clear that God’s people were also commanded to partake in these redemptive actions.
If we are praising the LORD with our whole being, then we too will be serving the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. Otherwise, we are simply singing words. While we may be simple human beings who are on earth for a finite time, it does not mean we shouldn’t be generous. To sing praises to God without following in His ways is not praising God—it is blasphemy.
James 5:7-10.[17] Having spoken of the blatant disobedience of the rich—who withhold wages through fraud in violation of Leviticus 19:13: “You shall not oppress your neighbour or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning…” and even murdering the righteous—James addressed those persecuted saints and spoke of coming judgment and the need for patience.
Even though James writes to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion,[18] he used illustrative language that was specific to the land God had promised to the children of Jacob—Israel. The early and the late rains were the blessings that God gave to the land when the people were obedient to His commands. We may think that Israel is a good land because it flows with milk and honey. In fact, it is a good land because it requires the LORD God to care for it. Without God’s blessing, the crops won’t grow, for there are no major rivers in Israel that can sustain the population.
“Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the land will yield no fruit, and you will perish quickly off the good land that the LORD is giving you.”[19]
Every farmer in Israel has no choice but to wait for God’s blessing—or face the judgment of drought. James provides two options: be patient and steadfast—as the prophets and Job were steadfast in suffering—or grumble against one another and be judged.
Returning to an earlier theme in his letter and connecting it to suffering and judgment, James states that simply acting according to your word is better than swearing an oath by heaven or earth. Yeshua ben Sira warned,
“Sinners are overtaken through their lips… Do not accustom your mouths to oaths nor habitually utter the name of the Holy One… The one who swears many oaths is full of iniquity, and the scourge will not leave his house. If he swears in error, his sin remains on him, and if he disregards it, he sins doubly; if he swears a false oath, he will not be justified, for his house will be filled with calamities.”[20]
Biblically, the people of Israel could swear by the name of GOD.[21] But by the time of Jesus and James, the warning in Exodus 20:7 was taken seriously: “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”[22] Likewise, Numbers 30:2 was a warning that was taken seriously, “If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word.” And so many started to swear by other things: heaven, earth, Jerusalem, the temple, the altar, or even one’s own head.[23] A debate arose as to whether these oaths held the same weight as swearing by the name of God.[24] Jesus and James both argued that the words we speak should match our actions.
James concluded his letter to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora with an urge to pray. Specifically, James spoke of the appropriateness of prayer in suffering, in praise, and in sickness. When times are difficult, we must turn to God. Gold and silver corrode while luxury and self-indulgence are fleeting. Hopefully, we aren’t the ones misusing our wealth and power (if God has been gracious enough to give that particular gift to us) but rather the church has, historically, been persecuted for their righteousness—even as Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John declared and Luke showed.[25] Prayer—turning fully to God in love, hope, and faith—helps us remain steadfast in living according to the calling of the Gospels, for we must be fully dependent on Him.
We should establish a pattern of prayer before we encounter difficult times. It can be true that our prayer life increases in fervor during times of trouble but James also urged us to pray when times are good. We should depend no less on God when life is going well. Forgetting God during times of blessing will neither help us remain steadfast when trouble comes nor help us recognize the grace of God when it comes. If we are happy, let us sing psalms of praise. It is in prayer, including praise, worship, and thanksgiving, that we are grounded in our relationship with the living God—for we live in His mercy and grace.
Finally, James urged us to pray for the sick, together with the anointing of oil and confession of sins. “The prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.” Does that mean that we only need to pray and our loved ones will be healed? To save, in the Greek σωσει (sōsei), is both future and active (or continuous) and is used in all five other occurrences in the New Testament to speak of salvation of the soul from sin (including James 5:20).[26] This might be why James connects our prayer for the sick so strongly with confession—particularly as being sick was closely related to death until modern medicine.[27] It is also hard to pray in faith and righteousness if we do not confess. Many of our liturgies include a public confession which is followed by a public pronouncement of the assurance of forgiveness. Confession is very powerful, and we do well not to ignore it.
In the end, we are called to pray. But it is the Lord who raises the sick up.[28] However, that does not mean we do nothing. Oil was considered in the ancient world to have healing properties and was used for all sorts of purposes, both ceremonial and medicinal.[29] Caring for the sick in times of plagues, resulting in the death of many Christians but salvation (both physically and spiritually) of many families was something the church was well known for in history.[30] It was also the church that often established hospitals all over the world and sought cures for many diseases. These characteristics of care for the sick should not simply be part of our past, but also our present and future.
Matthew 11:2-11.[31] Although John the Baptist was known as the baptizer, he was originally simply John, son of Zechariah. John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest in the Temple, and his mother, Elizabeth, was a near relative of Mary.[32] It was to Elizabeth that Mary ran when she learned she would bear a child, even though it should have been impossible, since she had not lain with a man. John leapt in Elizabeth’s womb, and she, filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
How could Jesus, a young child still in His mother’s womb, be called “my Lord” by Elizabeth? In the same way that David had declared his descendant, “My Lord” in reference to the Messiah.[33] Zechariah, at the birth of John, prophesied “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.” A clear reference to Malachi 3:1.[34]
John himself recognized Jesus’ authority, stating, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”[35] He heard God speak of Jesus as “My beloved Son,” after His baptism. John was a prophet to whom God said, “‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”[36] And so, in turn, John told his disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” when he saw Jesus.
Despite all he had learned from the Hebrew Scriptures and the prophecy he had received from God and his parents, John still asked one last time, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Did John lose faith? Hebrews 11:37-38 speaks of those who were killed by the sword and wandered in the desert in skins of animals as those “of whom the world was not worthy.” But still, John asked.
Jesus responded with the prophecies that John would have known so well. The blind receive their sight.[37] The lame walk.[38] Lepers are cleansed.[39] The deaf hear.[40] The dead are raised to life.[41] And Jesus did not abandon the ministry for which God had anointed Him—to bring good news to the poor.[42] Notably missing, Jesus did not speak of bringing “out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness,” or proclaiming “liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”[43] With a deafening silence of omitted prophecy, Jesus did not speak of freeing His close relative, co-worker, and almost certainly His friend. But He did state that those who are not offended by Him are blessed—and John was highly blessed.
John was incredibly popular and widely regarded as a great prophet (something that very few prophets enjoyed in their mortal life). The inhabitants of Jerusalem, Judea, and even the Galilee and the people beyond the Jordan went out of their way into the wilderness, walking for days in a dangerous place, to see and hear a prophet of God.
Biblically, reeds were something that provided a false sense of security. Israel’s alliance with Egypt, a land connected so closely to the Nile and its environs, was called a broken reed that would not be able to protect Israel.[44] Israel was also like a reed when they turned to idols rather than God.[45] The same was true of false prophets. They provided a false sense of security, declaring: “‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”[46] But they will be wiped out when stormy winds break upon them.[47] John, a true prophet and one “of whom the world was not worthy,”[48] preached repentance to the same crowd that now gathered around Jesus.
God’s power is great—nothing can stand before His might. Matthew 11:12 and ‘violence’ (βιαζεται, biazetai) has been interpreted two very different ways. First, it has been translated as being passive, “The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” This fits well with the Hebrew Scriptures, Second Temple writings, and the writings of both Jesus and Paul. Evil men fight against the kingdom of God and violently battle both God and all those who fear Him. Throughout Scripture and Second Temple history—from Psalm 2:1-3 to Isaiah 53, from the persecution of Jeremiah to the martyrs under the Seleucid empire, and from the opening chapters of the Book of Wisdom to Paul’s warnings to the Corinthians and Thessalonians—violent opposition to God and the righteous was and will be common. John’s imprisonment and death due to his righteous actions is not unusual.
But Matthew 11:12 and ‘violence’ (βιαζεται, biazetai) can also be interpreted in the present indicative middle voice, “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Jesus tells Peter that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Gates are defensive measures to hold an enemy outside the city walls, but the gospel—the victory already won and now proclaimed—forcefully advances straight through the gates of hell. “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.“[49] Although John was imprisoned, his message was powerful and drew the people of Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond far more effectively than the corrupt priests could in all their comfort and political machinations.[50] From a Hebraic perspective, the best interpretation is that both are true: violent men will fight against God and His saints, but God’s kingdom will forcefully advance.[51]
Jesus then took a very Hebrew concept and combined it with a very Greek concept. The crowd had heard John preach repentance, but the question is: Did they have ears to hear? Moses turned to the Israelites, those who had “seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.”[52] This message became a motif throughout Scripture.[53] Jeremiah proclaimed, “You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all His servants the prophets.”[54]
Occasionally, the people would listen attentively to God’s word. For example, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, “And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.”[55] Likewise, God occasionally closes His ears, “Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”[56] But most often, God not only hears the cry of His people but also opens the ears of the deaf to hear.[57]
The people not only have to hear God, they have to hear Him when He calls to them. Jesus gives an unusual quotation, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” Eating, drinking, dancing, and playing the flute seems to have been a common practice in certain cultures, as Strabo writes, “Their meals they take sitting, on seats put up round the walls, and they take place on these according to their age and rank. The supper is carried round, and whilst drinking they dance to the sound of the flute and trumpet, springing up and sinking upon the knees.”[58]
Herodotus tells a story of the Persian conquest. In it, some of the people only acquiesced to the Persians after they saw that the Persians were victorious rather than listening when Cyrus had first sent them his messengers:
“As soon as the Lydians had been subjugated by the Persians, the Ionians and Aeolians sent messengers to Cyrus, offering to be his subjects on the same terms as those which they had under Croesus. After hearing what they proposed, Cyrus told them a story. Once, he said, there was a flute-player who saw fish in the sea and played upon his flute, thinking that they would come out on to the land. Disappointed of his hope, he cast a net and gathered it in and took out a great multitude of fish; and seeing them leaping, “You had best,” he said, “stop your dancing now; you would not come out and dance before, when I played to you.” The reason why Cyrus told the story to the Ionians and Aeolians was that the Ionians, who were ready to obey him when the victory was won, had before refused when he sent a message asking them to revolt from Croesus. So he answered them in anger…”[59]
John and Jesus came to speak of repentance, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Many did turn and repent, but others refused to listen. John and Jesus acted in different ways, one with a meagre diet, wandering in the wilderness and the other attending feasts with great scholars. There was always an excuse to not hear. Jesus not only sat with scholars but also with great villains. Tax collectors and sinners. But what they used as a criticism has become one of the greatest comforts we have today. Jesus is a friend of sinners.
But whether it was John, Jesus, those who repented, or those who refused to repent, the proof of their wisdom is in their deeds. How do they act? Both Jesus and John lived where all could see their deeds. As for those who repent, do they “bear fruit in keeping with repentance?” If not, they may have ears to hear, but do not hear. And for those who refuse to repent, as Herodotus writes, “You had best stop your dancing now; you would not come out and dance before, when I played to you.” Jesus’ very next words, according to Matthew, speak of woe and judgment.
Advent Canticle
Luke 1:46b-55. Mary travelled from Nazareth to Judea not once, but twice while she was pregnant. The first journey followed the angel Gabriel’s visit, where she learned she would miraculously conceive the Messiah, despite being a virgin. Understandably, Mary was “greatly troubled” by this news, but Gabriel reassured her of God’s faithfulness, pointing to her relative Elizabeth’s unexpected pregnancy in her old age as evidence of God’s miraculous power. In response, Mary embarked on a journey from Galilee to Judea to witness this miracle for herself.[60] Our faith is based on the faithfulness of God.
Scripture provides no background on Mary. The gospels make no mention of her parents and she has no written interaction with extended family outside of her cousin Elizabeth.[61] Orthodox Christianity holds to a tradition that Mary’s parents were also Levites and her father served in the Temple along with Zechariah and perhaps even Anna and Simeon.[62] Biblically, we can note that Mary’s familiarity with Scripture is evident in the Magnificat, which draws heavily from the Psalms and the prophetic writings. Her song reflects themes of God’s salvation and justice for the humble, and God’s continued faithfulness, mirroring the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1–10). Both songs celebrate God’s care for the humble and oppressed, showing how He exalts the lowly and fulfills His promises.
After travelling to visit her family and be reassured of God’s faithfulness, Mary and Elizabeth shared a moment of joy. But as the ladies met, so too did the unborn children. The Holy Spirit touched John in the womb who “leaped in her womb” in the presence of the Messiah. This caused Elizabeth to pronounce a blessing on the younger woman, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Not only was Mary blessed, but so are we because of her obedience to God. Mary’s role in the birth of God incarnate—Immanuel—is not just extraordinary but deeply sacrificial. When Gabriel presented God’s request for her to bear the Messiah, Mary could have said no. She understood the ridicule and disbelief she would endure—few would believe her account of the Holy Spirit's role in her pregnancy, and her reputation would be permanently tarnished. Yet Mary responded with profound humility and obedience, declaring, “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Unlike Eve, who disobeyed God’s voice in the Garden, Mary heard the voice of Heaven and obeyed. Her willingness to endure suffering for God’s purposes set her apart, and it is fitting that all generations call her blessed.[63]
Mary responded with what we now call the Magnificat, her song of praise. Mary not only knew the sacred history of God’s faithfulness, but she also understood its importance to her, those around her, and all of Israel. God exalts the humble, fills the hungry, and fulfills His promises to Israel. These themes, deeply rooted in Israel’s sacred history, provide rich material for contemplation during Advent.
Her song, like her life, is an act of worship born out of faith and obedience. As we contemplate the Magnificat during Advent, we are reminded to shift our focus from material concerns to the true presence of God. Mary’s life and song challenge us to embrace humility, faith, and the joy of participating in God’s redemptive plan.
Endnotes
[1] This may seem like circular reasoning, and perhaps it is, but that makes it no less true.
[2] The opposite can also be true, as our actions can help in our spiritual maturity. Praising God in song can be worthless if we aren’t worshiping him with our entire being—both in our soul and our actions. But hearing, singing, or reading a Psalm, song, or spiritual hymn can still help us turn back to Him in a time of despair or pride. Kneeling before God in prayer, even when we don’t want to, can help us repent or give thanksgiving. And serving our neighbours in love is God’s commandment whether we feel like it or not. And in the doing we can be faithful to Him who was faithful to us and see all the reasons we should be worshiping, confessing, and giving thanksgiving to the almighty God.
[3] In Luke 9:51-56, the disciples asked Jesus if they could call down fire on the Samaritans that rejected them. Jesus rebuked them and they continued on their way. By Acts 8:14-17, following the example of Jesus’ positive interactions with the Samaritans (and Philip’s ministry in Samaria), the apostles were able to lay their hands on many Samaritans in order to receive the Holy Spirit rather than the destructive fire they had first thought to call on the Samaritans.
[4] This includes people from: Egypt, where God had to redeem His people from slavery; Moab, who so often fought against Israel; Philistia, who mocked the God of Israel; Assyria, who slaughtered the people of God indiscriminately; Babylon, where the children of Israel grieved; the Seleucid Empire, where soldiers and kings watched as whole families were martyred for their belief in God; and, indeed, wherever those in darkness repent. For God’s mercy is great and repentance is available to everyone in equal measure.
[5] Isaiah 35:1-10 is sometimes referred to as the “Song of the Wilderness.”
[6] Isaiah 1:7; Isaiah 5:6; Isaiah 6:11-12; Isaiah 32:13-14
[7] Isaiah 64:10-11
[8] For anyone who has never been in an all out war, it is impossible to understand just how much it affects everything in life—food prices soar and work becomes unavailable; family members may never come home from fighting or leave home because of rampant disease; constant fear or even despair, along with bitter hatred (or hollow numbness) become constant companions.
[9] See Isaiah 37:21-38.
[10] See also: Isaiah 32:14-20; Isaiah 41:17-20; Isaiah 51:3; Isaiah 55:12-13; Isaiah 60:13
[11] ACNA includes Psalm 146:1-4
[12] The word ‘Hallelujah’ הַלְלוּיָה is the imperative to ‘Praise the Lord’ and it stands at the beginning of eleven psalms: 106, 111-113, 117, 135, 146-150. Hallelujah is also the final word of twelve psalms: 104-106, 113, 115-116, 135, 146-150. Psalm 146-150 do not have an ascribed author, although it’s possible that they were written or used by Levitical worship leaders in the Temple. The Septuagint believed that Haggai and Zechariah were the authors of Psalm 146-148.
[13] Sometimes we do not trust people in leadership, but we can actually fall into the same trap of looking at them in fear, disgust, or occasional hope. They are still mere men and women. We should still look to worship God as long as we live—even as our fight is not against “flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
[14] Many of the great biblical characters were men and women of wealth. Wealth is not inherently an evil thing and can be a blessing from God. These people of faith were also often generous. Having someone generous with financial means to help us can offer a sense of security. But history shows that a king who followed God may be succeeded by an evil king, and all the good they intended would be undone or used for evil. We are dust and to dust we will return. Psalm 146:3 poetically uses the term בן אדם (ben adam) for human beings, and then immediately states that we will return to our own אדמה (adama, earth) when we die.
[15] Psalm 146:6 is sometimes translated as “who keeps faith forever.” Faith, אמונה (emuna), and truth, אמת (emet) are similar and often translated interchangeably in many translations. For instance, Proverbs 12:17, 22 both use the term אמונה (emuna) but in the first instance it is translated as “truth” while in the second instance it is translated as “faithfully.” This is likely due to the common English misunderstanding of the term “faith” as it is used in the Hebrew: “Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.” If אמונה (emuna) were translated as “faith” rather than truth, faithful, or faithfulness the current English definition of faith would be utterly insufficient to explain how “faith” could be used in such a statement.
The use of both faith[fulness] and truth to translate אמונה (emuna) and אמת (emet) is not bad translation work in modern English. But it may limit our understanding of the two Hebrew words and the theological arguments regarding “faith.”
Faith translated as truth: Deuteronomy 32:4; I Chronicles 9:22, 26, 31; Psalm 119:30; Proverbs 12:17; Jeremiah 5:1-3, Jeremiah 7:28; etc. (This translation is most common in the KJV)
Truth translated as faith: Genesis 32:10; Joshua 2:14; II Chronicles 32:1; Nehemiah 7:2; Nehemiah 9:33; Psalm 54:5; Psalm 146:6; Isaiah 38:18-19; Jeremiah 32:41; etc
[16] Jesus, when responding to John, did not state that He would set free the prisoner. This is a blatant omission as it is found in Isaiah 42:7, Isaiah 49:9-10, Isaiah 61:1, Psalm 107:10-22, and Psalm 146 in close proximity to the other activities that Jesus tells His cousin that He is doing. Luke 4:18-19 also omits “and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”
[17] ACNA includes James 5:11-20
[18] By the late 2nd Temple period, the time of Jesus, the Jewish people were scattered all over the world. The Greek word διασπορᾷ diaspora refers to Jewish people who are residing outside the land of Israel and living among Gentiles. However, while the term diaspora is Greek, it only appeared in reference to the exile of the Jewish people—the first use of the word was expressly created for this event by the authors in the Greek translation of Deuteronomy 28:25, 30:4; Nehemiah 1:9; and Jeremiah 15:7. The authors of the New Testament, being Jewish, continued to use the word for that express purpose. (According to the work of Stephane Dufoix, The Dispersion: A History of the Word Diaspora, only later, well after classical and Koine Greek were no longer in use, did the term diaspora change to a less specific context as it entered French and other scholarly languages of the 19th century.)
It was within many of those Jewish communities that the good news of Jesus the Messiah first found fertile ground. Regarding the extent of the dispersion, Josephus wrote: “There is no city, no tribe, whether Greek or barbarian, in which Jewish law and Jewish customs have not taken root.”
[19] Deuteronomy 11:11-12. See also: Deuteronomy 28:23-24; I Kings 8:35; I Kings 17-18; Jeremiah 3:3; Amos 4:7-8; Haggai 1:9-11
[20] Sirach 23:8-11
[21] Leviticus 19:12; Deuteronomy 6:13; Deuteronomy 10:20; Jeremiah 4:2
[22] Many Christians don’t think twice about throwing around words such as “Jesus” or “God” in trivial and profane circumstances but would never dream of saying “curse words” that are not prohibited by Scripture. Scripture does state that we should not use sexually vulgar and filthy language. But it is the name of God that we are told to not use in vain.
[23] Matthew 5:33-36; Matthew 23:16-22
[24] Mishnah Shevuot 4:13
[25] Persecution of the righteous wasn’t a new idea for the Church, II and IV Maccabees spoke at length about the persecution of the righteous along with the Book of Wisdom (The Wisdom of Solomon). Persecution comes against anyone that God chose out of the world, for the world hates God. This is why anti-semitism has never ceased over the past three millenia—there is no one event that should garner such animosity and hate except that God chose Israel and the world hates God.
[26] Matthew 1:21; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; II Timothy 4:18; James 5:20
[27] In Shabbat 153a.5 it states, “Rabbi Eliezer said, ‘Repent one day before your death.’ Rabbi Eliezer’s students asked him: ‘But does a person know the day on which he will die?’ He said to them: ‘All the more so… one should repent today lest he die tomorrow…’ By following this advice one will spend his entire life in a state of repentance.”
[28] To raise up, εγερει (egerei), is used both in the context of eternal salvation and physical help. For instance, in Matthew 12:11, Jesus (when commenting on Shabbat) spoke of saving a sheep from a pit by raising it up. On the other hand, Paul reminded the Corinthians (in II Corinthians 4:14) that the same one who raised Jesus from the dead would also raise them up into His presence.
[29] In the story of the Good Samaritan, both oil and wine were used with bandages to clean the wounds of the beaten man.
[30] Eusebius, in Ecclesiastical History VII.22.7-9 mentions one such occasion.
[31] ACNA includes Matthew 11:12-19
[32] According to the Protoevangelium of James (a popular and accepted apocryphal, yet orthodox text) Mary grew up in and near the Temple mount. She was commonly found on the temple mount and was beloved of all the righteous who stayed at and near the temple—people like Zechariah as well as possibly Simeon and Anna.
[33] Matthew 22:43; Psalm 110:1
[34] Luke 1:76; Luke 7:27; Matthew 11:10. See also: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23
[35] Matthew 3:14
[36] John 1:33
[37] Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 35:5; Isaiah 42:7; Isaiah 61:1; Psalm 146:8
[38] Isaiah 35:6
[39] When Naaman was sent to be healed of his leprosy, the king of Israel tore his clothes and said, “Am I god, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” II Kings 5:7
[40] Isaiah 29:18; Isaiah 35:5
[41] By the time of John and Jesus, it was commonly accepted that God not only could raise people from the dead, but would raise people from the dead. Daniel 12:2; I Samuel 2:6; Isaiah 26:19; II Maccabees 7.
[42] Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18
[43] Isaiah 42:7; Isaiah 61:1
[44] II Kings 18:21; Isaiah 36:6. See also: Isaiah 19:1-10
[45] I Kings 14:15
[46] Jeremiah 6:13-14. See also: Isaiah 30:9-11; Jeremiah 8:10-12; Jeremiah 14:13-16; Jeremiah 23:16-32; Jeremiah 27-29;Ezekiel 22:28; Micah 2:6-11
[47] Ezekiel 13:10-16
[48] Hebrews 11:38
[49] Daniel 2:44.
[50] Despite their power, the priests and Sadducees were afraid to act in public against John and Jesus because of their popularity.
[51] Similar to βιαζεται, Hebrew can use the term פרץ (peretz) “breach” to speak of those who violently break out against God, “There is swearing, lying murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds (פרץ), and bloodshed follows bloodshed.” (Amos 4:2) But they will not be successful, “They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply (פרץ), because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine.” (Amos 4:10)
On the other hand, God and the King of Israel will successfully breach the gate: “He who opens the breach goes up before the; they break through and pass the gate, going out by it. Their king passes on before them, the LORD at their head.” (Micah 2:13) Breaching a gate or wall is a violent action in war, “and [Jehoash] came to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for four hundred cubits” (II Kings 14:!3) and the victory often relies on whether the attackers can successfully accomplish it or not. But the first use of peretz is in Genesis 28:14 where God promised Jacob, “Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad (פרץ) to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south.” There was a Jewish hope that the one who would breach the wall, the promised king, would conquer and expand the kingdom.
[52] Deuteronomy 29:2-4
[53] Psalm 115:6; Psalm 135:17; Isaiah 6:9-10; Isaiah 42:20; Isaiah 43:8; Jeremiah 5:21; Jeremiah 6:10; Ezekiel 12:2; Zechariah 7:11.
[54] Jeremiah 25:4
[55] Nehemiah 8:3
[56] Ezekiel 8:18
[57] Exodus 2:23-25; Exodus 3:7-9; Exodus 6:5; Psalm 18:6; Psalm 34:15; Psalm 138:3; Isaiah 30:19; Isaiah 58:9; Jonah 2:2. See also: Tobit 3:16; Sirach 35:16-21
[58] Strabo, Geography 3.3
[59] Herodotus, The Histories 1.141. See also: Herodotus, The Histories 2.60.1-2 which mentions the flute and dancing in relation to mockery.
[60] Mary would later return to Bethlehem in Judea to give birth to Jesus.
[61] The exact relationship between Elizabeth and Mary is not stated in the Bible, rather it says they are συγγενης (suggenes, kinsmen).
[62] Many of the traditions about Mary’s childhood come from the Protoevangelium of James which, although it was not accepted as Scripture and its teaching being unnecessary for salvation, was accepted by both the Orthodox and Catholic church as consistent with Scripture.
Mary’s parents were named as Joachim and Anna, Levites serving in the Temple. The traditional site of their home was near the pools of Bethesda, north of the Temple Mount. They too had been quite old, as Zechariah and Elizabeth, and God blessed them in their old age and faithful prayers with a daughter. Unfortunately, they died while Mary was still quite young and so she was raised by the faithful women and few faithful priests who continued to worship God in the Temple—true worship of God being to take care of the orphan.
[63] Protestants tend to downplay Mary’s role in the message of salvation. However, we should recognize the great work God did through Mary. Hearing God and becoming obedient, she became, in many ways, the first disciple of the Messiah. Mary is one of the greatest examples of obedience to God and faithfulness in Scripture. She is blessed among women and we can declare that she is blessed. (Luke 1:48)