Third Sunday of Advent - Year A
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
ACNA Readings – Isaiah 7:10-17; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25
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. There is a promise that God will come to His people. What God has promised will surely come true. Indeed, the promise of God in the midst of His people has already come true as He causes His face to shine upon His people that they may be saved. And His promise has come true as Jesus, the creator of the world and everlasting God, came to dwell bodily among men.
Hebraic Context. Miraculous birth narratives of biblical heroes are uncommon, but not unknown, in the Hebrew Scriptures. Adam,[1] Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Samson, and Samuel all have special circumstances surrounding their birth, marked by divine intervention and expectation.[2] Typically, an angel or divine being appears; fear follows; a promise of birth is given; objections are raised; a sign is offered; and the birth itself is unusual—often because the mother is infertile or of advanced age. In the case of Moses, the miracle lies not in conception but in divine preservation at birth.[3] Salvation begins with God, but it wasn’t simply something He enacted on His people, but started within their history—through families and children.
God consistently begins His saving work through His people. So how are we to understand salvation in light of Christmas? Sadly, many Protestant traditions view the incarnation merely as a means to an end—the sacrificial death of Jesus and our salvation. In contrast, Eastern Churches insist that the birth of Jesus is no less essential than His death and resurrection. Paul writes, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Salvation is not rooted in a single moment, isolated from the rest of Jesus’ life. Salvation is found in the person of Jesus Himself.
Not only are we saved from Satan, sin, and death, we are also saved for something. God is a God of life; Jesus “came that [His sheep] may have life and have it abundantly.”[4] This life isn’t simply a future life, we have already been raised to life. Each Christmas, we can remember the mysteries of the entire life of the Messiah, from the incarnation, nativity, and presentation in the temple, to His baptism and transfiguration, through to His death and resurrection in Jerusalem, and finally His ascension and exaltation. We can also participate in the history of God’s great redemption as we celebrate these holy days.
The concept that we must personally take part in past events is Jewish and dates from the late Second Temple Period. It is found in the earliest Passover liturgies when Rabbi Gamaliel states, “In each and every generation a person must view himself as though he personally left Egypt.” In the retelling (liturgy) of the Exodus story, time collapses and every Jew must grasp that they are participating in the historic life of Israel and act accordingly. This theology finds its way into the New Testament when Paul tells the church in Rome that they have been crucified and have risen with Christ.[5]
Isaiah 7:10-16.[6] Ahaz is noted to be a wicked king over Judah, remembered for the sacrifice by fire of his son to Moloch.[7] He fought against two kings, the king of Israel and of Damascus—the two kings Ahaz dreads. They cut off his trading power both to the north and to the south, as they captured Eilat and used it in conjunction with the Edomites.[8] Like several kings before him, Ahaz made a political and economic choice, as the reigning king of Judah, without consultation of God nor an understanding of how that would ultimately affect his kingdom.[9]
Assyria had been highly weakened through ineffectual kings for some time, but that changed with the death of Ashur-nirari V. His successor, Tiglath Pileser III, quickly expanded the Assyrian Empire—pushing west and then south. Ahaz offered a bribe to Tiglath Pileser III to attack Aram-Damascus. Ahaz not only bribed the Assyrians to defeat Aram-Damascus but then proceeded to travel and meet Tiglath Pileser III in Damascus where he worshiped foreign gods. Ahaz eventually even removed the altar to God in the Temple and replaced it with a foreign altar.
However, Tiglath Pileser III would not stop at Damascus. He continued into Israel, capturing the Golan and the Galilee. This invasion may be the context of what would eventually occur in reverse in the Galilee, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a long of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”[10] His son, Shalmaneser V, would continue the conquest while Sargon II would fully defeat Israel and take them into captivity. Judah would not be free of Assyria’s threat as Sennacherib would defeat the vast majority of Judah, with only Jerusalem being preserved by the divine interference of God.[11]
Despite the many evils committed by Ahaz, Isaiah also speaks of God approaching Ahaz as Aram-Damascus and Israel are planning on attacking Judah. God promises that they will be shattered and allows Ahaz to ask for a sign. Ahaz refuses to “put the LORD to the test.” This might sound noble and be a sign of trust and faith in God, however, as previously noted, Ahaz would instead place his trust and faith in the Assyrians and their gods.
Nonetheless, God gives a sign, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The Hebrew word translated “virgin” is עַלְמָה (almah), a term that has been widely debated—particularly by opponents of the Gospel who seek to deny the virgin birth of Jesus. Almah appears seven times in the Hebrew Scriptures and generally refers to a young woman of marriageable age, without explicitly stating her marital status.[12]
What is especially significant is how the Septuagint renders this term. The Jewish translators of the Septuagint deliberately translated almah with the Greek word παρθένος (parthenos), which means “virgin.”[13] Because the Septuagint predates Christianity, this translation cannot be attributed to Christian theological bias. The translators themselves understood Isaiah 7:14 to speak of a miraculous birth.
This interpretation is further strengthened by the name given to the child: Immanuel, meaning “God with us.” In the biblical world, names often carry theological weight, reflecting circumstances surrounding a child’s birth, contemporary historical realities, or aspects of the child’s character and destiny. In this case, the name reveals the very nature of the child himself. Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, is no ordinary child. He is God with us—not symbolically, but truly and ontologically. Although Ahaz neither asked for a sign nor was faithful in order to receive a sign, Matthew lists Ahaz in the genealogy of Joseph.[14]
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19. According to I Chronicles 6:31-32, David assigned a number of Levites to serve as worship leaders in the Tabernacle, and one of these leaders is Asaph. Many Psalms are attributed to Asaph, but it is sometimes unclear whether they were written by Asaph himself, his descendants, or his school of worship leaders.
Psalm 80 is a call for the restoration of Israel after being ravaged by some external power.[15] Asaph presents God as a shepherd who dwells between the cherubim. Which is most likely a reference to the cherubim that adorn the ark of the covenant.[16]
The image of the ruler or deity as a shepherd over their people was a common motif in the ancient world. Shepherds were not weak, oppressed peasants in the ancient world, they were rich, often even rulers and kings. The biblical Patriarchs, several of the judges, and some of the prophets were shepherds by profession. In the Bible, the role of a shepherd encompasses guiding, providing, and defending. As the ultimate and mighty Shepherd of Israel, the Lord is called upon to stir up His strength and save His people.
Three times in the Psalm there is the appeal to God to restore His face towards Israel. The Hebrew word is הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ HaShiveinu and can be read as restore, return, or turn us back toward [Your face]. This concept ties deeply to the Aaronic Blessing in Numbers 6:24–26, a blessing that the Levites regularly pronounced over the people of Israel.[17]
God’s face is synonymous with His presence, blessing, and favour. The psalmist longs for the presence of God to return and once again be among His people, bringing blessing and peace. These themes are poignant for the season of Advent. Although we may be an “object of contention for our neighbours” God’s light shines “that we may be saved.” The true light of God has come into this world.
Romans 1:1-7. Paul introduces himself to the Romans as “an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” The gospel, in both Greek and Hebrew, is the good news of victory over an enemy. During most wars, the citizens of the nation must wait anxiously for news of whether their sons and husbands lived or died. They would wait to see if they should flee with as much as they could carry, leaving everything they had spent their entire lifetime (and the lifetime of their forefathers) behind. However, God’s victory was promised long ago through the prophets.
Paul specifically references the promised king descended from David. God made a covenant with David, promising: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son…Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.”[18] God established Solomon as king after David,[19] but the Jewish people had long understood God’s covenant to point towards more than Solomon. They believed it pointed to a King, the Messiah, who would rule with great authority.
From the Psalms to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel this promise is continued and expanded.[20] Jesus, and later Peter, quotes Psalm 110:1 in reference to the promised son—and Lord—of David.[21] Jeremiah states, “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days, Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely…For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throng of the house of Israel.”[22]
Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a descendant of David and the one the prophets promised. Jesus came in the flesh, God incarnate. He suffered, was mocked, pierced, and died. But He was declared to be the Son of God through the resurrection from the dead. Paul quotes Psalm 2 after declaring that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is the good news that God promised to the fathers.[23]
It is through God’s anointed one, the resurrected Lord, that forgiveness of sins is proclaimed.[24] These promises of great victory given to Paul’s forefathers were extended among all the nations. And so Paul can speak to the Roman church, a mix of both Jews and Gentiles, and call them saints.
Matthew 1:18-25. The birth of Jesus was miraculous. Many of the heroes of God have miraculous birth stories. Sarah gave birth to Isaac at an age when she should not have been able to bear a child. Moses was miraculously saved from infanticide by Pharaoh’s daughter. Samson’s parents were visited by an angel. Likewise, Elizabeth gave birth to John in her old age. Jesus was saved from infanticide when foreign Magi went out of their way to avoid Herod while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled to Egypt. Finally, both Joseph and Mary received visits from an angel.
While Luke focuses on the story of Mary and Jesus, Matthew focuses on Joseph and Jesus. Joseph doesn’t generally receive the same acclaim as Mary in Christian traditions. Mary is proclaimed as “favored one” and “blessed among women,” Joseph may seem peripheral at times. However, like his namesake, he was both righteous and a dreamer. Joseph received a dream from God four times.[25]
Due to the nature of Mary’s conception, Joseph’s righteousness is pertinent beyond his constant obedience to God. The birth of Jesus carried an element of scandal. While Mary wondered at the possibility of having a child since she was still a virgin, Joseph decided to quietly release her from the betrothal. In a world where family honor and shame were a huge part of community life, both Mary and Joseph had to choose to live with the public shame and scandal of a premarital—or even unfaithful—pregnancy. Only the direct revelation of God could remove the stigma of Mary’s pregnancy—revelation given to Joseph, Mary, and now to us. Yet the birth of Jesus goes well beyond the miraculous. Yes, God revealed to Joseph that the child of Mary was conceived from the Holy Spirit. But He would also be the Messiah.
Mary’s child would be called both Jesus, “God saves,” and Immanuel, “God with us.” Joshua, or Yeshua, was a very popular name in the first century, as the people of Judea and the Galilee looked to the great generals of the past whom God had used to save His people from mighty enemies, such as Joshua, the successor of Moses, and Mattathias (Matthew) and his sons—Judah, the Hammer (Maccabee), Eleazar (Lazarus), Simon, John, and Jonathan. While there were many famous Israelites named Joshua, Yeshua, or Jesus, this child would not be like the great general who brought Israel out of their wanderings and into the promised land—”He will save His people from their sins.” The promises made of old—to Joseph’s forefathers, righteous David and wicked Ahaz—would be fulfilled.
Hebraic Perspective. While God is omnipresent—present in all places and at all times—the Bible emphasizes His deep desire to dwell intimately with His people. From the beginning, God is not distant but relational. God rules over all creation—fashioning heaven and earth. Yet, He chooses to leave the heavens to walk in the cool of the evening with Adam. God constantly and persistently sought a relationship with His people, even while they rebelled against Him.
When Jacob prepared to leave the land of Canaan and journey to Haran, he encountered God in a dream of a ladder reaching heaven. God assured him, saying “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”[26] God continued to be with Jacob and his sons even when they went to Egypt.
When the people of Israel cried out to God from slavery, God heard their groaning. He delivered them from slavery, not merely to bring them to the promised land but for a greater purpose: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”[27] At Mount Sinai, God’s desire to dwell with His people took physical form in His command, “Let them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.”[28] The Tabernacle, and later the Temple, became a visible sign of God’s presence in the midst of Israel—a reminder of His nearness and faithfulness.
God’s desire to be present with His people never stops, for in Revelation 21:3, at the culmination of history, we hear “a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”
In the meantime, God so loved the world that He sent His son. At Christmas we celebrate the mystery of Immanuel—God with us. The presence of the Messiah among His people brought blessing to all nations. Jesus’ presence is transformative, giving great joy and peace to His disciples. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Did God leave us on our own? Sure, Jesus went to prepare a place for us to dwell with Him one day but what about today? “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell among us. God still dwells among us today.
ACNA Readings
Psalm 24. This psalm of David has, in some sources, been described as a dedication prayer by David for his son Solomon to be sung during the consecration of the temple. The praise begins with describing how God owns not only the earth but all its inherent bounty. Why does everything belong to the Lord? Simply because he created the world. The prayer asks a question of the worshiper: if God is the creator king of all things, then who can stand before him? What follows is a series of Hebrew parallelisms where the consecutive sentences help enlighten each other.
In Psalm 24:3, the “hill of the Lord” is paralleled to “his holy place." The psalm is clearly describing the Temple Mount and no other. The question to the worshipper is answered in the next verse, the one who has clean hands and heart can stand before the Lord. The parallelism communicates that idolatry is a work of the hands, and controlling the tongue is a work of the heart. Hands and heart, deeds and intention are interlinked and inseparable. Each action of our hands and each desire of our heart will have consequences.
Psalm 24:5 describes that those with clean hands and pure hearts receive a blessing: salvation and righteousness. In the ark of the covenant, there was a blessing in the very real presence of the Lord. In Psalm 24, the gates of the temple, called the ancient gates, are commanded to be opened as the presence of the King of Glory––that is, the Lord of Hosts––comes and brings his blessing, the blessing of his presence!
Endnotes
[1] Adam had, perhaps, the most unique and miraculous birth, God formed Him and breathed him into life. being created as an adult.
[2] Born of barren parents: Isaac, Genesis 21:1-7; Jacob, Genesis 25:21; Samson, Genesis 13:2-3; Samuel, I Samuel 1:1-2, 9-20; John, Luke 1:5-25
[3] While Moses’ birth wasn’t miraculous, his birth narrative still is considered miraculous as he is saved from death three separate times: from death by the Pharaoh, from death by the Nile, and from death by Pharaoh’s daughter.
[4] John 10:10
[5] Romans 6:1-11
[6] ACNA includes Isaiah 7:17
[7] II Kings 16:3
[8] Damascus had always been a trading powerhouse in the Middle East but for a brief time, with the Assyrians weakened until the rise of Tiglath Pileser III in 745 BC, they rose to prominence politically and militarily..
[9] King Asa, generally regarded as a good king, bribed the king of Aram-Damascus to attack Israel to relieve the pressure on his economic trade routes east and west through the Benjamin Plateau (I Kings 15:17-19; II Chronicles 16:1-3). King Jehoshaphat, also generally regarded as a good king, allied himself with King Ahab (I Kings 22; II Chronicles 18-19). Hezekiah, Ahaz’s son, would later make a similar—and an even worse choice in regards to the long-term peace of Judah—to seek help from first the Egyptians and then the Babylonians (Isaiah 30-31; II Kings 20:12-19; Isaiah 39).
[10] Isaiah 9:2.
[11] II Kings 18:17-19:37; II Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36-37
[12] Proverbs and Song of Songs use the term almah to refer to young women, some of whom may not be virgins. The other references seem likely to refer to young women who are unmarried (and virgins).
[13] The historical etymology of the Parthenon is debated, but it could refer to the young virgins who served there or Athena as a virgin goddess. In the fifth century AD, the Parthenon became the Church of the Virgin Mary.
[14] Matthew 1:9. Nonetheless, Ahaz is not part of Luke’s genealogy in Luke 3:23-38.
[15] There is no definitive reference to the identity or nature of the enemy that is oppressing Israel in Psalm 80. Similarly, there are no references to any particular sin (or even sin in general) that we can historically trace. But even if the Psalm doesn’t speak of specific physical or spiritual matters, the Psalmist still turns to God for help. This highlights an important lesson: God is the source of help for both spiritual and physical struggles.
The lack of specific details makes it difficult for scholars to assign a precise date to this psalm. However, the prominence of the vine and vinedresser imagery suggests it may come from a later period, as these motifs are more common in the writings of the prophets (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) during the time of the later kings.
[16] Asaph mentions three tribes here: The tribe of Benjamin and the tribes of Joseph. The Ark of the Covenant resided in two of these locations, first in Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim, and later in Kiriath-Jearim on the border of Benjamin. However, Manasseh is an odd inclusion in this list if this is the argument, as neither the Ark nor tabernacle resided there.
One possible explanation could be the connection in Numbers 2:17–24, where the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh directly follow the Tent of Meeting in the Israelite camp. Alternatively, Asaph seems to speak of the northern tribes more than any other Psalmist – Ephraim, 78:9, 67; 80:3: Manasseh and Benjamin, 80:3: Joseph, 77:15; 78:67; 80:2; 81:5. Asaph’s lineage is known, he is a Levite. However, Levitical cities were spread throughout both Judah and Israel. A rather minor northern battle is also mentioned in 83:9-10 rather than more common ones in the south. Some scholars believe that Asaph would have lived in a northern tribe when not serving in the Temple.
[17] Amulets, such as the silver Ketef Hinnom Scrolls–written as early as the late First Temple period and the oldest recorded biblical text–include the Priestly Blessing.
[18] II Samuel 7:12-16. See also: Psalm 89:3-4, 19-37; I Chronicles 17:11-14.
[19] II Samuel 7:14 also speaks of iniquity and discipline, something very familiar to the kings of Judah as they continuously rebelled, were disciplined, and turned back to God.
[20] Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-10; Ezekiel 34:23-24; Ezekiel 37:24-25
[21] Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35
[22] Jeremiah 33:14-17
[23] Acts 13:30-37; Psalm 2:2, 7. Paul had not yet visited Rome when he sent this letter. However, the opening of Romans 1 matches the arguments he also made in Antioch-in-Pisidia
[24] Acts 13:38-39
[25] Matthew 1:20; Matthew 2:13; Matthew 2:19-20; Matthew 2:22
[26] Genesis 28:15
[27] Exodus 29:45-56
[28] Exodus 25:8