Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings. The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us. I hope you find it helpful!
2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
This Sunday, we will hear from the Second Book of Samuel. You will recall that this is one of the Historical Books of the Bible. Along with 1 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings, it records the activities of Samuel, Saul, David and Solomon, as well as many of the kings of the divided kingdom after Solomon. Originally, 1 and 2 Samuel formed a single book. The LXX divided it into two books, entitling it 1 and 2 Kingdoms; the present-day 1 and 2 Kings were labeled 3 and 4 Kingdoms. The Vulgate referred to them as 1, 2, 3 and 4 Regnorum – Kingdoms – as well, but this title was eventually abbreviated to Regum – Kings. It is not possible to date with much precision the origin of 1 and 2 Samuel. Some of the writings are very old, dating back to the first years of the monarchy in Israel. The final editing, however, probably took place during the Exile. Although it was originally attributed to Samuel, this is impossible since Samuel’s death is recorded rather early in the account (1 Sm 25). It is likely that his name has become attached to the books because of his dominance in the events of the early part of 1 Samuel.
1 When King David was settled in his palace, and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
Palace: As we see in 2 Sam 5:9-12, David concentrated on making Jerusalem a fortified city. Then, Hiram, the Canannite king of Tyre, in a gesture of peace and as a sign of allegiance, had a palace built for him in the style of the Canaanite kings, thus establishing David as an equal among the local nations.
Settled…rest from his enemies: it’s easy to envision David, in his peace and contentment, composing a psalm of praise, lyre in hand: “How can I repay the Lord for all the good done for me?” (Ps.116) He had struggled mightily, hounded by Saul who wanted to kill him and then fighting the surrounding nations to secure a safe place for himself and all of the tribes of Israel.
2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!”
Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent: David, a poor shepherd boy-turned king, realizes that something is wrong with this picture, so he wants to correct it.
3 Nathan answered the king, “Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
5 “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Should you build me a house to dwell in?
6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day on which I led the Israelites out of Egypt to the present, but I have been going about in a tent under cloth.
7 In all my wanderings everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever utter a word to any one of the judges whom I charged to tend my people Israel, to ask: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’
8 “Now then, speak thus to my servant David, ‘The LORD of hosts has this to say:
8b It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel.
The LORD of hosts: The prophecy to David contained in these verses is cited again, in poetic form, in Psalm 89:20-38, and alluded to in Psalm 132.
9 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.
I will make you famous: This is a personal promise to David, in contrast to the promise God makes regarding the people Israel in the following verses.
10 I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
I will fix a place: Instead of David building a “house” – temple – for the Lord, the Lord will build a “house” – an everlasting dynasty – for David. The promise regarding the people of Israel, 2 Sam 7:10-11, is a part of the promise to David at least as old as the composition of this chapter of Samuel, where it is anticipated in 2 Sam 7:6-7, and alluded to in David’s thanksgiving, 2 Sam 7:23-24; it applies to the people an expression used of David in Psalm 89:23.The prophecy to David is the basis for Jewish expectation of a Messiah, son of David, which Jesus Christ fulfilled in a transcendent way; cf Acts 2:30; Hebrews 1:5.
11 since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The LORD also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you.
12 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.
13 It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
It is he who shall build a house for my name: this refers to Solomon’s construction of the Temple (cf. 1 Chronicles 22:7 – 10).
14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
And if he does wrong, I will correct him with the rod of men and with human chastisements;
15 but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from your predecessor Saul, whom I removed from my presence.
16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'”
There has been much speculation about why God inspired Nathan to tell David that he would not be the one to build his temple. In 1 Chronicles 22:6-8, we hear David admit to his son, Solomon, that he has shed too much blood to be worthy to build the temple.
Whereas in this first reading, we hear the David’s plan – great as it may have been – was not God’s plan. In the Gospel, on the other hand, we hear God reveal his great plan and Mary, in her humility, accepting her role in it. In ancient Israel, it was believed that God resided in the temple; that’s why David wanted to build a glorious one, fit for God. But God chose a poor, simple young woman as his true dwelling place among us. Before reading this passage, however, let’s review some of the ancient texts that spoke of the birth of a god-man (read from Greek Mythology, the Gilgamesh Epic, the Enuma Elish, the account of the conception and birth of Buddha 563BC, – Maha Maya dreamed that a white elephant with six tusks entered her right side, which was interpreted to mean that she had conceived a child who would become either a world ruler or a buddha. After 10 lunar months, feeling that the time of birth was near, she went to the Lumbini grove outside the city of Kapilavastu. While she stood upright and held onto the branch of a sal tree in the posture adopted by mothers of all buddhas, the child came forth from under her right arm – and Genesis 6:1-4). In all of these accounts, we read about man coming from divine interventions. These stories were told around the fires and would have been familiar to Mary and her family. It is with this background that we examine Luke’s annunciation account.
Luke 1:26 – 38
Before we study this passage in Luke’s Gospel, let’s briefly review the “who, what, when, where, why and to whom” of Luke’s Gospel. Most important, pay attention to the “why” of this gospel: to help Gentile Christians be confident that Jesus is, indeed, the savior and the God’s plan for salvation includes the Gentiles and especially the least important in the eyes of the world (e.g., a young, unwed woman from a small, remote village and later, shepherds out in the fields).
In this account of the annunciation, we see Mary humbly submit to the will of God, even though she does not understand. It is interesting to compare this with the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Zechariah in Luke 1:11ff and his announcement to Joseph in Matthew 1:18 – 15.
26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
In the sixth month: of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
Gabriel: the name means “God is my hero.”
angel Gabriel was sent: The announcement to Mary of the birth of Jesus is parallel to the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John. In both, the angel Gabriel:
- appears to the parent who is troubled by the vision (Luke 1:11-12,26-29)
- told by the angel not to fear (Luke 1:13,30).
- After the announcement is made (Luke 1:14-17,31-33)
- the parent objects (Luke 1:18,34)
- a sign is given to confirm the announcement (Luke 1:20,36).
The particular focus of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is on his identity as Son of David (Luke 1:32-33) and Son of God (Luke 1:32,35).
Nazareth: an insignificant town with a population of about 400 (today, it’s about 77,000), never mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud or by Josephus, despised by the Palestinians of Jesus’ own time (Jn 1:46) and inhabited by jealous, material-minded (cf. Lk 4:23-30).
27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.
Virgin: Luke twice notes Mary’s virginity in this line and then affirms it in her own words in vs. 34. The strict parallel of the announcement of Jesus’ birth with the announcement of John’s birth makes it clear that her virginity was attested to in early Christianity.
Mary: in Hebrew, the name “Miriam” means “exalted one.”
28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”
Hail, favored one: in the Greek, the word for favored one indicates that she is not the source, but the recipient of God’s favor.
The Lord is with you: although this phrase can be a simple greeting, (cf. Ru 2:4), when it comes from God, it implies a particular office or special prerogative.
29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Pondered: the Greek verb, δίελογιζετο, implies intense, prolonged reflection.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Do not be afraid: this phrase is found throughout the Bible, beginning with Moses, as an assurance that there is nothing to fear in God’s presence; all that is required is an open heart and a willing spirit.
31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.
Jesus: in Greek, Ιησούν, meaning “God saves” (remember, the Gospels of Luke and John, the Book of Acts, the Epistles, and the Book of Revelation were originally written in Greek). There is great debate as to the original language of the other gospels; the earliest versions we have of it are in Greek. The people in the time of our Lord were mostly trilingual, speaking, Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek; some even spoke Latin.
32 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,
great: Mary’s future son is described in language that is ordinarily reserved for God’s redeeming presence among his people.
- great: Tb 12:22; Ps 48:2
- Son of the Most High: Gn 14:19ff
- The Holy One: Is 1:4; 5:24; 41:14
Son of the Most High: cf. Luke 1:76 where John is described as “prophet of the Most High.” “Most High” is a title for God commonly used by Luke (Luke 1:35, 76; 6:35; 8:28; Acts 7:48; 16:17).
33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
he will rule over the house of Jacob forever: this verse is very similar to 2 Sm 7:16, that we just heard in the first reading.
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”
How can this be: as you will read in your footnotes, Mary’s questioning response is a denial of sexual relations and is used by Luke to lead to the angel’s declaration about the Spirit’s role in the conception of this child (Luke 1:35). According to Luke, the virginal conception of Jesus takes place through the holy Spirit, the power of God, and therefore Jesus has a unique relationship to Yahweh: he is Son of God. From the Old Testament, with the possible exception of the highly-controversial Is 7:14, we could never anticipate the virginal conception of the Messiah. Mary’s espousal to Joseph indicates that she expected a normal married life. Her question to the angel raises the objection of virginity. Some think that it is a literary device, modeled on Old Testament parallels (cf. Gn 17:17-19; Ex 3:11-14; Jgs 6:11-14) which allows the writer to expand upon a doctrinal declaration, in this case, Mary’s virginity. The Gospel witnesses to apostolic preaching, and our faith rests on its integrity.
35 And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
Most High will overshadow you: the Spirit’s overshadowing of Mary reminds one of the Jerusalem Temple (cf. Ex 40:34-35; 1 Kgs 8:10-11). The temple theme enforces the notion of virginity or continence, required by the Bible of the worshiper (cf. Lv 15:16 – 18).
36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived: As you will read in your footnotes, this is the sign given to Mary in confirmation of the angel’s announcement to her: the pregnancy of her aged relative Elizabeth. If a woman past the childbearing age could become pregnant, why, the angel implies, should there be doubt about Mary’s pregnancy, for, as we hear next, nothing will be impossible for God.
37 for nothing will be impossible for God.”
38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
May it be done to me according to your word: in Latin, “fiat” the 3rd singular present subjunctive of the Latin word fieri “to become, be done.” Notice that in the beginning of the Book of Genesis, God spoke and it was done. It is this acknowledgement of God’s will that Mary presents here.
Romans 16:25 – 27
We hear from Paul’s letter to the community in Rome. It is a doxology – a phrase containing an ascription of praise to God – assigned variously to the end of Romans 14; 15; 16 in the manuscript tradition. Some manuscripts omit it entirely. Whether written by Paul or not, it forms an admirable conclusion to the letter at this point.
25 Now to him who can strengthen you, according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
my gospel: This is the good news that Paul makes known. Paul’s gospel reveals the mystery kept secret for long ages: justification and salvation through faith, with all the implications for Jews and Gentiles that Paul has developed in the letter.
proclamation of Jesus Christ: not the proclamation by Jesus Christ, but of, that is, that proclamation that has Jesus as the subject matter.
26 but now manifested through the prophetic writings and, according to the command of the eternal God, made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
27 to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.
In all three readings, we are called to acknowledge God’s will. King David did, allowing his son to build the Temple. Mary did, allowing God to make her the new Temple. And, St. Paul makes it clear that even Jesus Christ did, glorifying his heavenly Father by his obedience to the Father’s will. As we prepare for the coming of the Lord, let us acknowledge God’s will in our lives; great things happen when we do!