Baruch 5:1 – 9
This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Baruch. The name is interesting; as you all know, it is derived from the Hebrew – בָּרוּךְ – which means “Blessing.” We don’t hear often from Baruch; in fact, this is the only time we hear from him on Sunday in the entire three-year cycle. It is one of the many options at the Easter Vigil, but is seldom selected because others are more appropriate. So, let’s review what we know about him and his book.
The opening verse of the book identifies the author as Baruch, the well-known secretary of Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 32:12, 13, 16; 36:1 – 32, 45:1). Of course, we know that the name Jeremiah – יִרְמְיָה – means “God will exalt.” But, there is endless debate as to who wrote the Book of Baruch. The redaction that we find today in the Bible is most probably a compilation of five distinct compositions. The first piece is a prayer, which the author attributes to Baruch but examination of the text clearly indicates comes from a later period in Israel’s history. This is followed (3:9 – 4:4) by a wisdom poem and two prophetic discourses (4:5 – 5:9). The letter of Jeremiah, found in chapter 6, is clearly a separate composition, patterned after an earlier letter of Jeremiah found in Jeremiah 29. And, although we have only a Greek version of the text today, it is clear that at least part of this collection of works was originally written in Hebrew. The opening lines identify the time of writing as five years after the fall of Jerusalem, but again, an examination of the texts indicate that, while some of it may have been composed during the Babylonian Exile, other portions must have been written much later; some even postulate as late as 70AD. It was omitted from the Palestinian canon of sacred writings and so it is not part of the Hebrew scriptures nor of the Protestant Bible.
The section we will hear on Sunday is taken from the second prophetic discourse. It is a very hope-filled prophecy, calling Jerusalem to rejoice because her children will return to her.
1 Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning: It has long been customary – and still is in many parts of the world today – to wear a black garment to signify mourning after the death of a loved one.
2 Wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name.
Wrapped in the cloak of justice from God: not only will God restore splendor to Jerusalem, but also “justice” or “righteousness,” that is, a Jerusalem will be restored to a right relationship with God.
mitre: an ancient headdress – the name has Greek roots – worn by the high priest. It had inscribed on it the name of Yahweh (cf. Ex 28:36-37; Wis 18:24); no one would dare to utter the name but they would see it emblazoned – often in gold – on the high priest’s mitre. This headdress, worn by bishops, has taken on particular significance in the Catholic Church. The front and back panels and the two tassels signify the Old and New Testaments.
3 For God will show all the earth your splendor:
4 you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.
you will be named by God forever the peace of justice: the conferring of a name in this context involves not only the giving of a name but of the attributes indicated by the name. “Peace,” the product of justice, will reign in Jerusalem (Is 32:17). Jerusalem will be an honorable city and her honor will derive from the fact that she worships God (cf. Is 1:26; Jer 33:16, Ez 48:35 for other references to the new Jerusalem as “justice.”)
5 Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Holy One: God, as in 4:22.
6 Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones: as you see in movies depicting these times, royalty would be carried on the shoulders of slaves or servants in carriages with comfortable chairs.
7 For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, And that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low: God will level the road to Jerusalem to facilitate the return. This sounds a great deal like a passage from Isaiah that we will hear quoted in this Sunday’s Gospel; we’ll look at it then.
8 The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel: God will cause shade trees to grow to make the return trip to Jerusalem as pleasant as possible.
9 For God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.
God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory: God is the light of Israel (cf. Is 60:1-2).
mercy and justice for company: Divine “mercy” and “justice” personified accompany God and the exiles on the journey to the new Jerusalem.
Luke 3:1 – 6
This week, we hear from Luke’s Gospel. Remember, that each liturgical year features a particular gospel; this year features Luke. Let’s briefly recall the “who, what, when, where and to whom” of this Gospel. Although Luke is indebted in this section to his sources, the Gospel of Mark and a collection of sayings of John the Baptist, he has clearly marked this introduction to the ministry of Jesus with his own individual style, in particular by linking the event to a secular moment, as he does in 1:5 and 2:1.
As you will recall from last week, Advent speaks of the three comings of our Lord: in history, at the end of time and in our world today. Last week, we heard Luke’s account of Jesus’ prophecy about his coming at the end of time. This week, we hear Luke present the preparation for the introduction of Jesus’ public ministry; when he makes his presence known in history through his public ministry. And, we see another example of Luke’s literary style. Just as his gospel began with a long periodic sentence (Luke 1:1-4), so too this section (Luke 3:1-2); this was a common element in the Greek literature of his time. Luke also demonstrates his familiarity with the Hebrew Scriptures by casting the call of John the Baptist in the form of an Old Testament prophetic call (Luke 3:2) and extends the quotation from Isaiah found in Mark 1:3 (Isaiah 40:3) by the addition of Isaiah 40:4-5 in Luke 3: 5-6. In doing so, he presents his theme of the universality of salvation, which he has announced earlier in the words of Simeon (Luke 2:30-32). Moreover, in describing the expectation of the people (Luke 3:15), Luke is characterizing the time of John’s preaching in the same way as he had earlier described the situation of other devout Israelites in the infancy narrative (Luke 2:25-26,37-38). In Luke 3:7-18 Luke presents the preaching of John the Baptist who urges the crowds to reform in view of the coming wrath (Luke 3:7,9: eschatological preaching), and who offers the crowds certain standards for reforming social conduct (Luke 3:10-14: ethical preaching), and who announces to the crowds the coming of one mightier than he (Luke 3:15-18: messianic preaching).
1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
Tiberius Caesar: Tiberius succeeded Augustus as emperor in A.D. 14 and reigned until A.D. 37. The fifteenth year of his reign, depending on the method of calculating his first regnal year, would have fallen between A.D. 27 and 29. Pontius Pilate: prefect or procurator (not governor) of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36. The Jewish historian Josephus describes him as a greedy and ruthless prefect who had little regard for the local Jewish population and their religious practices (see Luke 13:1). Herod: i.e., Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. He ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39. His official title tetrarch means literally, “ruler of a quarter,” because the Roman Empire had been divided into four parts, each with its own ruler after the death of Herod the Great.
Philip: also a son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of the territory to the north and east of the Sea of Galilee from 4 B.C. to A.D. 34. Only two small areas of this territory are mentioned by Luke.
Lysanias: nothing is known about this Lysanias who is said here to have been tetrarch of Abilene, a territory northwest of Damascus.
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas: after situating the call of John the Baptist in terms of the civil rulers of the period, Luke now mentions the religious leadership of Palestine (see the note on Luke 1:5). Annas had been high priest 6-15AD. After being deposed by the Romans in 15AD he was succeeded by various members of his family and eventually by his son-in-law, Caiaphas, who was high priest 18-36AD. Luke refers to Annas as high priest at this time (but see John 18:13,19), possibly because of the continuing influence of Annas or because the title continued to be used for the ex-high priest. By including these details into his narrative, Luke intended to present the coming of Jesus squarely in the midst of human history, both secular and religious.
The word of God came to John: Luke is the only New Testament writer to associate the preaching of John with a call from God. Luke is thereby identifying John with the prophets whose ministries began with similar calls. In Luke 7:26 John will be described as “more than a prophet”; he is also the precursor of Jesus (Luke 7:27), a transitional figure inaugurating the period of the fulfillment of prophecy and promise.
in the desert: Just as God revealed himself to his people Israel in the desert as they wandered from Egypt to the Promised Land, God reveals himself to his people through John the Baptist in the desert. You will recall that the Israelites were in the desert for a long time. The Bible says it was 40 years; notice the number, which always speaks of a time of preparation and purification in the Bible. In the desert, they were tested to put their trust in God, to refocus on him as their only hope for salvation. The 40 days of Advent invite us to do the same.
3 He went throughout (the) whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
repentance: See the note on Matthew 3:2, where we read that John the Baptist calls for a change of heart and conduct, a turning of one’s life from rebellion to obedience to God.
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Isaiah: let’s look at Is 40:3-5 and its footnote; here we read a description of the return of the exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem. John the Baptist is preparing the people of his time for
Prepare the way of the Lord: The Essenes from Qumran used the same passage to explain why their community was in the desert studying and observing the law and the prophets (1QS 8:12-15).
5 Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth,
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”
Every valley shall be filled: as we saw in the reading from the prophet Baruch earlier, God will fill in the valleys and cut down the mountains and hills, straighten the winding roads and smooth out the rough roads to make it easier for the people to make their way to Jerusalem.
all flesh: As we shall see throughout Luke’s gospel, salvation is offered to everyone, not just the Jews.
Although Luke depends heavily on Mark, as I mentioned earlier, he also makes significant changes to distinguish clearly the roles of John the Baptist from Jesus:
- he omits John the Baptist’s announcement that the Kingdom of God is at hand (Mt 3:2) and reserves that to Jesus;
- Luke suppresses the description of the Baptist in the role of Elijah (cf. Mt. 3:4; Mk 1:6) and an account of the Baptist’s activity, especially his baptizing (Mt 3:5ff);
- He omits the words “after me” in the statement “There is one coming after me, mightier than I (Mk 1:7; Mt 3:11) lest Jesus be considered a disciple of the Baptist;
- He places the Baptist in prison before Jesus is baptized.
Scripture scholars point out the similarities between the Lucan figure of John the Baptist and the Prophet Jeremiah:
- God called both of them from the womb (cf. Jer 1:15; Luke 1:13);
- Both served as heralds of eschatological salvation (Jer 1:10; Luke 3:9, 16);
- Both looked ahead to a new covenantal relationship with God (Jer 31:31-34; Luke 3:1, 14; 3:15; 7:18-25).
This covenant, promised by Jeremiah, affirmed by Isaiah and confirmed as being realized in Jesus, was never to be doubted. It was deemed to be an eternal and indestructible bond between God and all of humanity.
Philippians 1:4 – 6, 8 – 11
We hear from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Paul first visited Philippi on his second missionary journey around 50AD. As a result, Philippi became the first Christian community in Europe. Recall when this was written – while Paul was in prison; there is great uncertainty as to which imprisonment (Ephesus in 54-56AD or Rome in 62AD). It is a letter of encouragement.
4 [Brothers and sister: I am] praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
5 because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now.
6 I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.
The day of Christ Jesus: the parousia or triumphant return of Christ, when those loyal to him will be with him and share in his eternal glory; cf Phil 1:10; 2:16; 3:20-21; 1 Thes 4:17; 5:10; 2 Thes 1:10; 1 Cor 1:8.
7 It is right that I should think this way about all of you, because I hold you in my heart, you who are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
8 For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception,
10 to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
the day of Christ: his second coming.
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
So, we see Baruch deliver a comforting message to the exiles about their return to Jerusalem. The sorrow of Jerusalem is ended and her children will be restored to her. In fact, God will level a highway and plant it with shade trees to facilitate their return. The impression is of an event that will happen in time.
This leads to the Gospel, where Luke introduces us to the Messiah in time through his herald, John the Baptist. To underline the universality of salvation, Luke sets the event within the framework of world history. And, following the model of Isaiah, he prepares the people for the coming of the Messiah by calling them to repentance.
This leads to the second reading, which calls the people of Philippi to prepare for the second coming of Christ by living pure and blameless lives. This is our message for Advent, as well, as we prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus in time and look forward to his return at the end of time. Happy Advent!