Advent 4- Mary, the house of God
In our Old Testament reading, we see King David expressing his desire to make a “house” for God, meaning that he wishes to make a temple for God.
David has recently united the tribes of Israel under his leadership. He conquered the city of Jerusalem, and established it as his capital city. … Until this point, if you wanted to go to a place to encounter God you would go to the Ark of the Covenant, which had been housed in a tent called the Tabernacle. David thought it was inappropriate for him to live in a palace while God’s Ark remained in a tent. … It is a logical thought. For example, many years later, when the exiles return from Babylon, they get to work rebuilding the city. They finish their houses, but the Temple remains in ruins, and we read in the prophet Haggai,
“Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” (Haggai 1:4).
Here, God (speaking through the prophet) seems to say that it is important to show at least the same care and diligence in building God’s house as they do their own houses. … So, king David’s desire doesn’t seem to be so out of line.
God responds to David through the prophet Nathan, saying that David wasn’t going to build a house for God, rather God was going to make a “house” for David. His “house” being a family lineage. This is reflected by our psalm,
God responds to David through the prophet Nathan, saying that David wasn’t going to build a house for God, rather God was going to make a “house” for David. His “house” being a family lineage. This is reflected by our psalm,
“I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations” (89:4).
This promise, that an ancestor of David would rule the people, became part of the Messianic expectation.
Of course, this reading standing next to the Gospel shows us another house for God- Mary, who came to be called the Theotokos (meaning ‘God bearer’). The Gospel of John begins by saying,
Of course, this reading standing next to the Gospel shows us another house for God- Mary, who came to be called the Theotokos (meaning ‘God bearer’). The Gospel of John begins by saying,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1).
This Word (who is God) takes up residence, in some mysterious way, in Mary’s womb. It is from her flesh that a body is crafted for the incarnate Word (who is God). … To add another layer to this image, Jesus will claim to replace the temple as the place where heaven and earth overlap and where sin is dealt with. This child will grow up to say,
"Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (Jn 2:19)-
ambiguously seeming to refer to both his body and the Temple. Jesus is the new Temple. … But, mysteriously, the pregnant Mary becomes God’s House.
When we look at our Gospel reading for today, we meet Mary who has become a part of the house of David through her betrothed, Joseph. Betrothal is stronger than engagement. It would require a kind of divorce to end her relationship with Joseph. … Going back to the house of David- We shouldn’t be too surprised to hear about someone being from David’s line. Middle Eastern kings often had many wives and concubines, which helped produce many sons. In a few generations this can lead to hundreds of descendants. … It’s not a perfect example, but it is said that about 16 million Asian men who are alive today can claim to have DNA from Genghis Khan. … David had 8 wives, and his incredibly wealthy son, Solomon, had 700 wives and 300 concubines. So, it’s not hard to imagine David’s descendants quickly numbering in the thousands. Joseph was among these descendants. The descendants of David weren’t ruling anymore, but there were still many in the bloodline of David.
Mary is also connected to the priestly line through her cousin Elizabeth, who is now miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist in her old age. so, in these short verses there is a connection to the kingly line and the priestly line. Melchizedek, who was the priest-king of Salem (probably Jerusalem) (Gen 14) was considered a Messianic symbol at the time of Jesus. … Through symbol and family lineage, this story is grounded in the history of the Hebrew people.
Mary is visited by an angel who tells her that she has found favour with God. As we might expect, she is perplexed by this encounter. And we hear the familiar angelic greeting, “Do not be afraid”. This passage, like many others in the Bible, shows that when God shows up the status quo is disturbed. If you want a nice comfortable life, you might rightly hope for God not to not engage you in any kind of obvious way. If God does come to us with power, He will have to assure us to not be afraid, for our lives are about to be drastically changed.
Mary is told that she will carry a son, and that his name will be Jesus. ‘Jesus’ comes from ‘Joshua’ and means, “God saves”. He will be called the Son of God. He will sit on the throne as a son of David, and his rule will have no end.
Mary questions how this could be since she is a virgin. This brings to mind the passage from Isaiah,
When we look at our Gospel reading for today, we meet Mary who has become a part of the house of David through her betrothed, Joseph. Betrothal is stronger than engagement. It would require a kind of divorce to end her relationship with Joseph. … Going back to the house of David- We shouldn’t be too surprised to hear about someone being from David’s line. Middle Eastern kings often had many wives and concubines, which helped produce many sons. In a few generations this can lead to hundreds of descendants. … It’s not a perfect example, but it is said that about 16 million Asian men who are alive today can claim to have DNA from Genghis Khan. … David had 8 wives, and his incredibly wealthy son, Solomon, had 700 wives and 300 concubines. So, it’s not hard to imagine David’s descendants quickly numbering in the thousands. Joseph was among these descendants. The descendants of David weren’t ruling anymore, but there were still many in the bloodline of David.
Mary is also connected to the priestly line through her cousin Elizabeth, who is now miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist in her old age. so, in these short verses there is a connection to the kingly line and the priestly line. Melchizedek, who was the priest-king of Salem (probably Jerusalem) (Gen 14) was considered a Messianic symbol at the time of Jesus. … Through symbol and family lineage, this story is grounded in the history of the Hebrew people.
Mary is visited by an angel who tells her that she has found favour with God. As we might expect, she is perplexed by this encounter. And we hear the familiar angelic greeting, “Do not be afraid”. This passage, like many others in the Bible, shows that when God shows up the status quo is disturbed. If you want a nice comfortable life, you might rightly hope for God not to not engage you in any kind of obvious way. If God does come to us with power, He will have to assure us to not be afraid, for our lives are about to be drastically changed.
Mary is told that she will carry a son, and that his name will be Jesus. ‘Jesus’ comes from ‘Joshua’ and means, “God saves”. He will be called the Son of God. He will sit on the throne as a son of David, and his rule will have no end.
Mary questions how this could be since she is a virgin. This brings to mind the passage from Isaiah,
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is 7:14).
(The virginity of the passage is made stronger in the Greek version of Isaiah, which was common and considered very authoritative in Jesus’ day.) The angel tells her that she will carry a child by the power of God, and that the child will be called the Son of God. Nothing is impossible for the God who created the universe.
After hearing this, Mary gives her consent, which opens the way for God’s plan to break into the world. Mary’s obedient “yes” to God’s plan has also often been seen as undoing Eve’s disobedient “No” to God’s command to not eat the forbidden fruit. (This isn't to consider Adam innocent. Rather, it is to juxtapose Mary and Eve.) One results in humanity’s alienation from God. The other leads to reconciliation between humanity and God. … But this comes as no small cost to Mary. To be pregnant and not married in this culture is to risk incredible shame and rejection. It could come with accusations of adultery, or of impiety since her and Joseph did not wait until their marriage was complete. Saying “Yes” to God comes with sacrifice. … Simeon, when they present Jesus in the Temple, will later tell Mary that on account of Jesus a “sword” will pierce her soul (Lk 2:35). … Like her son, and many prophets, following God often comes with sacrifice and running against the grain of society.
Mary is often seen as the prototype of the church and the ideal Christian. As she cooperates with God, she houses Christ within her. As we cooperate with God, Christians too say with Paul,
After hearing this, Mary gives her consent, which opens the way for God’s plan to break into the world. Mary’s obedient “yes” to God’s plan has also often been seen as undoing Eve’s disobedient “No” to God’s command to not eat the forbidden fruit. (This isn't to consider Adam innocent. Rather, it is to juxtapose Mary and Eve.) One results in humanity’s alienation from God. The other leads to reconciliation between humanity and God. … But this comes as no small cost to Mary. To be pregnant and not married in this culture is to risk incredible shame and rejection. It could come with accusations of adultery, or of impiety since her and Joseph did not wait until their marriage was complete. Saying “Yes” to God comes with sacrifice. … Simeon, when they present Jesus in the Temple, will later tell Mary that on account of Jesus a “sword” will pierce her soul (Lk 2:35). … Like her son, and many prophets, following God often comes with sacrifice and running against the grain of society.
Mary is often seen as the prototype of the church and the ideal Christian. As she cooperates with God, she houses Christ within her. As we cooperate with God, Christians too say with Paul,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
God dwells within us too. We, the church, become the house of God.
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