ADVENT 4B 2014
When you listen to our first reading, it seems like King David is getting a raw deal. He just wants to build a nice dwelling place for the Ark of the Covenant, Israel's greatest religious treasure. But God rebukes him and puts him in his place. What gives?
A little historical background: Moses led the Chosen People when they were freed from slavery in Egypt, around 1250 BC. Joshua then led them into the promised land. God appointed Judges to rule over them until their first king, Saul, was anointed by Samuel around the year 1030. David succeeded Saul as king about 20 years later.
David reconquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of his kingdom. Once he had built his palace, he wanted to build a beautiful home for the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a sort of storage chest that dated back to the days of Moses and the journey in the desert. It was thought to contain the stone tablets on which the Commandments were written. The Ark was seen as the primary symbol of God's presence among His people. It had travelled with them for over 200 years, always being housed in a tent. So now David wanted to give it a better home.
But God says to David, 'I don't need you to build me a house to dwell in. I am the one who raised you from lowly shepherd to mighty king. I delivered you from your enemies. So I will establish a house for my people. I will raise up your successor after you and make his kingdom firm. He will be a son to me, and your kingdom will stand firm forever.'
Well, David's son, Solomon, did build a temple, so some thought that he was the fulfillment of God's promise. But it stood for less than 400 years. At that point the Babylonians conquered Judah and ended the succession of kings from the family of David. So God's people began to look for a different kind of fulfillment of God's promises to David. We find that fulfillment in our Gospel reading today.
The angel Gabriel tells Mary that her Son would occupy the "throne of David his father, and rule over the house of Jacob forever." How is David the "father" of Jesus? Well, in that culture the word "father" also referred to a male ancestor. St. Joseph, the earthly "father" of Jesus, was a direct descendant of King David. That's why it's so significant that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the "City of David." Joseph had to return there for the census, because it was his ancestral home.
In that culture, for Jesus to be seen as a successor to David, it had to come through a male ancestor - St. Joseph. Even though Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph plays a necessary role in helping people to see Jesus as the fulfillment of God's covenant with David.
David had been an unlikely candidate for a king. God had told Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem, that one of Jesse's sons would be the next king. David was the youngest son, but the eldest son was always seen as most important in that culture. Yet, God chose David. Our God is full of surprises!
Elizabeth and Mary were also unlikely to be mothers. The angel says to Mary, "behold, Elizabeth, your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren, for nothing will be impossible for God." Elizabeth and Zechariah had never been able to have children, and were now well past the age for child bearing.
Our God is full of surprises.
Mary was an unlikely candidate for such a great role in salvation history. She was from a small, nowhere town. She was not from a prominent family. She was a virgin, betrothed to a poor carpenter, but not yet together with him as husband and wife. And so she says to the angel, "How can this be..,?"
And the angel's answer is, 'Be not afraid: it's not about you, it's about what God is doing in you."
God's promises are not fulfilled in buildings, or in great kings like David or Solomon. They're most often fulfilled in humble souls like Mary, who trust in God's grace and allow Him to build a home in us.
Faith is God's work in us, to which we respond.
We're not on earth to do things for God, but to build on what God is doing for us.