Monday of the Third Week of Advent

Today's Mass Readings

In this penultimate week of the liturgical season of Advent, we find ourselves with first readings taken from a selection of Old Testament books. These passages will highlight the Christological reading of the Old Testament; in other words, we find the coming of Jesus foretold in the books of the Hebrew Scriptures which became known as our “Old Testament” and which were written centuries before the birth of the infant Jesus. Today we have an astonishing prophecy from Balaam. What makes it astonishing, first and foremost, is that Balaam is not a Jewish prophet. Rather, he is an enemy of the Israelites, and brought by Balak to prophesy curses against the Israelites, telling of their impending doom and destruction. When he opens his mouth to speak, however, he is unable to curse them and instead utters this prophecy, through the Spirit of God. Given its content, it’s no wonder that Balak became angry with him in the verses following today’s passage. After all, a prophet is not supposed to predict that the enemy will win and be blessed by God, but that is exactly what Balaam is saying.

Balaam’s prophecy is given to us in Advent because of the end of the passage, which certainly seems to Christian ears to be a description of Jesus, the Son of God who is God: “I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel” (Num. 24:17). Balaam hence prophesies not only the victory of Israel in this one particular battle, but the ultimate victory of the Messiah. Though for Balaam, this Messiah was “not now” and “not near,” in this season of Advent, we find Jesus coming very near.

This Jesus is found in today’s gospel passage from Matthew sitting in the temple teaching. In good Jewish fashion, Jesus responds to the question of the elders with his own question. The elders were highly respected, and their authority was not taken lightly. Yet in their inability to answer Jesus’ question, they show that their own authority is not so great as they imagine it to be. Jesus has not only stumped them, but given the people reason to doubt the authority of the elders. It seems Jesus is trying to lead the listeners to the preliminary conclusion that Jesus’ authority comes from God. He is God in their midst, God walking and teaching among them.

The coming of our Messiah is very near. This season of Advent continues to prepare us for the birth of Jesus, as well as his final coming. Let us continue to wait with joyful hope for that day, and let us hope that he finds us ready to accept his authority and to recognize him as he is.

Today, take some time to pray about how we all might better acknowledge Jesus as God-with-us each day.

- Maria Morrow