A Sign

Advent Day 23

Fourth Monday in Advent

December 19, 2011

Reading: Isaiah 7:14 (NRSV)

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Theme: A sign

Reflection:

In the same way that most of us like prophecies about the future, we also like signs. If we can’t know for sure what is going to happen, at least a sign would give us some clue as to the future.

In the original context of this 7^th century B.C. Biblical passage, Isaiah spoke God’s word about this sign to King Ahaz, the King of Judah (the Southern Kingdom). This sign was an indication for him that the two Kings whom he feared would not be successful in an attack against Judah. Kings often asked prophets for signs from God about their potential success in battles.

Because the word Immanuel means, literally “With us is God”, in the centuries after the 7^th Century B.C., this text from Isaiah was often interpreted as God’s promise of a Messiah, God’s special anointed one. From a Christian context, looking back into the Hebrew Scriptures, this passage from Isaiah is viewed a God’s prophecy of the birth of Jesus. In his Gospel, Matthew uses this quote, translated slightly differently, to reveal the birth of Jesus. (Matthew uses the less common translation of the Hebrew word for young woman; Matthew translates this word as “virgin”)

²⁰ …An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ²³ “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:20–23).

Matthew quotes Isaiah to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of this sign spoken about by Isaiah, that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, “God with us” !

In this latter part of the Advent season, when we have been waiting and watching for a sign—a sign that the Messiah will be born, this sign from Isaiah is particularly hopeful for us. We wait for Christmas Eve, when we will hear the story of the birth of God’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. We wait for the hope that this Gospel (Good News) brings us. We long to know and experience “God with us”. We want the reassurance of hearing the treasured story, yet one more time, that God did indeed send a special baby. We long for the holy night when we will hear the story of how God’s own son came to live among us, a very human baby, born in very human and very poor circumstances. The virgin is with child, and soon, very soon there will be a baby born in Bethlehem, the baby whose very birth name means that he will save his people. The Lord, himself will give YOU a sign and send His Son to YOU.

Prayer: Emmanuel, God with us, we also pray for signs. We pray for signs of your presence among us. We pray for signs of hope in a troubled world. We pray for signs that Your Kingdom, the world envisioned by Your Son, will indeed come. Amen