Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
(Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25)
In today’s first reading Jeremiah tells of a coming king
from the line of David. He says that the
king “’will do what is right and just.’”
In fact, he says, his name will be “’the Lord our justice.’” Jeremiah further sees this king as bringing
the citizens of Israel home from all the lands into which they been banished.
The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfilment of Jeremiah’s
prophecy. He is the cultural son of
Joseph, a just man of the line of David.
Joseph shows himself to be just by both obeying the Law and by not exposing
Mary to public shame. Jesus will show
himself as justice itself when he dies to justify all who believe in him. In this way he retrieves people from sin’s banishment
and brings them to Paradise.
The name “Jesus” literally means “Yahweh saves.” He saves us the consequence of our sins. Matthew also recognizes Jesus as “Emmanuel,”
which means “God es with us.” As Jesus
will tell his disciples in the last verse of the gospel, he is with us “always
until the close of the age.”