The Sánchez Archives New Year’s Day

By
Patricia Datchuck Sánchez

NUMBERS 6:22-27
GALATIANS 4:4-7
LUKE 2:16-21

The texts pronounce a blessing on this year (Numbers) and repeat the season’s basic theme, the coming of Jesus the God-man (Galatians) into our world--the first act in God’s unfolding plan for our salvation (Luke).

Numbers 6:22-27

Called Be midbar ("In the wilderness”) in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew, this fourth book of the Pentateuch purports to depict the wilderness wanderings in the Sinai and the westward infiltration from the Transjordan area into Canaanite territory. In actual fact, the book is a complex melange of various traditions, religious history, liturgical rites and legal codes which grew out of the developing faith and culture of the Hebrew tribes. These traditions "percolated" through the life and mores of the people for about 10 centuries before they were concentrated in the not too orderly book we call Numbers.

While much of the material in Numbers comes from a later period, many scholars believe that the blessing, which comprises the heart of today’s pericope, may be quite an­cient. This formula, used by priests in blessing the people at the end of their prayer together, is very familiar to us, be­cause it is still used in both Jewish and Christian liturgies. It is a perfect example of Hebrew parallelism in triplicate, that is, the same prayer or petition is expressed in three different ways. Because biblical Hebrew knows no superlative, the triple statement is a means of showing emphasis. The phrases (The Lord bless you, the Lord let his face shine, the Lord look upon you kindly) are but three variants for under­standing the Lord’s favor. The word for the Lord’s face (panim) is always plural, a collective noun, signifying all the qualities behind a face: attitudes, sentiments, personality. In a word, God’s very self or presence is invoked. The threefold prayer for prosperity, presence and peace is an excellent ex­pression of our hope in God who alone can make ours a happy new year.

Galatians 4:4-7

While the Pauline authorship of Galatians is rarely questioned today, we still do not know to which part of Galatia Paul addressed his letter, the northern or southern region. Created a province of Rome about 25 B.C.E. by Augustus, Galatia was a cosmopolitan area and the situation there caused Paul to pen one of his most important documents.

Writing in Ephesus in the mid-50s C.E. on his third mis­sionary trek, Paul used the letter to attack one of his major pastoral obstacles, the Judaizers. These were a group of early Christians (probably Pharisaic, perhaps even Essene in tradi­tion) who believed that the way to Jesus Christ had to pass through Moses. They denied Paul’s claim to apostleship and accused him of diluting the power of the gospel for the sake of gentile converts. The Judaizers plagued Paul’s gentile con­verts by their insistence on circumcision for all, as well as the observance of certain Jewish feasts and dietary laws.

Galatians is a polemic against the Judaizers, with its un­derscoring of the freedom in Christ and its rejection of the old law and circumcision. Today’s text follows Paul’s story about Abraham wherein he asserts that the promises made to Abraham can be enjoyed by all Christians because it is Christ Jesus and not the law which makes us heirs. Indeed, because of Jesus Christ and his Spirit, we are children of God, in­timate enough to call him "Abba" (Daddy).

Most scholars believe that the key phraseof the text, "God sent forth his son. . . so that we might receive adoption as sons," is an ancient Christian credal text expanded by Paul. The phrases, "when the designated time had come," "born of a woman" and "born under the law," proclaim Christ’s incar­nation and true solidarity with the human situation to those who would deny it.

Today’s pericope from Luke’s infancy nar­rative, depicting the shepherds’ visit to the newly formed holy family, parallels the magi story in Matthew’s gospel (see gospel text for next Sunday). Both groups, shepherds and magi, come to Jesus due to an extraordinary revelation, in one case an angel, in the other a star. Both groups represent believers in the early church who accepted Jesus as the Christ, as opposed to other groups who rejected and even persecuted him (Herod, scribes, chief priests). Both groups, shepherds and magi, come to adore Jesus as savior and go away from the event believing. Both groups, however, were considered somewhat beyond the ordinary, acceptable pale of existence. The magi were foreigners and astronomers. The shepherds were regarded outside the law in that their livelihood at times required that they graze their flocks on the lands of others.

The author of Luke 1 and 2 executes a creative transition from the story of Israel (Old Testament) to the story of Jesus (gospel) and the church (Acts), depicting Elizabeth, Zechariah, Anna, Simeon and especially Mary as the per­sonification of messianic hope. Mary in particular, as both believer and later disciple, bridges the gap between Israel and the new Israel, the church. She keeps or treasures (ponders, interprets) these events in her heart and as such becomes the model for believers (cf. 2:16, 51). Jesus referred to faith like hers later in the gospel (see 8:15, 21; 11:28). A sentimental and pietistic regard for Mary has no root in the gospel, which presents her rather as one to admired for her faith.

The last verse (2:21) of today’s text gives fleeting atten­tion to Jesus’ circumcision before focusing on his naming. Contrary to custom, Joseph does not name the child. Rather, he is given the name which had been announced by the angel (1:31). In this way, the author attests to the extraordinary cir­cumstances of Jesus’ birth as well as the faith of her who had kept the angel’s words in her heart and acted on them.

1. Do our lives reflect the blessings of the faith we enjoy? (Numbers)

2. Preconceived notions can blind us to the surprises of God’s continuing revelation (Galatians).

3. The Christ of our faith is no longer an infant; he is the glorious, risen Lord of all creation (Luke).

[NOTE TO USERS: This archive is available for use without charge, but it remains the property of the author and under copyright with Celebrations Publications. Users are permitted to print individual Sunday commentaries for pastoral use, but are prohibited from downloading or copying files or printing any portion of this for sale or distribution.]