Scripture Study for
Third Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10 / Isaiah 35:4 / James 5:7–10 / Matthew 11:2–11
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Understanding the Word
By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.
Isaiah depicts two ways in which the renewal promised by God is manifested: the barren wilderness filled with new life, and the healing of those suffering some physical malady. In a world that believes that God created everything in proper order, imperfection of any kind is often perceived as a consequence of sin. This explains why healing was seen as restoration to that proper order. Such restoration was a sign of the transformation that only God can effect. It was a testimony to God’s presence in the world and to God’s victory over evil. God had reestablished the original order of creation, and all life began again to flourish.
Patience is the controlling theme in the second reading. Parousía, which means “coming” or “presence,” became a technical term for the future coming of Christ to inaugurate the definitive manifestation of God’s eternal dominion. Because the exact time of this advent was unknown, patience would be necessary until that day of fulfillment dawned. The example of the farmer waiting for the crop to grow and mature highlights some important aspects of this patient waiting. Believers are told to take the prophets as their models in bearing the hardships of life and in waiting patiently for the coming of the Lord.
In his response to the questions of the Baptist’s followers, Jesus links his own wondrous deeds with the prophets’ allusions to visions of fulfillment. Healings of the needy were all signs of the dawning of the eschatological age. They were also indications of the type of messiah that Jesus would be. Those who were expecting a political or military leader who would free them from Roman domination or a priest who would bring them together as a cultic community would be disappointed with Jesus. Jesus then states that regardless of how insignificant his followers might be, as citizens of the reign of heaven they enjoyed a privilege that John did not know.