A Last Testament of Promise
A Last Testament of Promise
Reflecting on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany: Three Days after Sunday (Year A)
Scripture
Psalter: Psalm 27:7-14
Old Testament: Genesis 49:1-2, 8-13, 21-26
Gospel: Luke 1:67-79
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Prayer
God of Blazing light, through the power of the cross you shattered our darkness, scattering the fears that bind us and setting us free to live as your children. Give us courage and conviction that we may joyfully turn and follow you into new adventures of faithful service, led by the light that shines through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
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Reflection
‘Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
Binding his foal to the vine
and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
he washes his garments in wine
and his robe in the blood of grapes;
his eyes are darker than wine,
and his teeth whiter than milk (Genesis 49:8-12).
Genesis 49 is the last testament or promise from Jacob to his twelve sons. Such literature is not uncommon in the ancient world. The patriarch from his deathbed utters admonitions, promises, and hopes for his children before he dies. Last testaments are found in several places throughout the Scriptures.
The focus in today’s verses are on Jacob’s son, Judah. Judah does not figure prominently in the Jacob narrative, but his prominence will be seen in his descendants.
Judah is a lion’s whelp;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him;
and the obedience of the peoples is his.
Two images are prominent and remain so throughout Israel’s history. First, Judah will give birth to a lion and second, the scepter, the reign of a descendant of Judah will be assured. That the reign of Judah’s descendants will not end until “tribute comes to him and the obedience of the peoples is his” signifies the defeat of his enemies (tribute) and the peace of his kingdom (obedience).
The centrality of Judah for Israel’s history will come to fruition in the rule of David who is a member of the tribe of Judah, and most importantly in Jesus who is a son of David. In the book of Revelation John receives a great vision of Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’
Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:1-8).
Some two thousand years after Jacob’s death, the words of his testament would be decisively fulfilled in Jesus. We must always remember that we follow Jesus and live our lives in faith according to the promises of long ago. Jesus doesn’t just happen on the scene by chance. His life is not a unlucky accident of history. His death is not an unfortunate and unexpected event. It is the culmination of God guiding his people to the place when, to quote St. Paul, “the time was right” (Galatians 4:4) for Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to be born.
Some two thousand years after Jesus, we live our lives according to the promise. We can walk in hope and confidence. The promise means that God is with us.
Thanks be to God.
PRAYER: Perfect Light of revelation, as you shone in the life of Jesus, whose epiphany we celebrate, so shine in us and through us, that we may become beacons of truth and compassion, enlightening all creation with deeds of justice and mercy. Amen.
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