Child-Like Humility to Receive Christ the Davidic King and the Truth in Him - Tuesday of the First Week of Advent

In the scripture readings of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (Isaiah 11:1-10; Luke 10:21-24), we see how Christ had been prophetically addressed in the Old Testament and how it is reflected in a description of Christ in the New Testament. The readings are Christological so that we know better about the one whose coming we are preparing for.

The First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) is a prophetic vision of the southern kingdom after Assyria destroys the northern kingdom.

After Solomon’s reign, the Jewish kingdom was divided between the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Because the northern kingdom was more sinful than the southern kingdom, God let Assyria the sack the northern kingdom in 722BC. He hoped the southern kingdom to learn a lesson from the destruction of the northern kingdom. However, the southern kingdom failed to repent and return to God, in spite of some good kings, such as Josiah, making efforts to reform. And this resulted in the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 586BC.

Though the southern kingdom, which is of the Davidic dynasty, ended upon the Babylonian seize of Jerusalem, God had promised that the Davidic dynasty would be not destroyed.  It does not make sense, historically, as the Davidic dynasty of Judah (southern kingdom) was terminated with Zedekiah, who was taken to Babylon. Nevertheless, it does not mean the end of the Davidic dynasty because from which Christ the King appears. This was prophesized while David was still king of the undivided kingdom of Israel through Nathan (2 Samuel 7:5-16). The First Reading (Isaiah 11:1-10) affirms this with a focus on who this everlasting Davidic Christ King is.

First, Christ the King is a sprout from the stump of Jesse, a bud to blossom out of his root (Isaiah 11:1), meaning that he is one of Jesse’s offspring, who is the father of David, of the tribe of Judah. This shows that Christ the King, whose coming we prepare for, draws the Davidic royal lineage (Matthew 1:6-16). And he is anointed with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, and fully endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including wisdom and understanding, to rule and judge the world with justice and faithfulness (Isaiah 11:2-5). Then, peace and harmony shall prevail, for the world is filled with the knowledge of the Lord (יְהוָ֔ה/Yahweh) (Isaiah 11:6-9; cf. Isaiah 2:4-5), and all nations seek the Lord in this Davidic Kingdom of God in response to Christ’s call (Isaiah 11:10; cf. Isaiah 2:2-3).

The description of Christ the King in the First Reading of Tuesday of the First Week of Advent (Isaiah 11:1-10) expound the description of the his reign described in the First Reading of Monday of the First Week of Advent (Isaiah 2:1-5), giving the Christological revelation as the Davidic King.

Because the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord, rests upon Christ the King (Isaiah 11:2; cf. Luke 3:22; cf. Luke 4:18; Isaiah 42:1; 61:1), Jesus, who is the incarnated Christ, this Davidic King, certainly rejoices in the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:21a). And he says:

I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him (Luke 10:21b-22).

And then, he says to us:

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it (Luke 10:23-24).

Christ the King reminds us that we must have the innocent-child-like humility in order to enjoy Father’s revelation of the divine mystery, as well as the mystery of the Kingdom, through him. The humility makes us see and hear the Christological and soteriological truth and mystery (Paschal Mystery) of Christ the King and his Kingdom. And those who can see and hear for their humility are the blessed ones.

Now, an Advent message from the readings is clear. Our Advent preparation shall make sure that we are humble enough to see and hear the coming and arrival of the incarnated Christ, who has sprouted from the stump of Jesse, to blossom with all the graces through the Holy Spirit. And this is solely for our salvific benefits to enter his Kingdom.

On the First Sunday of Advent (Matthew 24:37-44(A); Mark 13:33-37(B); Luke 21:25-28, 34-36(C)), we are reminded to stay awake and remain vigilant for the coming of the incarnated Christ, for his arrival can be stealthy.  However, being awake does not necessarily mean that one can see the incarnated Christ’s coming. Even though we are awake, we will not recognize Christ’s coming and arrival, as long as we are not humble, because our sin of pride keeps us blind and deaf, making our hearts too stiff to open for him. Therefore, as we have been awaken and continue to stay awake, we need to prepare ourself for humility, removing anything that causes us to have pride. Or are we going to be too “wise” to see and hear the coming of Christ, letting our pride make us blind, like some of the Pharisees who were blind to see the truth in Jesus (i.e. John 9:40)?