Jesus being the son
(as was supposed)
of Joseph… the son of David. (Luke
3:23&31)
I was awaken too early this morning by thoughts of that crèche Linda and I (mainly Linda) manage to erect on our front porch. My mind wouldn’t stop thinking of what I left out. I spoke of mother and child, but did I say anything about the dad? Or, the “supposed” dad? Joseph, “being a good man,” was not afraid to take Mary as his wife (Mt 1:18-25)? Joseph too is in the crèche, by their side, caring and attending and looking on.
The New Testament begins by demonstrating that Jesus comes to us through the line of Joseph: “the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Mt 1:16). The first gospel witness proclaims: “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth" (Jn 1:45). Nathanael, who heard the good news, was not impressed: “Nothing good comes out of Nazareth,” he figured. But later, when Nathanael encounters Jesus, he believes. He believes without knowing a thing about Bethlehem, the City of David, nor about how it was that Mary had “found favor with God…” and how it is that she would “conceive and bear a son…” (Lk 1:26-38). Apparently, no one bothered to insert that parenthetical “as was supposed.” It’s not the kind of thing one announces. The supposal is allowed its own mystery: “Mary pondered these things in her heart” (Lk 2:19).
Nathanael still believed: “Teacher, you are the Son of God!” That was enough. Jesus likes Nathanael, calling him “an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” (Jn 1:43-51) It’s just that there is always more to Jesus than we figured—more than one can ever know (Jn 21:25).
Daily Readings for Second
Week of Advent: Love
Monday: Jeremiah
31:3-6 & First John 4:7-9
Tuesday: Psalm
145:8-9 & John 3:16-17
Wednesday: Psalm 145:11-14 & Romans 8:38-39
Thursday: Isaiah 11:1-2 & Luke 1:34-38
Friday: Isaiah
7:14 & Matthew 1:18-25
Saturday: Psalm 98:3 & Second Corinthians 13:13
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