6 minute read
Readings Between the Lines
Father Glenn LeCompte
“Then the angel said to (the shepherds), ‘Stop fearing, for behold I announce good news to you of great joy, which is for all the people, because today is born for you a savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this is the sign for you; you will find an infant swaddled and lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:10-12, translation by Father Glenn LeCompte).
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No doubt you are quite familiar with this passage from Luke’s Gospel wherein a heavenly messenger makes a joyful proclamation to shepherds about the birth of a savior in Bethlehem. The shepherds will be able to verify the angel’s message by means of a sign for which they are told to look—an infant swaddled and lying in a manger. A key word in this passage is “sign.” The shepherds’ finding of the infant as described by the angel will confirm the angel’s announcement. But we may ask, “Why this sign in particular?” What is the deeper meaning of an infant swaddled and lying in a manger?
To answer this question let us consider one of the primary aspects of Luke’s story–prophecy and fulfillment. At times Luke depicts characters in his narrative uttering prophecies which find fulfillment within the course of the story. Jesus himself announces beforehand several times that in Jerusalem he will suffer, die and rise again on the third day (9:2122, 43-45; 18:31-34). In other cases, Luke demonstrates that events which happen in his Gospel story (as well as in Acts) fulfill Old Testament prophecy (Luke 4:16-20; Acts 2:14-36). In the Lucan narrative of Jesus’ birth (2:114) prophecy and fulfillment occur when the shepherds find the child as the angel announced. The focus here is not on predicting the future but that what God intends and reveals comes to fulfillment.
The scene of the infant Jesus lying
Eucharist and Christmas:
Visible signs of spiritual mysteries
in a manger might also represent a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, namely, Isaiah 1:2-3: “Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth, for the Lord speaks: Sons have I raised and reared, but they have rebelled against me! An ox knows its owner, and an ass, its master’s manger; But Israel does not know, my people has not understood.” Isaiah is addressing Israelites probably during the reign of King Joram (742-734 B.C.) when Judah enjoyed an age of prosperity, an age which lent itself to the wealthy abusing (3:15) and extorting the poor (5:8-23) while the former lived opulently (3:16-17). Because of these crimes, Isaiah announces that Israel is without understanding. In other words, they are foolish in their refusal to heed the covenant law. To emphasize their folly, Isaiah compares the people to unintelligent, stubborn animals (ox and ass) who at least know to feed from the food trough their master provides. Judah’s level of understanding is below that of oxen and asses who know where to find food. In other words, Isaiah is suggesting that the people learn once again to savor the Lord’s wisdom, to begin doing what is right.
The laying of the infant Jesus in a manger may symbolize a fulfillment of the desire expressed by God through Isaiah. The coming of Israelite shepherds to see the infant swaddled and laid in a manger at the direction of the divine messenger is an image of Israel coming to embrace God’s justice, reversing the situation of Isaiah’s day. In particular, Israel will find the food of ethical wisdom by accepting the infant swaddled and laid in a manger as its savior.
In several passages in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus offers ethical wisdom in the setting of a banquet. In 14:1-6 Jesus, attending a banquet at a Pharisee’s home on the Sabbath, heals a person with dropsy to point out that the Sabbath work law does not preclude helping a person in need. Jesus likewise uses the occasion to teach a lesson on humility, when he sees guests scrambling to get the places of honor at the banquet (14:7-14). The lesson Jesus teaches here is not only for behavior at banquets but for life in general.
The Eucharist is a spiritual food to which we are drawn not only to a
eat physically but also to savor ethical wisdom. Our partaking of the body and blood of Christ at the Eucharist means not only that we receive consecrated elements into our bodies. We are also saying by our participation in this sacrament that we agree to take into our lives the food of ethical wisdom that Jesus offers. John 6:26-59 is usually referred to as the Bread of Life Discourse. When Jesus uses the phrase “Bread of Life” in verses 26-50 he is using the phrase to refer to his teaching. In other words, in John 6:2650, a food metaphor is used for Jesus’ instruction. He refers more specifically to the Eucharistic meal in verses 5159. Why is this metaphor used here? Just as we ingest food and it becomes a part of our physical bodies, so we take Jesus’ teaching into our hearts and minds and let it become the guide by which we live life. When this happens, we present ourselves as God’s faithful people who come to feed on the wisdom of Jesus, who symbolizes that he is the food of wisdom by lying in an animal food trough. In other words, the visible symbol (infant lying in a manger) points to a spiritual reality behind it (Jesus will provide the instruction that will enable people to do God’s will). Thus, the infant reclined in a feeding trough serves as a “sign” for the shepherds.
We use the word “sign” also in reference to the sacrament of the Eucharist. Christ is present under the forms of bread and wine. What appears as bread and wine says something about how we encounter Christ who is hidden behind what we see. It is not only that Christ is present; he is present as spiritual food for our lives. To receive Christ in the Eucharist is not only to receive him in the consecrated elements; it is to receive everything about him, his teaching and example as a way of life for us. The teaching of Christ is spiritual nourishment for our lives. Therefore, the sign of bread and wine that Jesus appointed as the visible sign under which he would be present to us says something about the nature of that presence.
Jesus’ birth is also a visible sign of a hidden spiritual reality. The human Jesus is the visible sign of the invisible God. The disciples’ faith in Jesus’ divinity was discerned through their experience of his humanity. In Luke 10:24, Jesus says, “... 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.” BC
Reflection Questions
v How has your participation in the sacrament of the holy Eucharist lead you to the ethical wisdom Jesus offers? v At Christmas we celebrate the truth that the invisible God has been manifested to us in the birth of his divine Son. What implications does this have for our lives? v What relationship do you see between the infant lying in a manger and the sacrament of the holy Eucharist?
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