Word to the Wise
Monday, December 15, 2025 - 3rd Week of Advent - Mon
[Num 24:2-7, 15-17a and Matt 21:23-27]I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: a star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel. [Numbers] When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, "By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?" [Matthew]
Jesus' dialogue with the chief priests and elders of the people takes place during his last days in Jerusalem. His cleansing of the temple had occurred just before this. He uses the questions to reveal the blindness and stubborn refusal of the Jewish authorities to accept him as the Messiah. By showing that they did not recognize John the Baptist as a prophet, they could not recognize him (Jesus) as the one whom John the Baptist had pointed to. Jesus' authority is not one conferred on him by any earthly power.
The example of Balaam in the first scripture today stands as a contrast to Jesus' adversaries in the gospel. Balaam had been sent as a spy to reconnoiter the army of Israel. When he saw their encampment, however, he realized that they had a power beyond mere military strength. It is that transcendent power that awakens faith for Balaam in the God of Israel. His prophetic words have been seen as a foretelling of the star that would eventually guide the Magi, themselves not Jews, to the Messiah. [The story of the star and the Magi appears in the Gospel According to Matthew, from which today's gospel scripture is taken!]
One of the spiritual challenges of the Advent season is to place the birth of Jesus, which we joyfully celebrate at Christmas, in the larger context of his entire earthly life and ministry. The thoughts of Holy Week, which today's gospel points to, can recede to the background lest they dim the joy of Christmas. Can we "see" beyond the manger in Bethlehem to the cross on Calvary and the empty tomb in the garden nearby? AMEN
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