This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent. In the previous post we considered the parallels between the Annunciation about the birth of Jesus in our gospel and the annunciation of the birth of John. Now we consider the points of contrast between these two scenes which are equally telling.

First, Elizabeth has a need—she is childless, disgraced; but Mary has no apparent need. Similarly, the redundancy in the explanation of Elizabeth’s childlessness (vv.7a, 7b, 18) signals how her need has led to the recognition of the obstacle that must be overcome prior to its resolution. But the triple assertion of Mary’s virginity (vv.27a, 27b, 34) is not presented as an obstacle to the resolution of any need on her part. Contrasts make explicit what was already implicit in the narrative—namely, the real needs here are not those of Mary or even of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Israel is estranged from God, under alien rule, oppressed. God’s covenant with his people has not been realized fully. Hence, God is intervening in human history to bring forth an everlasting kingdom. In doing so, he solicits and embraces the partnership of Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary—themselves Israelites and representative in their own ways of the people of Israel.

While the descriptions of the two promised children share some common points, clearly Jesus is held up above John. Note that  “He [John] will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb,” Jesus’ conception results from the activity of the Spirit (vv.15, 35). Both are important in the realization of God’s redemptive will, but Jesus is primary – rooted in the Spirit as part of his intrinsic being.

It is also worth noting that Zechariah’s encounter with Gabriel takes place at the center of Jewish life, the Temple, only a veiled doorway from the presence of God’s glory. But Gabriel travels to Mary, far away from the center of things in Jerusalem, to Nazareth in Galilee—inconsequential, shunned, unclean. Yet, the Temple priest Zechariah, the one who maintains cleanliness, responds to Gabriel’s words with hesitation rooted in unbelief. Mary, on the other hand, though she is only a young Galilean girl, embraces God’s plan, proclaiming herself as God’s servant. These points of contrast point to something profound about the focus of God’s redemptive initiative in Luke’s Gospel, and foreshadow the joy with which the people on the margins will receive divine favor.

Joseph, husband of Mary, gets scant attention in Like, yet he is “introduced:” of the house of David. Most scholars hold that  Luke’s primary interest is in establishing that royal connection. Jesus’ acclamation as Son of God (vv.32, 35) must be read at least against the backdrop of the use of this expression to designate the Davidic king in the OT. Even more obvious are the unmistakable reminiscences of the divine promise to David of an everlasting dynasty found in 2 Sam 7:11b-16 in vv.32b-33.

Image credit: The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, Uffizi Gallery Florence | PD