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From: Isaiah 7:1-9

The sign of Immanu-el

[1] In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin
the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to
Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. [2] When the
house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” his heart and the
heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

[3] And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub
your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Ful-
ler’s Field, [4] and say to him, ‘Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let
your heart be faint because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, at
the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. [5] Because Sy-
ria, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, sa-
ying, [6] Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for our-
selves, and set up the son of Tabe-el as king in the midst of it,” [7] thus says
the Lord God:

It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
[8] For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will
no longer be a people.)
[9] And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe,
surely you shall not be established.â€

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Commentary:

7:1-12:6. This series of oracles and narratives is usually known as the “Book of
Immanuel”, because its climax is taken to be the mysterious announcement of
a Messiah-Saviour, called “Immanu-el”, which means “God-with-us” (7:14). This
“book” is one of the most interesting parts of First Isaiah. Some scholars include
in the “book”, as its introduction, the prophet’s vision of God in majesty, and the
account of Isaiah’s calling (6:1-13).

The Immanuel prophecy begins with the announcement of a God-given “sign” of
salvation — the “virgin” who will conceive and bear a “son” (7:1-8:22). The “son”
is described in such a way that he seems to be no ordinary human child (8:23-
9:6). Paradoxically, the joy of salvation that has just been proclaimed is then
immediately clouded by announcements about the wrath of God, the collapse
of Samaria and the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem (9:7-10:19). But, as often hap-
pens in Isaiah, we are told that a “remnant” will he saved, a “shoot from the
stump of Jesse” (11:1), that is, a descendant of David on whom “the Spirit of
the Lord will rest” (11:2), and that a kingdom of righteousness and peace will
emerge and the exiles will return home (10:20-11:16). This leads the prophet to
intone a short psalm of thanksgiving (12: I-6).

7:1-9. After the account of Isaiah’s vocation, where we heard that a hardened
heart is unable to hear the word of the Lord (cf. 6:9-10), we are now given evi-
dence to that effect. Isaiah has a meeting with King Ahaz, in which the king is
in two minds as to what to do in the face of pressure to join the coalition a-
gainst the Assyrians made up of Israel (here also called Ephraim), whose capi-
tal was Samaria, and Syria (Aram), the capital of which was Damascus. Verse
6 mentions Tabeel, about whom nothing more is known; he may have been a
senior official in the Southern kingdom who was in favour of joining the coalition.
The prophet’s message warns Judah that it should put its trust in God, believing
in his word, and not try to take refuge in any political alliance, be it with the Sy-
rians and Ephraimites, or with Assyria. It ends abruptly with the threat that if A-
haz and his supporters fail to listen, their downfall will soon follow (vv. 7-9). The
narrative says that a son of Isaiah is present at his exchange with Ahaz —
Shear-jashub (v. 3), a name full of symbolism, for it means “a remnant shall re-
turn”. The presence of this son implies, in some way, that God will ensure the
permanent survival of the people: there will always be some, a remnant, who
will come back to the Lord and recover what has been lost (cf. 10:20-22).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 11:20-24

Jesus Reproaches People for Their Unbelief

[20] Then He (Jesus) began to upbraid the cities where most of His mighty works
had been done, because they did not repent. [21] “Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to
you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Si-
don, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I tell
you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for
you. [23] And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to Heaven? You shall be
brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in
Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [24] But I tell that it shall be more
tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

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Commentary:

21-24. Chorazin and Bethsaida were thriving cities on the northern shore of the
lake of Gennesaret, not very far from Capernaum. During His public ministry Je-
sus often preached in these cities and worked any miracles there; in Capernaum
He revealed His teaching about the Blessed Eucharist (cf. John 6:51ff). Tyre, Si-
don, Sodom and Gomorrah, the main cities of Phoenicia — all notorious for loose
living — were classical examples of divine punishment (cf. Ezekiel 26-28; Isaiah
23).

Here Jesus is pointing out the ingratitude of people who could know Him but who
refuse to change: on the day of Judgment (verses 22 and 24) they have more ex-
plaining to do: “Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required”
(Luke 12:48).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading	Isaiah 7:1-9 ©

In the reign of Ahaz son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Razon the king of Aram went up against Jerusalem with Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, to lay siege to it; but he was unable to capture it.

The news was brought to the House of David. ‘Aram’ they said ‘has reached Ephraim.’ Then the heart of the king and the hearts of the people shuddered as the trees of the forest shudder in front of the wind. The Lord said to Isaiah, ‘Go with your son Shear-jashub, and meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the Fuller’s Field road, and say to him:

‘“Pay attention, keep calm, have no fear,

do not let your heart sink

because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands,

or because Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah

have plotted to ruin you, and have said:

Let us invade Judah and terrorise it

and seize it for ourselves,

and set up a king there,

the son of Tabeel.

The Lord says this:

It shall not come true; it shall not be.

The capital of Aram is Damascus,

the head of Damascus, Razon;

the capital of Ephraim, Samaria,

the head of Samaria, the son of Remaliah.

Six or five years more

and a shattered Ephraim shall no longer be a people.

But if you do not stand by me,

you will not stand at all.”’

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 47:2-8 ©