St Joseph and the Christ Child
El Greco
1597-99
Oil on canvas, 289 x 147 cm
Capilla de San José, Toledo
From: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Nathan's Prophecy About the Dynasty
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[4] But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, [5a] "Go and tell my servant David:
[8b] "'I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; [9] and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. [10] And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more: and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, [11] from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. [12] When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
[14a] I will be his father, and he shall be my son. [16] And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.'"
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Commentary:
7:1-17. Nathan is a court prophet will also appear in later accounts connected with Solomon and Bathsheba, his mother (cf. 2 Sam 12:1-25 and 1 Kings 1:11-40). As prophet he is God's spokesman (he twice uses the classic formulation, "Thus says the Lord": vv. 5 and 8); here he has to oppose the king's plans (vv. 5-7); he proclaims a message which cannot but have its effect on the listener because the word of God is true and it always comes to pass.
Nathan's prophecy is particularly important: it decides who will succeed David, and it has to do with the Messiah, who will be a descendant of David. What he says has all the formality of an oracular statement; it confirms the dynastic succession and specifies the role of the temple among God's chosen people.
For pagan peoples (Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian etc.) the temple was the center of their world and the focus of their religious spirit; it was there that they kept their gods. In Israel, on the other hand, the temple will have quite a different role. It is based on the fact that the true God is not content with a temple; he has no need of a house in which to dwell (cf. 1 Kings 8:27). If he allows there to be sanctuaries or shrines (cf. Gen 28:20-22), the desert tabernacle or tent (cf. Ex 33:7-11) and later the temple of Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 8:1-66), these are only signs of his presence among the people, not a habitation that he in any sense needs. Nathan's prophecy shows that it is not so much the temple as the Davidic dynasty that is the sign of divine presence and protection that God has set up from the start. Hence the play on words between "house of God" (temple) and "house of David" (dynasty).
The hereditary monarchy, then, is the center of Nathan's prophecy. If Michal's sterility cut off the line of succession from Saul, the prophecy assured that David's line would endure. From the central part of the prophecy (vv. 13-16) we can see that every descendant of David, the figure of the future Messiah, will have the following qualities:
a) He will be a son to God (v. 14a). This is not natural, human, sonship; it refers to the closeness of the relationship between God and the king (cf. Ps 2:7; 89:26-27), so that the person and rule of the king will symbolize the presence of God and the active role he plays in the life of the people. The king's sonship to God, then, is an expression of the covenant established between God and David's line. God commits himself to act towards the king as a good father to his son. Jesus will bring these words and this covenant to full fruition, for he is the "eternal Son of God" made man (cf. Gal 4:4). Whereas he is the Son of God by natural generation, all the baptized are "sons in the Son": "For this is the very reason why the Word became flesh, why the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thereby partaking of divine filiation, might be converted into a son of God" (St Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 3, 19, 1; cf. "Catechism of the Catholic Church", 460).
b) He will be punished when necessary, but the punishment will be only temporary (14b-15), that is, David's line will not be cut off as happened to Saul, nor will any dethronement last, because the love of God will always win out. In the light of this oracular statement, any misfortunes of the people, even the exile in Babylon, despite being punishment for their sins, will be above all a proof of God's mercy. The death of Jesus on the cross, though caused by the sins of men, is above all a proof of the love of God who gave up his Son (cf. Rom 8:32), and of the love of Jesus who gave himself up on men's behalf (cf. Rom 4:25; Eph 5:25).
c) The Davidic dynasty will endure forever (vv. 12-13, 15-16). The title "son of David" will refer not only to genealogical descent but also to the fact that the holder is the beneficiary of this promise and of the Davidic covenant (cf. 1 Kings 8:25; Ps 132:10-18; Jer 17:24-27; Ezek 34:23-24; etc.). After the exile this is the title which is most often applied to the Messiah, and the writers of the New Testament, of course, are at pains to point out that Jesus is the "son of David" (cf. Mt 1:1; 9:27; Rom 1:3). The liturgy of the Solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin, includes this text, because it is he who is the guarantor of the Davidic descent of Jesus (Mt 1:20) through being "of the house of David" (Lk 1:27).
The Example of Abraham (Continuation)
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[13] The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
[16] That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants--not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, [17] as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations"--in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. [18] In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So shall your descendants be." [22] (But) the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone.
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Commentary:
13-14. God made this promise to Abraham about his having countless descendants (cf. Genesis 15:5-6) centuries before the Mosaic Law was given to the people of Israel through Moses. Therefore, the promise made to Abraham was not linked to the Law but rather to the Patriarch's faith. That is why the heirs of the promise are those who follow the faith of Abraham.
The Ancestry of Jesus Christ
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[16] Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His Birth
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[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; [19] and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. [20] But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; [21] she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." [24a] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
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Commentary:
16. Jewish genealogies followed the male line. Joseph, being Mary's husband, was the legal father of Jesus. The legal father is on a par with the real father as regards rights and duties. This fact provides a sound basis for recognizing St Joseph as Patron of the whole Church, since he was chosen to play a very special role in God's plan for our salvation; with St Joseph as his legal father, Jesus the Messiah has David as his ancestor.
Since it was quite usual for people to marry within their clan, it can be concluded that Mary belonged to the house of David. Several early Fathers of the Church testify to this--for example, St Ignatius of Antioch, St Irenaeus, St Justin and Tertullian, who base their testimony on an unbroken oral tradition.
It should also be pointed out that when St Matthew comes to speak of the birth of Jesus, he uses an expression which is completely different from that used for the other people in the genealogy. With these words the text positively teaches that Mary conceived Jesus while still a virgin, without the intervention of man.
18. St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke 1:25-38): "We truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because she gave birth to a person who is at the same time both God and man" (St. Pius V Catechism, I, 4, 7).
According to the provisions of the Law of Moses, engagement took place about one year before marriage and enjoyed almost the same legal validity. The marriage proper consisted, among other ceremonies, in the bride being brought solemnly and joyously to her husband's house (cf. Deuteronomy 20:7).
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus' birth teaches, through the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has David as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child's conception without the intervention of man was miraculous.
19. "St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as `a just man'. In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will (cf. Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6). So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God's commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers, his fellow men" (St J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 40).
Joseph considered his spouse to be holy despite the signs that she was going to have a child. He was therefore faced with a situation he could not explain. Precisely because he was trying to do God's will, he felt obliged to put her away; but to shield her from public shame he decided to send her away quietly.
Mary's silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to Him, following the example they gave us.
20. God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who trust in His power and wisdom when faced with situations which exceed human understanding. By calling him the son of David, the angel reminds Joseph that he is the providential link which joins Jesus with the family of David, according to Nathan's messianic prophecy (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: "At the very start he straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to spring, and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds him, through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made to all his lineage" (Hom. on St. Matthew, 4).
"The same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He assumed human flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men, from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the order of nature, that is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the same person, remaining God as He was from eternity, became man, which He was not before" (St. Pius V Catechism, I, 4, 1).
21. According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means "savior". After our Lady, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that salvation has begun.
"Jesus is the proper name of the God-man and signifies `Savior'--a name given Him not accidentally, or by the judgment or will of man, but by the counsel and command of God" [...]. All other names which prophecy gave to the Son of God--Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6)--are comprised in this one name Jesus; for while they partially signified the salvation which He was to bestow on us, this name included the force and meaning of all human salvation" (St. Pius V Catechism, I, 3, 5 and 6).
23. "Emmanuel": the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, quoted in this verse, foretold about 700 years in advance that God's salvation would be marked by the extraordinary event of virgin giving birth to a son. The Gospel here, therefore, reveals two truths:
First, that Jesus is in fact the God-with-us foretold by the prophet. This is how Christian tradition has always understood it. Indeed the Church has officially condemned an interpretation denying the messianic sense of the Isaiah text (cf. Pius VI, Brief, Divina, 1779). Christ is truly God-with-us, therefore, not only because of His God-given mission but because He is God made man (cf. John 1:14). This does not mean that Jesus should normally be called Emmanuel, for this name refers more directly to the mystery of His being the Incarnate Word. At the Annunciation the angel said that He should be called Jesus, that is, Savior. And that was the name St. Joseph gave Him.
The second truth revealed to us by the sacred text is that Mary, in whom the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 is fulfilled, was a virgin before and during the birth itself. The miraculous sign given by God that salvation had arrived was precisely that a woman would be a virgin and a mother at the same time.
"Jesus Christ came forth from His mother's womb without injury to her maternal virginity. This immaculate and perpetual virginity forms, therefore, the just theme of our eulogy. Such was the work of the Holy Spirit, who at the conception and birth of the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness to her while preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity" (St. Pius V Catechism, I, 4, 8).