Jeremiah 31: 7–14 / Psalm 84:
1–8 / Ephesians 1: 3–6, 15–19a / Matthew 2: 13–15, 19–23
This
is the homily given at St. John’s; Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker
on Sunday, January 5, 2020.
“EXILE, PRESERVATION AND
MISSION”
(Homily texts: Jeremiah 31: 7–14 & Matthew 2: 13–15, 19–23)
Our Old
Testament text, taken from the prophet Jeremiah, and our Gospel text, from
Matthew, chapter two, are linked to one another, for both deal with exile and
preservation. Although the texts do not specifically tell us so, the wider
narrative involved includes the reality that God’s action to return those who
were exiled, preserving them in the process, is for the greater purpose of
using those exiles for His purposes and mission in the world.
We would do
well to trace the wider narrative, especially in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah
has warned God’s people living in the Southern Kingdom of Judah that, because
of their idolatry and wicked ways, God’s judgment would lead them into exile in
Babylon. Along the way, false prophets contradict Jeremiah’s warnings, telling
anyone who would listen that Jeremiah’s prophecy would never come to pass. But,
eventually, Jeremiah was proved right, as Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army
in 586 BC. Many of the inhabitants of Judah (though not all) were carried off
into exile in Babylon.
In chapter
thirty, we read Jeremiah’s prophecy that the exiles’ time in Babylon will come
to an end, and in God’s good time, they will come home again, to begin anew
their relationship with God. Our passage from chapter thirty-one, read this
morning, is part of Jeremiah’s prediction of the new and brighter day that is
coming.
Now, let’s
turn out attention to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ exile in Egypt.
Joseph is
warned in a dream, once the Wise Men had departed, that King Herod (the Great)
was intent on killing the holy child. The Wise Men, Matthew tells us, were the
ones who brought Jesus’ existence to Herod’s notice. Historical accounts
recount Herod’s brutal ways. Herod was especially keen, apparently, to preserve
his own position and power, often using extremely brutal measures to do so, so
Matthew’s account of the slaughter of all the male children two years old and
younger in Bethlehem (verses 16 – 18 of chapter two) at Herod’s command is
entirely consistent with the historical account of his other atrocities.
Joseph, in
response to the warning, takes Jesus and Mary out of harm’s way into Egypt. In
the fulness of time, Herod died (in 4 BC), and Joseph, in another dream is told
that it is now safe to return to the Holy Land. However, Joseph learns that one
of Herod’s sons, Archelaus, is ruling in Judea. (Archelaus’ reign lasted from 4
BC to 6 AD). Historical records tell us that Archelaus was brutal, just as his
father had been. So Joseph headed north to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, and a
place that was out of Archelaus’ reach.
The
circumstances of the exile in Babylon and Jesus’ exile in Egypt are different:
The Babylonian exile occurred as a result of military conquest, while Jesus’
exile was for the purpose escaping danger, with the goal of preserving Jesus’
life. In both cases, however, God preserved the exiles, so that they could do
God’s will in the world once their exiles were over.
God’s
chosen people, the Jews’ were called to be a light to the nations. The
Babylonian exile cured them of their errant, idol-worshipping ways. Once they
returned from exile, they were faithful in proclaiming the truth of the one
God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jesus came
to be a light to the world, as well. His coming proves that God continues to be
active in the world. Jesus’ coming pushes back the boundaries of darkness, as
John’s Gospel account reminds us, saying, “The light (Jesus Christ) shines in
the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1: 5)
How about
you and me?
Have we
ever been exiles from God? And if so, how has God preserved us in some way or
another so that we could do God’s will in the world?
These are
important questions, perhaps the most important ones we might ever ask
ourselves.
The truth
is that we are exiled from God by virtue of our sinfulness. We all know how to
do “bad stuff”, don’t we? When we acknowledge our true spiritual condition, and
our helplessness in being able to do anything about that condition, then we are
ready to undergo the spiritual death and resurrection that baptism signifies.
St. Paul says it well in describing the meaning of baptism. In Romans 6: 3–5, we
read this: “Do you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united
with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his.”
Baptism,
therefore saves us from ourselves and from our
self-destructive ways. Baptism preserves us in order that we might share the
light of Christ with the world around us. When we shed that divine light
faithfully, that wonderful light will overcome the darkness we see around us.
We have
been saved, preserved, not for our own self interest and welfare, but for the
advancement of God’s purposes in the world. There is no higher calling than
that.
AMEN.
