Eucharistic meditation, Third Sunday After Easter

Matthew 1:17: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

Last week, we noticed that Matthew begins his gospel using the title of the first book of the Bible, telling us that he is writing a new Genesis story, a story of new beginnings. And then he gives a genealogy that includes 6 weeks of generations, and tells about the beginning of a seventh week. Matthew's numerological summary of the history of Israel again shows that he is beginning a new book of Genesis, on the model of the creation week.

We can be more specific than that. Jesus comes in the "seventh" position, the sabbatical position, in this creation-genealogy. After the ups and downs of Israel's history, Sabbath - a super-Sabbath, a 7 x 7 Sabbath, a Jubilee Sabbath - has arrived in Jesus.

Jesus brings Sabbath as the New Moses, delivering us from the bondage of Egypt. He brings Sabbath as the new Joshua, subduing the land to peace and delivering an inheritance. David, putting down our enemies on every side. Jesus comes to deliver Israel from the burdens imposed by hypocritical Pharisees.

And He comes to release our burdens, the burdens of our sins, the burdens of the law, the burdens of anxiety and fear. He comes to announce the year of Jubilee, which took place in the year after the 7th sabbatical year, the year when slaves are released, when all Israelites returned to their ancestral lands, the year that saw Israel reordered and put right. Jubilee means the end of exile.

We come to this table every week on the Christian Sabbath to celebrate the Sabbath in Christ. This table announces to us that the bonds have been broken, and we have been set free to feast in the presence of God. This table is at the center of the promised land, given to us after our deliverance from Egypt, laden with the abundant fruit of the land. This table is the table for freed slaves.

Sabbath means rest, and it means joy, and this table is the center of our joy. In Jesus you have entered into Sabbath rest; so too, enter into joy.

posted by Peter J. Leithart on Sunday, April 29, 2007 at 08:13 AM

Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.