Transmission

by j. Snodgrass

Every year, we spend the three weeks of the advent season preparing for the birth of Jesus. For many of us, it’s three weeks in which all our demons – loneliness, alienation, depression, financial hardship – are amplified, felt all the more keenly, because many of them will follow us into the next year. The days get shorter, colder, and then… December 25th, Jesus is born, just in time. We know the baby’s coming, bringing hope and joy, which makes the season more bearable. We also know that where all the hustle and bustle, terrible holiday music and pressure to buy gifts is concerned… Well, as Jesus said, “This too shall pass.”

Today, I’d like to talk about some pre-Jesus depression, from when they didn’t know he was coming at all. Looking back, it’s easy to say that the signs were all there in what’s become the Old Testament, the stump and Jesse and whatnot, but it’s important to remember that the ’shoot from the stump of Jesse’ in Isaiah 11 who would rule with righteousness had already been fulfilled in the kings Josiah and Hezekiah. Simply put, twas the time before Christians - no savior in sight.

Then came Jesus, more specifically Jesus Ben Sirach, who lived about two hundred years before Jesus of Nazareth (Jesus was a popular name, since the name ‘Yehoshua’ meant Joshua, the famous warlord who conquered twenty-one kingdoms – this name would have risen in popularity as the Israelites themselves were conquered several times, and kept hoping that one of their offspring would rise up and start kicking some butt). Jesus Ben Sirach wrote the following passage about his blues:

Jesus Ben Sirach 51:7

They surrounded me on every side,
and there was no one to help me;
I looked for human assistance,
and there was none.
8 Then I remembered your mercy, O Lord,
and your kindness from of old,
for you rescue those who wait for you
and save them from the hand of their enemies.
9 And I sent up my prayer from the earth,
and begged for rescue from death.
10 I cried out, “Lord, you are my Father;
do not forsake me in the days of trouble,
when there is no help against the proud.
11 I will praise your name continually,
and will sing hymns of thanksgiving.”
My prayer was heard,
12 for you saved me from destruction
and rescued me in time of trouble.
For this reason I thank you and praise you,
and I bless the name of the Lord.

This may sound a bit like Jesus of Nazareth asking God why he’s been forsaken as he hangs from the cross. Unlike Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus ben Sirach was rescued by God, and lived long enough to write a book, which is in the Apocrypha section of the Bible.

The Apocrypha is a collection of non-canonical writings in the Old Testament. This basically means that when Israel fell under Greco-Roman rule, let’s say 4th century BCE, they were so concerned about Roman influence in their sacred scripture that they put a cap on it – no more books allowed. Of course, books were still being written, including the Macabbees, a series chronicling how a group of Israelites actually did manage to kick out the Romans in 164BCE and keep them out for a century until 63BCE, when the Romans took over again.

One of the things the Romans did, when they’d returned to power, was to torture the Israelite leaders and holy-people. The following passage is from 4 Maccabees 6, the story of how the Romans tortured Eleazar. They set a piece of pork in front of him, and told him that if he would break the Jewish law by eating of it, he could go free, and become a good Roman citizen. Eleazar repeatedly refuses.

4 Maccabees 6:25-30 There they burned him with maliciously contrived instruments, threw him down, and poured stinking liquids into his nostrils. When he was now burned to his very bones and about to expire, he lifted up his eyes to God and said, “You know, O God, that though I might have saved myself, I am dying in burning torments for the sake of the law. Be merciful to your people, and let our punishment suffice for them. Make my blood their purification, and take my life in exchange for theirs.” After he said this, the holy man died nobly.

This was a very sad time for the Israelites, and the Romans were still in charge when Jesus of Nazareth came into the picture. What’s fascinating about this passage about Eleazar, is that this is the first time in Hebrew literature that someone would offer his life as a blood sacrifice to save others, another theme that would become very important when Jesus came around.

Lastly, one of the youngest Old Testament texts that actually did make it into the canon, although it was probably written at about the same time as Jesus Ben Sirach, was the book of Daniel.

Daniel 7: 9 “As I looked,
“thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.

10 A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened.

Daniel 7:13-14 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

What holds these three texts together is the sense of expectation. The feelings and expectations of the Israelites can tell us about what they were looking for in a savior. Of course, only a small group of Israelites actually thought that Jesus was the savior they’d been waiting for, but those who were versed in the literature would have recognized the signs: The son of man would come to earth with a new understanding of how to view God – as a parent – and would sacrifice himself to save others.

In this dark time in Israelite history, we can see the hope for something better, for a savior to come and help people out of their depression. As we prepare for the holidays, and deal with the stresses and depressions they bring, it’s important to remember that renewal is always just around the corner, and the child who brought hope then can still bring hope now.

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