The Ruler Who Comes to Us
“He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
and they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.”Micah 5:3-4a
In the first reading from Micah, we hear that this future coming leader in Israel will come from the least of the tribes of Judah, Bethlehem. The Prophet describes this ruler “whose origin if from of old, from ancient times” (Mic 5:1). Who can this leader or ruler be, who is from of old? Certainly, no human being born in the future can be said to be from of old. This leader then must be of divine origin, who is eternal and from all times, including the ancient times. This leader must be God Himself. Although there is a promise of salvation and future leader, there will also be purification and destruction: “Therefore, the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel” (5:2). But when the time does come, this ruler will be a shepherd whose “greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth” (5:3). God does not promise to take away their pain and suffering (which really is self-inflicted) but will allow destruction to take place so that a renewal and restoration may come, one that will be ushered in with a remnant and a Messianic king who will be a ruler not just for the tribes of Judah, but for all peoples. We can see who this ruler is in the Gospel.
In the Gospel passage (Luke 1:39-45), we are given the account of the Visitation where Mary, after being told she would bear the Son of God, goes to visit her cousin, Elizabeth in the hill country to a town of Judah. The Prophet Micah spoke of the Messianic king, the new ruler to come from among the least of the tribes of Judah, and here we see Mary, with the Son of God, going to a town of Judah. Moreover, Joseph, to whom Mary is betrothed is from the town of Bethlehem, from which the prophet Micah prophesied the new ruler would come. Mary’s journey with the child Jesus in her womb going to the town in Judah paints an image of God going to meet and save His people. However, for this encounter to take place, Mary and Jesus must be received. Not only did Elizabeth receive them, but the infant in her womb also received them, leaping for joy! Perhaps, Elizabeth and Mary are part of the line of the remnant through which Jerusalem will be saved, restored, and renewed as prophesied by Micah. Elizabeth recognized that Mary was someone special, set apart by God for a particular mission, and so was the child in her womb. Furthermore, Elizabeth asked a very interesting and telling question, “And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me” (1:43)? She recognized that the baby in Mary’s womb was no ordinary baby, she knew it was her Lord! The usage of the title, “Lord” by Luke also tells us something important since so far in the Gospel, “Lord” has only been used to refer to “Lord God” but now he uses it refer to Jesus. Moreover, the title, “Lord” is used in the Old Testament for the Davidic king, telling us that this child, as recognized by Elizabeth, is from the line of David. This Messianic king who Micah spoke of and of whom the first reading described is found in the baby in the womb of Mary, Jesus Christ. The people in the time of Micah were unfaithful to the covenant they made with the Lord, and so now Jesus has come to make a new covenant with the people of God, a covenant that is Himself, for the salvation of all and so that all may have new life. And the responsorial psalm echoes this sentiment, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved” (Ps 80:4).
Just as the prophet Micah spoke of the new leader in Israel, the Messiah will “stand firm and shepherd his flock,” (Mic 5:3a) so too in the responsorial psalm is the image of a shepherd given: “O shepherd of Israel, hearken, from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth. Rouse your power, and come to save us” (Ps 80:2-3). The psalmist goes on to implore the Lord to come down and save and protect His people. When we see how Jesus is the new covenant that comes to save all peoples and to give them life, our response can only echo that of the psalmist, “Then we will no more withdraw from you; give us new life, and we will call upon your name” (80:19).
Unlike the people at the time of Micah who broke the covenant with God and strayed away from Him and died, those who come to the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the new and eternal covenant will never die. The new ruler in Israel, the Messianic King, and the Shepherd whose reach is the ends of the earth as prophesied by Micah is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is born of Mary.
Will we like the psalmist today make the decision to withdraw from the Lord no more and so receive the new life He has come to give to us?
