Luke 1: The Deceptive Cadence of Christmas

Deceptive cadence is when a deceptive resolution happens, in other words, the dominant is followed by any chord which not the tonic. This cadence has the “surprise effect” and not the conclusive. - www.simplifyingtheory.com

Recently I was returning from Taiwan and the long, tiring flight was about touch down in San Francisco when suddenly the jet's engines fired up and the plane accelerated and started to climb. After circling once or twice, the plane descended again and this time it landed and pulled into the gate.

The Christmas story feels a bit like that to me. Anticipation has been building in the people of Israel for 400 years. You only have to read Simeon's prayer "waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:285-32) and Mary's song (Luke 1:54-55) to sense the unresolved tension and the expectations of resolution and restoration centered on Jesus' birth.

Then there's John the Baptist, whose father Zechariah is told that he will be the forerunner of God's next big move:

And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. - Luke 1:17

The shepherds hear that the Messiah had arrived. The Messiah is supposed to bring everything under his dominion and resolve everything, right? Everyone is amazed and rejoices at the good news.

The magi show up, stirring up Jerusalem with their star, dreams and expectations of finding a king. 

So much excitement generated but then things seem to go quiet. The magi find their toddler and go home/ Shepherds go back to work. Jesus and his family disappear into Egypt and then work as laborers in northern Israel. Elizabeth and Zechariah try to keep up with their precocious baptist baby in their old age.

The deceptive cadence of Christmas ratcheted up expectations. It seemed that the time was so close for seeing God's resolution of the whole kingdom situation. Then it didn't happen, the silence of God seemed to return and meanwhile the discordant melody returned to lead us on for another 30 years.

Suddenly, in the wilderness, John leads the reprisal of the redemption theme, reintroducing the Messiah theme, which builds and builds, driving us inexorably (it seems) towards a triumphant conclusion with Lazarus' resurrection and the Palm Sunday entrance. But again, on Good Friday, the deceptive cadence takes us to a dark, melancholy chord and, worse, it is followed by God's silence once again, leading us to think that it is all over and the tune has come to some sort of disturbing ending.

Sunday, the Messiah theme returns, triumphant, for forty days. Surely, these are the days when the kingdom will be established! Then Jesus leaves them! He has done it again! Resolved some but leaving vast, unanswered and unresolved questions. We live in the times of the deceptive cadence, awaiting Christ's resolution of all history.