Homilies for the Sundays in Ordinary Time Cycle B Part 2

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15th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME Cycle B) A MISSIONARY REJECTED

GOSPEL: Mk 6:7-13

TEXT PARALLEL TEXT MAIN VERSE MAIN TEXT FOOTNOTE

He summoned his twelve disciples,a and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness (v. 1). Yourselves with no gold or silver, not even a few coppers for your purses (v. 9), with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workmen deserves his keep (v. 10). Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave (v. 11). As you enter his house, salute it;e(v. 12) and if the house deserves it. Let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you (v. 13). And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet f (v. 14). He called the Twelvea together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases (v. 1), and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (v. 2). He said to them; ‘Take nothing for the journey; neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic (v. 3). Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there (v. 4).

=Mt 10:1,9-14 =Mk 3:14; 6:7 =Lk 9:1 Mt 8:29+

=Lk 9:1-6 =Mt 10:5,8, 9-14 =Mk 6:7-13 Mt 8:3+; 8:29+ Lk 10:7 Ac 9:43; 16 15; 17:7; 18:3

The mission of the Twelve Mt 10:1 - a - Matthew supposes that the reader already knows about the choice of the Twelve; Mark and Luke mentions it expressly and distinguish the choice from the mission. Mt 10:11-14 - e - The oriental greeting is a wish of peace In v. 13 this wish is treated in concrete fashion as an entity which, if it fails to secure its effect, nevertheless remains in being and returns to its original owner. f-The phrase is Jewish in origin. The dust of any country other than the Holy Land is reckoned unclean: in this passage the impurity attaches to any place that refuses the word. Lk 9:1-6 – a – Add. ‘apostles’.

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As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them’ (v. 5). So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere (v. 6). Carry no purse, no haversack, and no sandals. Salute no one on the road (v. 4). Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ (v. 5) And if a man of peaced lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you (v. 6). Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house (v. 7). Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you” (v. 8). Cure those in it who are sick and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you” (v. 9). But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into the streets and say (v. 10), ‘We wipe off the very dust of your town that cling to our feet, and leave it with you. Yes, be sure of this; the kingdom of God is very near” (v. 11).

Ac 13:51

=Lk10:4-11 Lk 9:3-5; 22:15 2 K 4:29 Mt 10:9-15 =Mk 6:8-11 1 Tm 5:18 Mt 3:2+ =Mt 10:7 Ac 28:8 Ac 13:51

Lk 10:4-11 – d–Lit. ‘son of peace’, a Hebraism for those who deserve ‘peace’, i.e. all the spiritual and temporal blessings the word implies. CfJn 14:27+.

And he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach (v. 14), with power to cast out devils (v. 15).

Mk 3:14f Mt 10:2-5 Mt 16:18+ Jn 1:42

7 He made a tour round the villages teaching.

8 Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out by pairs giving them authority over the

Mk 6:8 - b - In Mt and Lk the staff is forbidden, but the sense is the same, the missionary must be

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unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff b- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses.

detached.

9 They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘do not take a spare tunic’.

10 And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district.

11 And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as a sign to them.’

12 So they set off to preach repentance;

If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lordd and pray over him (v. 14). The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven (v. 15).

Jm 5:14f Mk 6:13 Ac 3:16+ Gn 19:16 Ps 32Ps 28:13+ Si 4:26 1 Jn 1:8-10

13 and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

Jm 5:14 – d – Om. ‘of the Lord. The tradition that these prayers and this anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, and for the purpose of helping the sick and forgiving their sins, are the origin of the Church’s ‘sacrament of the sick’ (or Holy Unction) was endorsed by the Council of Trent.

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First Reading: Am 7:12-15


12 To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;h get back to the land of Judah; earn your breadi there,

Am 7:12 – h–Here the term is possibly contemptuous (visionary’). i–Amaziah speaks as is Amos were one of the professional prophets for whom prophecy was a livelihood, cf. 1 S 9:7+.

But you have forced the nazirites to drink wine and gave orders to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy’.

Am 2:12+ Nb 6:4 Am 7:12-13,16 1 K 22:8,27 Is 30:10 Jr 11:21 Mi 2:6

1 K 12:29

13 We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’

14 ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’j Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd,k and looked after sycamores:

Am 7:14 – j – ‘neither did I belong…’ lit. ‘nor the son of a prophet’, cf. 2 K 2:3+. k–‘shepherd’ corr., cf. 1:1; ‘herdsman’ Hebr.

The prophetic call cannot be resistedd Do two men take the road together if they have not planned to do so?e(v. 3) Does the lion roar in the jungle if no prey has been found? Does the young lion growl in his lair if he has captured nothing? (v. 4) Does the bird fall to the groundf if no trapg has been set? Does the snare spring up from the ground if nothing has been caught? (v. 5) Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if Yahweh has not

Am 3:3-8 Am 7:14 Jl 2:1+ Is 45:7

15 But it was Yahweh who took me from herding the flock and Yahweh who said, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel”.

Am 3:3-8 – d–In all this passage the prophet is justifying his intervention. There is neither effect without cause, vv. 3-5b, nor cause without effect, vv. 5c-6, 8a. If the prophet exercises his office, it is because Yahweh has spoken; if God speaks, the prophet cannot but prophesy, v. 7-8b. The images chosen suggest that the message will be one of disaster. e– Or ‘without having met’; Greek ‘without knowing each other’. f–Hebr. Adds ‘in the snare’; omitted by Greek.

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sent it? (v. 6). No more does the Lord Yahweh do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophetsh (v. 7) The lion roars who can help feeling afraid? The Lord Yahweh speaks who can refuse to prophesy? This is what you must say to my servant David, “Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be the leader of my people Israel… Choosing David as his servant, he took him from the sheepfolds, called him from tending ewes in lamb to pasture his people Jacob and Israel his heritage: who did this with unselfish care and led them with a sensitive hand.

Am 4:13 Gn 18:17 Jr 7:25 Rv 10:7; 11:18 Am 7:14-15 Jr 20:7-9

2 S 7:8 1 S 16:11; 17:15,20,28,34f Ps 78:70f; 89:3,19,26

Ps 78:70-73 Ps 89:20 1 S 13:14; 16:11-13 2 S 7:8 Ezk34:23; 37:24 Am 7:14 Ps 77:20

g–Or ‘no bait’, or ‘no sling’. h–This verse may be a gloss.

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Second Reading: Ep 1:3-14


Blessed be God who lives forever, for his reign endures throughout all ages! You are blessed, O God of mercy! May your name be blessed forever, and may all things you have made bless you everlastingly. In sight of the whole assembly David blessed Yahweh and said: ‘May you be blessed, Yahweh, the God of Israel our ancestor, forever and ever! Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle. ‘All honor and blessing to you, Lord, God of our ancestors, may your name be held glorious forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.f

Tb. 13:1 3:11 8:5,15 1 Ch. 29:10 Ps. 144:1 Dn. 3:26 Lk. 1:68 Ep. 1:3

Ga. 3:14

3 Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.b

Ep. 1:3 - b- All the way through the letter, 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12, Paul reverts to this opening reference to heaven. The spiritual blessings listed in the following verses must wait till the end of the world before they can be fully realized in heaven where they had been formulated since all eternity. Ga. 3:14 – f – Lit. ‘the promise of the Spirit’. Var. ‘the blessing of the Spirit’.

On them fall terror and dread; through the power of your arm they are still as stone as your people pass, Yahweh, as the people pass whom you purchased.

Ex. 15:16 Is 11:11 Ep 1:14

4 Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love c in his presence.

Ep. 1:4 – c – First blessing: through their union with the glorified Christ the faithful already enjoy, in a hidden sort of way, the eternal happiness to which the chosen are called. ‘Love’ here is

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Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. So that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.f

Jn. 17:24

1 P 1:20

Ep. 5:27

primarily the love God has for us, and that leads him to ‘choose’ us and to call us to be ‘holy’, cf. Col. 3:12, 1 Th. 1:4, 2 Th. 2:13, Rm. 11:28, but does not exclude our love for God that results from and is a response to his own love for us, cf. Rm. 5:5. Ep. 5:27 - f – It was customary in the middle east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and introduces her to himself.

And he will keep you steady and without blamed until the last day, the daye of our Lord Jesus Christ. Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are. a But to all who did accept him he gave power to becomei children of God, to all who believe in the name of himj They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son,q so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers.

1 Co. 1:8+

1 Jn. 3:1

Jn 1:12

Rm. 8:29

5 Determining that we should become his adopted sons,d through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes,

Ep. 1:5 - d - Second blessing: Jesus Christ, the only Son, is both the source and the model of the way God has chosen for us to become holy, i.e. adopting us as his heirs, cf. Rm. 5:5. 1 Co. 1:8 - d–Cf. Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1 Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24. e– This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14, 1 TH 5:2; 2 Th 2:2; cf. 2 P. 3:10, called also the ‘day of Christ’, Ph 1:6,10; 2:16, or simply the ‘day’, 2 Th 1:10; 2 Tm 1:12, 18; 4:8; cf. Mt 7:22; 24:36; Lk 10:12; 21:14, or ‘the day of the Son of Man’, Lk 17:24, cf. v. 26, or ‘the day of God’, 2 P 3:12, or ‘the day of visitation’, 1 P 2:12, or ‘the great day’, Jude 6; Rv 6:17; 16:14, or ‘the last day’,

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Jn6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:48, is the fulfillment in the eschatological era, ushered in by Christ, of the ‘day of Yahweh’ foretold by the prophets, Am 5:18+. The fulfillment begins with the first coming of Christ, Lk 17:20-24, and the punishment of Jerusalem, Mt 24:1+; and this final stage in thehistory of salvation, cf. Ac 1:7+, will be completed by the glorious secondcoming, 1 Co. 1:7+; 15:23+; 1 Tm 6:14+, of theSovereign Judge, Rm 2:6+; Jm 5:6-9. A cosmic upheaval and renewal will accompany it (cf. Am 8:9+), Mt 24:29p+; Heb 12:26f; 2 P 3:10-13; Rv 20:11; 21:1; cf. Mt 19:20; Rm 8:20-22. This day of light is coming, Rm 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jm 5:8; 1 P 4:7; cf. 1 Th 5:5,8, but exactly when is uncertain, 1 Th 5:1+, meanwhile we must prepare for it. 2 Co. 5:2+. 1 Jn 3:1 - a - Om. ‘and that is what we are’; var. (Vulg) ‘and may we become precisely that’. Jn 1:12 - i – Var. ‘to be called’. j – ‘to those who believe in his name’ omitted by many of the Fathers. Rm. 8:29 - q - Christ the image of God in the primordialcreation, Col. 1:15+, cf. Heb. 1:3, has now come by a new creation, 2 Co 5:17+, to restore to fallen man the splendor of that image which had been darkened by sin, Gn. 1:26+, 3:22-24+, Rm. 5:12+. He does this by

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forming man in the still more splendid image of a son of God (Rm. 8:29); thus, sound moral judgment is restored to the ‘new man’; Col. 3:10+, and also his claim to glory which he had sacrificed by sin, Rm. 3:23+. This glory which Christ as the image of God possesses by right, 2 Co. 4:4, is progressively communicated to the Christian, 2 Co. 3:18, until his body is itself clothed in the image of the ‘heavenly’ man, 1 Co. 15:49.

6 to make us praise the glory of his grace,e

Ep 1:6 – e-The word grace (charis) as it is used here emphasizes not so much the interior gift that makes a human being holy, as the gratuitousness of God’s favor and the way he manifests his glory, cf. Ex 24:16f. These are the two themes that run through this account of God’s blessings: their source is God’s liberality, and their purpose is to make his glory appreciated by creatures. Everything comes from him, and everything should lead to him.

And both are justified through the free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ Jesus. Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves (v. 13), and in him, we gain our freedom,d the forgiveness of our sins (v. 14). He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature,csustaining the

Rm 3:24+ Dn 9:24

=Col 1:13-14 =Ep 1:6-7 Rm 3:24+ Heb 1:3+

Heb 1:3 Ws7:22+

7 his free gift to us in the Beloved,f in whom, through his blood, we gain freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.g Such is the richness of the grace

Ep 1:7 – f– Var. (Vulg) ‘his beloved Son’. g - Third blessing: our redemption by an event in time, i.e. the death of Jesus. Rm. 3:24 – i – This word (charis) when used with reference to human relationships can mean as the quality that makes a person attractive (Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean something given free and unearned (Ac. 25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This last sense predominates in the NT and especially in

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universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace.

2 Co 4:6,18 Col 1:15+,17 Ep 1:7 Col 1:14

Ep 2:7 Dt 9:6 Ps 22:30-31

Paul. (John uses agape), who uses the word to describe the way God saves through Jesus: it is a work of spontaneous love to which no one has any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt. 2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9), for his Father to give up as a gift that includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32; cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification, salvation, and the right to inherit by having faith in him, without having to perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24; 4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11): it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for Christ to come again at the end of the world and for us to receive everlasting glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by grace that Abraham received the promise (Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm 11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us, it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf. 2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word ‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that it can be used to indicate the entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by the prophets (1 P.1:10) and is now proclaimed as the Good News (Col 1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32). The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul begins and ends his letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and 5:28, etc.; cf 1 P 1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by an act of grace that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation (Ga 1:6; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7; cf 2 Th 2:16; Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the

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pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3; 15:15f; 1 Co 3:10; Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each Christian a part he has to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+; 2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7; 1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P 2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30; cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim); Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of the highest name of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk 2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends primarily on God’s initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible to receive grace I vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga. 5:4), to forfeit grace (Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). Grace obtained must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12) and used wisely (1 P 4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf 14:26; 15:40), it must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2 Tm 2:1), and help us to persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine help is given to the humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since this is to approach ‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be granted and will be found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in weak man (2 Co 12:9; cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over unspiritual wisdom (2 Co 1:12). The same word charis is also used for thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co 10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6; 1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is the fundamental and necessary disposition for

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grace. From all these shades of meaning, it is clear that the word charis is always used to emphasize that the gift is absolutely free: to bring out its power and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+). j – Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his ‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+. When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps 130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30; cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has ‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin, Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own, Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9. This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23. Col 3:14 - d - Lit. ‘In whom we have the redemption’. Add. (Vulg.) ‘by blood”, cf. Ep 1:7. Heb 1:3 -

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c - These two metaphors are borrowed from the Sophia and logos theologies of Alexandria, Ws 7:25-26; they express both the identity of nature between Father and Son, and the distinction of person. The Son is the brightness, the light shining from its source, which is the bright glory, cf. Ex. 24:16+, of the Father (‘Light from Light’). He is also the replica, cf. Col 1:15+, ofthe Father’s substance, like an exact impression made by a seal on clay or wax, cf. Jn 14:9.

8 whichheh has bestowed on us in all wisdom and insight.

Ep 1:8 – h - God the Father.

Doxologyj Glory to him who is able to giveyou the strengthk to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of amysteryl kept secret for endless ages…

Rm 16:25+ Jude 25 Rm 11:25 1 Co 2:7 Ep 1:9; 3:3 Col 1:26 1 Tm 3:9

9 He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,i the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning

Ep 1:9 – i- Fourth blessing: the revelation of the ‘mystery’, Rm 16:25f. Rm 16:25 - j - Most authorities place this doxology here, but in some it appears at the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude 24-25, of the main points of the letter. k- Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in Christian practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21; Col 2:7. l -The idea of a ‘mystery’ of wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden in God and now revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed by Paul from Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the term by applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross of Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26;

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Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep 3:6, to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19, and finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep 1:9-10. See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2 Tm 1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.

‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ But when the appointed timec came, God sent his son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law. …for him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers - all things were created through him and for him (v. 16). …and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, h everything in heaven and everything on earth,iwhen he made peace by his death on the cross ( v. 20).

Mk 1:15 Rm 1:1 Ep 1:10 Mt 3:2+; 8:10+

Ga 4:4+ Rm. 1:3

Col. 1:16,20 Ep 1:10,21+ Rm 11:36 1 Co 8:6

10 To act upon when the times had run their course to the end;j that he would bring everything together under Christ as head, everything in the heaven and everything on earth.k

Ep 1:10 – j– Lit. ‘for a dispensation of the times’ fullness’, cf. Ga 4:4f. k - The main theme of this letter is how the whole body of creation, having been cut off from the Creator by sin, is decomposing, and how its rebirth is effected by Christreuniting its parts into an organism with himself as the head, so as to reattach it to God. The human (Jew and pagan) and the angelic worlds are brought together again through the fact that they were saved by a single act, cf. 4:10f. Gal. 4:4: c - Lit. ‘fullness of time’; the phrase indicates how when the messianic age comes it will fill a need felt for centuries, rather like filling up a jug. Cf. Ac 1:7+ and Mk 1:15; 1 Co 10:11; Ep 1:10; Heb 1”2; 9:26; 1 P 1:20. Col 1:20 - h - i.e. through and for Christ, cf. the parallel ‘though him and for him’ of v. 16. Alternatively, it could read “God wanted everything…to be reconciled to himself, though him who made peace…’ cf. Rm 5:10; 2 Co 5:18f. i - This reconciliation of the whole universe

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(including angels as well as human beings) means not that every single individual will be saved, but that all who are saved will be saved by their collective return to the right order and peace of perfect submission to God. Any individual who do not join this new creation through grace will be forced to join it, cf. 2:15; 1 Co 15:24-25 (the heavenly spirits) and 2 Th 1:8-9; 1 Co 6:9-10; Ga. 5:21; Rm 2:8; Ep 5:5 (men).

For you are a people consecrated to Yahweh your God, it is you that Yahweh your God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on earth.b …thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.c From the beginning I foretold the future, and predicted beforehand what is to be. I say: my purpose shall last; I will do whatever I choose. You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists.k

Dt 7:6+ Dt 14:2; 32:9 Ex 4:23; 19:6+ Is 41:8; 62:12 Jr 2:3 Ezk 20:5 Am 3:2

Col 1:12 Ws 5:5+ Ep 1:11-13; 5:8 1 P 1:4; 2:9

Is 46:10 Is 41:26-27; 45:21+ Ps 33:11 Ep 1:11

Rv 4:11 Rv 14:7 Ps 115:3 Rm 4:17 Ep 4:11

11 And it is in himl that we were claimed as God’s own,m chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of theone who guides all things as he decides by his own will;

Ep 1:11 – l– Christ. m - Fifth blessing: the pagans are called to share the salvation that had, till then, been reserved for the Jews; that they will be saved is proved by the fact that they receive the Spirit as was promised. Dt 7:6 – b - Declaring Israel’s election, as in 14:2. To ‘find himself a nation’ God made use of wonders, 4:34, cf. 4:20; 26:7-8, vv. 7-8 of this chapter explain the reason for God’s choice, namely, loyalty to the promises which, of his own loving will, he had made to the Fathers, cf. 4:37, 8:18; 9:5; 10:15. This choice, ratified by the covenant (v. 9; 5:2-3) makes Israel a dedicated people (v. 6; 26:19). The idea of election, strongly emphasized in Dt., pervades the OT. Israel as a nation set apart, Nb 23:9, God’s people, Jg 5:13, consecrated, Ex 19:6+, a covenanted race, Ex. 19:1+, God’s son, Dt 1:31+, the nation of Immanuel, (God-with-us), Is 8:8,10. The election marks Israel off from the world but the

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prophets foretell the recognition of Israel’s God by all nations and the universality of salvation Zc 14:16; Is 49:6; 45:14+. The coming of Jesus inaugurates this ‘messianic’ era. Col 1:12- c - Lit. ‘Thanking the Father (for) having made you (var. ‘us’) fit for the part of the lot of the saints in the light’; var. ‘for having called you (var. ‘us’) to…’ The ‘lot of the saints’ is what all holy people are to inherit, i.e. the ‘salvation’ that had been thought of as a bequest made exclusively to Israel. Now, non-Jews are called to share it, cf. Ep 1:11-13. The word ‘saints’ (lit. ‘holy ones’) here can mean either Christians, i.e. people called to live the ‘life of light’ while still living on earth, Rm 1:7f, cf. Jn 8:12f, or it can mean the angels who live with God in the eschatological ‘light’, cf. Ac 9:13+. Rv 4:11 - k - Lit. ‘though your will they were (var. ‘they were not’) and they were created’; text uncertain.

…play music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises, say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’

Ps 66:2 Ep 1:12,14

12 Chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.

When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said, ‘what you have heard me speak about:

Ac 1:4 Ac 19:8 Ac 13:5+,46+ Ac 1:3; 20:25

Lk 24:42-43,49 Tb 12:19 Jn 21:5, 9-10,13 =Ac 1:4

13 Now you too, n in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.o

Ep 1:13 – n – Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we’. o – Paul completes his Trinitarian account of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of

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…because of the hope which is stored up for you in heaven. It is only recently that you heard of this, when it was announced in the message of truth. The Good News… In his body lives the fullness of divinity,eandin him you too find your own fulfillment… …never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises. Otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day

Ac 2:33+ Ac 1:4-5 Ezk 36:27

Ga. 3:14 Rm 5:5+ Ep 1:3 Heb 6:12

Ep 1:13 Ac 1:4 =Col 1:5; 2:9 Heb 6:12 Ac 4:30 2 Co 1:22 Ac 2:33+ Rm 5:5+

=Col 1:5 1 P 1:3 Col 1:23 =Ep 1:13

Col 2:9 Col 1:19+ Jn 1:16 Ep 1:13; 3:19; 4:12-13

Heb 6:12 2 Th 3:7 Ga 3:14,29 Ep 1:13-14

Ep 4:30 Is 63:10 Ep 1:13+ Rm 1:29+

the Spirit shows the plan has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun, it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in glory. Col 2:9 - e - The word pleroma here, cf. 1:19+, is defined as the ‘divinity’ that is actually ‘filling’ Christ now in his body: in other words, the risen Christ, through his incarnation and resurrection, unites the divine and the created. The former is what he is by his pre-existence and his present glory; the latter is, as human, what he has assumed directly, and, as cosmic, what he assumed indirectly through being human. In this way he himself is the pleroma of all possible categories of being. Ep. 4:30 – q – The one Holy Spirit that keeps the one body

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comes. q

…marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts. Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand,s he has received from the father the Holy Spirit, who was promised,t and what you see and hear is the outpouring of that Spirit. And this hope is not deceptive, because the love of Gode has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which had been given us.f

Col 3:8

2 Co 1:22 1 Jn 2:20,27 Rm 5:5+; 6:4+ Ep 1:13-14

Ac 2:33+ Ac 1:4-5 Ezk 36:27

Rm 5:5+ 1 Co. 13:13+

of Christ united, 4:4, 1 Co. 12:13, is ‘grieved’; cf. 4:30, Is. 63:10, by anything that harms the unity of the body.

Ac 2:33+ s- Words borrowed from Ps. 118 (v.16 LXX ‘The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac 4:11, 1 P 2:7, Mt 21:9p,42p, 23:39, Lk 13:35, Jn 12:13, Heb 13:6. But it is possible to translate. ‘ Having raised up to the right hand of God’ and to se in this an introduction to the quotation (v.34) of Ps. 110); which is another name of Apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p,26:64p, Mk 16:19, Ac 7:55,56, Rm 8:34, 1Co. 15:25, Ep. 1:20 Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3,13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P.3:22. t – According to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ. Rm 5:5 - e - God’s love for us; of this the Holy Spirit is a pledge and to this, by his active presence within us, he bears witness, cf. 8:15 and Ga. 4:6. Through him we stand before God as sons before their father; the love is mutual. This text therefore, in the light of its parallel passages, asserts that the Christian shares in the life of the Trinity through ‘sanctifying grace’. f - The promised Spirit, Ep 1;13, cf. Ga 3:14; Ac 2:33+, distinctive of the new covenant as

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contrasted with the old, Rm 2:29; 7:6; 2 Co 3:6; cf. Ga 3:3; 4:29; Ezk 36:27+, is not merely exhibition of healing or charismatic power, Ac 1:8+; is also, and especially, an inward principle of new life, a principle that God ‘gives’, 1 Th 4:8, etc., cf. Lk 11:13; Jn 3:34; 14:16f; Ac 1:5; 2:38 etc.; 1 Jn 3:24, ‘sends’, Ga 4:6; cf. Lk 24:49; Jn 14:26; 1 P 1:12, ‘supplies’, Ga 3:5; Ph 1:19, ‘pours out’, Rm 5:5; Tt 3:5f; cf. Ac 2:33. Received into the Christian by faith, Ga 3:2,14;cf. Jn 7:38f; Ac 11:17, and baptism, 1 Co 6:11; Tt 3:5; cf. Jn 3:5; Ac 2:38; 19:2-6, It dwells within him, Rm 8:9; 1 Co 3:16; 2 Tm 1:14; cf. Jm 4:5, in his spirit, Rm 8:16; cf. the Spirit of Christ, Rm 8:9; Ph 1:19; Ga 4:6; cf. 2 Co 3:17; Ac 16:7; Jn 14;26; 15:26; 16:7, 14; makes the Christian a son of God, Rm 8;14-16; Ga 4:6f, and establishes Christ in his heart, Ep 3:16. For the Christian (as for Christ himself, Rm 1:4+) this Spirit is a principle of resurrection, Rm 8:11+, in virtue of as eschatological gift which even in life signs him as with a seal, 2 Co 1:22; Ep 1:13; 4:30, and which is present within him by way of pledge, 2 Co 1:22; 5:5; Ep 1:14, and of first-fruits, Rm 8:23. It takes the place of the evil principle in man that is ‘the flesh’. Rm 7:5+, and becomes a principle of faith, 1 Co 12:3; 2 Co 4:13; cf. 1 Jn 4:2f, of supernatural knowledge, 1 Co 2:10-16; 7:40; 12:8f; 14:2f; Ep 1:17; 3:16, 18; Col 1:9; cf. Jn 14:26+, of love, Rm. 5:5, 15:30, Col. 1:8, of sanctification, Rm 15:16, 1 Co. 6:11, 2 Th .2:13, cf. 1P 1:2, of moral conduct, Rm 8:4-9, 13; Ga. 3:16-25, of apostolic courage, Ph. 1:19; 2 Tim 1:7f; cf. Ac 1:8+, of hope, Rm 15:13,

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Ga. 5:5, Ep. 4:4, of prayer. Rm. 8:26f,cf. Jm 4:35; Jude 20. The Spirit must not be quenched, 1 Th. 5:19, or grieved, Ep. 4:30. It unites man with Christ, 1 Co 6:17, and thus secures the unity of his Body, 1 Co. 12:3, Ep. 2:16,18, 4:4.

…marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts. And both are justified through the free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ Jesus. …play music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises, say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’

2 Co 1:22+ 1 Jn 2:20,27 Rm 5:5+; 6:4+ Ep 1:13-14

Rm 3:24+ Dn 9:24

Ps 66:2 Ep 1:12,14

14 The pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, p to make his glory praised.

Ep. 1:14 – p- Lit. ‘the setting free of that (enslaved people) which had been acquired’, i.e., by God, and at the cost of the life of his son. This is one of the occasions when Paul widens an OT concept (like ‘blessing’, ‘saint’, ‘choice’, ‘adoption’, ‘redemption, ‘share’, ‘promise’) by applying it to the Church as the new Israel and the body of the saved. Rm. 3:24 – i – This word (charis) when used with reference to human relationships can mean as the quality that makes a person attractive (Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean something given free and unearned (Ac. 25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This last sense predominates in the NT and especially in Paul. (John uses agape), who uses the word to describe the way God saves through Jesus: it is a work of spontaneous love to which no one has any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt. 2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9), for his Father to give up as a gift that includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32; cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification,

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salvation, and the right to inherit by having faith in him, without having to perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24; 4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11): it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for Christ to come again at the end of the world and for us to receive everlasting glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by grace that Abraham received the promise (Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm 11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us, it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf. 2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word ‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that it can be used to indicate the entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by the prophets (1 P.1:10) and is now proclaimed as the Good News (Col 1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32). The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul begins and ends his letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and 5:28, etc.; cf 1 P 1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by an act of grace that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation (Ga 1:6; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7; cf 2 Th 2:16; Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3; 15:15f; 1 Co 3:10; Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each Christian a part he has to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+; 2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7; 1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P 2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30; cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim); Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of

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the highest name of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk 2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends primarily on God’s initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible to receive grace I vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga. 5:4), to forfeit grace (Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). Grace obtained must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12) and used wisely (1 P 4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf 14:26; 15:40), it must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2 Tm 2:1), and help us to persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine help is given to the humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since this is to approach ‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be granted and will be found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in weak man (2 Co 12:9; cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over unspiritual wisdom (2 Co 1:12). The same word charis is also used for thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co 10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6; 1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is the fundamental and necessary disposition for grace. From all these shades of meaning, it is clear that the word charis is always used to emphasize that the gift is absolutely free: to bring out its power and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+). j – Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his ‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+.

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When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps 130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30; cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has ‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin, Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own, Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9. This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23.

Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

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Based on Mk 6:7-13 (Gospel), Am 7:12-15 (First Reading) and Ep 1:3-14 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

A MISSIONARY REJECTED

The gospel narrative for this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) is Mk 6:7-13, under the title “The mission of the Twelve.” Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 10:1,9-14 - He summoned his twelve disciples,a and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness (v. 1). Yourselves with no gold or silver, not even a few coppers for your purses (v. 9), with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workmen deserves his keep (v. 10). Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave (v. 11). As you enter his house, salute it; e (v. 12) and if the house deserves it. Let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you (v. 13). And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet f (v. 14). Footnote a says: “Matthew supposes that the reader already knows about the choice of the Twelve; Mark and Luke mentions it expressly and distinguish the choice from the mission” Footnotes for Mt 10:11-14 are: e that says: “The oriental greeting is a wish of peace In v. 13 this wish is treated in concrete fashion as an entity which, if it fails to secure its effect, nevertheless remains in being and returns to its original owner”; and f that says: “The phrase is Jewish in origin. The dust of any country other than the Holy Land is reckoned unclean: in this passage the impurity attaches to any place that refuses the word.”

b. Lk 9:1-6 - He called the Twelvea together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases (v. 1), and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (v. 2). He said to them; ‘Take nothing for the journey; neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let none of you take a spare tunic (v. 3). Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from there (v. 4). As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them’ (v. 5). So they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and heal ing everywhere (v. 6). Footnote a says: “Add. ‘apostles’.”

c. Lk10:4-11 - Carry no purse, no haversack, and no sandals. Salute no one on the road (v. 4). Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ (v. 5) And if a man of peaced lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you (v. 6). Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house (v. 7). Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you” (v. 8). Cure those in it who are sick and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you” (v. 9). But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into the streets and say (v. 10), ‘We wipe off the very dust of your town that cling to our feet, and leave it with you. Yes, be sure of this; the kingdom of God is very near” (v. 11). Footnote d says “Lit. ‘son of peace’, a Hebraism for those who deserve ‘peace’, i.e. all the spiritual and temporal blessings the word implies. CfJn 14:27+.”

Verses 7 up to 12 say: He made a tour round the villages teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out by pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff b- no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses.

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They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘do not take a spare tunic’. And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance. Footnote b for Mk 6:8 says: “In Mt and Lk the staff is forbidden, but the sense is the same, the missionary must be detached.” Verse 13 says: and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

Parallel text is Jm 5:14 that says: “If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lordd and pray over him (v. 14). The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven (v. 15).” Footnote d says “Om. ‘of the Lord. The tradition that these prayers and this anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, and for the purpose of helping the sick and forgiving their sins, are the origin of the Church’s ‘sacrament of the sick’ (or Holy Unction) was endorsed by the Council of Trent.”

The First Reading is taken from Am 7:12-15. Verse by verse, it says: Verses 12 and 13 - To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;h get back to the land of Judah; earn your breadi there, we want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’ Verse 12’s Footnote h says “Here the term is possibly contemptuous (visionary’)”; and Footnote isays “Amaziah speaks as is Amos were one of the professional prophets for whom prophecy was a livelihood, cf. 1 S 9:7+.” Parallel text is Am 2:12 that says: But you have forced the nazirites to drink wine and gave orders to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy’. Verses 14 and 15 say: ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’ j Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd,k and looked after sycamores: but it was Yahweh who took me from herding the flock and Yahweh who said, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel”. Footnote j says ‘neither did I belong…’ lit. ‘nor the son of a prophet’, cf. 2 K 2:3+”; and Footnote k says ‘shepherd’ corr., cf. 1:1; ‘herdsman’ Hebr.” Parallel texts are:

a. Am 3:3-8 - The prophetic call cannot be resistedd Do two men take the road together if they have not planned to do so?e(v. 3) Does the lion roar in the jungle if no prey has been found? Does the young lion growl in his lair if he has captured nothing? (v. 4) Does the bird fall to the groundf if no trapg has been set? Does the snare spring up from the ground if nothing has been caught? (v. 5) Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if Yahweh has not sent it? (v. 6). No more does the Lord Yahweh do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophetsh (v. 7) The lion roars who can help feeling afraid? The Lord Yahweh speaks who can refuse to prophesy? (v. 8). Footnote d says “In all this passage the prophet is justifying his intervention. There is neither effect without cause, vv. 3-5b, nor cause without effect, vv. 5c-6, 8a. If the prophet exercises his office, it is because Yahweh has spoken; if God speaks, the prophet cannot but prophesy, v. 7-8b. The images chosen suggest that the message will be one of disaster”; Footnote e–says “Or ‘without having met’; Greek ‘without knowing each other’; Footnote f–Hebr. Adds ‘in the snare’; omitted by Greek.; Footnote g says “Or ‘no bait’, or ‘no sling’.; and Footnote h says “This verse may be a gloss.”

b. 2 S 7:8 - This is what you must say to my servant David, “Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be the leader of my people Israel…

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c. Ps 78:70-73 - Choosing David as his servant, he took him from the sheepfolds, called him from tending ewes in lamb to pasture his people Jacob and Israel his heritage: who did this with unselfish care and led them with a sensitive hand.

The Second Reading is from Ep 1:3-14. Verse by verse it says: Verse 3 says: Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.b Footnote b- All the way through the letter, 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12, Paul reverts to this opening reference to heaven. The spiritual blessings listed in the following verses must wait till the end of the world before they can be fully realized in heaven where they had been formulated since all eternity. Parallel texts are:

a. Tb. 13:1 - Blessed be God who lives forever, for his reign endures throughout all ages! b. Ga. 3:14 - This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.f

Footnote f says “Lit. ‘the promise of the Spirit’. Var. ‘the blessing of the Spirit’.” Verse 4 says: Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through lovec in his presence. Footnote c says “First blessing: through their union with the glorified Christ the faithful already enjoy, in a hidden sort of way, the eternal happiness to which the chosen are called. ‘Love’ here is primarily the love God has for us, and that leads him to ‘choose’ us and to call us to be ‘holy’, cf. Col. 3:12, 1 Th. 1:4, 2 Th. 2:13, Rm. 11:28, but does not exclude our love for God that results from and is a response to his own love for us, cf. Rm. 5:5.” Parallel texts are:

a. Jn. 17:24 - Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

b. 1 P. 1:20 - Who, though known since before the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages, for your sake. c. Ep. 5:27 - So that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.f Footnote f says: “It was

customary in the middle east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and introduces her to himself.”

Verses 5 and 6 say: Determining that we should become his adopted sons,d through Jesus Christ for his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace,e Footnote d says: “Second blessing: Jesus Christ, the only Son, is both the source and the model of the way God has chosen for us to become holy, i.e. adopting us as his heirs, cf. Rm. 5:5; and Footnote e says “The word grace (charis) as it is used here emphasizes not so much the interior gift that makes a human being holy, as the gratuitousness of God’s favor and the way he manifests his glory, cf. Ex 24:16f. These are the two themes that run through this account of God’s blessings: their source is God’s liberality, and their purpose is to make his glory appreciated by creatures. Everything comes from him, and everything should lead to him.”

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Parallel texts are:

a. 1 Co. 1:8 - And he will keep you steady and without blamed until the last day, the daye of our Lord Jesus Christ. Footnote d says “Cf. Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1 Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24’; and Footnote e says “This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14, 1 TH 5:2; 2 Th 2:2; cf. 2 P. 3:10, called also the ‘day of Christ’, Ph 1:6,10; 2:16, or simply the ‘day’, 2 Th 1:10; 2 Tm 1:12, 18; 4:8; cf. Mt 7:22; 24:36; Lk 10:12; 21:14, or ‘the day of the Son of Man’, Lk 17:24, cf. v. 26, or ‘the day of God’, 2 P 3:12, or ‘the day of visitation’, 1 P 2:12, or ‘the great day’, Jude 6; Rv 6:17; 16:14, or ‘the last day’, Jn6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:48, is the fulfillment in the eschatological era, ushered in by Christ, of the ‘day of Yahweh’ foretold by the prophets, Am 5:18+. The fulfillment begins with the first coming of Christ, Lk 17:20-24, and the punishment of Jerusalem, Mt 24:1+; and this final stage in thehistory of salvation, cf. Ac 1:7+, will be completed by the glorious second coming, 1 Co. 1:7+; 15:23+; 1 Tm 6:14+, of theSovereign Judge, Rm 2:6+; Jm 5:6-9. A cosmic upheaval and renewal will accompany it (cf. Am 8:9+), Mt 24:29p+; Heb 12:26f; 2 P 3:10-13; Rv 20:11; 21:1; cf. Mt 19:20; Rm 8:20-22. This day of light is coming, Rm 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jm 5:8; 1 P 4:7; cf. 1 Th 5:5,8, but exactly when is uncertain, 1 Th 5:1+, meanwhile we must prepare for it. 2 Co. 5:2+.”

b. 1 Jn. 3:1 - Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we are. a Footnote a –says “Om. ‘and that is what we are’; var. (Vulg) ‘and may we become precisely that’.

c. Jn. 1:12 - But to all who did accept him he gave power to becomei children of God, to all who believe in the name of himj. Footnote i says “Var. ‘to be called’; and Footnote j says “‘to those who believe in his name’ omitted by many of the Fathers.”

d. Rm. 8:29 - They are the ones he chose specially long ago and intended to become true images of his Son,q so that his Son might be the eldest of many brothers. Footnote q says “Christ the image of God in the primordial creation, Col. 1:15+, cf. Heb. 1:3, has now come by a new creation, 2 Co 5:17+, to restore to fallen man the splendor of that image which had been darkened by sin, Gn. 1:26+, 3:22-24+, Rm. 5:12+. He does this by forming man in the still more splendid image of a son of God (Rm. 8:29); thus, sound moral judgment is restored to the ‘new man’; Col. 3:10+, and also his claim to glory which he had sacrificed by sin, Rm. 3:23+. This glory which Christ as the image of God possesses by right, 2 Co. 4:4, is progressively communicated to the Christian, 2 Co. 3:18, until his body is itself clothed in the image of the ‘heavenly’ man, 1 Co. 15:49.”

Verses 7 and 8 say: his free gift to us in the Beloved,f in whom, through his blood, we gain freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.g Such is the richness of the grace which heh has bestowed on us in all wisdom and insight. Footnote f says “Var. (Vulg) ‘his beloved Son’”; and Footnote g says: “Third blessing: our redemption by an event in time, i.e. the death of Jesus.” Parallel texts are:

a. Rm 3:24 - And both are justified through the free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ Jesus. Footnote i says “This word (charis) when used with reference to human relationships can mean as the quality that makes a person attractive (Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean something given free and unearned (Ac. 25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This last sense predominates in the NT and especially in Paul. (John uses agape), who uses the word to describe the way God saves through Jesus: it is a work of spontaneous love to which no one has any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt. 2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9), for his Father to give up as a gift that includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32; cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification, salvation, and the right to inherit by having faith in him, without having to perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24; 4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11): it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for Christ to come again at the end of the world and for us to receive everlasting glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by grace that Abraham received the promise (Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm 11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us, it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf. 2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word ‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that it can be used to indicate the entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by the prophets (1

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P.1:10) and is now proclaimed as the Good News (Col 1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32). The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul begins and ends his letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and 5:28, etc.; cf 1 P 1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by an act of grace that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation (Ga 1:6; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7; cf 2 Th 2:16; Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3; 15:15f; 1 Co 3:10; Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each Christian a part he has to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+; 2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7; 1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P 2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30; cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim); Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of the highest name of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk 2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends primarily on God’s initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible to receive grace I vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga. 5:4), to forfeit grace (Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). Grace obtained must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12) and used wisely (1 P 4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf 14:26; 15:40), it must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2 Tm 2:1), and help us to persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine help is given to the humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since this is to approach ‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be granted and will be found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in weak man (2 Co 12:9; cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over unspiritual wisdom (2 Co 1:12). The same word charis is also used for thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co 10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6; 1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is the fundamental and necessary disposition for grace. From all these shades of meaning, it is clear that the word charis is always used to emphasize that the gift is absolutely free: to bring out its power and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+)’”; and Footnote j says: “Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his ‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+. When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps 130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30; cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has ‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin, Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own, Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9. This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23.”

b. Col 1:13-14 - Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves (v. 13), and in him, we gain our freedom,d the forgiveness of our sins (v. 14). Footnote d – “Lit. ‘In whom we have the redemption’. Add. (Vulg.) ‘by blood”, cf. Ep 1:7.”

c. Heb 1:3 - He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature,c sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. Footnote c says “These two metaphors are borrowed from the Sophia and logos theologies of Alexandria, Ws 7:25-26; they express both the identity of nature between Father and Son, and the distinction of person. The Son is the brightness, the light shining from its source, which is the bright glory, cf. Ex. 24:16+, of the Father (‘Light from Light’). He is also the replica, cf. Col 1:15+, of the Father’s substance, like an exact impression made by a seal on clay or wax, cf. Jn 14:9.”

d. Ep 2:7 - This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Verses 8 and 9 say: which heh has bestowed on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of his purpose, i the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning. Footnote h says “God the Father”; and Footnote i- says “Fourth blessing: the revelation of the ‘mystery’, Rm 16:25f.”

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Parallel text of verse 9 is Rm 16:25 that says: Doxologyj Glory to him who is able to give you the strengthk to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mysteryl kept secret for endless ages Footnote j says “Most authorities place this doxology here, but in some it appears at the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude 24-25, of the main points of the letter”; Footnote ksays “Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in Christian practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21; Col 2:7; Footnote l says “The idea of a ‘mystery’ of wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden in God and now revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed by Paul from Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the term by applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross of Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26; Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep 3:6, to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19, and finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep 1:9-10. See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2 Tm 1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.” Verse 10 says: To act upon when the times had run their course to the end;j that he would bring everything together under Christ as head, everything in the heaven and everything on earth.k Footnote j says “ Lit. ‘for a dispensation of the times’ fullness’, cf. Ga 4:4f. Footnote k - The main theme of this letter is how the whole body of creation, having been cut off from the Creator by sin, is decomposing, and how its rebirth is effected by Christ reuniting its parts into an organism with himself as the head, so as to reattach it to God. The human (Jew and pagan) and the angelic worlds are brought together again through the fact that they were saved by a single act, cf. 4:10f.” Parallel text

a. Mk 1:15 - ‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.’ b. Ga 4:4 - But when the appointed timec came, God sent his son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law. Footnote c - Lit. ‘fullness of time’; the phrase indicates how

when the messianic age comes it will fill a need felt for centuries, rather like filling up a jug. Cf. Ac 1:7+ and Mk 1:15; 1 Co 10:11; Ep 1:10; Heb 1”2; 9:26; 1 P 1:20. c. Col. 1:16,20… - “for him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers - all

things were created through him and for him (v. 16). …and all things to be reconciled through him and for him, h everything in heaven and everything on earth,I when he made peace by his death on the cross ( v. 20).” Footnote h - i.e. through and for Christ, cf. the parallel ‘though him and for him’ of v. 16. Alternatively, it could read “God wanted everything…to be reconciled to himself, though him who made peace…’ cf. Rm 5:10; 2 Co 5:18f; Footnote i - This reconciliation of the whole universe (including angels as well as human beings) means not that every single individual will be saved, but that all who are saved will be saved by their collective return to the right order and peace of perfect submission to God. Any individual who do not join this new creation through grace will be forced to join it, cf. 2:15; 1 Co 15:24-25 (the heavenly spirits) and 2 Th 1:8-9; 1 Co 6:9-10; Ga. 5:21; Rm 2:8; Ep 5:5 (men).

Verses 11 and 12 say: And it is in himl that we were claimed as God’s own,m chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; Chosen to be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came. Footnote lsays “Christ.” and Footnote m says “Fifth blessing: the pagans are called to share the salvation that had, till then, been reserved for the Jews; that they will be saved is proved by the fact that they receive the Spirit as was promised.” Parallel texts for verse 11 are:

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a. Dt 7:6 - For you are a people consecrated to Yahweh your God, it is you that Yahweh your God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on earth.b

Footnote b - Declaring Israel’s election, as in 14:2. To ‘find himself a nation’ God made use of wonders, 4:34, cf. 4:20; 26:7-8, vv. 7-8 of this chapter explain the reason for God’s choice, namely, loyalty to the promises which, of his own loving will, he had made to the Fathers, cf. 4:37, 8:18; 9:5; 10:15. This choice, ratified by the covenant (v. 9; 5:2-3) makes Israel a dedicated people (v. 6; 26:19). The idea of election, strongly emphasized in Dt., pervades the OT. Israel as a nation set apart, Nb 23:9, God’s people, Jg 5:13, consecrated, Ex 19:6+, a covenanted race, Ex. 19:1+, God’s son, Dt 1:31+, the nation of Immanuel, (God-with-us), Is 8:8,10. The election marks Israel off from the world but the prophets foretell the recognition of Israel’s God by all nations and the universality of salvation Zc 14:16; Is 49:6; 45:14+. The coming of Jesus inaugurates this ‘messianic’ era.

b. Col 1:12 - …thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.c Footnote c - Lit. ‘Thanking the Father (for) having made you (var. ‘us’) fit for the part of the lot of the saints in the light’; var. ‘for having called you (var. ‘us’) to…’ The ‘lot of the saints’ is what all holy people are to inherit, i.e. the ‘salvation’ that had been thought of as a bequest made exclusively to Israel. Now, non-Jews are called to share it, cf. Ep 1:11-13. The word ‘saints’ (lit. ‘holy ones’) here can mean either Christians, i.e. people called to live the ‘life of light’ while still living on earth, Rm 1:7f, cf. Jn 8:12f, or it can mean the angels who live with God in the eschatological ‘light’, cf. Ac 9:13+.

c. Is 46:10 - From the beginning I foretold the future, and predicted beforehand what is to be. I say: my purpose shall last; I will do whatever I choose. d. Rv 4:11 - You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything

was made and exists.k Footnote k - Lit. ‘though your will they were (var. ‘they were not’) and they were created’; text uncertain. Parallel text for verse 12 is Ps 66:2 that says: …play music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises, say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’ Verses 13 and 14 say: Now you too, n in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.o The pledge of our inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, p to make his glory praised. Footnotes n says “Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we”; Footnote o says “Paul completes his Trinitarian account of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of the Spirit shows the plan has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun, it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in glory”; and Footnote psays “Lit. ‘the setting free of that (enslaved people) which had been acquired’, i.e., by God, and at the cost of the life of his son. This is one of the occasions when Paul widens an OT concept (like ‘blessing’, ‘saint’, ‘choice’, ‘adoption’, ‘redemption, ‘share’, ‘promise’) by applying it to the Church as the new Israel and the body of the saved.” Parallel texts for verse 13 are:

a. Ac 1:4 - When he had been at table with them, he had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had promised. ‘It is’ he had said, ‘what you have heard me speak about:

b. Col 1:5 - …because of the hope which is stored up for you in heaven. It is only recently that you heard of this, when it was announced in the message of truth. The Good News…

c. Col 2:9 In his body lives the fullness of divinity,e and in him you too find your own fulfillment… Footnote e says “The word pleroma here, cf. 1:19+, is defined as the ‘divinity’ that is actually ‘filling’ Christ now in his body: in other words, the risen Christ, through his incarnation and resurrection, unites the divine and the created. The

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former is what he is by his pre-existence and his present glory; the latter is, as human, what he has assumed directly, and, as cosmic, what he assumed indirectly through being human. In this way he himself is the pleroma of all possible categories of being.”

d. Heb 6:12 - …never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises. e. Ep 4:30 - Otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. q Footnote q says “ The

one Holy Spirit that keeps the one body of Christ united, 4:4, 1 Co. 12:13, is ‘grieved’; cf. 4:30, Is. 63:10, by anything that harms the unity of the body.”

f. 2 Co 1:22 - …marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts. g. Ac 2:33 - Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand,s he has received from the father the Holy Spirit, who was promised,t and what you see and hear is the

outpouring of that Spirit. Footnote ssays “Words borrowed from Ps. 118 (v.16 LXX ‘The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac 4:11, 1 P 2:7, Mt 21:9p,42p, 23:39, Lk 13:35, Jn 12:13, Heb 13:6. But it is possible to trans late. ‘ Having raised up to the right hand of God’ and to se in this an introduction to the quotation (v.34) of Ps. 110); which is another name of Apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p,26:64p, Mk 16:19, Ac 7:55,56, Rm 8:34, 1Co. 15:25, Ep. 1:20 Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3,13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P.3:22”; and Footnote t – says “According to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ”.

h. Rm 5:5 - And this hope is not deceptive, because the love of Gode has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which had been given us.f Footnote e says “God’s love for us; of this the Holy Spirit is a pledge and to this, by his active presence within us, he bears witness, cf. 8:15 and Ga. 4:6. Through him we stand before God as sons before their father; the love is mutual. This text therefore, in the light of its parallel passages, asserts that the Christian shares in the life of the Trinity through ‘sanctifying grace’”; Footnote f says “The promised Spirit, Ep 1;13, cf. Ga 3:14; Ac 2:33+, distinctive of the new covenant as contrasted with the old, Rm 2:29; 7:6; 2 Co 3:6; cf. Ga 3:3; 4:29; Ezk 36:27+, is not merely exhibition of healing or charismatic power, Ac 1:8+; is also, and especially, an inward principle of new life, a principle that God ‘gives’, 1 Th 4:8, etc., cf. Lk 11:13; Jn 3:34; 14:16f; Ac 1:5; 2:38 etc.; 1 Jn 3:24, ‘sends’, Ga 4:6; cf. Lk 24:49; Jn 14:26; 1 P 1:12, ‘supplies’, Ga 3:5; Ph 1:19, ‘pours out’, Rm 5:5; Tt 3:5f; cf. Ac 2:33. Received into the Christian by faith, Ga 3:2,14;cf. Jn 7:38f; Ac 11:17, and baptism, 1 Co 6:11; Tt 3:5; cf. Jn 3:5; Ac 2:38; 19:2-6, It dwells within him, Rm 8:9; 1 Co 3:16; 2 Tm 1:14; cf. Jm 4:5, in his spirit, Rm 8:16; cf. the Spirit of Christ, Rm 8:9; Ph 1:19; Ga 4:6; cf. 2 Co 3:17; Ac 16:7; Jn 14;26; 15:26; 16:7, 14; makes the Christian a son of God, Rm 8;14-16; Ga 4:6f, and establishes Christ in his heart, Ep 3:16. For the Christian (as for Christ himself, Rm 1:4+) this Spirit is a principle of resurrection, Rm 8:11+, in virtue of as eschatological gift which even in life signs him as with a seal, 2 Co 1:22; Ep 1:13; 4:30, and which is present within him by way of pledge, 2 Co 1:22; 5:5; Ep 1:14, and of first-fruits, Rm 8:23. It takes the place of the evil principle in man that is ‘the flesh’. Rm 7:5+, and becomes a principle of faith, 1 Co 12:3; 2 Co 4:13; cf. 1 Jn 4:2f, of supernatural knowledge, 1 Co 2:10-16; 7:40; 12:8f; 14:2f; Ep 1:17; 3:16, 18; Col 1:9; cf. Jn 14:26+, of love, Rm. 5:5, 15:30, Col. 1:8, of sanctification, Rm 15:16, 1 Co. 6:11, 2 Th .2:13, cf. 1P 1:2, of moral conduct, Rm 8:4-9, 13; Ga. 3:16-25, of apostolic courage, Ph. 1:19; 2 Tim 1:7f; cf. Ac 1:8+, of hope, Rm 15:13, Ga. 5:5, Ep. 4:4, of prayer. Rm. 8:26f,cf. Jm 4:35; Jude 20. The Spirit must not be quenched, 1 Th. 5:19, or grieved, Ep. 4:30. It unites man with Christ, 1 Co 6:17, and thus secures the unity of his Body, 1 Co. 12:3, Ep. 2:16,18, 4:4.

Parallel texts for verse 14 are:

a. 2 Co 1:22 - …marking us with his seal and giving us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.

b. Rm 3:24 - And both are justified through the free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ Jesus. Footnote i says “This word (charis) when used with reference to human relationships can mean as the quality that makes a person attractive (Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean something given free and unearned (Ac. 25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This last sense predominates in the NT and especially in Paul. (John uses agape), who uses the word to describe

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the way God saves through Jesus: it is a work of spontaneous love to which no one has any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt. 2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9), for his Father to give up as a gift that includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32; cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification, salvation, and the right to inherit by having faith in him, without having to perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24; 4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11): it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for Christ to come again at the end of the world and for us to receive everlasting glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by grace that Abraham received the promise (Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm 11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us, it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf. 2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word ‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that it can be used to indicate the entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by the prophets (1 P.1:10) and is now proclaimed as the Good News (Col 1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32). The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul begins and ends his letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and 5:28, etc.; cf 1 P 1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by an act of grace that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation (Ga 1:6; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7; cf 2 Th 2:16; Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3; 15:15f; 1 Co 3:10; Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each Christian a part he has to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+; 2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7; 1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P 2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30; cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim); Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of the highest name of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk 2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends primarily on God’s initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible to receive grace I vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga. 5:4), to forfeit grace (Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). Grace obtained must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12) and used wisely (1 P 4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf 14:26; 15:40), it must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2 Tm 2:1), and help us to persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine help is given to the humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since this is to approach ‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be granted and will be found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in weak man (2 Co 12:9; cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over unspiritual wisdom (2 Co 1:12). The same word charis is also used for thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co 10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6; 1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is the fundamental and necessary disposition for grace. From all these shades of meaning, it is clear that the word charis is always used to emphasize that the gift is absolutely free: to bring out its power and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+)’; and Footnote j says “Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his ‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+. When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps 130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30; cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has ‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin, Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own, Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9. This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23.”

c. Ps 66:2 - …play music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises, say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’

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16th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME Cycle B) SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD

“For they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:34) Gospel: Mk 6:30-34


First miracle of the loaves When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on footc (v. 13). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and he healed their sick (v. 14). When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so end the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food’ (v. 15). Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves’ (v. 16). But they answered, ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish’ (v. 17). ‘Bring them here to me’ he said (v. 18). He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowd.d (v. 19). They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected scraps remaining, twelve baskets full (v. 20). Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children (v. 21).

=Mt 14:13-21

First Miracle of the Loaves Mt 14:13 - c - On shore the crowd hurried to the place the boat was making for. d - This miraculous bread, though not the Holy Eucharist, clearly prefigures and leads up to it. This is the view of the Fathers and indeed of the evangelists before them; cf. v. 19 with 26:26, and cf. Jn 6:1-15, 51-58.

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And now once again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples to him and said to them (v.1), ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat (v. 2). If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance’ (v. 3). His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ (v. 4). He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you? “Seven’ they said (v. 5).Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground and he took the seven loaves, and after givingthanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd (v. 6). The y had a few small fish as well, and over this he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also (v. 7). They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of scraps left over (v. 8). Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away (v. 9) and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.a On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew to a town call Bethsaida where they could be by themselves (v. 10). But the crowds got to

Mk 8:1-10

=Lk 9:10-17

Mk 8:10 - a- Either a place-name, unidentified like the ‘Magadan’ of Mt 15:39, or possibly a transliteration of some Aramaic expression.

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know and they went after him. He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing (v. 11). It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to te villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here’ (v. 12).He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go out ourselves and buy food for all these people’ (v. 13). For there were about five thousand men, But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty’ (v. 14). They did so and made them all sit down (v. 15). Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd (v. 16). They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets (v. 17). Sometime after this, Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.aLooking up, Jesus saw the crowd approaching and

Jn 6:1-13

Jn 6:4 - a - The bread Jesus gives is to be the new Passover.

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said to Philip, “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?” He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each’. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down’. There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to his disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted’. So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves.

30 The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught.

…and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them… He went home again, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal.

Mk 2:2 Mk 3:20; 6:31

Mk 3:20 Mk 2:2; 6:31

31 Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat.

32 So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves.

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33 But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd.o

Mt 9:36 Mt 14:13 Jr 50:6 Zc 10:2 =Mk 6:34

34 So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

Mt 9:36 - o - Familiar biblical metaphor: Nb 27:17; 1 K 22:17; Jdt 11:19; Ezk 34:5.

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First Reading: Jr 23:1-6


Greedy dogs that are never satisfied. Shepjherds who know nothing.e They will go their own way, each after his own interest.f The shepherds of Israela The word of Yahweh was then addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, “Shepherds,b the Lord Yahweh says this. Trouble for the shepherd of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock…” I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand (v. 1). The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep (v. 12)

Is 56:11 Jr 10:21; 12:10; 23:1-2

Ezk 34:1+ Is 53:6 Jr 23:1-6 Zc 11:4-17 ↗Mt 18:12-14 ↗Lk 15:4-7 ↗Jn 10:1-18 Sg 1:7 Is 56:11 Mi 2:12; 4:6; 7:14 Zc 9:16; 10:3; 13:1 1 P 5:2-4

Jn 10:1,12 Jr 23:1f Ezk 34:3-8 Zc 11:17

1 ‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered - it is Yahweh who speaks!

Is 56:11 - e - These two lines are probably a gloss. f- ‘his own interest’ Greek. Heb adds ‘to the last one.’ Ezk. 34:1 - a - The image of the king-shepherd is deeply rooted in Eastern literary tradition. Jeremiah used it of the kings of Israel to rebuke their slackness in office, Jr 2:8; 10:21; 23:1-3, and to proclaim that God will give his people new shepherds who would pasture them with integrity, Jr 3:15; 23:4, and from these shepherds would come a branch, Jr 23:5-6, i.e., the Messiah. Ezekiel takes up the theme from Jeremiah 23:1-6, later to be resumed in Zc 11:4-17. For their wickedness he rebukes the shepherds, the kings and lay leaders of the people, vv. 1-10. Yahweh will take from them the flock they have ill-treated and himself become the shepherd of his people, (cf. Gn 48:15; 49:24; Is 40:11; Ps 80:1; 95:7 and Ps 23); this is effect the proclamation of theocracy, vv. 11-16; and in point of fact the monarchy was not restored after the return from exile. But the time was to come when Yahweh would give his people a shepherd of his own choice, vv. 23-24, a ‘prince’ (cf. 45:7-8; 46:8-10; 16-18), another David. The term in which the prince’s reign is described, vv. 25-31, and the name ‘David’ by which he is called (see 2 S 7:1+; Is 11:1+; Jr. 23:5 ),

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suggest a messianic age in which God himself, by means of his Messiah, rules his people in justice and peace. In this text of Ezekiel, we discern the outline of the parable of the Lost Sheep, Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7, but more especially of the allegory of the Good Shepherd, Jn 10:11-18, which by virtue of its original context here is seen to be a claim to messiahship on the part of Jesus. The Good Shepherd is later to become one of the earliest themes of Christian iconography. b- “Shepherds’ Syr; ‘To the shepherds” Hebr.

2 This, therefore, is what Yahweh the God of Israel. says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them. Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds - it is Yahweh who speaks!

Those who are left of Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.d And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well.h They too will listen to my voice, and there will only be one flock,i and one shepherd.

Is 4:3+ Is 1:9 Ezr 9:8 Is 52:1; 60:21 Zp 3:13

Jn 10:16 Gn 11:9 Jr 23:3 Ezk 37:24 Ep 2:14f; 4:4f Jn 5:25; 11:52; 18:37 Jn 13:1; 14:30

3 But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers.

Is 4:3 - d - Faithless Israel will be punished, but because God loves his people a small ‘remnant’ will escape the invader’s sword. This idea, already familiar to Amos, 3:12; 5:15; 9:8-10, is taken up by Isaiah, 4:2-3; 6:13; 7:3 and 10:19-21; 28:5-6; 37:4; (=2 K 19:4); 37:31-32; cf Mi 4:7; 5:2; Zp 2:7,9; 3:12; Jr 3:14; 5:18; Ezk 5:3;. This purified and henceforth faithful remnant left in Jerusalem will once again become a powerful nation. After the disaster of 587 a new conception appears: the remnant will be found among the exiles, Ezk 6:8-10; cf Dt.

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17:19 19:11,30

30:1-2; and God will then gather them together with a view to the messianic restoration, Jr 23:3; 31:7; 50:20; Ezk 20:37; Is 11:11,16; Mi 2:12-13. Back from exile this remnant, again unfaithful, will be further reduced in number and purified, Zc 1:3; 8:11; Hg 1:12; Ob 17; Jl 3:5; Zc 13:8-9; 14:2. In the event, Christ proves to be the true ‘Branch’ of the new and sanctified Israel, Is 11:1,10; cf 4:2; Jr 23:3-6; Unlike Israel. the pagan nations will have no ‘remnant’, Is 14:22,30; 15:9; 16:14; Am 1:8; Ezk 21:37; Ob 18. Jn 10:16 - h -Not to take them into the Jewish fold but to gather them into the flock that Jesus ‘leads’ to eternal life. i- Var. ‘one fold’.

4 I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them anymore; not one shall be lost- it is Yahweh who speaks.

In those days and at that time, I will make q virtuous branch grow for David, who will practice honesty and integrity in the land (v. 15). In those days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the namek he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.l (v. 16) God, give your justice to the king, your own righteousness to the royal son.

=Jr 33:15-16 Jr 23:5-6 Ps 132:17 Is 4:2+

Ps 72:1 Ps 99:4 2 S 23:3

5 ‘See, the days are coming- it is Yahweh who speaks- when I will raise a virtuous Brancha for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practicing honesty and integrity in the land.

Jr 23:5 - a - ‘Branch’ was to become a messianic title, Zc 3:8; 6:12. Pr 8:16 - f - ‘impose justice on’ Greek. Read v. 17 before v. 15. Is 42:2 - c- The ‘branch’ and the ‘fruit of the earth’

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…by me rulers govern, and the great impose justicef to the world. That day the Branch of Yahweh shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earthc shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots:

Jr 23:5 Pr 8:16

1 K 3:4-15 Si 10:4

Is 4:2 Jr 23:5-6; 33:15 Zc 3:8; 6:12

Is 11:1 Ps 72 Is 42:1-12 Jr 23:5+ ↗Rm 15:12 ↗Rv 22:16

mean either the Messiah or else the remnant of Israel (see following note) compared to the tree springing again in Palestinian soil.

In those days the House of Judah will unite with the House of Israel;q together they will come from the land of the North to the land I gave your ancestors for heritage.

Jr 3:18+ Gn 13:14-15

6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.b

Jr 23:6 - b - This symbolic name, cf. Is 1:26+, by which the Messiah is to be called, is contrasted with the name of Zechariah which means ‘Yahweh my integrity’. Jr 3:18 – q–For messianic days the prophets foretells a kingdom united as in the time of David and Solomon, Jr 23:5-6; 31:1; Ezk 37:15-27; Ho 2:2; Is 11:13-14; Mi 2:12; Zc 9:10.

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Second Reading: Eph 2:13-18


Later, he camep to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. …raising the fortunes of his people, to the praises of the devout, of Israel, the people dear to him.

Ep 2:17 Is 57:19 Zc 9:10 Ep 4:4

Ps 148:14 Dt 7:6+ Ep 2:13

13 But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.k

Ep 2:13 – k–The crucifixion of Christ that brought together Jews and pagans vv 14-15, and reconciled both with the Father vv. 16-18.

For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they gave him: Wonder-Counselor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince of Peace.c …and there are no more distinctions between Jews and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ Jesus p

Is 9:5 Is 7:14; 11:2 Gn 3:15; 49:10 Nb 24:7,17 2 S 7:12-16∆ Mi 5:1-3∆ Zc 9:9∆ Ep 2:14∆

Ga 3:28+ Rm 10:12 1 Co 12:13 Col 3:11

14 For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart,l actually destroying in his own person the hostility.

Ep. 2:14 - l - The wall separating the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans in the Temple, cf. Ac. 21:28f. Is 9:5 - c - A prophetic proper name, cf. 1:26+. The child possesses to a supreme degree all the qualities of all the great figures of his race: the wisdom of Solomon, the valor of David, the virtues of Moses and the patriarchs, Cf. 11:2. Christian tradition and the Christian liturgy apply these titles to Christ, presenting him as the true Immanuel.

Ga 3:28 - p - Var. ‘you are all of Christ Jesus’.

He has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it to the cross…l Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (v. 14). And may the peace of Christ reign in

Col 2:14+ Ep 2:15 Is 53:12 1 P 3:22

Col 3:14-15 Rm 13:8-10 1 Co 13:1+

15 Caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. mThis was to create one single New Man n in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace…

Ep. 2:15 - m- The Mosaic Law gave the Jews a privileged status and separated them from pagans. Jesus abolished this Law by fulfilling it once for all on the cross, Col. 2:14+. n– This new man is the prototype of the new humanity that God recreated (2Co. 5:17+) in the person of Christ, the second Adam (1 Co.

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your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful (v. 15).

Ep 2:16; 4:3-4 Ph 4:7 1 Co 12:12+

15:45) after killing the sinfully corrupt race of the first Adam in the crucifixion (Rm. 5:12f, 8:3, 1 Co. 15:21). This New Adam has been created in the goodness and holiness of the truth, 4:24, and he is unique because in him the boundaries between any one group and the rest of the human race all disappear, Col. 3:10f, Ga. 3:27f). Col 2:14 - l - The Law was able to do nothing about a sinner except condemn him to death, Rm 7:7+; this death sentence is what God carried out on his own Son in order to suppress it for the rest of the world, and it was for this reason that God’s Son was ‘made sin’, 2 Co 5:21, ‘subject to the Law’, Ga. 4:4, and ‘cursed’ by the Law, Ga 3:13. In the person of the Son, whom he allowed to be executed, God nailed up and destroyed our death warrant, as well as the charges it made against us.

16 Through the cross, to unite them both in single Bodyo and reconcile them with God. I his own person he killed the hostility.

Ep 2:16 – o–This ‘single Body’ is both the physical body of Jesus that was executed by crucifixion, Col 1:22+, and the Church or ‘mystical’ body of Christ in which, once they were reconciled, all the parts function in their own place, 1 Co 12:12+.

‘…bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to far and near, I will indeed heal him’ says Yahweh. Hel will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war will be banished.

Is 57:19 Dn 9:7 Ac 2:39 Ep 2:17

Zc 9:10 Is 2:4 Mi 5:9

17 Later, he camep to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand.

Ep 2:17 - p - Through the apostles who in his name preached the Good News of salvation and peace. Zc 9:10 - l- ‘He will’ Greek; ‘I shall’ Hebr. The northern

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There is one Body, one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called.

Is 11:6+ Ho 2:20

Ep 4:4 Rm 12:5 1 Co 10:17; 12:12+

tribes will be reunited with Judah in the messianic kingdom, cf. Jr 3:18+.

That is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him… The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.e

Ep 3:12+ Ep 2:18 Rm 5:1 Col 1:22∆ Heb 4:16∆ 1 P 3:18∆

2 Co 13:13+ Rm 16:16 1 Co 16:20 2 Co 1:20 1 Co 2:10 Ep 2:18; 4:6 Ph 2:1

18 Through him, both of us have in the one Spiritq our way to come to the Father.

Ep 2:17 - q - The one spirit that gives life to the single body (of Christ who is one with his Church) is the Holy Spirit who has changed the form of the body now it has risen, and by doing so has come down on each of the parts of which it is made up. The Trinitarian structure of this section is repeated in v. 22. 2 Co 13:13 - e - The Trinitarian formula probably derived from liturgical usage, cf also Mt. 28:19, is echoed in many passages of the epistles where the several functions of the three Persons are referred to as the various contexts suggests: Rm 1:4+; 15:16,30+; 1 Co 2:10-16; 6:11,14, 15, 19; 12:4-6; Tt 3:5f; Heb 9:14; 1 P 1:2; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:2; Rv 1:4f; 22:1; cf Ac 10:38; 20:28; Jn 14:16,18,23. Note in 1 Co 6:11; Ep 4:4-6 the triple formulation emphasizing the Trinitarian thought. Cf also the trio of the theological virtues in 1 Co 133+.

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Homily for the 16thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Mk 6:30-34 (Gospel), Jr 23:1-6 (First Reading) and Eph 2:13-18(Second Reading)


SHEEP WITHOUT A SHEPHERD “For they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:34)

The Gospel Reading for this 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time is taken from Mk 6:30-34. It is under the title: “First Miracle of the Loaves.” It has parallel texts:

a. Mt 14:13-21 - First miracle of the loaves - When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on footc (v. 13). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and he healed their sick (v. 14). When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so end the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food’ (v. 15). Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves’ (v. 16). But they answered, ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish’ (v. 17). ‘Bring them here to me’ he said (v. 18). He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowd.d (v. 19). They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected scraps remaining, twelve baskets full (v. 20). Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children (v. 21). Footnote c says: “On shore the crowd hurried to the place the boat was making for”; Footnoted –says “This miraculous bread, though not the Holy Eucharist, clearly prefigures and leads up to it. This is the view of the Fathers and indeed of the evangelists before them; cf. v. 19 with 26:26, and cf. Jn 6:1-15, 51-58”.

b. Mk 8:1-10 - And now once again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples to him and said to them (v.1), ‘I feel sorry for all these people; they have been with me for three days now and have nothing to eat (v. 2). If I send them off home hungry they will collapse on the way; some have come a great distance’ (v. 3). His disciples replied, ‘Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this?’ (v. 4). He asked them, ‘How many loaves have you? “Seven’ they said (v. 5).Then he instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground and he took the seven loaves, and after giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute; and they distributed them among the crowd (v. 6). The y had a few small fish as well, and over this he said a blessing and ordered them to be distributed also (v. 7). They ate as much as they wanted, and they collected seven basketfuls of scraps left over (v. 8). Now there had been about four thousand people. He sent them away (v. 9) and immediately, getting into the boat with his disciples, went to the region of Dalmanutha.a

Footnote a says “Either a place-name, unidentified like the ‘Magadan’ of Mt 15:39, or possibly a transliteration of some Aramaic expression.” c. Lk 9:10-17 - On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew to a town call Bethsaida where they

could be by themselves (v. 10). But the crowds got to know and they went after him. He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing (v. 11). It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here’ (v. 12).He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go out ourselves and buy food for all these people’ (v. 13). For there were about five thousand men, But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty’ (v. 14). They did so and made them all sit down (v. 15). Then he took the five loaves and the

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two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd (v. 16). They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets (v. 17).

d. Jn 6:1-13 - Sometime after this, Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.a Looking up, Jesus saw the crowd approaching and said to Philip, “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?” He only said this to test Philip ; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each’. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down’. There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. When they had eaten enough he said to his disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted’. So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves. Footnote a says “The bread Jesus gives is to be the new Passover.”

Verse by verse it says: Verses 30 and 31 say: The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lone ly place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. Parallel texts for verse 31 are:

a. Mk 2:2 - …and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them… b. Mk 3:20 - He went home again, and once more such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal.

Verses 32, 33, and 34 say: So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length. Parallel text for verse 34 is Mt 9:36 that says: And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd .o Footnote o says “Familiar biblical metaphor: Nb 27:17; 1 K 22:17; Jdt 11:19; Ezk 34:5”. The First Reading is taken from Jr 23:1-6. Verse by verse it says: Verse 1 says: ‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered - it is Yahweh who speaks! Parallel texts are:

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a. Is 56:11 - Greedy dogs that are never satisfied. Shepherds who know nothing.e They will go their own way, each after his own interest.f Footnotee says “These two lines are probably a gloss”; Footnote f says “‘his own interest’ Greek. Heb adds ‘to the last one.’”

b. Ezk 34:1 - The shepherds of Israela The word of Yahweh was then addressed to me as follows, ‘Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them, “Shepherds,b the Lord Yahweh says this. Trouble for the shepherd of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock…”Footnotea says “The image of the king-shepherd is deeply rooted in Eastern literary tradition. Jeremiah used it of the kings of Israel to rebuke their slackness in office, Jr 2:8; 10:21; 23:1-3, and to proclaim that God will give his people new shepherds who would pasture them with integrity, Jr 3:15; 23:4, and from these shepherds would come a branch, Jr 23:5-6, i.e., the Messiah. Ezekiel takes up the theme from Jeremiah 23:1-6, later to be resumed in Zc 11:4-17. For their wickedness he rebukes the shepherds, the kings and lay leaders of the people, vv. 1-10. Yahweh will take from them the flock they have ill-treated and himself become the shepherd of his people, (cf. Gn 48:15; 49:24; Is 40:11; Ps 80:1; 95:7 and Ps 23); this is effect the proclamation of theocracy, vv. 11-16; and in point of fact the monarchy was not restored after the return from exile. But the time was to come when Yahweh would give his people a shepherd of his own choice, vv. 23-24, a ‘prince’ (cf. 45:7-8; 46:8-10; 16-18), another David. The term in which the prince’s reign is described, vv. 25-31, and the name ‘David’ by which he is called (see 2 S 7:1+; Is 11:1+; Jr. 23:5 ), suggest a messianic age in which God himself, by means of his Messiah, rules his people in justice and peace. In this text of Ezekiel, we discern the outline of the parable of the Lost Sheep, Mt 18:12-14; Lk 15:4-7, but more especially of the allegory of the Good Shepherd, Jn 10:11-18, which by virtue of its original context here is seen to be a claim to messiahship on the part of Jesus. The Good Shepherd is later to become one of the earliest themes of Christian iconography.” Footnote b says “Shepherds” Syr; “To the shepherds” Hebr.”

c. Jn 10:1,12 - I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand (v. 1). The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep and runs away as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep (v. 12)

Verses 2 and 3 say: This, therefore, is what Yahweh the God of Israel. says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them. Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds - it is Yahweh who speaks! But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers.

Parallel texts are: a. Is 4:3 - Those who are left of Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy and those left in Jerusalem, noted down for survival.d Footnote d says “Faithless Israel

will be punished, but because God loves his people a small ‘remnant’ will ecape the invader’s sword. This idea, already familiar to Amos, 3:12; 5:15; 9:8-10, is taken up by Isaiah, 4:2-3; 6:13; 7:3 and 10:19-21; 28:5-6; 37:4; (=2 K 19:4); 37:31-32; cf Mi 4:7; 5:2; Zp 2:7,9; 3:12; Jr 3:14; 5:18; Ezk 5:3;. This purified and henceforth faithful remnant left in Jerusalem will once again become a powerful nation. After the disaster of 587 a new conception appears: the remnant will be found among the exiles, Ezk 6:8-10; cf Dt. 30:1-2; and God will then gather them together with a view to the messianic restoration, Jr 23:3; 31:7; 50:20; Ezk 20:37; Is 11:11,16; Mi 2:12-13. Back from exile this remnant, again unfaithful, will be further reduced in number and purified, Zc 1:3; 8:11; Hg 1:12; Ob 17=Jl 3:5; Zc 13:8-9; 14:2. In the event, Christ proves to be the true ‘Branch’ of the new and sanctified Israel, Is 11:1,10; cf 4:2; Jr 23:3-6; Unlike Israel. the pagan nations will have no ‘remnant’, Is 14:22,30; 15:9; 16:14; Am 1:8; Ezk 21:37; Ob 18.”

b. Jn 10:16 - And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and these I have to lead as well.h They too will listen to my voice, and there will only be one flock,I and one shepherd. Footnote h says “Not to take them into the Jewish fold but to gather them into the flock that Jesus ‘leads’ to eternal life”; Footnote I says “Var. ‘one fold’.”

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Verses 4 and 5 say: I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them anymore; not one shall be lost- it is Yahweh who speaks. ‘See, the days are coming- it is Yahweh who speaks- when I will raise a virtuous Brancha for David, who will reign as true king and be wise, practicing honesty and integrity in the land.Footnote asays “‘Branch’ was to become a messianic title, Zc 3:8; 6:12”.

Parallel texts are: a. Jr 33:15-16 - In those days and at that time, I will make q virtuous branch grow for David, who will practice honesty and integrity in the land (v. 15). In those days

Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell in confidence. And this is the namek he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.l (v. 16).Footnote a - ‘Branch’ was to become a messianic title, Zc 3:8; 6:12.

b. Ps 72:1 - God, give your justice to the king, your own righteousness to the royal son. c. Pr 8:16 - …by me rulers govern, and the great impose justicef to the world. Footnote f says ‘impose justice on’ Greek. Read v. 17 before v. 15. d. Is 4:2 - That day the Branch of Yahweh shall be beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earthc shall be the pride and adornment of Israel’s survivors. Footnote c says

“The ‘branch’ and the ‘fruit of the earth’ mean either the Messiah or else the remnant of Israel (see following note) compared to the tree springing again in Palestinian soil.”

e. Is 11:1 - A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse, a scion thrusts from his roots: Verse 6 says: In his days Judah will be saved and Israel dwell in confidence. And this is the name he will be called: Yahweh-our-integrity.bFootnoteb says “This symbolic name, cf. Is 1:26+, by which the Messiah is to be called, is contrasted with the name of Zechariah which means ‘Yahweh my integrity’.” Parallel text is Jr 3:18 that says: In those days the House of Judah will unite with the House of Israel;q together they will come from the land of the North to the land I gave your ancestors for heritage. Footnote q says “For messianic days the prophets foretells a kingdom united as in the time of David and Solomon, Jr 23:5-6; 31:1; Ezk 37:15-27; Ho 2:2; Is 11:13-14; Mi 2:12; Zc 9:10.” The Second Reading is from Eph 2:13-18. Verse 13 says: But now in Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ.kFootnote ksays “The crucifixion of Christ that brought together Jews and pagans vv 14-15, and reconciled both with the Father vv. 16-18.”

Parallel texts are: a. Ep 2:17 - Later, he camep to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand.

Footnote b. Ps 148:14 - …raising the fortunes of his people, to the praises of the devout, of Israel, the people dear to him.

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Verse 14 says: For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, l actually destroying in his own person the hostility. Footnote l says “The wall separating the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans in the Temple, cf. Ac. 21:28f.”

Parallel texts are: a. Is 9:5 - For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they gave him: Wonder-Counselor, Mighty-God,

Eternal-Father, Prince of Peace.c Footnote c says “A prophetic proper name, cf. 1:26+. The child possesses to a supreme degree all the qualities of all the great figures of his race: the wisdom of Solomon, the valor of David, the virtues of Moses and the patriarchs, Cf. 11:2. Christian tradition and the Christian liturgy apply these titles to Christ, presenting him as the true Immanuel.

b. Ga 3:28 - …and there are no more distinctions between Jews and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one in Christ JesuspFootnote p says “Var. ‘you are all of Christ Jesus’.”

Verse 15 says: Caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. m This was to create one single New Man n in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace…Footnote m says “The Mosaic Law gave the Jews a privileged status and separated them from pagans. Jesus abolished this Law by fulfilling it once for all on the cross, Col. 2:14+”; Footnote n says “This new man is the prototype of the new humanity that God recreated (2Co. 5:17+) in the person of Christ, the second Adam (1 Co. 15:45) after killing the sinfully corrupt race of the first Adam in the crucifixion (Rm. 5:12f, 8:3, 1 Co. 15:21). This New Adam has been created in the goodness and holiness of the truth, 4:24, and he is unique because in him the boundaries between any one group and the rest of the human race all disappear, Col. 3:10f, Ga. 3:27f).”

Parallel texts are: a. Col 2:14 - He has overridden the Law, and cancelled every record of the debt that we had to pay; he has done away with it by nailing it to the cross… l Footnote l says

“The Law was able to do nothing about a sinner except condemn him to death, Rm 7:7+; this death sentence is what God carried out on his own Son in order to suppress it for the rest of the world, and it was for this reason that God’s Son was ‘made sin’, 2 Co 5:21, ‘subject to the Law’, Ga. 4:4, and ‘cursed’ by the Law, Ga 3:13. In the person of the Son, whom he allowed to be executed, God nailed up and destroyed our death warrant, as well as the charges it made against us.”

b. Col 3:14-15 - Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (v. 14). And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful (v. 15).

Verses 16 and 17 say: Through the cross, to unite them both in single Bodyo and reconcile them with God. I his own person he killed the hostility. Later, he camep to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand . Footnote osays “This ‘single Body’ is both the physical body of Jesus that was executed by crucifixion, Col 1:22+, and the Church or ‘mystical’ body of Christ in which, once they were reconciled, all the parts function in their own place, 1 Co 12:12+”; and Footnote p says “Through the apostles who in his name preached the Good News of salvation and peace.”

Parallel texts are:

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a. Is 57:19 -‘…bringing praise to their lips. Peace, peace to far and near, I will indeed heal him’ says Yahweh. b. Zc 9:10 - Hel will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war will be banished. Footnote l says “‘He will’ Greek; ‘I shall’ Hebr. The northern

tribes will be reunited with Judah in the messianic kingdom, cf. Jr 3:18+”. c. Ep 4:4 - There is one Body, one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called.

Verse 18 says: Through him, both of us have in the one Spiritq our way to come to the Father. Footnote q –says “The one spirit that gives life to the single body (of Christ who is one with his Church) is the Holy Spirit who has changed the form of the body now it has risen, and by doing so has come down on each of the parts of which it is made up. The Trinitarian structure of this section is repeated in v. 22.”

Parallel texts are: a. Ep 3:12 - That is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him… b. 2 Co 13:13 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.e Footnote e says “The Trinitarian formula probably

derived from liturgical usage, cf also Mt. 28:19, is echoed in many passages of the epistles where the several functions of the three Persons are referred to as the various contexts suggests: Rm 1:4+; 15:16,30+; 1 Co 2:10-16; 6:11,14, 15, 19; 12:4-6; Tt 3:5f; Heb 9:14; 1 P 1:2; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:2; Rv 1:4f; 22:1; cf Ac 10:38; 20:28; Jn 14:16,18,23. Note in 1 Co 6:11; Ep 4:4-6 the triple formulation emphasizing the Trinitarian thought. Cf also the trio of the theological virtues in 1 Co 133+”.

There are five instances that the phrase “Sheep without a Shepherd” is found in the Bible:

a. Numbers 27:17-18 - May the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh provide a man that may be over this multitude: And may go out and in before them, and may lead them out, or bring them in: lest the people of the Lord be as sheep without a shepherd. (In answer to Moses’ petition, the Lord appointed Joshua the son of Nun to guide the people into the land of the promise. The Hebrew of the name “Joshua” is identical to the name “Jesus” – Jeshua’ (meaning, “the LORD saves”).

b. 1 Kings 22:17 - I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, like sheep that have no shepherd: and the Lord said: These have no master: let every man of them return to his house in peace.

c. Judith 11:15 - and thou shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep that have no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog bark against thee. d. Mk 6:34 - So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them

at some length. e. Matthew 9:35-38 - Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and

every sickness. When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest"

In all the five instances Jesus Christ is being referred to as the fulfillment of this phrase.

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There are also many articles about “Sheep without a Shepherd” that can be accessed in the Internet. The following are some instances:

James C. Guy: “Jesus had come to be the shepherd for the sheep. So many people are wondering aimlessly through life as "sheep without a shepherd." If we are truly following the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, we must also be following His example, authority, and compassion and we gather the harvest by leading others to our Shepherd. We cannot lead others as the Great Shepherd can. But, we can lead them to the Great Shepherd. If we are not willing to do that – we ourselves are "sheep without a shepherd." Will you follow Him and lead others to Him as well? Be His follower. Be His sheep.” biblesays.faithsite.com

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio: “Sheep are vulnerable, slow-footed, and dull-witted creatures. This makes them easy pickings for a variety of predators. They need protection, firm guidance, and, of course, food and drink. That’s where a shepherd comes in. He gathers them together, so that strays aren’t p icked off by wolves or poachers. If an enemy should be so brazen as to attack the entire flock, he fights it off. He knows where water and food are abundant, and he carefully leads the flock through arid, barren country to get there. And that’s why shepherd is the Bible’s image of both king and priest. Biblical leadership is not about privilege and perks, but sacrificial service. The sheep don’t care for the shepherd. Rather, the shepherd cares for the sheep.www.crossroadsinitiative.com

Ron Graham, in “Sheep Without Shepherds”: “Jesus was concerned that people lacked leadership. "Seeing the multitudes, he felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd" (Mtt 9:36). When Jesus looks at our world today, no doubt he feels the same compassion for the same reason. This lesson is about the responsibility of shepherding, especially in our homes. 1. The Shepherd of Bible Times The Bible often likens the leadership of people to the shepherd leading his sheep. In our vernacular, when we say that people are like sheep, we mean that they follow others blindly. However in the Bible, the shepherd is pictured as dedicated to his flock, and his sheep hear his voice, and they follow him, and will not follow a stranger (Jhn 10:1-5). We are all familiar with the twenty-third Psalm which begins, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul; he guides me in the paths of righteousness" (Psa 23:1-3). So in speaking of people as sheep, and their leaders as shepherds, the Bible is not being derogatory, but is evoking the respect that rural communities of Bible times had for the shepherds who tended their flocks in a responsible manner. Good shepherds loved their sheep, called them by name, protected them from wolves, led them to pasture, rescued those who strayed. Of course such a lovely relationship with animals is not confined to Bible times. Many people today love and nurture their animals as though they were their own children. So the image of the shepherd and the sheep is a very good metaphor of leadership responsibility. 2 We As Sheep In this lesson we are going to focus on the role of the shepherd, but the shepherd does not alone have a responsiblity. We, as the sheep, have a responsibility to accept and follow right leadership. This is especially true of our relationship to the greatest Shepherd of all...

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/

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Isaiah 53:6 "Like sheep, we have all gone astray. We have turned each to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" John 10:3-4 "The shepherd calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out... the sheep follow him for they know his voice" 1Peter 2:25 "You were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" The principle in these passages can be applied to lesser relationships where people are to subject themselves willingly to good leadership. There are many such relationships in our society and community. The shepherds in those relationships have responsibility, but so do the sheep.” (From www.simplybible.com.au) Rev. Stephen H. Wilkins, “Sheep Without a Shepherd”: “Like sheep without a shepherd. Between what the Lord says in Jeremiah, and the way that Jesus reacts with compassion to people who are like sheep without a shepherd, it is clear that it is not right for sheep to be without a shepherd. It is clear that God is concerned that his people should always have a shepherd to guide them, to protect them, to accompany them, to lead them to green pastures and beside still waters. And it is clear, also, that if God is concerned that his people not be left without a shepherd, then that should be our concern in the church, as well.“ (From www.gtpres.org).

http://www.gtpres.org/

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17th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME Cycle B) BREAD OF THE NEW PASSOVER

“They will eat and have some leftover” (2 K 4:43) Gospel: Jn 6:1-15


First miracle of the loaves. When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on footc (v. 13). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and he healed their sick (v. 14). When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so end the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food’ (v. 15). Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves’ (v. 16). But they answered, ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish’ (v. 17). ‘Bring them here to me’ he said (v. 18). He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowd.d (v. 19). They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected scraps remaining, twelve baskets full (v. 20). Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children (v. 21).

Mt 14:13-21 Mt 15:32-38p =Mk 6:31-44 =Lk 9:10-17 =Jn 6:1-13 Mt 9:36; 15:32 Mt 8:3+ 1 K 19:21 Jn 11:41; 17:1 Mt 16:9

Miracle of the loaves Mt 14:13 - c - On shore the crowd hurried to the place the boat was making for. d - This miraculous bread, though not the Holy Eucharist, clearly prefigures and leads up to it. This is the view of the Fathers and indeed of the evangelists before them; cf. v. 19 with 26:26, and cf. Jn 6:1-15, 51-58.

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So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves (v. 32). But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them (v. 33). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length (v. 34). By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late (v. 35), so send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to but themselves something to eat’ (v. 36). He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat? (v. 37)’ How many loaves have you? He asked ‘Go and see’. And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish’ (v. 38). Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass (v. 39),and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundred and fifties (v. 40). Then he took the five loaves and two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all (v. 41). They all ate as much as they wanted (v. 42). They

Mk 6:32-44

=Mt 14:13-21 Mk 8:1-10 =Lk 9:10-17 =Jn 6:1-13 Mt 9:36

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collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish (v. 43). Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men (v. 44). On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew to a town call Bethsaida where they could be by themselves (v. 10). But the crowds got to know and they went after him. He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing (v. 11). It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here’ (v. 12).He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go out ourselves and buy food for all these people’ (v. 13). For there were about five thousand men, But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty’ (v. 14). They did so and made them all sit down (v. 15). Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd (v. 16). They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve

=Lk 9:10-17 =Mt 14:13-21 =Mk 6:30-44 =Jn 6:1-13 Mk 6:45

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baskets (v. 17).

1 Sometime after this, Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias -

2 And a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick.

3 Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples.

The Jewish Passover draw near,p and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem q to purify themselves…

Jn 11:55 Jn 2:13; 6:4 Nb 9:6-13

4 It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.a

Jn 6:4 - a - The bread Jesus gives is to be the new Passover. Jn 11:55 - p -Jn repeatedly emphasizes the connection between the Passover and Christ’s death, 13:1; 18:28; 19:14,42.

q- Add. ‘before the Passover’.

5 Looking up, Jesus saw the crowd approaching and said to Philip, “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?”

6 He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do.

If all the flocks and herds were slaughtered, would that be enough for them? If all the fish in the sea were gathered, would that be enough for them?

Nb 11:22 Jn 6:7,9

7 Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each’.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said,

9 ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’

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10 Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down’. There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down.

Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

Jn 21:13 Jn 6:11 Lk 24:42

11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted.

12 When they had eaten enough he said to his disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted’.

A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the first-fruits, twenty barley loaves and fresh grain in the ear.i ‘Give it to the people to eat’, Elisha said (v. 42). But his servant replied, ‘How can I serve this to a hundred men?’ ‘Give it to the people to eat’ he insisted ‘for Yahweh says this, “They will eat and have some left over”. (v. 43). He served them, they ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had said (v. 44).

2 K 4:42-44 Mt 14:13-21+; 15:32-38 Jn 6:13

13 So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves.

2 K 4:42 - I - Translation conjectural.

14 The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world’.

‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’u (v. 21). Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God,ff you are the King of Israel’. (v. 49) They took branches of palm and went out to

Jn 1:21+,49 Mt 17:10-13+ Jn 6:15; 12:13

Jn 12:13

15 Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escapedb back to the hills by himself.

Jn 6:15 - b - Var. ‘withdrew’. Jn. 1:21 - t - On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt. 17:10-13. u - From Dt. 18;15,18(see note) the Jews argued

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meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessings on the King of Israel,cwho comes in the name of the Lord.’ ‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’

Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right hand of God’s throne. And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.i

Jn 1:49; 6:15 Ps 118:26

Jn 18:36 Jn 1:10+; 6:15+ Jn 8:23; 12:32 Jn 18:10-11

Heb 12:2 Ga 5:7+ Heb 2:10 Mt 4:3-11p Jn 6:15 2 Co 8:9 Ph 2:6-8 Ps 110:1 Ac 2:33+ Lk 2:34

Mk 1:34+ Mk. 3:12; 9:30 Mt. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; 17:9; Lk. 5:14; 8:56; 9:21

that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet parexcellence, cf. Nb. 12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt. 16:14+. Jn 1:49 - ff - In this passage the phrase implies he is the Messiah only (like ‘king of Israel’). Cf. Mt 4:3+. Jn 12:13 - c - The Messiah-King Mk. 1:34 - i - Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.

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First Reading: 2 K 4:42-44


Mt 14:13-21+

Mt 15:32-38

42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the first-fruits, twenty barley loaves and fresh grain in the ear.i ‘Give it to

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So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves.

Jn 6:13 2 K 4:42-44 Mt 14:13-21+;

the people to eat’, Elisha said

43 But his servant replied, ‘How can I serve this to a hundred men?’ ‘Give it to the people to eat’ he insisted ‘for Yahweh says this, “They will eat and have some left over”.

44 He served them, they ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had said



A call to unitya Ep 4:1-6 - a - Paul lists three different threats to the Church’s unity: arguments between Christians

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vv. 1-3; diversity of service within the Church vv. 7-11; unorthodox teaching vv. 14-15. These threats are all averted by applying the principle of unity in Christ, vv. 4-6, 12-13,18. (The Teleological principle or doctrine).

You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience (v. 12). Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now must do the same (v. 13). Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (V. 14)

=Col 3:12-14 =Ep 4:1-2,32 1 Th 5:15 Mt 6:14;18:21-35 2 Co 2:7 Ep 4:32+ Rm 13:8-10 1 Co 13:1+ Ep 2:16; 4:3-4 Ph 4:7 1 Co 12:12+

1 I, prisoner in the Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation.

In short,e there are three things that last:f faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. Avoid anything in your everyday livesl that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come to you and see for myself, or stay at a distance and only hear about you, I shall know that you are unanimous in meeting the attack with firm resistance, united by your love for the faith of the gospel. Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (v.

1 Co 13:13+ Rm 5:4 Ga 5:6 Ep 1:15; 4:2 Col 1:4 Phm 5

Ph 1:27+ Ep 4:1 Col 1:10 1 Th 2:12

Col 3:14-15 Rm 13:8-10

2 Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience.

1 Co 13:13 - e - Or ‘Meanwhile.’ f - Or ‘In short, then, we are left with these three things.’ This association of the three theological virtues, which is found earlier in 1 Th 1:3 and which was probably in use before Paul’s time, recurs frequently in his letters, though the order varies: 1 Th 5:8; 1 Co 13:7,13; Ga 5:5f; Rm 5:1-5; 12:6-12; Col 1:4-5; Ep 1:15-18; 4:2-5; 1 Tm 5:11; Tt 2:2; CfHeb 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 P 1:3-9,21f. Faith and charity are associated in 1 Th 3:6; 2 Th 1:3; Phm 5; faith and fortitude in 2 Th 1:4, love and fortitude in 2 Th 3:5, Cf. 2 Co 13:13. Phil. 1:27 l - Lit. “Live your city-life (i.e. your ordinary

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14). And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful (v. 15).

1 Co 13:1+ Ep 2:16; 4:3-4 Ph 4:7 1 Co 12:12+

social life) worthily of the gospel’. The New City of God’s kingdom has Christ for its ruler, the gospel for its law, and the Christians as its free citizens, cf. 3:20; Ep. 2:19.

3 Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.

so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other. c The fact that there is only one loaf means that, there are so many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf. Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.k

Rm 12:5 1 Co 12:12

1 Co 10:17 Ep 4:4

1 Co 12:12+ 1 Co 6:15 1 Co 10:17 Rm 12:4-5 Ep 4:25 Col 3:15 Ga 3:28 Ep 4:4-6 Col 3:11

4 There is one Body, one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called.

Rm 12:5 - c - The sentence emphasizes not so much the identification of Christians with Christ, 1 Co 12:27 as their dependence on one another. 1 Co 12:12 - k - The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.

Has Christ been parceled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? Still for us there is one God, the Father, from all things come and for whom we exist; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, though whom all things come through whom we exist.

1 Co 1:13 Ep 4:5

1 Co 8:6 Rm 11:36 Ep 4:5-6 Jn 1:3 Col 1:16-17

5 There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism.

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There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit (v. 4); there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord (v. 5); working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of themc (v. 6). The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.e

Heb 1:2

1 Co 12:4-6 Ep 4:5 1 P 4:10

2 Co 13:13+ Rm 16:16 1 Co 16:20 2 Co 1:20 1 Co 2:10 Ep 2:18; 4:6 Ph 2:1

1 Co 12:6 - c - Note again the Trinitarian formulation, cf. 6:11; 2 Co 13:13+. 2 Co 13:13 - e - The Trinitarian formula probably derived from liturgical usage, cf also Mt. 28:19, is echoed in many passages of the epistles where the several functions of the three Persons are referred to as the various contexts suggests: Rm 1:4+; 15:16,30+; 1 Co 2:10-16; 6:11,14, 15, 19; 12:4-6; Tt 3:5f; Heb 9:14; 1 P 1:2; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:2; Rv 1:4f; 22:1; cf Ac 10:38; 20:28; Jn 14:16,18,23. Note in 1 Co 6:11; Ep 4:4-6 the triple formulation emphasizing the Trinitarian thought. Cf also the trio of the theological virtues in 1 Co 133+.

6 and one God who is Father of all, over all, though all and within all.b

Ep 4:6 - b - Var. (Vulg.) ‘within all of us’.

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Homily for the 17thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Jn 6:1-15 (Gospel), 2 K 4:42-44 (First Reading) and Ep 4:1-6(Second Reading)


BREAD OF THE NEW PASSOVER “They will eat and have some leftover” (2 K 4:43)

The Gospel Reading for this 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time is taken from Jn. 6:1-15. This whole narrative goes under the title of: “Miracle of the loaves,” which has parallel texts:

e. Mt 14:13-21 - First miracle of the loaves - When Jesus received this news he withdrew by boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But the people heard of this and, leaving the towns, went after him on footc (v. 13). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them and he healed their sick (v. 14). When evening came, the disciples went to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place, and the time has slipped by; so end the people away, and they can go to the villages to buy themselves some food’ (v. 15). Jesus replied, ‘There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves’ (v. 16). But they answered, ‘All we have with us is five loaves and two fish’ (v. 17). ‘Bring them here to me’ he said (v. 18). He gave orders that the people were to sit down on the grass; then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing. And breaking the loaves he handed them to his disciples who gave them to the crowd.d (v. 19). They all ate as much as they wanted, and they collected scraps remaining, twelve baskets full (v. 20). Those who ate numbered about five thousand men, to say nothing of women and children (v. 21). Footnote c says: “On shore the crowd hurried to the place the boat was making for”; Footnoted –says “This miraculous bread, though not the Holy Eucharist, clearly prefigures and leads up to it. This is the view of the Fathers and indeed of the evangelists before them; cf. v. 19 with 26:26, and cf. Jn 6:1-15, 51-58”.

f. Mk 6:32-44 – So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves (v. 32). But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them (v. 33). So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length (v. 34). By now it was getting very late, and his disciples came up to him and said, ‘This is a lonely place and it is getting very late (v. 35), so send them away, and they can go to the farms and villages round about, to but themselves something to eat’ (v. 36). He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. They answered, ‘Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat? (v. 37)’ How many loaves have you? He asked ‘Go and see’. And when they had found out they said, ‘Five, and two fish’ (v. 38). Then he ordered them to get all the people together in groups on the green grass (v. 39),and they sat down on the ground in squares of hundred and fifties (v. 40). Then he took the five loaves and two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all (v. 41). They all ate as much as they wanted (v. 42). They collected twelve basketfuls of scraps of bread and pieces of fish (v. 43). Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men (v. 44).

g. Lk 9:10-17 - On their return the apostles gave him an account of all they had done. Then he took them with him and withdrew to a town call Bethsaida where they could be by themselves (v. 10). But the crowds got to know and they went after him. He made them welcome and talked to them about the kingdom of God; and he cured those who were in need of healing (v. 11). It was late afternoon when the Twelve came to him and said, ‘Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and farms round about to find lodging and food; for we are in a lonely place here’ (v. 12).He replied, ‘Give them something to eat yourselves’. But they said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we are to go out ourselves and buy food for all these people’ (v. 13). For there were about five thousand men, But he said to his disciples, ‘Get them to sit down in parties of about fifty’ (v. 14). They did so and made them all sit down (v. 15). Then he took the five loaves and the

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two fish, raised his eyes to heaven, and said the blessing over them; then he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the crowd (v. 16). They all ate as much as they wanted, and when the scraps remaining were collected they filled twelve baskets (v. 17).

Let us go verse by verse. Verses1, 2, 3 and 4 say: Sometime after this, Jesus went off to the other side of the Sea of Galilee - or of Tiberias - and a large crowd followed him, impressed by the signs he gave by curing the sick. Jesus climbed the hillside, and sat down there with his disciples. It was shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover.a Footnote a of verse 4 says: “The bread Jesus gives is to be the new Passover.” Parallel text of verse 4 is taken from Jn 11:55 that says: The Jewish Passover draw near,p and many of the country people who had gone up to Jerusalem q to purify themselves… Footnote psays “Jn repeatedly emphasizes the connection between the Passover and Christ’s death, 13:1; 18:28; 19:14,42”; and Footnote q says: “Add. ‘before the Passover’.

Verses 5, 6 and 7 say: Looking up, Jesus saw the crowd approaching and said to Philip, “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat?” He only said this to test Philip; he himself knew exactly what he was going to do. Philip answered, ‘Two hundred denarii would only buy enough to give them a small piece each’. Parallel text for verse 7 is from Nb 11:22 that says: If all the flocks and herds were slaughtered, would that be enough for them? If all the fish in the sea were gathered, would that be enough for them? Verses 8, 9, 10 and 11 say: One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, ‘There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Make the people sit down’. There was plenty of grass there, and as many as five thousand men sat down. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and gave them out to all who were sitting ready; he then did the same with the fish, giving out as much as was wanted. Parallel text is from Jn. 21:13 that says: Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. Verses 12 and 13 says: When they had eaten enough he said to his disciples, ‘Pick up the pieces left over, so that nothing gets wasted’. So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves. Parallel text is from 2 K 4:42-44 that says: A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the first-fruits, twenty barley loaves and fresh grain in the ear.i ‘Give it to the people to eat’, Elisha said (v. 42). But his servant replied, ‘How can I serve this to a hundred men?’ ‘Give it to the people to eat’ he insisted ‘for Yahweh says this, “They will eat and have some left over”. (v. 43). He served them, they ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had said (v. 44). Footnote i says “ Translation conjectural.” Verses 14 and 15 say: The people, seeing this sign that he had given, said, ‘This really is the prophet who is to come into the world’. Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escapedb back to the hills by himself. Footnote b – says “Var. ‘withdrew’.”

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Parallel texts are: a. Jn 1:21+,49 - ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’u (v. 21). Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God,ff you

are the King of Israel’. (v. 49)Footnote t says: “On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt. 17:10-13; Footnote u says “From Dt. 18;15,18 (see note) the Jews argued that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet par excellence, cf. Nb. 12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt. 16:14+; and Footnote ff ofJn 1:49 says “In this passage the phrase implies he is the Messiah only (like ‘king of Israel’). Cf. Mt 4:3+.”

b. Jn 12:13 - They took branches of palm and went out to meet him, shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessings on the King of Israel,cwho comes in the name of the Lord.’Footnotec says “The Messiah-King”

c. Jn18:36 -‘Mine is not a kingdom of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent my being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.’

d. Heb 12:2 - Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was stil l in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right hand of God’s throne.

e. Mk 1:34 - And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.i Footnotei says “Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.”

The First Reading is taken from 2 K 4:42-44. Verses 42, 43, and 44 say: A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the first-fruits, twenty barley loaves and fresh grain in the ear.i ‘Give it to the people to eat’, Elisha said But his servant replied, ‘How can I serve this to a hundred men?’ ‘Give it to the people to eat’ he insisted ‘for Yahweh says this, “They will eat and have some left over”. He served them, they ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had said. Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 14:13-21+ - already stated above.

b. Mt 15:32-38 –Second Miracle of the loaves.

c. Jn 6:13– So they picked them up, and filled twelve hampers with scraps left over from the meal of barley loaves.

The Second Reading is taken from Ep 4:1-6. This scripture is under the title: A call to unitya Footnote a - Paul lists three different threats to the Church’s unity: arguments between Christians vv. 1-3; diversity of service within the Church vv. 7-11; unorthodox teaching vv. 14-15. These threats are all averted by applying the principle of unity in Christ, vv. 4-6, 12-13,18. (The Teleological principle or doctrine).

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Verse 1 says: I, prisoner in the Lord, implore you therefore to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Parallel text is taken from Col 3:12-14 that says: You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience (v. 12). Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now must do the same (v. 13). Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (V. 14).

Verse 2 and 3 say: Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. Parallel texts for verse 2 are:

a. 1 Co 13:13 - In short,e there are three things that last:f faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love. Footnote e says “Or ‘Meanwhile.”; and Footnote f says that: “Or ‘In short, then, we are left with these three things.’ This association of the three theological virtues, which is found earlier in 1 Th 1:3 and which was probably in use before Paul’s time, recurs frequently in his letters, though the order varies: 1 Th 5:8; 1 Co 13:7,13; Ga 5:5f; Rm 5:1-5; 12:6-12; Col 1:4-5; Ep 1:15-18; 4:2-5; 1 Tm 5:11; Tt 2:2; Cf. Heb 6:10-12; 10:22-24; 1 P 1:3-9,21f. Faith and charity are associated in 1 Th 3:6; 2 Th 1:3; Phm 5; faith and fortitude in 2 Th 1:4, love and fortitude in 2 Th 3:5, Cf. 2 Co 13:13.”

b. Ph 1:27 -Avoid anything in your everyday livesl that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come to you and see for myself, or stay at a distance and only hear about you, I shall know that you are unanimous in meeting the attack with firm resistance, united by your love for the faith of the gospel. Footnote l - Lit. “Live your city-life (i.e. your ordinary social life) worthily of the gospel’. The New City of God’s kingdom has Christ for its ruler, the gospel for its law, and the Christians as its free citizens, cf. 3:20; Ep. 2:19.

c. Col 3:14-15 - Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love (v. 14). And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body. Always be thankful (v. 15).

Verse 3 and 4 says: Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one spirit, just as you were called into one and the same hope when you were called. Parallel texts for verse 4are:

a. Rm 12:5 - …so all of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other.cvFootnotec says that: “The sentence emphasizes not so much

the identification of Christians with Christ, 1 Co 12:27 as their dependence on one another.”

b. 1 Co 10:17 - The fact that there is only one loaf means that, there are so many of us, we form a single body because we all have a share in this one loaf.

c. 1 Co 12:12 - Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.kFootnote k –says that “The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.”

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Verses 5 and 6 say: There is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, though all and within all.bFootnote bsays : “Var. (Vulg.) ‘within all of us’.”

Parallel texts for verse 5 are: a. 1 Co 1:13 - Has Christ been parceled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? b. 1 Co 8:6 - Still for us there is one God, the Father, from all things come and for whom we exist; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, though whom all things come through

whom we exist. c. 1 Co 12:4-6 - There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit (v. 4); there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord (v. 5); working in all

sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of themc (v. 6). Footnotec - Note again the Trinitarian formulation, cf. 6:11; 2 Co 13:13+.

d. 2 Co 13:13 - The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.eFootnotee - The Trinitarian formula probably derived from liturgical usage, cf also Mt. 28:19, is echoed in many passages of the epistles where the several functions of the three Persons are referred to as the various contexts suggests: Rm 1:4+; 15:16,30+; 1 Co 2:10-16; 6:11,14, 15, 19; 12:4-6; Tt 3:5f; Heb 9:14; 1 P 1:2; 3:18; 1 Jn 4:2; Rv 1:4f; 22:1; cf Ac 10:38; 20:28; Jn 14:16,18,23. Note in 1 Co 6:11; Ep 4:4-6 the triple formulation emphasizing the Trinitarian thought. Cf also the trio of the theological virtues in 1 Co 133+.

Concerning the history of the celebration of the Passover in some of the Christian churches, the following quotations have been freely taken from the book : A History of the True Religion Traced From 33 A.D. to Date, of Andrew N. Dugger and Clarence O. Dodd, to wit: “At this council (Nicea), the Passover was placed on the Sunday after the Jewish passover, which fell on the Fourteenth of Nisan, or Abib. This made Easter a fixed festival, instead of falling on any day of the week, according to the day of the fourteenth of this month. The Eastern churches to this time had celebrated the passover once a year on the fourteenth of Abib. — From Eusebius, also Encyclopedia Britannica, and Mosheim’s History of the Church. “Wharey says, “A dispute arose at an early period between the Eastern and Western (Roman) churches about the time of celebrating Easter. The Asiatic churches kept it on the same day that the Jews kept their Passover which was the fourteenth day of the full moon, of the first Jewish month, which might fall on any day of the week. The Latin (Western, or Roman) churches kept Easter always on that Sunday which was the first after that same fourteenth day of the first new moon of the new year. The Jews began their ecclesiastical year with the new moon of March. This difference in the time of holding Easter was the cause of much contention between the East and West until it was finally settled by the council of Nice in favor of the Latin mode, A.D. 325.” — Wharey’s Church History, p. 37. Published by the Presbyterian Board of Publications. “Eusebius, who wrote of the church of the first centuries, speaks of the church observing the Lord’s supper at the same time the Jews kept the passover; viz., on the 14th of the first month, Nisan. — History of the Christian Church, by Hugh Smith, pp. 50, 51, a Presbyterian work. “In the history of the first centuries by Eusebius, he speaks of Jewish Christians who observed the Sabbath, and also says that Polycarp, baptized by St. John, held to the Passover as an institution peculiarly handed down by St. John. — Eusebius

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“As long as the church was mainly Jewish, the Hebrew Sabbath was kept; but as it became increasingly Gentile, the first day gradually took the place of the seventh day.” — Hurlbut’s Story of the Christian Church, p. 45. Gieseler testifies: “While the Jewish Christians of Palestine retained the entire Mosaic Law, and consequently the Jewish festivals, the Gentile Christians observed also the Sabbath and the Passover (I Corinthians 5:6, 8), with the reference to the last scenes of Jesus’ life, but without Jewish superstition.” — Eccl., Vol. 1, chap. 2, sec. 30. “While the Christians of Palestine, who kept the whole Jewish Law, celebrated of course all the Jewish festivals, the heathen converts observed only the Sabbath, and, in remembrance of closing scenes of our Savior’s life, the Passover, though without the Jewish superstitions.” — Church History, Apostolic Age to A.D. 70, Sec. 29; Lewis Hist. S. & S., page “It is a remarkable fact that the first instance upon record which the bishop of Rome attempted to rule the Christian church was by an edict in behalf of Sunday. It had been the custom of all the churches to celebrate the Passover, but with this difference; that while the Eastern churches observed it upon the fourteenth day of the first month, no matter what day of the week this might be, the Western churches kept it upon the Sunday following that day, or rather, upon the Sunday following Good Friday. Victor, bishop of Rome, in the year 196 (Bower’s History of the Popes, vol. 1, pp. 18, 19; Rose’s Neander, pp. 188-190; Dowling’s History of Romanism, book 1, chap. 2, sec. 9), took upon him to impose the Roman custom upon all the churches; that is, to compel them to observe the Passover upon Sunday.” “This bold attempt,” says Bower, “we may call the first essay of papal usurpation” (History of the Popes, vol. 1, p. 18). Dowling terms it the “earliest instance of Romish assumption” (History of Romanism, heading of page 32). “St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the Passover which succeeded to that of our Lord’s crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the following spring. “Toward the close of this century (second), the controversy concerning the proper time of the observation of Easter (Passover), was unhappily revived. Synods were held concerning it, and uniformity was attempted in vain throughout the church . . . That this controversy should appear to be a matter of such moment, at this time, proves that the power of true godliness had already suffered considerable declension. When faith and love are simple, strong, and active in an eminent degree, such subjects of debate are ever known to vanish as mists before the sun.” — Townsend’s Abridgment, p. 87, Ed. 1816. “Constantine, by whose powerful influence the council of Nicaea was induced to decide this question in favor of the Roman bishop, that is, to fix the Passover upon Sunday, urged the following strong reason for the measure: “Let us, then, have nothing in common with the most hostile rabble of the Jews.” — Boyle’s Historical View of the Council of Nice, p. 52, ed. 1842. “The Vaudois, known as such by the world, but holding to the true Bible name, were persecuted for the true faith. They observed the seventh day of the week, according to the commandment, immersed for believers baptism, and kept the Passover, or the Lord’s Supper, once a year, in the first month. — See pages 348, 349, Persecutions and Atrocities on the Vaudois.

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“In John Tombers’ Dispute on Baptism, London, pages 12, 13, a complaint is entered on certain people for celebrating the Lord’s Supper in the morning, when it is said it should be celebrated in the evening. The name “Church of God” is mentioned twice on these pages referring to people holding the Passover in the evening. — Public Library, London. “Concerning the Passover, or the Lord’s Supper, in at least one assembly of the early Sabbatarians in West Virginia, the following is illustrative: “March 21, 1853, it was voted that communion service be held once in twelve months ‘on the fourteenth day of the first Jewish month’; i. e., on the evening of the Passover.” — Idem,, p. 201. “The truth of the matter was that the church had met on the night in question, which was the fourteenth day of the month Nisan, in the spring time, which was the month and day which were kept as a passover by the children of God from the night that God by the hand of Moses led them out of the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:1-17). Jesus, who was the light of the world, met on this day and celebrated the passover with his disciples and then instituted the “Lord’s Supper,” instructing them that they should eat it “in remembrance” of him. — Luke 22:7-20. “The early church, as the Apostle Paul said, kept the passover in its season, that is the fourteenth day of Nisan, counting from the new moon nearest the spring equinox. As the beloved Paul said, “I have received of the Lord that which I have delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as oft as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” — I Corinthians 11:23-26. In other words, the Wilbur brethren were celebrating the annual observance of the Lord’s Supper. Being on the fourteenth day, it was the same as when Jesus ate it with his disciples. Being at night, it was the same time that he ate it. Being supper it was the right kind of a meal. In all this the Church of God has ever followed the example of her Lord and Master.” The father and son tandem Cushing Biggs and Sylvester Hassel in the book, “History of the Church of God” (from http://www.pbministries.org) says:

“The Passover was about the first of April, and marked the beginning of the grain harvest; the first green ears of barley were cut, a handful presented to the Lord, and others were parched and eaten by the people. It was a memorial of the nation’s birth, when the destroying angel passed over the houses of the Israelites, whose door-posts were sprinkled with the blood of the paschal lamb, while he destroyed the first-born in every Egyptian family, thus delivering the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. For each family a lamb was slain and roasted entire, and eaten, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, by the members of the family, standing, with loins girt, feet shod, and staff in hand; and if any of the lamb remained till the morning it was to be consumed with fire. The first-born thus specially delivered by the Lord were specially devoted to Him, and specially redeemed (Ex. 11:5, 7; 13:2, 13; Heb. 12:23). Christ is the true paschal lamb sacrificed for spiritual Israel (1 Cor. 5:7). By His death, and His blood being applied by the Holy Spirit to our hearts, we are delivered from ruin. In celebrating the Christian Passover, or the Lord’s Supper, we are to put away the leaven of hypocrisy and wickedness and eat the bitter herb of godly sorrow for our sins, and remember that we are pilgrims here, just ready, at any time, to depart to a better, even a heavenly country (Heb. 11:13-16). We should be devoutly thankful and consecrated to God for being specially redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:15-21; Rev. 5:9). The body of the paschal lamb was cooked entire, no bone being broken, to denote the completeness of the redemption of Christ, and the indissoluble oneness of His mystical body; and it was roasted, and not boiled in water and wasted, to indicate the preciousness of Christ’s salvation and of His people; and, if any remained till morning, it was consumed by purifying fire, to prevent it from seeing corruption or from being put to a common use—indicating that

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God’s people are never to become reprobates. In later times, the Israelites, at the Passover, sang the Hallel, or Psalms 113-118. It is believed that this was the hymn sung by Christ and His Apostles after the Supper.” “They entered Canaan on the tenth day of the first month (Nisan-April B.C. 1451: Josh. 4:19). This was the day appointed for the selection of the paschal lamb, and on the evening of the fourteenth day the people kept the Passover for the first time on the soil of their own inheritance, exactly forty years after their fathers had first kept it before leaving Egypt.” Chapter IX - Characterisitics of the Apostolic Church. “The third mark of the apostolic church was that the members, being baptized believers, came frequently around The Table of The Lord, and commemorated the suffering and death of their precious Redeemer, by partaking of common bread to represent His body broken, and common wine to represent His blood shed for them. The two practices of Baptism and The Lords Supper, or Communion, were called ordinances of the church, and were strictly observed. Baptism represented the initiation into the Divine life by an identification with Christ in His death and burial and resurrection, and by the regenerating and cleansing efficacy of The Holy Spirit; while communion represented the continued support of the new internal heavenly life by spiritual food, even the body and blood of The Son of God, thus assimilating the children of God more and more to the perfect image of Christ. Life must not only be begun, but it must be supported with proper food; and the Christian life is both spiritual in its origin and spiritual in its continuance, and all is of God. Only those persons who made a credible profession of faith in Christ were baptized (that is, immersed in water in the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost by the apostles; and only those persons thus believing and thus baptized were admitted by the apostles to the ordinance of The Lord’s Supper. Life cannot be supported before it is begun. The apostles, to whom Christ first gave the symbols of His broken body and shed blood, were themselves baptized believers, several of them having been previously disciples of John the Baptist. Christ’s commission to the apostles authorized them first to preach or teach or disciple, then to baptize, then to teach to observe all his commandments, one of these commandments being the ordinance of His Supper. “On the day of Pentecost, accordingly, after Peter had preached the gospel, those “gladly receiving” it, were baptized; and “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:41-42). At Troas only the “disciples” came together to break bread (Acts 20:7). It was not upon the unbaptized or unbelievers, but upon “the church of God” (1 Cor. 1:2), that Paul enjoined the observance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23-34); and he praised the brethren for keeping the ordinances as he had delivered them to them (1 Cor. 11:2). If “brethren” walked “disorderly,” the apostle commanded the church to “withdraw” from such (2 Thess. 3:6) and “not to eat or commune with a man called a brother, but really a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner” (1 Cor. 5:11). “It was plainly implied that the church was to judge the qualifications or disqualifications of persons for the sacred ordinance of communion. As it was the Table of The Lord, none but those who were declared by Him to be qualified could be admitted to it. Persons who were unregenerate, therefore could not be permitted to commune; persons who, even if they were regenerate, had not been baptized (that is, immersed in the water in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost) could not be allowed to commune; persons who, even though regenerate and baptized, walked disorderly, could not be permitted to commune. These requirements, laid down by the Divine Head of the church, plainly exclude from the Lord’s Table infants, unrenewed adults, and even Christians, if only sprinkled or poured and not baptized, and even properly baptized Christians, if their conduct is unbecoming the gospel of Christ. “In regard to these laws of exclusion, the church has no discretion; they were unchangeably instituted by her Divine Master, and are to be faithfully executed by her as long as she has existence on the shores of time. In the apostolic church only those who “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and in fellowship” communed (Acts 2:42); the cup and the bread were “the communion of the body of Christ”—the many members constituting “one bread and one body” (1 Cor. 10:16,17). The primitive church so heartily loved and fellowshipped one another that they had all things in common (Acts 2:44; John 13:34, 35; 1 Cor. 13:13; 1 John 3:14-18)—a blessed union of life and love that will be perfectly realized in glory, Christ (Ps. 17:15; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 3:19; 1 John 4:8). For communion and worship the apostolic church at first met “daily” (Acts 2:46), and afterwards weekly, on the first day of the week (John 20:19, 26; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). The churches were not told by Christ how often they were to observe this blessed ordinance, but, “as oft as they did it, to do it in remembrance of Him” (1 Cor. 11:25).

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“Thus was the sacred Supper to be a symbolic and grateful commemoration of our adorable Redeemer, who laid down His precious life for us; an impressive personal profession of our personal faith in Him and His atonement for us; a symbol of church fellowship; and a prophecy of the marriage supper of the Lamb in Heaven (Matthew 26:29; Rev. 19:9). The Lord’s Supper is nowhere in the scriptures called a “sacrament or seal” of salvation, an effective “means of grace,” nor do the scriptures teach the gross material Catholic doctrine that the bread and wine become the veritable body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation), or the almost equally gross Lutheran doctrine that the real body of Christ is in, with and under the bread and wine (consubstantiation). “The verb “to be” sometimes in all languages means “to represent” or “symbolize,” as in Genesis 41:26-27; Exodus 12:11; Ezekiel 37:11; Daniel 7:24; Matthew 13:38-39; Revelation 1:20, 17:9, 12, 18. Christ calls Himself “the door” (John 10:9), “the good shepherd” (John 10:11), “the way, the truth, the life” (John 14:6), “the true vine,” and Paul calls Christ “that rock” (1 Cor. 10:4). And so when Christ says, “This is my body—this is my blood,” referring to the bread and wine in His Supper, He speaks, not literally, but figuratively, meaning, “this represents my body—this represents my blood.” The bread and wine are the blessed emblems and memorials of our once dying but ever-living and ever-loving Lord, who is now bodily absent from us, and whom we are thus to remember, and show His death till He come (1 Cor. 11:25-26). They are in no sense to be deified and idolized, as in the Catholic pretended sacrifice of the “Mass” which has become a chief element of Romish worship. “The monstrous papal doctrine of the “Mass” is not only a contradiction of our senses and reason, but a contradiction of our faith, which assures us that the offering of the body of Christ was made once for all, by that one offering forever perfecting them that are sanctified, and that His glorified humanity is seated at the right hand of The Father upon His mediatorial throne (Heb. 10:10-14; 1:3; 7:24-27). The idolatrous doctrine of transubstantiation was first explicitly taught by Paschasius Radbert, A.D. 831 and was first decreed as an article of faith at the instance of Pope Innocent III., by the fourth “Lateran Council,” A.D. 1215. This was more than a Millennium too late for it to be a doctrine of the apostolic church. Neither the apostles nor any of their real spiritual successors or followers could tolerate for a moment the idea of “crucifying the Son of God afresh” (Heb. 6:6); only a man made, carnal, unbelieving, unfeeling, ambitious, covetous “priesthood” could ever have devised or sanctioned the gross heathenish idolatry of the “Mass,” which they pretend to be an efficacious sacrifice for the sins both of the living and the dead, and which they assiduously use for the purpose of replenishing their purses and perpetuating their power over a superstitious people. “The bread used by Christ was “artos”—a pure unleavened wheaten loaf (Ex. 12:8-20; Matthew 26:17; Ex. 29:3) and the wine was the “fruit of the vine,” the pure fermented juice of the grape. Unfermented juice of the grape is but a mass of leaven—it is must, and not wine; fermentation is the natural clarification of the juice. Paul exhorts the Corinthian church to “keep the feast”, not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). Paul’s expression is figurative; and Christ seems to have used unleavened bread because it was on hand during the Passover. It is probable that the disciples in Acts 2:46 and 20:7 used common that is leavened bread; this, however is not certain. The Greek Catholics used leavened, and the Roman Catholic unleavened bread, the latter being in the form of small, thin, round wafers, introduced in the eleventh century, and bearing upon them either the initials of Christ or the initials I.H.S. (IESUS HOMINUM SALVATOR, Jesus the savior of men); the Greek loaf is stamped with the characters I C X C N I K A (Iesous Christos Nika, Jesus Christ Conquers). These are human devices of an idolatrous character, utterly unknown to the apostolic church.” “The Greek “Church” gives in a spoon the eucharistic bread and wine sopped together; beginning in the twelfth, and fully establishing the innovation in the thirteenth century, the Latin “Church” gives the wine to the priest only, on the pleas that the body (represented by the bread) contains the blood, and that there is danger of spilling the blood if passed from one communicant to another, and that the “church” only sanctioned that which had become a custom, and that the priest being, as they pretend, successors to the apostles, should drink the wine. But the Apostles, at the Last Supper, represented the whole church; and Christ, speaking of the wine, says, “Drink ye all of it” (Matthew 26:27); and Mark says “They all drank of it” (14:23); and, instead of the body containing the blood, the very separation of the two elements, the bread from the wine, the body from the blood, indicates the death of Christ. This withholding of the wine or cup from the “laity” or private members caused the Hussite War in Germany (A.D.1420-1433).” “Men thus make the commandments of God void by their traditions. —As infant baptism was introduced in the third century, so was infant communion; and the latter continued in the Latin “Church”; the Pedobaptist Protestant “Churches,” through professedly baptizing (but really rhantizing or sprinkling) infants, inconsistently withhold communion from infants—every argument for or against the one practice is equally valid for or against the other; there is no reason or scripture for either. Through the fascinating eloquence of Robert Hall (1764-

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1831), an Arminian “Baptist” preacher of England, the most of the English churches called Baptist practice open or general communion; but the “Strict Baptist” in England practice close communion. In America the Baptist who first settled here suffered so much from the persecutions inflicted upon them by other denominations that they were at first compelled to observe close communion; and those adhering to the scriptures and the apostolic precepts still practice, not a general or open, but a strict close communion.”

The following is also a very extensive quotation of an online article by David C. Pack entitled “How Often Should the Lord’s Supper Be Taken?” concerning his opinion about our topic “Bread of the New Passover” (from www.rcg.org): “The Original Lord’s Supper - There was a specific time that Christ first introduced the symbols of the bread and the wine and how often they were to be taken. In doing this, He set an important example: “And when the hour was come, He *Christ+ sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him…And He took bread, and gave thanks, and broke it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:14, 19-20).” “Jesus referenced a specific “hour was come” to partake of the bread and wine. The example He set involved a definite time, or hour, for this supper. The phrase, “in remembrance of Me,” connotes, in this case, a MEMORIAL OF HIS DEATH. Also, He commanded the disciples by saying, “this do.” Matthew’s account of this same night states that this ordinance was instituted “as they were eating” (26:26). Compare Matthew 26:17 and Luke 22:15. These verses plainly show that what they were eating was the Passover Supper!” “Christ understood that the time for His sacrifice was come and that He was our Passover—who was to be sacrificed for us (I Cor. 5:7). Matthew 26:2 refers to this event as the “feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.” “The disciples asked Christ, in Matthew 26:17, “Where will You that we prepare for You to eat the passover?” Mark 14:15 shows that it was to be held in a “large upper room furnished and prepared.” The disciples were to get ready for this important event.” “It should now be clear that the Lord’s Supper was really the Passover Supper! Now read the rest of Matthew 26:26: “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” To better understand what Christ was introducing, we need to briefly study the Passover of the Old Testament. This will directly connect the Old Testament Passover to the New Testament “Lord’s Supper.” “The Old Covenant Passover - Most children learn in Sunday school the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The famous movie The Ten Commandments tells the Hollywood version of Pharaoh’s resistance to Moses’ instruction from God and the resultant plagues that God poured out. The twelfth chapter of Exodus explains the key events of this original Passover.”

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God told the Israelites to take a young lamb, without spot or blemish, to represent a type of Christ—the Lamb of God. This was always to be done on the tenth day of the first month of the Hebrew sacred year. Unlike all humanly-devised calendars that begin the year in mid-winter, the sacred year began in the spring, around the equinox, with the new moon.” “Four days later, on the 14th day of Abib (the first Hebrew month), the lamb was to be killed. Exodus 12:6 says that it was to be killed “in the evening,” but the original Hebrew means “between the two evenings.” Some Bible margins plainly state this. The Jewish Encyclopedia explains that this is the period commonly referred to as twilight or dusk. This period is described as the time after sundown but before full darkness has occurred. In other words, it was at the very beginning of the 14th that the lamb was killed—and soon thereafter, the blood of the lamb was sprinkled above the doorposts of the Israelites’ houses. At midnight, the death angel struck dead all the firstborn of Egypt. But God had told the Israelites, “when I see the blood, I will pass over you”—hence, the well-known term Passover.” “Israel continued to observe the Passover season for hundreds of years! From the 15th through the 21st of Abib—a period of seven days—Israel always kept the Days of Unleavened Bread. This meant that only unleavened bread could be eaten with meals for this one-week period following the Passover. The first and last of these days, the 15th and the 21st, were to be annual Sabbaths. Just as God has a weekly Sabbath, kept 52 times a year, He has seven annual Sabbaths. These two are kept in the early spring. Another is kept in the late spring, and four are kept in the fall. Leviticus 23 describes these seven Holy Days (annual Sabbaths) or feasts of God. These feasts are sometimes referred to as “high days” by the Jewish people. All of these terms are synonymous. This chapter is often called the “Holy Day chapter.” Deuteronomy 16:6 shows that the lamb was always slain as the sun was going down, yet it was always eaten during the 14th day, not afterward (Lev. 23:5-6). God does things exactly on time! The time is once a year, at night, in the beginning of the 14th of Abib—after the sun has set!” “Passover Was to be Observed Forever - There can be no doubt that God ordained the Passover as a permanent ordinance—forever (Ex. 12:17,24)! Just as Romans 2:29 explains a change in circumcision—in the New Testament it was to be of the heart and not the flesh—Christ altered the way Passover was to be kept. Christ is the Lamb of God. He was slain for us, doing away with the need for a literal young lamb to any longer be sacrificed. As Christ explained, the bread and wine, symbolizing His broken body and shed blood, was to be an annual “look back” to His death—on our behalf!” “Jesus kept the Passover once a year at an established—a set—time (Luke 2:42), and true Christians follow His example (I Peter 2:21). In fact, Christ Himself was following the example of Exodus 13:10, which explained that the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread were to be kept annually. It says there, “You shall therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year.” Do you see these two phrases? It does not say “week to week” or “month to month”—or “pick any season you wish.” All humanly-devised traditions of time violate this basic instruction!” “For the Israelites to have kept this at any other time would have literally jeopardized their firstborn from protection from the death angel. There was no room for miscalculation on their part or they could not have expected to be “passed over”—protected!” “A Lesson in Deep Humility - The New Testament Passover, or “Lord’s Supper” ceremony, also involved the practice of footwashing.”

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“Many today are unwilling to lower themselves to do such a humbling thing as to wash the feet of their brethren. Few want to kneel down to wash one of the most unseemly parts of the body. However, consider the following account in John 13. After the supper (vs. 2), Christ washed the feet of all twelve of His disciples (vs. 4-5). Through His example, Christ gave a very specific instruction—a command—for His disciples to copy (vs. 12-15).” ‘Notice: “So after He had washed their feet…He said unto them, Know you what I have done to you? You call Me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you AN EXAMPLE, that you should do as I have done to you.”’ “Those who will not accept the humbling ordinance of the footwashing as part of the Passover service have neglected to read Matthew 28:19-20. This great command is a statement about all of what Christ commanded the apostles: “Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them…Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” Christ commanded that the footwashing be included in the Passover service.” “How Often did the New Testament Church Keep the Passover? - Is there anywhere in the New Testament where clear instructions are given regarding how often the Passover ordinance should be observed? There is!” “I Corinthians 5:7-8 sets the stage for later instructions from the apostle Paul that we will review momentarily. These verses state, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven…but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” Here, in the New Testament, Paul plainly calls Christ the Passover and gives instructions to Christians to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread. In this same epistle, he gives further instructions about the Passover observance.” “I Corinthians 11:23-28 is often misunderstood by people to be a license from Paul to observe the Passover as often as one wishes to do it. The phrase “as oft as you do it” is said by many to mean that Christians may take the bread and the wine as often as they choose! The proper explanation of these verses springs from verse 24. Notice that the Passover is a memorial, “a remembrance.” Memorials are observed on an annual basis. Verse 26 shows that this memorial refers to “the Lord’s death,” which occurred on the Passover (remember, Christ is our Passover [I Cor. 5:7]). In ancient Israel, the Passover was always kept once a year. Verse 28 shows that the Passover ceremony is preceded by careful self-examination—which could not logically be done every day or every week, even if a person did wish to do it this often.” “I Corinthians 11:29 warns of Christians taking the Passover “unworthily.” And it can be taken improperly—or unworthily. Self-examination was tied to this warning (vs. 28), just as was the issue of when it was taken (vs. 23). Christians must properly discern the symbols that represent Christ’s sacrifice. It should be clear by now that the New Testament Lord’s Supper is a direct continuation of the Old Testament Passover, except that different symbols, commemorating Jesus’ death, have replaced the slaying and eating of a young spring lamb. As we have seen, Christ is slain for us in place of a literal lamb. This ordinance should still be observed on the 14th of Abib. NOWHERE DID GOD CHANGE THIS INSTRUCTION! Recall that Christ readied His disciples for the Passover—“when the hour was come.” It was taken at the right time and on the right day. Certainly Christ never substituted this ceremony with the modern popular celebration of Easter. (Read our booklets The True Origin of Easter and Christ’s Resurrection Was NOT on Sunday to learn more.)’

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“Coming out of Egypt was a type of coming out of sin. The Passover memorialized God’s deliverance of Israel from sin. Christ’s sacrifice, through the New Testament ordinance of the bread and wine, does exactly the same thing for Christians today. Christ was seized, falsely accused and imprisoned, examined, tortured, beaten and crucified—to pay for and cover our sins—all in the following daylight portion of the exact same day of the month Abib! Scholars do not dispute this time sequence. Hence, this all occurred on the 14th of the month of Abib.” “Remember, Christians copy the example of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 2:21)—and Christ set the example of keeping the Passover. Christians are commanded to keep it forever—as were the Israelites when God first instituted it. To observe it daily, weekly or monthly is to trivialize this deeply important and solemn annual occasion. The Passover was always intended to be a yearly memorial. Christ, as our Passover, was crucified at the time of the Passover—which is observed once a year. Men are never permitted to arbitrarily place Christ back on the cross, even symbolically, as often as they choose! This does not “glorify Christ”—it disobeys Him and dishonors His sacrifice. (Notice Hebrews 6:6.)” “The Book of Acts Sets the New Testament Pattern - The book of Acts demonstrates which days the early Church observed. Notice Acts 20:6: “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread.” This was nearly thirty years after the death of Christ—and Luke is referencing the Days of Unleavened Bread.” “Also, Acts 12:3 states, “Then were the days of unleavened bread.” Some focus on verse 4, where a reference is found to Easter. The Bible does mention the word Easter here—or does it? This text bears careful examination. In verse 1, Herod had begun to persecute the Church. This ended with the brutal death by sword of the apostle James, which so pleased the Jews that Peter was also imprisoned. The plan was to later deliver him to the Jews also. The stage is now set to properly read verse 4. “And when he [Herod] had apprehended him [Peter], he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” Is this reference New Testament proof for the observance of Easter?” “Emphatically, NO! “Although the New Testament is recorded in the Greek language, the word translated Easter is derived from the Hebrew word pecach (or pesach)! This word has only one possible meaning. It always means PASSOVER and can never mean EASTER! The Greek does not contain an equivalent word for Passover, so the equivalent word pascha was the only available word to reference the correct meaning—PASSOVER!” “Numerous other translations correctly render this verse using the word Passover instead of Easter. Consequently, the New Testament, when correctly translated, does not mention the celebration of Easter anywhere! The True Origin of Easter explains that this practice (Easter celebration) was directly condemned in the Old Testament.” “Misreading the Term “Break Bread” - Now return to Acts 20. This is a remarkable account. Paul was visiting the Troas congregation immediately after the Days of Unleavened Bread. He spent an entire Sabbath preaching to the brethren and continued well into Saturday night—or the first day of the week. Leviticus 23:32 shows that God counts days from sundown to sundown, or “even*ing+ unto even*ing+.” The first day of the week started at sundown on Saturday evening. Some claim that Acts 20:7 refers to keeping the Lord’s Supper on Sunday morning because the term “break bread” was used. This is not true. Paul’s long preaching had left people hungry . It was

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midnight. They wanted to eat. This is why verse 11 says those present “had broken bread and eaten.” This was an ordinary meal, not the observing of the Lord’s Supper. Other passages prove this. “Acts 2:46 speaks of the disciples who, “continuing daily…breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness.” The account shows that the brethren were doing this daily. Obviously, human beings do eat daily. “Further, Acts 27:34-35 explains, “Wherefore…take some meat…he took bread…and when he had broken it, he began to eat.” Finally, even Christ said, in Matthew 26:29, that He would not take the “Lord’s Supper” until after He had returned to earth in His kingdom. However, Luke 24:30, at a later time, shows Him to have sat “at meat,” or eating a meal, with the disciples. He broke bread and blessed it on that occasion. There are cultures today, particularly some Europeans, who still use the term “break bread” to mean the actual breaking of a certain type of bread as they eat a meal. This should now be clear. A Time Set Apart “Herbert W. Armstrong concluded his booklet How often should we partake of THE LORD’S SUPPER? with this statement: “Let us return to the faith once delivered. Let us humbly and obediently observe this solemn, sacred ordinance as we are commanded, and at the time set apart in the Bible, after sundown on the 14th of Abib, or Nisan, sacred Hebrew calendar. “The first day of the new year begins near the spring equinox when the new moon usually is first visible to the naked eye at Jerusalem (not the United States). The Jewish calendar as used by Jews today is correct. But it must be remembered that ‘in the 14th day of the first month at even is the passover, and in the 15th day of the same month is the feast.’ The Jewish people no longer observe the Passover on the 14th. They observe the FEAST—one night after the Passover, on the eve of 15th Abib. The ‘Lord’s supper’ or New Testament Passover should be observed after sunset on the evening before the Jewish people of today celebrate their feast.”

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EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (Cycle B) MANNA FROM HEAVEN

Gospel: Jn 6:24-35

TEXT PARALLEL TEXT MAIN VERSE MAIN TEXT FOOTNOTE DOCTRINE

24 When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’

This was the first of the signsf given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee.

Jn 2:11+ Jn 1:14+ Jn 4:54 Ex 4:30-31 Nb 16:38

26 Jesus answered: I tell you most solemnly, you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.

Jn 2:11 – f - For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus, therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37; and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.

Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy?

Is 55:2 Pr 81:8

27 Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to

Jn 6:27 - f - Var ‘will offer’.

Ers.

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Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. …and yet few are needed, indeed only one.j It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’ Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’

Pr 9:3-6 Si 24:19-22 Jn 6:35

Lk 10:42 Jn 6:27

Mt 8:20+ Mt 11:19 2 Co 8:9

eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offeringf you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.’g

g - The ‘seal’ that Jesus received at his baptism, namely the spirit, Mt 3:16+, who is the power of God operative in Christ’s ‘signs’. Cf Ac 10:38; Mt 12:28; Ep 1:13; 4:30; 2 Co 1:22. Lk 10:42 - j - Var. ‘but only one thing is needed’, ‘but only a few things are needed’, readings which make free with the text and deform the sense. In his remark Jesus rises from the material plane (“fe things are needed”, i.. for the meal) to the one thing necessary’, which is to listen to the word of God. Mt.8:20 - h- With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason

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of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.

28 Then they said to him, ‘What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’

When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faithb like this. The Pharisees and Saducees came and test test him they asked if he would show them a sign from heaven (v. 1) He replied, ‘In the evening you say, “It will be fine; there is a red sky” (v. 2), and in the morning, “Stormy weather today; the sky is red and overcast”. You know

Mt 8:10+ Mt 9:2,22,28 Lk 1:20; 5:5,20 Lk 7:9,50 Is 25:6+ =Lk 13:28-29 Rm 11:12

Mt 16:1-4 =Mt 12:38-39 =Mk 8:11-13 =Lk 11:16,29 Mt 19:3 Jn 6:30-31 =Lk 12:54-56

29 Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God;h you must believe in the one he has sent.’

Jn 6:29 - h - For ‘works’ in the Jewish sense Jesus substitute faith in God’s envoy. Mt 8:10 – b – The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his

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how to read the face of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the timesa (v. 3). It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.’ And leaving them standing there, he went away (v. 4). The sign of Jonah: The crowd got even bigger and he addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign.g The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah (v. 29). For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.h (v. 30). On Judgment day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here (v. 31). On Judgment day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here (v. 32).

Lk 19:44 Mt 12:39+ Mt 8:10+

Lk 11:29-32 =Mt 12:38-42 Mt 16:1 Jn 6:30-31 1 K 10:1-10 Jn 6:35+ Jon 3

miracles (8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miracles unless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+). Mt 16:3 -

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a - Om. ‘In the evening…of the times’. The ‘times’ are the messianic age: the ‘signs’ are the miracles worked by Jesus: cf. 11:3-5; 12:38. Lk 11:29 - g - I.e. a miracle in evidence and vindication of Christ’s authority, cf. Jn 2:11+; Lk 1:18+. See Mt 8:3+. h - Jonah showed the Ninevites the way to God; now Jesus points the way, but his hearers, less generous than the Ninevites, have refused to take it. Mt 12:40 offers a different interpretation.

Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’u This was the first of the signsf given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people re to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not (v.4) On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, this will be twice as much as the daily gathering’ (v. 5).

Jn 1:21+ Mt 17:10-13+ Jn 6:15; 12:13

Jn 2:11+ Jn 1:14+ Jn 4:54 Ex 4:30-31 Nb 16:38

Ex 16:4f Dt 8:2

30 So they said, “What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do?

Jn. 1:21 - t - On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt. 17:10-13. u - From Dt. 18;15,18(see note) the Jews argued that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet par excellence, cf. Nb. 12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt. 16:14+. Jn 2:11 f - For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus,

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therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37; and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.

…he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;

Ps 78:24 ↗Jn 6:31

31 Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’

Give us today our dailyc bread. Mt 6:11 32 Jesus answered: ‘I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, the true bread;

Mt 6:11 - c - The Greek word is obscure: this traditional rendering is a probable one. Other possibilities: ‘necessary for subsistence’ or ‘for tomorrow’. Whatever the exact translation the sense is that we must ask God for the sustenance we need in this life but for no more-not for wealth or luxury. The Fathers applied this text to the bread of the Holy Eucharist.

33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’.

Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’.h ‘Sir,’ said the woman ‘give me some of

Jn 2:19+ Mt. 26:61+

Jn 4:15

34 ‘Sir,’ they said ‘give us that bread always.’

Jn. 2:19 - h– In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus frequently uses terms which, in addition to their obvious meaning

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the water, so that I may never get thirsty and never have to come here again to draw water.’

Jn 2:19+; 6:34 appreciated by the audience, possess a metaphorical and higher sense; cf. 2:20 (Temple); 3:4 (new birth); 4L15 (living water); 6:34 (bread of life); 7:35 (to depart); 11:11 (to awaken); 12:34 (to lift up); 13:9 (to wash); 13:36f (to depart); 14:22 (to show oneself). Consequent misapprehensions provide an opportunity for explanatory developments, cf. 3:11+.

Jesus replied: ‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you wouod have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water’ (v. 10). ..but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I will give will trun into a spring inside him, welling uo to eternal life’ (v. 14). Wisdom as hostess: Wisdom has built herself a house, she has erecteda her seven pillars, (v. 1) she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine, she has laid her table (v. 2). She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed from the city’s heights (v. 3): ‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’ To the fool she says (v. 4), ‘Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared! (v. 5). Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of perception’ (v. 6).

Jn 4:10,14 Jn 3:16 Ac 8:20+ Jn 6:35 Jn 7:37-39 Ps 36:9 Is 58:11

Pr 9:1-6 Mt 22:1-4p Pr 1:20 Si 15:3; 24:19-21 Is 55:1-3 Mt 5:6 Jn 6:35+

35 Jesus answered: ‘I ami the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.j

Jn 6:35 - i - The Greek phrase ego eimi recalls the name that God revealed to Moses, Ex 3:14+, cf. Jn 8:24+, but here (and frequently elsewhere) it also forms the prelude to the explanation of a parable. In this case the parable is not in words but in action: the gift of the manna and the multiplication of the loaves are explained as parables of Christ’s gift of himself, the true bread. j - As Wisdom invites man to her table, Pr. 9:1f, so does Jesus. Jn sees him as the Wisdom of God which, in the OT revelation, was already moving towards personification, cf. 1:1+. This perception springs from Christ’s own teaching already recorded in the Synoptics, Mt 11:19; Lk 11:31p, but given here much more clearly by Jn. Tus, Christ’s origin is mysterious, Jn 7:27-29; 8:14,19; cf. Jb 28:20-28; he alone knows the secrets of God and reveals them to man, 3:11-12,31-32; cf.

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Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits (v. 19), for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb (v. 20). They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more (v. 21). Whoever listens to me will never have to blush, whoever acts as I dictate will never sin (v. 22). Oh, come to the water all who are thirsty; though you have not money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat,a and, at no cost, wine and milk (v. 1). Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy (v. 2). Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenantb out of the favors promised to David (v. 3). The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton

Si 24:19-22 Si 15:3 Pr 9:5 Is 55:2 Mt 11:28 Jn 6:35 Mt 5:6 Jn 4:13-14

Is 55:1-3 Is 12:3 Ps 36:9 Sg 5:1 Si 51:25 Mt 10:8 Jn 4:1+; 7:37 Ac 8:20 Rv 3:18; 21:6; 22:17 Pr 81:8 Pr 9:3-6 Si 24:19-22 Jn 6:35 Ps 119:175 2 S 23:5 Ps 89:28 2 S 7:1+ ↗Ac 13:34 Rv 1:5+

Mt 11:19 Jn 6:35+

Mt 11:25-27p; Ws 9:13-18; Ba 3:29-38; he is the living bread that supremely satisfies, 6:35; cf. Pr 9:1-6; Si 24:19-22, if men will only come to him, 3:20,21; 5:40; 6:35,37,44,65; 7:37; cf. Pr 9:4-5; Si 24:19; Mt 11:28; but they must seek him before it is too late, 7:34; 8:21; cf. Pr 1:28. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3. For Paul’s teaching, cf. 1 Co 1:24+. Pr 9:1-6 - a - ‘erected’ Greek. Is 55:1-3 - a - Hebr. adds ‘come and buy’ absent from Greek and DSIa. b - On this everlasting covenant, 59:21; 61:8, which is also the new covenant, see Jr 31:31+. Mt 11:19 - h - Var. ‘by her children’, cf. Lk 7:35. Like petulant children who will play none of the games suggested (in this case they refuse to play either at weddings or at funerals) the Jews reject all God’s advances whether through the stern penance of John or through the gentle courtesy of Jesus. In spite of this, God’s wise design carries through, independently of anything extrinsic to itself, and so its success is its own vindication.

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and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners”. Yet the wisdom has proved right by her actions.’h Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’f On Judgment day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here. …but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God.

Lk 7:35 Jn 6:35+

Lk 11:31 1 K 10:1-10 Jn 6:35+

1 Co 1:24 Jn 6:35+

Lk 7:35 - f - Var. ‘by her actions’, cf. Mt 11:19. The children of Wisdom, i.e. of the all-wise God, cf. Pr. 8:22+, appreciate and welcome God’s works.

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First Reading: Ex 16:2-4, 12-15


=Nb 11 Dt 8:3,16

Ps 78:32f; 105:40; 106:13-15

Ws 16:20-29 Jn 6:26-58

The manna and the quailsa Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 - a - ‘Priestly’ tradition with ‘Yahwistic’ elements. Flights of quail are common over Sinai; the manna is possibly the juice of some local shrub. The narrative asserts some special intervention, under whatever natural forms, by which God fed his people. The Psalms and the Book of Wisdom gratefull recall the gift of manna which, in Christian tradition (as early as Jn 6:26-58), is a figure of the Eucharist, the spiritual food of the Church, the new Israel, on her earthly journey to the Promised Land.

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To Moses they said, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt that you must lead us out to die in the wilderness? What good have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?

Ex 14:11+ Ex 16:2f; 17:3; 15:24 Nb 11:1-4; 14:2; 20:2; 21:4-5 Ps 78:40

2 And the whole community of the sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness

‘Admittedly, when he struck the rock, waters gushed, torrents streamed out, but bread now, can he give us that, can he provide meat for his people? I mean to put an end to your debauchery and to the whorings you began in Egypt; you will not look to the Egyptians anymore; you will never think of them again.

Ps 78:20 Ex 16:3

Ezk 23:27 Rv 17:16

3 And said to them, ‘Why did we not die at Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able to sit down to pans of meat and could eat bread top our heart’s content! As it is, you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!’

Remember how Yahweh your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know tour inmost heart - whether you would keep his commandments or not.

Dt 8:2 Dt 2:7; 29:4-5 Ex 15:25; 20:20

4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain day the people re to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not.

‘As Yahweh your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’

1 K 17:12

12 ‘I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content. Then you will learn that I, Yahweh, am your God.”’

God you rained a downpour of blessings; when your heritage was faint you gave it strength. Later they saw a new method of birth for birds when, goaded by hunger, they asked for food they could relish, and

Ps 68:9 29; 78:24f Ex 16:1+,13

Ws 19:11-12 Nb 11:31

13 And so it came about: quails flew up in the evening, and they covered the camp; in the morning there was a coating of dew all round the camp.

Ws 19:12 - c - The author takes Nb 11:31 literally; the quails came out of the sea (as the mosquitoes came out of the earth).

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quails came out of the sea to satisfy them.c

Ex 16:13

The manna was like coriander seed, and had the appearance of bdellium (v. 7). The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a meal or crushed it with a pestle; it was then cooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil (v. 8). When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it (v. 9).

Nb 11:7-9 Ex 16:14 Dt 8:15

14 When the coating of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was a thing delicate, powdery,d as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.

Ex 16:14 - d - The meaning of the word uncertain.

All ate the same spiritual food. 1 Co 10:3 Ex 16:4-35+

15 When they saw this, the sons of Israel said to one another, ‘What is that?e not knowing what is was. ‘That’ said Moses to them ‘is the bread Yahweh gives you to eat.

Ex 16:15 - e - Hebr. man hu; popular etymology thus explains the word ‘manna’.

Second Reading: Ep 4:17, 20-24


17 In particular, I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live.

And never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behavior with your old self (v. 9) and you have put a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creatore (v. 10).

=Col 3:9-10 Ep 4:25 Rm 6:6 =Ep 4:22-24 Gn 1:26-27 Gn 11:1

20 Now that is hardly the way you have learnt from Christ,

Col. 3:10 – e – The human race that was to have been the ‘image of god’, Gn. 1:2b+, lost its way trying to locate the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ outside and apart from the will of God, Gn. 2:17+, and became the slave of sin and sinful urges, Rm. 5:12.

That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life:c fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false

Col 3:5 Rm 6:11f Ga 5:24 Ep 4:22

21 unless you failed to her him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.

Col 3:5 - c - At the mystical level of union with Christ in heaven, participation in his death and resurrection through baptism is instantaneous and total, 2:12f,20; 3:1-4; Rm 6:4+, but at the

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god… practical level of life on earth, this union has to be grown gradually. Already ‘dead’ in theory, the Christian must experience death and rebirth daily constantly, by ‘killing’ the old and sinful self.

22 You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires.

Caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. m This was to create one single New Man n in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body o and reconciled them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility. …and you have put a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creatore

Ep 2:15+ Col 3:14-15

Col 3:10+ Gn 1:26-27

23 Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution,

Ep. 2:15+ m- The Mosaic Law gave the Jews a privileged status and separated them from pagans. Jesus abolished this Law by fulfilling it once for all on the cross, Col. 2:14+. n – This new man is the prototype of the new humanity that God recreated (2Co. 5:17+) in the person of Christ, the second Adam (1 Co. 15:45) after killing the sinfully corrupt race of the first Adam in the crucifixion (Rm. 5:12f, 8:3, 1 Co. 15:21). This New Adam has been created in the goodness and holiness of the truth, 4:24, and he is unique because in him the boundaries between any one group and the rest of the human race all disappear, Col. 3:10f, Ga. 3:27f).

24 so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth. n

Ep 4:24 - n - Each human being should ‘put on the New Man’, Ep 2:15+, (here, as in v. 22, translates ‘self’), so as to be re-created in him, cf. Ga 3:27; Rm 13:14. In some places Paul talks in the same way about the ‘new creature’, 2 Co 5:17+.

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Homily for 18thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Jn 6:24-35 (Gospel), Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 (First Reading) and (Second Reading)


MANNA FROM HEAVEN

Today’s gospel reading is taken fromJn. 6:24-35. Verse by verse, this particular scripture goes this way: Verses 24, 25 and 26 say: When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’Jesus answered: I tell you most solemnly, you are not looking for me because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Parallel text is Jn 2:11 that says: This was the first of the signsf given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee. Footnote f says“For credentials, every true prophet must have ‘signs’, or wonders worked in God’s name, Is 7:11, etc.; cf. Jn 3:2; 6:29-30; 7:3,31; 9:16,33; of the Messiah it was expected that he would repeat the Mosaic miracles, 1:21+. Jesus, therefore, works ‘signs’ in order to stimulate faith in his divine mission, 2:11,23; 4:48-54; 11:15,42; 12:37; cf.3:11+. And indeed his ‘works’ show that God has sent him, 5:36; 10:25,37, that the Father is within him, 10:30+, manifesting the divine glory in power, 1:14+; it is the Father himself who does the works, 14:10; 10:38. But many refuse to believe, 3:12; 5:38-47; 6:36,64; 7:5; 8:45; 10:25; 12:37; and their sin ‘remains’, 9:41; 15:24. Cf. Mt. 8:3+.” Verse 27 and 28 say: Do not work for food that cannot last, but work for food that endures to eternal life, the kind of food the Son of Man is offeringfyou, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.’g Then they said to him, ‘What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?’Footnotes f says “Var ‘will offer’”; and Footnote g says “The ‘seal’ that Jesus received at his baptism, namely the spirit, Mt 3:16+, who is the power of God operative in Christ’s ‘signs’. Cf. Ac 10:38; Mt 12:28; Ep. 1:13; 4:30; 2 Co 1:22”. Parallel texts of verse 27 are:

a. Is 55:2 - Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy. b. Lk 10:42 - …and yet few are needed, indeed only one.j It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.’ Footnote j says “Var. ‘but only one thing

is needed’, ‘but only a few things are needed’, readings which make free with the text and deform the sense. In his remark Jesus rises from the material plane (“few things are needed”, i.. for the meal) to the one thing necessary’, which is to listen to the word of God.”

c. Mt 8:20 - Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’ Footnote hstates: “With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s

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state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf . Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

Verse 29 says: Jesus gave them this answer, ‘This is working for God;h you must believe in the one he has sent.’ Footnote h says “For ‘works’ in the Jewish sense Jesus substitute faith in God’s envoy.” Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 8:10 - When Jesus heard this he was astonished and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faithb like this. Footnote bstates: “The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miraclesunless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”

b. Mt 8:10 - The Pharisees and Saducees came and test test him they asked if he would show them a sign from heaven (v. 1) He replied, ‘In the evening you say, “It will be fine; there is a red sky” (v. 2), and in the morning, “Stormy weather today; the sky is red and overcast”. You know how to read the face of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the timesa (v. 3). It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah.’ And leaving them standing there, he went away (v. 4).Footnotea says: “Om. ‘In the evening…of the times’. The ‘times’ are the messianic age: the ‘signs’ are the miracles worked by Jesus: cf. 11:3-5; 12:38.”

c. Lk 11:29-32 - The sign of Jonah: The crowd got even bigger and he addressed them, ‘This is a wicked generation; it is asking for a sign.g The only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah (v. 29). For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.h (v. 30).On Judgment day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here (v. 31). On Judgment day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here (v. 32). Footnoteg states: “I.e. a miracle in evidence and vindication of Christ’s authority, cf. Jn 2:11+; Lk 1:18+. See Mt 8:3+”; and Footnote h says: “Jonah showed the Ninevites the way to God; now Jesus points the way, but his hearers, less generous than the Ninevites, have refused to take it. Mt 12:40 offers a different interpretation.”

Verse 30 says: So they said, “What sign will you give to show us that we should believe in you? What work will you do?

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Parallel texts are: a. Jn 1:21 - Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’uFootnotes t states:“On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt.

17:10-13”; and Footnote u says: “From Dt. 18;15,18(see note) the Jews argued that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet par excellence, cf. Nb.

12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt.

16:14+.”

b. Jn 2:11 - This was the first of the signsf given by Jesus: it was given at Cana in Galilee.(Footnote f is stated already as a footnote to the parallel text of verse 28).

c. Ex 16:4 - Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people re to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not (v.4) On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, this will be twice as much as the daily gathering’ (v. 5).

Verse 31 says: Our fathers had manna to eat in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ Parallel text isPs 78:24 which says: …he rained down manna to feed them, he gave them the wheat of heaven;

Verse 32 and 33 say: Jesus answered: ‘I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven, the true bread; for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world’. Parallel text is Mt 6:11 which says: Give us today our dailyc bread. Footnote c - The Greek word is obscure: this traditional rendering is a probable one. Other possibilities: ‘necessary for subsistence’ or ‘for tomorrow’. Whatever the exact translation the sense is that we must ask God for the sustenance we need in this life but for no more-not for wealth or luxury. The Fathers applied this text to the bread of the Holy Eucharist. Verse 34 says: ‘Sir,’ they said ‘give us that bread always.’ Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 2:19 - Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up’.hFootnote h– In the Fourth Gospel, Jesus frequently uses terms which, in addition to their obvious meaning appreciated by the audience, possess a metaphorical and higher sense; cf. 2:20 (Temple); 3:4 (new birth); 4L15 (living water); 6:34 (bread of life); 7:35 (to depart); 11:11 (to awaken); 12:34 (to lift up); 13:9 (to wash); 13:36f (to depart); 14:22 (to show oneself). Consequent misapprehensions provide an opportunity for explanatory developments, cf. 3:11+.

b. Jn 4:15 -‘Sir,’ said the woman ‘give me some of the water, so that I may never get thirsty and never have to come here again to draw water.’Verse 35 says:Jesus

answered: ‘I ami the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst. jFootnote i –says: “The Greek phrase ego eimi recalls the name that God revealed to Moses, Ex 3:14+, cf. Jn 8:24+, but here (and frequently elsewhere) it also forms the prelude to the explanation of a parable. In this case the parable is not in words but in action: the gift of the manna and the multiplication of the loaves are explained as parables of Christ’s gift of himself, the true bread”; Footnote j states: “As Wisdom invites man to her table, Pr. 9:1f, so does Jesus. Jn sees him as the Wisdom of God which, in the OT revelation, was already moving

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towards personification, cf. 1:1+. This perception springs from Christ’s own teaching already recorded in the Synoptics, Mt 11:19; Lk 11:31p, but given here much more clearly by Jn. Tus, Christ’s origin is mysterious, Jn 7:27-29; 8:14,19; cf. Jb 28:20-28; he alone knows the secrets of God and reveals them to man, 3:11-12,31-32; cf. Mt 11:25-27p; Ws 9:13-18; Ba 3:29-38; he is the living bread that supremely satisfies, 6:35; cf. Pr 9:1-6; Si 24:19-22, if men will only come to him, 3:20,21; 5:40; 6:35,37,44,65; 7:37; cf. Pr 9:4-5; Si 24:19; Mt 11:28; but they must seek him before it is too late, 7:34; 8:21; cf. Pr 1:28. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3. For Paul’s teaching, cf. 1 Co 1:24+.”

Verse 35 says: Jesus answered: ‘I ami the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst. j Footnote i says: “The Greek phrase ego eimi recalls the name that God revealed to Moses, Ex 3:14+, cf. Jn 8:24+, but here (and frequently elsewhere) it also forms the prelude to the explanation of a parable. In this case the parable is not in words but in action: the gift of the manna and the multiplication of the loaves are explained as parables of Christ’s gift of himself, the true bread”; and Footnote j says “As Wisdom invites man to her table, Pr. 9:1f, so does Jesus. Jn sees him as the Wisdom of God which, in the OT revelation, was already moving towards personification, cf. 1:1+. This perception springs from Christ’s own teaching already recorded in the Synoptics, Mt 11:19; Lk 11:31p, but given here much more clearly by Jn. Thus, Christ’s origin is mysterious, Jn 7:27-29; 8:14,19; cf. Jb 28:20-28; he alone knows the secrets of God and reveals them to man, 3:11-12,31-32; cf. Mt 11:25-27p; Ws 9:13-18; Ba 3:29-38; he is the living bread that supremely satisfies, 6:35; cf. Pr 9:1-6; Si 24:19-22, if men will only come to him, 3:20,21; 5:40; 6:35,37,44,65; 7:37; cf. Pr 9:4-5; Si 24:19; Mt 11:28; but they must seek him before it is too late, 7:34; 8:21; cf. Pr 1:28. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3. For Paul’s teaching, cf. 1 Co 1:24+.” Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 4:10,14 - Jesus replied: ‘If you only knew what God is offering and who it is that is saying to you: Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask, and he would have given you living water’ (v. 10). ..but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I will give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life’ (v. 14).

b. Pr 9:1-6 - Wisdom as hostess: Wisdom has built herself a house, she has erecteda her seven pillars, (v. 1)she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine, she has laid her table (v. 2). She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed from the city’s heights (v. 3): ‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’ To the fool she says (v. 4), ‘Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared! (v. 5). Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of perception’ (v. 6).Footnote a –states: “‘erected’ Greek.”

c. Si 24:19-22 - Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits (v. 19), for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb (v. 20). They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more (v. 21). Whoever listens to me will never have to blush, whoever acts as I dictate will never sin (v. 22).

d. Is 55:1-3 - Oh, come to the water all who are thirsty; though you have not money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat,a and, at no cost, wine and milk (v. 1).Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy (v. 2).Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenantb out of the favors promised to David (v. 3). Footnote a says “Hebr. adds ‘come and buy’ absent from Greek and DSIa”; and Footnote b states: “On this everlasting covenant, 59:21; 61:8, which is also the new covenant, see Jr 31:31+.”

e. Mt 11:19 - The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners”. Yet the wisdom has proved right by her actions.’hFootnoteh states: “Var. ‘by her children’, cf. Lk. 7:35. Like petulant children who will play none of the games suggested (in this case they refuse to play either at weddings or at funerals) the Jews reject all God’s advances whether through the stern penance of John or through the gentle courtesy of Jesus. In spite of this, God’s wise design carries through, independently of anything extrinsic to itself, and so its success is its own vindication.”

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f. Lk 7:35 - Yet Wisdom has been proved right by all her children.’fFootnotef states “Var. ‘by her actions’, cf. Mt 11:19. The children of Wisdom, i.e. of the all-wise God, cf. Pr. 8:22+, appreciate and welcome God’s works.”

g. Lk 11:31 - On Judgment day the Queen of the South will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.

h. 1 Co 1:24 - …but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. The First Reading for this Sunday isEx 16:2-4, 12-15 entitled “The manna and the quailsa”. Footnote a –states: “‘Priestly’ tradition with ‘Yahwistic’ elements. Flights of quail are common over Sinai; the manna is possibly the juice of some local shrub. The narrative asserts some special intervention, under whatever natural forms, by which God fed his people. The Psalms and the Book of Wisdom grateful recall the gift of manna which, in Christian tradition (as early as Jn 6:26-58), is a figure of the Eucharist, the spiritual food of the Church, the new Israel, on her earthly journey to the Promised Land.” Verse 2 says: And the whole community of the sons of Israel began to complain against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. Parallel text is Ex 14:11 that says: To Moses they said, ‘Were there no graves in Egypt that you must lead us out to die in the wilderness? What good have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Verse 3 says: And said to them, ‘Why did we not die at Yahweh’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we were able to sit down to pans of meat and could eat bread top our heart’s content! As it is, you have brought us to this wilderness to starve this whole company to death!’ Parallel texts are:

a. Ps 78:20 - ‘Admittedly, when he struck the rock, waters gushed, torrents streamed out, but bread now, can he give us that, can he provide meat for his people?

b. Ezk 23:27 - I mean to put an end to your debauchery and to the whorings you began in Egypt; you will not look to the Egyptians anymore; you will never think of them again.

Verse 4 says: Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Now I will rain day the people re to go out and gather the day’s portion; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not. Parallel text is Dt. 8:2 that says: Remember how Yahweh your God led you for forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, to test you and know tour inmost heart - whether you would keep his commandments or not.

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Verse 12 says: ‘I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Say this to them, “Between the two evenings you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have bread to your heart’s content. Then you will learn that I, Yahweh, am your God.”’ Parallel text is 1 K 17:12 that says: ‘As Yahweh your God lives,’ she replied ‘I have no baked bread, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am just gathering a stick or two to go and prepare this for myself and my son to eat, and then we shall die.’ Verse 13 says: And so it came about: quails flew up in the evening, and they covered the camp; in the morning there was a coating of dew all round the camp. Parallel texts are:

a. Ps 68:9 - God you rained a downpour of blessings; when your heritage was faint you gave it strength. b. Ws 19:11-12 - Later they saw a new method of birth for birds when, goaded by hunger, they asked for food they could relish, and quails came out of the sea to satisfy

them.cFootnote c says : “The author takes Nb 11:31 literally; the quails came out of the sea (as the mosquitoes came out of the earth). Verse 14 says: When the coating of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was a thing delicate, powdery,d as fine as hoarfrost on the ground. Footnote d says: “The meaning of the word uncertain”. Parallel text is Nb 11:7-9 that says: The manna was like coriander seed, and had the appearance of bdellium (v. 7). The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a meal or crushed it with a pestle; it was then cooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil (v. 8). When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it (v. 9). Verse 15 says: When they saw this, the sons of Israel said to one another, ‘What is that?e not knowing what is was. ‘That’ said Moses to them ‘is the bread Yahweh gives you to eat. Footnote e - Hebr. man hu; popular etymology thus explains the word ‘manna’. Parallel text is 1 Co 10:3 that says: All ate the same spiritual food. The Second Reading for this Sunday isEp 4:17, 20-24.

Verses 17 and 20 say: In particular, I want to urge you in the name of the Lord, not to go on living the aimless kind of life that pagans live. Now that is hardly the way you have learnt from Christ.

Verse 21 says: unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.

Parallel text is Col 3:5 that says: That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life:c fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god… Footnote c - At the mystical level of union with Christ in heaven, participation in his death and resurrection through

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baptism is instantaneous and total, 2:12f,20; 3:1-4; Rm 6:4+, but at the practical level of life on earth, this union has to be grown gradually. Already ‘dead’ in theory, the Christian must experience death and rebirth daily constantly, by ‘killing’ the old and sinful self. Verse 22, 23 ad 24 say: You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution, so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truth.n Footnote n - Each human being should ‘put on the New Man’, Ep 2:15+, (here, as in v. 22, translates ‘self’), so as to be re-created in him, cf. Ga 3:27; Rm 13:14. In some places Paul talks in the same way about the ‘new creature’, 2 Co 5:17+. Parallel text for verse 23 are:

a. Ep 2:15 - Caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. m This was to create one single New Mann in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body o and reconciled them with God. In his own person he killed the hostility.Footnote m- The Mosaic Law gave the Jews a privileged status and separated them from pagans. Jesus abolished this Law by fulfilling it once for all on the cross, Col. 2:14+; and Footnote n– This new man is the prototype of the new humanity that God recreated (2Co. 5:17+) in the person of Christ, the second Adam (1 Co. 15:45) after killing the sinfully corrupt race of the first Adam in the crucifixion (Rm. 5:12f, 8:3, 1 Co. 15:21). This New Adam has been created in the goodness and holiness of the truth, 4:24, and he is unique because in him the boundaries between any one group and the rest of the human race all disappear, Col. 3:10f, Ga. 3:27f).

b. Col 3:10 - …and you have put a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creatore. Footnote e – The human race that was to have been the ‘image of god’, Gn. 1:2b+, lost its way trying to locate the ‘knowledge of good and evil’ outside and apart from the will of God, Gn. 2:17+, and became the slave of sin and sinful urges, Rm. 5:12.

The Article “Manna”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, states that:

“Manna (Hebrew: ) or al-Mann wa al-Salwa (Kurdish: gezo ), sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is an edible substance that, according to the bible, God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert.Manna is described as white and comparable to hoarfrost in size. Hoarfrost on grass lawn.

“According to the book of Exodus, manna is white, like Coriander seed, (although modern-day coriander seed is yellow/brown).

“In the Hebrew bible, manna is described twice: once in Exodus 16:1-36 with the full narrative surrounding it, and once again in Numbers 11:1-9 as a part of a separate narrative. In the description in the Book of Exodus, manna is described as being "a fine, flake-like thing" like the frost on the ground. It is described in the Book of Numbers as arriving with the dew during the night; Exodus adds that manna was comparable to hoarfrost in size, similarly had to be collected before it was melted by the heat of the sun, and was white like coriander seed in color. Numbers describes it as having the appearance of bdellium, adding that the Israelites ground it and pounded it into cakes, which were then baked, resulting in something that tasted like cakes baked with oil. Exodus states that raw manna tasted like wafers that had been made with honey. The Israelites were instructed to eat only the manna they had gathered for each day. Leftovers of manna stored up for the following day "bred worms and stank": the exception being the day before the Sabbath (Preparation Day), when twice the amount of manna was gathered, which did not spoil overnight; because, Exodus 16:23-24 [states] "This is what the Lord commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.' So they saved it until morning, as Moses said was commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grass

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“Some scholars have proposed that manna is cognate with the Egyptian term mennu, meaning "food". At the turn of the twentieth century, Arabs of the Sinai Peninsula were selling resin from the tamarisk tree as man es-simma, roughly meaning "heavenly manna". Tamarisk trees (particularlyTamarixgallica) were once comparatively extensive throughout the southern Sinai, and their resin is similar to wax, melts in the sun, is sweet and aromatic (like honey), and has a dirty-yellow color, fitting somewhat with the Biblical descriptions of manna. However, this resin is mostly composed from sugar, so it would be unlikely to provide sufficient nutrition for a population to survive over long periods of time, and it would be very difficult for it to have been compacted to become cakes.

“In the Biblical account, the name manna is said to derive from the question man hu, seemingly meaning "What is it?"; this is perhaps an Aramaic etymology, not a Hebrew one. Man is possibly cognate with the Arabic term man, meaning plant lice, with “man hu” thus meaning "this is plant lice", which fits one widespread modern identification of manna, the crystallized honeydew of certain scale insects.In the environment of a desert, such honeydew rapidly dries due to evaporation of its water content, becoming a sticky solid, and later turning whitish, yellowish, or brownish; honeydew of this form is considered a delicacy in the Middle East, and is a good source of carbohydrates. In particular, there is a scale insect that feeds on tamarisk, the Tamarisk manna scale (Trabutinamannipara), which is often considered to be the prime candidate for biblical manna.

“Manna is from Heaven, according to the Bible, but the various identifications of manna are naturalistic. In the Mishnah, manna is treated as a supernatural substance, created during the twilight of the sixth day of Creation, and ensured to be clean, before it arrives, by the sweeping of the ground by a northern wind and subsequent rains. According to classical rabbinical literature, manna was ground in a heavenly mill for the use of the righteous, but some of it was allocated to the wicked and left for them to grind themselves.

“Until they reached Canaan, the Israelites are implied by some passages in the Bible to have eaten only manna during their desert sojourn, despite the availability of milk and meat from the livestock with which they traveled, and the references to provisions of fine flour, oil, and meat, in parts of the journey's narrative.

“As a natural food substance, manna would produce waste products; but in classical rabbinical literature, as a supernatural substance, it was held that manna produced no waste, resulting in no defecation among the Israelites until several decades later, when the manna had ceased to fall. Modern medical science suggests the lack of defecation over such a long period of time would cause severe bowel problems, especially when other food later began to be consumed again. Classical rabbinical writers say that the Israelites complained about the lack of defecation, and were concerned about potential bowel problems.

“Many Christian vegetarians say that God had originally intended man would not eat meat because plants cannot move and killing them would not besinful: manna, a nonmeat substance, is used to support this theory. Further, when the people complained and wished for quail, God gave it to them, but they apparently still complained and some greedily gathered the quail. "While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people."

“Exodus says each day one omer of manna was gathered per family member (about 3.64 litres), and may imply this was regardless of how much effort was put into gathering it; a midrash attributed to Rabbi Tanhuma remarks that although some were diligent enough to go into the fields to gather manna, others just lay down lazily and caught it with their outstretched hands. The Talmud states that this factor was used to solve disputes about the ownership of slaves, since the

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number of omers of manna each household could gather would indicate how many people were legitimately part of the household; the omers of manna for stolen slaves could only be gathered by legitimate owners, and therefore legitimate owners would have spare omers of manna.

“According to the Talmud, manna was found near the homes of those with strong belief in God, and far from the homes of those with doubts; indeed, one classical midrash says that manna was intangible to Gentiles, as it would inevitably slip from their hands. The Midrash Tanhumaholds that manna melted, formed liquid streams, was drunk by animals, flavored the animal flesh, and was thus indirectly eaten by Gentiles, this being the only manner that Gentiles could taste manna. Despite these hints of uneven distribution, classical rabbinical literature expresses the view that manna fell in very large quantities each day. It holds that manna was layered out over 2,000 cubits square, between 50 and 60 cubits in height, enough to nourish the Israelites for 2,000 years and to be seen from the palaces of every king in the East and West, probably a metaphorical statement.

“Exodus states that the Israelites consumed the manna for 40 years, starting from the fifteenth day of the second month (Iyar 15), but that it then ceased to appear once they had reached a settled land, and once they had reached the borders of Canaan (inhabited by the Canaanites). Form critics attribute this variation to the view that each expression of the manna ceasing derives from different lore; the "settled land" is attributed to the Priestly tradition, and "Canaan's borders" to the Yahwist tradition, or to a hypothetical later redaction to synchronize the account with that of the Book of Joshua, which states that the manna ceased to appear on the day after the annual Passover festival (Nisan 14), when the Israelites had reached Gilgal. The duration from Iyar 15 to Nisan 14, taken literally, is 40 years less one month.

“There is also a disagreement among classical rabbinical writers as to when the manna ceased, particularly in regard to whether it remained after the death of Moses for a further 40 days, 70 days, or 14 years; indeed, according to Joshua ben Levi, the manna ceased to appear at the moment that Moses died.

“Despite the eventual termination of the supply of manna, Exodus states that a small amount of it survived within an omer-sized pot or jar, which was kept facing the Testimony (possibly, adjacent to the Ark of the Covenant); it indicates that Yahweh instructed this of Moses, who delegated it to Aaron.[54] The Epistle to the Hebrews states that the pot was stored inside the Ark. Classical rabbinical sources believe the pot was of gold; some say it was only there for the generation following Moses, and others that it survived at least until the time of Jeremiah.[10]However, the First Book of Kings states that it was absent earlier than Jeremiah, during Solomon's reign in the tenth century B.C. Form critics attribute the mention of the pot to the Priestly tradition, concluding that the pot existed in the early sixth century B.C.

“By extension "manna" has been used to refer to any divine or spiritual nourishment.

“In a modern botanical context, manna is often used to refer to the secretions of various plants, especially of certain shrubs and trees, and in particular the sugars obtained by evaporating the sap of the Manna Ash, extracted by making small cuts in the bark.[61] “The Manna Ash, native to southern Europe and southwest Asia, produces a blue-green sap, which has medicinal value as a mild laxative, demulcent, and weak expectorant.

“The names of both the sugar mannose and its hydrogenated sugar alcohol, mannitol are derived from manna.”

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From an online article: The Bread of Life Discourse, at http://graceandspace.org/

Manna in the desert: The story of the wilderness episode in the life of the Israelites is not a nice one. Moses was leading God’s chosen people away from the slavery of Egypt passing through the pitfalls and myriad dangers of the desert and they were about to enter into the promised land of Canaan. It seems that the manna they ate in the desert led them to a pathetic ending of that episode of their life as a people.

http://graceandspace.org/

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19th SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME Cycle B)

LIVING BREAD “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.” (Jn 6:51)

Gospel: Jn 6:41-51


41 Meanwhile the Jews were complainingm to each other about him, because he had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’.

Jn 6_41 - m - As their forefathers did in the desert, cf. Ex 16:2f; 17:3; Nb 11:1; 14:27; 1 Co 10:10.

…and, coming to his home town,m he taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? (v. 54) This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? (v. 55) His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ (v. 56) And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’ (v. 57). Going from that district, he went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him (v. 1). With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that he has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? (v. 2) This is the

Mt 13:54-57 Mt 2:23 Jn 1:46 Jn 6:42; 7:46 Mt 27:56 Lk 3:23 Mt 12:46 Mt 16:14+ Ex 4:1 Jn 4:44

Mk 6:1-6 Mk 15:40 Mt 12:46+ Jn 6:42 Jn 7:32 1 Tm 4:14+ Mt 8:10+

42 ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph’ they said. ‘We know his father and mother. How can he now say “I have come down from heaven’?’

Mt 13:53 - m - Nazareth, where he lived as a child, cf. 2:23. Mk 6:3 - a - Var ‘Jose’ or ‘Joseph’.

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carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseta and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us? And he would not accept him (v. 3). And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and his own house’ (v. 4); And he could work no miracle there though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them (v. 5). He was amazed at their lack of faith (v. 6).

43 Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop complaining to each other.

Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape and his word finds no home in you… Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and bloode that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven…’

Jn 5:37 Jn 2:11+ 6:44-45; 8:18 1 Jn 5:9

Mt 16:17 Rm 7:5+ Ep 6:12 Heb 2:14

44 ‘No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Mt 16:17 - e - The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12; Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13.

Your sons will be taught by Yahweh. The prosperity of your sons will be great. No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is Yahweh who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people.

Is 54:13 Jr 31:33-34 ↗Jn 6:45 1 Th 4:9

Jr 31:33f Heb 10:16 Jr 17:1; 24:7; 32:39-40 Dt 6:6 Ps 17:31

45 It is written in the prophets: they will all be taught by God, and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me.

1 Jn 2:20, 27 - - i - In the OT, the chrism that was to anoint the messiah (the ‘anointed’’) was identified, Is 11:2; 61:1, with the (holy) Spirit or Breath of Yahweh. Christians share in this anointing that teachers them the true gnosis or knowledge. j -var. ‘you know all things’. n - Christians are taught by the apostles, 1:3,5; 2:7,24m, but merely hearing what is said is not enough, the message must penetrate them and this it cannot do except through the grace of

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As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another. But you have been anointedi by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge.j (v. 20). But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; the anointing he gave you, and you do not need anyone to teach you;n the anointing he gave teaches you everything; you are anointed with truth, not with a lie, and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him (v. 27).

1 Th 4:9 Is 54:13 Jr 31:33-34 Jn 6:45; 13:34 1 Jn 4:7

1 Jn 2:20,27

the Holy Spirit, cf. 2:20+.

No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son,r who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. ‘You cannot see my face’ he said ‘for man cannot see me and live.’i No one has ever seen God;e but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.

Jn 1:18 Jn 6:46 Ex 33:20+ 1 Jn 4:12 Jn 3:11+; 17:6+ Col 1:15

Ex 33:20+ Ex 19:21; 24:10 Gn 32:31 Lv 16:2,13 Dt 4:32-34; 5:24 Jg 6:22-23 Is 6:5; 52:8 1 Tm 6:16

1 Jn 4:12 Ex 33:20+ Jn 1:18; 6:46

46 Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God; he has seen the Father.

Jn 1:18 - r - Var. ‘God, only begotten’. Ex 33:20 - i - God’s sanctity is so removed from man’s unworthiness, see Lv 17:1+, that man must perish if he looks on God, cf. Ex 19:21; Lv 16:2; Nb 4:20, or even hears his voice, Ex. 20:19; Dt. 5:24-26 and 18:16. For this reason Moses, Ex. 3:6, Elijah, 1 K 19:13, and even the seraphim, Is 6:2, cover their faces in his presence. The man who remain alive after seeing God is overwhelmed with astonishment and gratitude, Gn 32:31; Dt 5:24, and with awe, Jg 6:22-23; 13:22, Is. 6:5. It is a favor God rarely concedes, Ex 24:11; he grants ‘it to Moses his ‘friend’, Ex 33:11; Nb 12:7-8; Dt 34:10, and to Elijah, 1 K 19:11f, the two who looked on the New

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…but I know him because I have come from himl and it was he who sent me.’

1 Jn 1:3+ Jn 7:29

Testament theophany, the transfiguration of Christ, Mt. 17:3p. Hence, in Christian tradition Moses and Elijah (together with Apostle Paul, 2 Co 12:1f) are the three pre-eminent mystics. In the New Testament the ‘glory’ of God, cf. 33:18 and 24:16+, is manifested in Jesus, Jn 1:14+; 11:40, who alone has gazed on the Father, Jn 1:18, 6:46; 1 Jn 4:12. Man cannot look on God’s face except in heaven, Mt 5:8; 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Co 13:12. 1 Jn 4:12 - e - This is directed against the pneumatikoi who held that by intuition a human being can ‘reach’ God. Jn 7:29 - l - Var. ‘because I am at his side’.

47 I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life.

48 I am the bread of life.

49 Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead;

50 But this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die.

On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. Now as they were eating,f Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. He said,

Is 25:6 Jn 6:51,54

Mt 26:26f =Mk 14:22-25 =Lk 22:19-20

51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone one who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, nfor the life of the world.’o

Jn 6:51 - n - Add ‘that I shall give’; the phrase is, in any case, to be understood. o - Jesus is the true bread because he is God’s Word, vv. 32f, and also because he is a victim whose body and blood are offered in sacrifice for the life of the world, vv. 51-58, cf. 6:22+. The word ‘flesh’ suggests a connection

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‘Take it and eat; this is my body’ (v. 26). Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. He said, ‘Drink all of you from this (v. 27). For this is my blood, the blood of theg covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sinsh(v. 28). From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Fatheri (v. 29)’. Then he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ (v. 19). He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.h (v. 20). and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you;i do this as a memorial of me.

=1 Co 11:23-25 Jn 6:51-58 1 Co 10:16 Ex 24:8 Zc 9:11 Mt 20:28+ Is 53:12 Mt 8:11+

Lk 22:19p =Mt 26:26-28 =Mk 14:22-24 1 Co11:23-25 Jn 6:51 Jr 31:31 Mt 28:28

1 Co 11:24

between the Eucharist and incarnation: the Word made flesh, 1:14, is the food of man. Is 25:6 - c - Zion. Mt 26:26 – f– They have come to the Passover supper itself. The rubrics for this solemn blessing of bread and wine are laid down exactly; on to this ceremony Jesus grafts the sacramental rites of the new religious order of things which he institutes. g - Add (Vulg.) ‘new’, cf. Lk 22:20; 1 Co 11:25. h - As at Sinai, the blood of victims sealed the covenant of Yahweh with his people, Ex. 24:4-8+, so on the cross the blood of Jesus, the perfect victim, is about to seal the ‘new’ covenant, cf. Lk. 22:20, between God and man - the covenant foretold by the prophets, Jr 31:31+. Jesus takes on himself the task of universal redemption that Isaiah assigns to the ‘servant of Yahweh’, Is. 42:6; 49:6; 53:12, cf. 41:8+. Cf. Heb 8:8; 9:15; 12:24. i - Allusion to the eschatological banquet, cf. 8:11; 22:1f. Jesus and his disciples will never meet at table again. Lk 22:19-20 - h- Or alternatively ‘which has to be given’ and ‘which has to be poured out’. 1 Co 11:24- I–Var. ‘This is my body, broken for you.’

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First Reading: 1 K 19:4-8


Rising early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, he put the child on her shoulder and sent her away. She wandered off into the wilderness of Bersheeba (v. 14). When the skin of water was finished she abandoned the child under the bush (v. 15). Then she went and sat down at a distance, about a bowshot away, saying to herself, ‘I cannot see the child die.’ So she sat at a distance; the child wailed and wept (v. 16). But God heard the bot wailing, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. ‘What is wrong, Hagar?’ he asked. ‘Do not be afraid, for God has hearde the boy’s cry where he lies (v. 17) Come, pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will make him into a great nation’ (v. 18). Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well, so she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink (v. 19). God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the wilderness, and became a bowman (v. 20). He made his home in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother chose him a wife from the land of Egypt (v. 21). I am not able to carry this nation by myself alone; the weight is too much for me.

Gn 21:14-21 1 K 19:3-4 Gn 16:7+

Nb 11:14

4 He himself went on into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘Yahweh,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’

Gn 21:17 - e - Allusion to Ishmael’s name, see 16:11.

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…so now do with me as you will; be pleased to take my life from me; I desire to be delivered from earth and to become earth again. For death is better for me than life.I have been reviled without a cause and I am distressed beyond measure. Lord, I wait for the sentence you will give to deliver me from this affliction. Let me go away to my everlasting home; do not turn your face from me, O Lord. For it is better to die than still to live in the face of trouble that knows no pity; I am weary of hearing myself traduced. My it please God to crush me, to give his hand free play and do away with me! Stranglingh I would welcome rather, and death itself, than these my sufferings.i

So now Yahweh, please take away my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living.

Tb 3:6 Nb 11:15 1 K 19:4 Tb 3:13 Jb 7:15 Jon 4:3,8

Jb 6:9 Jb 7:15 Nb 11:15 1 K 19:4

Jb 7:15 Jb 6:9 Tb 3:6

Jon 4:3,8 1 K 19:4 Ps 103:8-10

Jb 7:15 - h - Unlike the Egyptian when ‘tired of life’, Job does not contemplate suicide. Apart from the case of soldiers preferring death to dishonor, Jg 9:54; 1 S 31:4, the OT has only one suicide, that of Ahithophel, 2 S 17:23+. i - ‘Suffering’ corr.

All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly (v. 5). On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chainsb while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison (v. 6). Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and

Ac 12:5-7 Ac 5:18-24; 16:25-45 Ac 5:19 Mt 1:20+ 1 K 19:5-7

5 Then he lay down and went to sleep. But an angel touched him and said. ‘Get up and eat’.

Ac 12: 6 - b - Each one to a soldier on either side.

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woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ - and the chains fell from his hands (v. 7).

6 He looked round, and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 But the angel of Yahweh came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you’.

Moses went right into the cloud. He went up the mountain, and stayed there for forty days and forty nights.g He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry (v. 2), and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,c tell these stones to turn into loaves’ (v. 3).

Ex 24:18 Ex 32:1; 34:28 Dt 9:9 1 K 19:8 Si 45:5 Mt 4:2

Mt 4:2+,3 Ex 24:18; 34:28 1 K 19:8 Heb 12:2

8 So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.b

1 K 19:8 - b - Cf. Ex 19:1+. Zealous to maintain the covenant and restore the ancient faith, Elijah visits the place where the true God revealed himself, Ex 3 and 33:18+, 34:9, and where the covenant had been concluded, Ex 19 and 24: he sees his own task as that of continuing the work of Moses. Moses and Elijah have in common a theophany at Horeb; both also witness the NT theophany, Christ’s transfiguration, Mt 17:1-9p. Ex 24:18 - g - Cf. the forty days’ journey of Elijah to Sinai, 1 K 19:8 and Christ’s forty days in the desert, Mt 4:2p. Mt 4:2 -3 - c - The biblical title ‘Son of God’ does not necessarily mean natural sonship but may imply a sonship which is merely adoptive, i.e., which as a result of God’s deliberate choice sets up a very intimate relationship between God and his creature. In this sense

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the title is given to angels (Jb. 1:6), to the Chosen People (Ex. 4:22, Ws. 18:13), to individual Israelites (Dt. 14:1, Ho. 2:1, cf. Mt. 5:9,48, etc.), to their leaders (Ps. 82:6). Were therefore it is attributed to the royal Messiah (1 Ch. 17:13, Ps. 2:7, 89:26) it does not necessarily imply that he is more than man; nor need we suppose that it has any deeper significance when used by Satan (Mt. 4:3,6) or by the possessed (Mk. 3:11, 5:7, Lk. 4:41), still less when used by the centurion (Mk. 15:39, cf. Lk. 23:47). By itself the sentence at baptism (Mt. 3:17) and at the transfiguration (17:5) suggests no more than the divine predilection for the Messiah-servant, and all probability the High priest’s question (26:63) concerns messiahship only. Nevertheless the title ‘Son of God’ can bear a further, more profound meaning of sonship in the full sense of the word. Jesus clearly insinuated this meaning when he spoke of himself as ‘the Son’ (2:37), ranked above the angels (24:36), having God for his ‘Father’ in a way others had not (Jn. 20:17 and cf. ‘my Father’ in Mt. 7:21, etc.), enjoying with the Father an altogether singular relationship of knowledge and love (Mt. 11:27). These assertions, coupled with others that speak of the Messiah’s divine rank (22:42-46), of the heavenly origin of the ‘son of man’

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(8:20+), assertions finally confirmed by the triumph of the resurrection, have endowed the expression ‘son of God’ with the strictly divine significance which will later be found, e.g. in Paul (Rm. 9:5+). During the lifetime of Christ, it is true his disciples had no clear conception of his divinity – the texts of Mt. 14:33 and 16:16 which add the title ‘Son of God’ to the more primitive text of Mk reflect, in all probability, a later stage in the faith’s development. But it is equally true that Jesus expressed with his own lips and with as much clarity as his audience could support, his own consciousness of being Son of the Father in the fullest sense. On these historical utterances the faith of the disciples rested, a faith that reached its perfection after the resurrection with the help of the Holy Spirit.

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Second Reading: Ep 4:30-5:2


But they rebelled, they grieved his holy spirit. Then he turned enemy, and himself waged war on them. Now you too,n in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.o So they are steepedr in all sorts of depravity rottenness, greed and malice,s and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite.

Is 63:10 Dt 32:15 Ac 7:51 Ep 4:30

Ep 1:13+ Ac 1:4 =Col 1:5; 2:9 Heb 6:12 Ac 4:30 2 Co 1:22 Ac 2:33+ Rm 5:5+

Rm 1:29+ Rm 13:13

30 Otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. q

Ep. 4:30 – q – The one Holy Spirit that keeps the one body of Christ united, 4:4, 1 Co. 12:13, is ‘grieved’; cf. 4:30, Is. 63:10, by anything that harms the unity of the body. Ep1:13 – n – Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we’. o – Paul completes his Trinitarian account of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of the Spirit shows the plan has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun, it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in glory. Rm 1:29 - r - Here, as he frequently does elsewhere, Pul uses lists of vices taken from current pagan and (even more so) Jewish literature: 13:13; 1 Co 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 2 Co 12:20; Ga 5:19-21; Ep 4:31; 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tm 1:9-10; 6:4; 2 Tm 3:2-5; Tt 3:3; Cf also Mt 15:19p; 1 P 4:3; Rv 21:8; 22:15. s - Add ‘fornication’.

But now you, of all people, must give all these things up; getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language

Col 3:8 Ep 4:31

31 Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names,

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and dirty talk…

or allow any sort of spitefulness.

And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us (v. 12). Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours (v. 14); but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either (v. 15). Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now must do the same.

Mt 6:12,14-15 Mt 18:21-35 Pr 24:29 Si 28:2

Col 3:13 Mt 6:14;18:21-35 2 Co 2:7 Ep 4:32+

32 Be friend with one another, and kind. Forgiving each other as readily a God forgave your in Christ.

Ep 4:32 - r - ‘you’: var. ‘us’. The same in 5:2.

You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect. You know how you are supposed to imitate us;b now we were not idle when we were with you.

Mt 5:48 Lv 19:2+; 11:44 Jm 1:4 1 P 1:16 1 Jn 3:3

2 Th 3:7+ Ac 18:3+ 1 Co 11:1 Ga 4:12 1 Th 2:9+

1 Try, then, to imitate God, as children of his that he loves,

2 Th 3:7 - b - By imitating Paul , 1 Co 4:16; Ga 4:12; Ph 3:17, Christians will be imitating Christ, 1 Th 1:6; Ph 2:5; cf Mt 16:24; 1 P 2:21; 1 Jn 2:6; who is the one that Paul is imitating, 1 Co 11:1. Christians must also imitate God, Ep 5:1 (cf. Mt 5:48), and they must imitate each other, 1 Th 1:7; 2:14; Heb 6:12. Behind this community of life is the idea of a model of doctrine, Rm 6:17, that has been received by tradition, v. 6: 1 Co 11:2+; 1 Th 2:13++. The leaders who transmit the doctrine must themselves be ‘models’ v. 9; Ph 3:17; 1 Tm 1:16; 4:12; Tt 2:7; 1 P 5:3; whose faith and life are to be imitated, Heb 13:7.

…and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.m The life I now live in this bodyn I live in faith; faith in the Son of God,o who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake.

Ga 2:20 Rm 8:10-11 Ph 1:21 Col 3:3-4 2 Co 5:14

2 And follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.

Ga 2:20 - m - The living acts of a Christian becomes somehow the acts of Christ. n - Lit ‘in my flesh’. Though still physically alive, cf. Ep 3:17+; on this paradox, cf Rm 8.

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This has taught us love-that he gave up his life for us; and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers.

Ep 5:2,25 1 Jn 3:16

1 Jn 2:6 Mt 20:28 Jn 15:12-13 Ep 5:2

o - Var. ‘faith in God and in Christ’.

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Homily for 19thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Jn 6:41-51(Gospel), 1 K 19:4-8 (First Reading) andEp 4:30-5:2 (Second Reading) From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

LIVING BREAD “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven.” (Jn 6:51)

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Jn 6:41-51.Verses 41 and 42 say: Meanwhile the Jews were complainingm to each other about him, because he had said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’. ‘Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph’ they said. ‘We know his father and mother. How can he now say “I have come down from heaven’?’ Footnote m - As their forefathers did in the desert, cf. Ex 16:2f; 17:3; Nb 11:1; 14:27; 1 Co 10:10. Parallel texts of verse 42 are:

a. Mt 13:54-57 - …and, coming to his home town,m he taught the people in the synagogue in such a way that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? (v. 54) This is the carpenter’s son, surely? Is not his mother the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? (v. 55) His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?’ (v. 56) And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house’ (v. 57).Footnote m states: “Nazareth, where he lived as a child, cf. 2:23.”

b. Mk 6:1-6 - Going from that district, he went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him (v. 1). With the coming of the Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that he has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? (v. 2) This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joseta and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us? And he would not accept him (v. 3). And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and his own house’ (v. 4); And he could work no miracle there though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them (v. 5). He was amazed at their lack of faith (v. 6).Footnote a says: “Var ‘Jose’ or ‘Joseph’.”

Verses 43 and 44 say: Jesus said in reply, ‘Stop complaining to each other. ‘No one can come to me unless he is drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise him up on the last day. Parallel texts of verse 44 are:

a. Jn 5:37 - Besides, the Father who sent me bears witness to me himself. You have never heard his voice, you have never seen his shape and his word finds no home in you…

b. Mt 16:17 - Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and bloode that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven…’Footnote e says “The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12; Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13.”

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Verse 45 says: It is written in the prophets: they will all be taught by God, and to hear the teaching of the Father, and learn from it, is to come to me. Parallel texts are:

a. Is 54:13 - Your sons will be taught by Yahweh. The prosperity of your sons will be great. b. Jr 31:33 - No, this is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel when those days arrive-it is Yahweh who speaks. Deep within them I will plant my Law, writing it on

their hearts. Then I will be their God and they shall be my people. c. 1 Th 4:9 - As for loving our brothers, there is no need for anyone to write to you about that, since you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another. d. 1 Jn 2:20,27 - But you have been anointedi by the Holy One, and have all received the knowledge.j (v. 20). But you have not lost the anointing that he gave you, and

you do not need anyone to teach you; the anointing he gave you, and you do not need anyone to teach you;n the anointing he gave teaches you everything; you are anointed with truth, not with a lie, and as it has taught you, so you must stay in him (v. 27). Footnote isays:“In the OT, the chrism that was to anoint the messiah (the ‘anointed’’) was identified, Is 11:2; 61:1, with the (holy) Spirit or Breath of Yahweh. Christians share in this anointing that teachers them the true gnosis or knowledge”; Footnotej states “Var. ‘you know all things’”;and Footnoten says“Christians are taught by the apostles, 1:3,5; 2:7,24m, but merely hearing what is said is not enough, the message must penetrate them and this it cannot do except through the grace of the Holy Spirit, cf. 2:20+.”

Verses 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50 say: Not that anybody has seen the Father, except the one who comes from God; he has seen the Father.I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life.I am the bread of life.Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and they are dead; but this is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a man may eat it and not die. Parallel texts of verse 46 are:

a. Jn 1:18 - No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son,r who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. Footnote r says: “Var. ‘God, only begotten’.”

b. Ex 33:20 - ‘You cannot see my face’ he said ‘for man cannot see me and live.’I Footnotei - God’s sanctity is so removed from man’s unworthiness, see Lv 17:1+, that man must perish if he looks on God, cf. Ex 19:21; Lv 16:2; Nb. 4:20, or even hears his voice, Ex. 20:19; Dt. 5:24-26 and 18:16. For this reason Moses, Ex. 3:6, Elijah, 1 K 19:13, and even the seraphim, Is 6:2, cover their faces in his presence. The man who remain alive after seeing God is overwhelmed with astonishment and gratitude, Gn 32:31; Dt 5:24, and with awe, Jg 6:22-23; 13:22, Is. 6:5. It is a favor God rarely concedes, Ex 24:11; he grants ‘it to Moses his ‘friend’, Ex 33:11; Nb 12:7-8; Dt 34:10, and to Elijah, 1 K 19:11f, the two who looked on the New Testament theophany, the transfiguration of Christ, Mt. 17:3p. Hence, in Christian tradition Moses and Elijah (together with Apostle Paul, 2 Co 12:1f) are the three pre-eminent mystics. In the New Testament the ‘glory’ of God, cf. 33:18 and 24:16+, is manifested in Jesus, Jn 1:14+; 11:40, who alone has gazed on the Father, Jn 1:18, 6:46; 1 Jn 4:12. Man cannot look on God’s face except in heaven, Mt 5:8; 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Co 13:12.

c. 1 Jn 4:12 - No one has ever seen God;e but as long as we love one another God will live in us and his love will be complete in us.Footnotee says: “This is directed

against the pneumatikoi who held that by intuition a human being can ‘reach’ God.”

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d. Jn 7:29 - …but I know him because I have come from himl and it was he who sent me.’Footnotel says: “Var. ‘because I am at his side’.” Verse 51 says: I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone one who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, nfor the life of the world.’o Footnote n says: “Add ‘that I shall give’; the phrase is, in any case, to be understood”; and Footnote o states that “Jesus is the true bread because he is God’s Word, vv. 32f, and also because he is a victim whose body and blood are offered in sacrifice for the life of the world, vv. 51-58, cf. 6:22+. The word ‘flesh’ suggests a connection between the Eucharist and incarnation: the Word made flesh, 1:14, is the food of man.” Parallel texts are:

a. Is 25:6 - On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.Footnotec - Zion.

b. Mt 26:26 –29 - Now as they were eating,f Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. He said, ‘Take it and eat; this is my body’ (v. 26).Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. He said, ‘Drink all of you from this (v. 27).For this is my blood, the blood of theg covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sinsh(v. 28).From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Fatheri (v. 29)’.Footnotefsays: “They have come to the Passover supper itself. The rubrics for this solemn blessing of bread and wine are laid down exactly; on to this ceremony Jesus grafts the sacramental rites of the new religious order of things which he institutes”;Footnoteg states that ‘Add (Vulg.) ‘new’, cf. Lk 22:20; 1 Co 11:25”; Footnoteh says “As at Sinai, the blood of victims sealed the covenant of Yahweh with his people, Ex. 24:4-8+, so on the cross the blood of Jesus, the perfect victim, is about to seal the ‘new’ covenant, cf. Lk. 22:20, between God and man - the covenant foretold by the prophets, Jr 31:31+. Jesus takes on himself the task of universal redemption that Isaiah assigns to the ‘servant of Yahweh’, Is. 42:6; 49:6; 53:12, cf. 41:8+. Cf. Heb 8:8; 9:15; 12:24”; Footnote i says: “Allusion to the eschatological banquet, cf. 8:11; 22:1f. Jesus and his disciples will never meet at table again.”

c. Lk22:19p -Then he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ (v. 19). He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.h (v. 20).Footnoteh says: “Or alternatively ‘which has to be given’ and ‘which has to be poured out’.”

d. 1 Co 11:24 - and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you;i do this as a memorial of me. FootnoteI says “Var. ‘This is my body, broken for you.’”

The First Reading for this Sunday is1 K 19:4-8. Verse 4 says: He himself went on into the wilderness, a day’s journey, and sitting under a furze bush wished he were dead. ‘Yahweh,’ he said ‘I have had enough. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’ Parallel texts are:

a. Gn 21:14-21 - Rising early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water and, giving them to Hagar, he put the child on her shoulder and sent her away. She wandered off into the wilderness of Bersheeba (v. 14). When the skin of water was finished she abandoned the child under the bush (v. 15). Then she went nad sat down at a distance, about a bowshot away, saying to herself, ‘I cannot see the child die.’ So she sat at a distance; the child wailed and wept (v. 16). But God heard the bot wailing, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven. ‘What is wrong, Hagar?’ he asked. ‘Do not be afraid, for God has hearde the boy’s cry where he lies (v. 17) Come, pick up the boy and hold him safe, for I will make him into a great nation’ (v. 18). Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well, so she went

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and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink (v. 19). God was with the boy. He grew up and made his home in the wilderness, and became a bowman (v. 20). He made his home in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother chose him a wife from the land of Egypt (v. 21). Footnote esays “Allusion to Ishmael’s name, see 16:11.

b. Nb 11:14 - I am not able to carry this nation by myself alone; the weight is too much for me. c. Tb 3:6 - …so now do with me as you will; be pleased to take my life from me; I desire to be delivered from earth and to become earth again. For death is better for me

than life. I have been reviled without a cause and I am distressed beyond measure. Lord, I wait for the sentence you will give to deliver me from this affliction. Let me go away to my everlasting home; do not turn your face from me, O Lord. For it is better to die than still to live in the face of trouble that knows no pity; I am weary of hearing myself traduced.

d. Jb 6:9 - My it please God to crush me, to give his hand free play and do away with me! e. Jb 7:15 - Stranglingh I would welcome rather, and death itself, than these my sufferings. iFootnote hsays “Unlike the Egyptian when ‘tired of life’, Job does not

contemplate suicide. Apart from the case of soldiers preferring death to dishonor, Jg 9:54; 1 S 31:4, the OT has only one suicide, that of Ahithophel, 2 S 17:23+”;Footnoteisays:‘Suffering’ corr.

f. Jon 4:3,8 - So now Yahweh, please take away my life, for I might as well be dead as go on living. Verse 5, 6 and 7 say: Then he lay down and went to sleep. But an angel touched him and said. ‘Get up and eat’. He looked round, and there at his head was a scone baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. But the angel of Yahweh came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, or the journey will be too long for you’. Parallel text of verse 5 is Ac 12:5-7 that says: All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly (v. 5). On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chainsb while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison (v. 6). Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ - and the chains fell from his hands (v. 7). Footnote b says “Each one to a soldier on either side”. Verse 8 says: So he got up and ate and drank, and strengthened by that food he walked for forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.bFootnote b - Cf. Ex 19:1+. Zealous to maintain the covenant and restore the ancient faith, Elijah visits the place where the true God revealed himself, Ex 3 and 33:18+, 34:9, and where the covenant had been concluded, Ex 19 and 24: he sees his own task as that of continuing the work of Moses. Moses and Elijah have in common a theophany at Horeb; both also witness the NT theophany, Christ’s transfiguration, Mt 17:1-9p. Parallel texts are:

a. Ex 24:18 - Moses went right into the cloud. He went up the mountain, and stayed there for forty days and forty nights.gFootnote g says “Cf. the forty days’ journey of Elijah to Sinai, 1 K 19:8 and Christ’s forty days in the desert, Mt 4:2p.”

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b. Mt 4:2+,3 - He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry (v. 2), and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,ctell

these stones to turn into loaves’. Footnote c says: “The biblical title ‘Son of God’ does not necessarily mean natural sonship but may imply a sonship which is

merely adoptive, i.e., which as a result of God’s deliberate choice sets up a very intimate relationship between God and his creature. In this sense the title is given to angels (Jb. 1:6), to the Chosen People (Ex. 4:22, Ws. 18:13), to individual Israelites (Dt. 14:1, Ho. 2:1, cf. Mt. 5:9,48, etc.), to their leaders (Ps. 82:6). Were therefore it is attributed to the royal Messiah (1 Ch. 17:13, Ps. 2:7, 89:26) it does not necessarily imply that he is more than man; nor need we suppose that it has any deeper significance when used by Satan (Mt. 4:3,6) or by the possessed (Mk. 3:11, 5:7, Lk. 4:41), still less when used by the centurion (Mk. 15:39, cf. Lk. 23:47). By itself the sentence at baptism (Mt. 3:17) and at the transfiguration (17:5) suggests no more than the divine predilection for the Messiah-servant, and all probability the High priest’s question (26:63) concerns messiahship only. Nevertheless the title ‘Son of God’ can bear a further, more profound meaning of sonship in the full sense of the word. Jesus clearly insinuated this meaning when he spoke of himself as ‘the Son’ (2:37), ranked above the angels (24:36), having God for his ‘Father’ in a way others had not (Jn. 20:17 and cf. ‘my Father’ in Mt. 7:21, etc.), enjoying with the Father an altogether singular relationship of knowledge and love (Mt. 11:27). These assertions, coupled with others that speak of the Messiah’s divine rank (22:42-46), of the heavenly origin of the ‘son of man’ (8:20+), assertions finally confirmed by the triumph of the resurrection, have endowed the expression ‘son of God’ with the strictly divine significance which will later be found, e.g. in Paul (Rm. 9:5+). During the lifetime of Christ, it is true his disciples had no clear conception of his divinity – the texts of Mt. 14:33 and 16:16 which add the title ‘Son of God’ to the more primitive text of Mk reflect, in all probability, a later stage in the faith’s development. But it is equally true that Jesus expressed with his own lips and with as much clarity as his audience could support, his own consciousness of being Son of the Father in the fullest sense. On these historical utterances the faith of the disciples rested, a faith that reached its perfection after the resurrection with the help of the Holy Spirit. “

The Second Reading for this Sunday isEp 4:30-5:2. Verse 30 says: Otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes.qFootnote q says: “The one Holy Spirit that keeps the one body of Christ united, 4:4, 1 Co. 12:13, is ‘grieved’; cf. 4:30, Is. 63:10, by anything that harms the unity of the body.” Parallel texts are:

a. Is 63:10 - But they rebelled, they grieved his holy spirit. Then he turned enemy, and himself waged war on them. b. Ep 1:13 - Now you too,n in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with

the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.oFootnoten says: “Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we’”; Footnote o says: “Paul completes his Trinitarian account of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of the Spirit shows the plan has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun, it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in glory.”

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c. Rm 1:29 - So they are steepedr in all sorts of depravity rottenness, greed and malice,s and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite.Footnote r says: Here, as he frequently does elsewhere, Paul uses lists of vices taken from current pagan and (even more so) Jewish literature: 13:13; 1 Co 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 2 Co 12:20; Ga 5:19-21; Ep 4:31; 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tm 1:9-10; 6:4; 2 Tm 3:2-5; Tt 3:3; Cf also Mt 15:19p; 1 P 4:3; Rv 21:8; 22:15”; Footnote s says “Add ‘fornication’.”

Verse 31 says: Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Parallel text of verse 31 is Col 3:8 that says: But now you, of all people, must give all these things up; getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk…

Verse 32 says: Be friend with one another, and kind. Forgiving each other as readily a God forgave your in Christ. Footnote r says “‘you’: var. ‘us’. The same in 5:2.”

Parallel texts are: a. Mt 6:12,14-15 - And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us (v. 12). Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive

you yours (v. 14); but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either (v. 15). b. Col 3:13 - Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now must do the same.

Chapter 5, verse 1 says: Try, then, to imitate God, as children of his that he loves,

Parallel texts are: a. You must therefore be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect. b. You know how you are supposed to imitate us;b now we were not idle when we were with you. Footnote b says “By imitating Paul , 1 Co 4:16; Ga 4:12; Ph 3:17,

Christians will be imitating Christ, 1 Th 1:6; Ph 2:5; cf Mt 16:24; 1 P 2:21; 1 Jn 2:6; who is the one that Paul is imitating, 1 Co 11:1. Christians must also imitate God, Ep 5:1 (cf. Mt 5:48), and they must imitate each other, 1 Th 1:7; 2:14; Heb 6:12. Behind this community of life is the idea of a model of doctrine, Rm 6:17, that has been received by tradition, v. 6: 1 Co 11:2+; 1 Th 2:13++. The leaders who transmit the doctrine must themselves be ‘models’ v. 9; Ph 3:17; 1 Tm 1:16; 4:12; Tt 2:7; 1 P 5:3; whose faith and life are to be imitated, Heb 13:7.”

Verse 2 of Chapter 5 says: And follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God.

Parallel texts are: a. Ga 2:20 - …and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.m The life I now live in this bodyn I live in faith; faith in the Son of God,o who

loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake. Footnote m - The living acts of a Christian becomes somehow the acts of Christ; and Footnoten - Lit ‘in my flesh’. Though still physically alive, cf. Ep 3:17+; on this paradox, cfRm 8; and Footnoteo - Var. ‘faith in God and in Christ’.

b. 1 Jn 3:16 - This has taught us love-that he gave up his life for us; and we, too, ought to give up our lives for our brothers.

The Online Article “Bread of Life Discourse” from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

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The Bread of Life Discourse is an episode in the life of Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John 6:22-59.

The title "Bread of Life" (Greek: ἄρτοςτῆςζωῆς, artostēszōēs) for Jesus is based on this Biblical episode which takes place in the Gospel of John shortly after the Feeding the multitude episode (in which Jesus feeds the crowds with five loaves of bread and two fish) after which the crowds watch as Jesus walks to the other side of lake on the water after Jesus' walk on water.[2]

The Gospel of John does not include an account of the blessing of the bread during the Last Supper, e.g. as in the Gospel of Luke 22:19. However, this discourse does communicate teachings regarding the Eucharist that have been very influential in the Christian tradition.[4] The Bread of Life Discourse, from http://graceandspace.org.

Jn 6:24-35

Through Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life, John is able to make some important theological points which reveal who he believes Jesus to be.

First, Jesus tells the crowd to work not “for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life” (v 27). The food of which Jesus speaks is not the

physical bread, which was multiplied in the last narrative, but is similar to the water offered to the Samaritan woman—“water welling up to eternal life” (Jn

4:14).

In both cases, John understands Jesus to be offering faith to people. Faith is food which nourishes people throughout their l ives to eternal life. Water is drink

which quenches the thirst for God that people have throughout their lives to eternal life. Through faith in Jesus, people have their hunger and thirst satisfied.

Second, the food and drink of faith does not have to be worked for, as one would work for money to buy physical bread or as one would work by carrying water

or making money to pay a bill. When the crowds ask, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus tells them, “This is the work of God, that you

believe in the one he sent” (vv 28-29). In other words, faith is not earned; it is a free gift offered by God through Jesus.

Third, the crowd thinks that it needs a sign in order to believe in Jesus. After all, there was the sign of manna in the desert in the past. Through Moses’

intercession, God had given his people bread from heaven to eat. God worked a whole series of signs and the people believed in him.

Jesus takes the focus off of Moses and reminds the people that it was not Moses who gave them bread from heaven. It was the Father. And the Father now gives

them the true bread from heaven.

The “true bread from heaven” is not physical bread, like the manna of the past. “The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the


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world” (v 33).

John understands Jesus to be this bread which sustains life. Bread is a staple of life. Jesus is the staple of eternal life. Just like the manna sustained the lives of

the Israelites in the desert, so now those who believe in Jesus will find that their lives are sustained for eternal life.

For John, Jesus is bread. All people need to do is to ask: “Lord, give us this bread always” (v 34). However, they have to understand that what they are asking for

is not a loaf of physical bread but the faith to believe that Jesus will satisfy their hunger and their thirst forever.

Jesus promises eternal life for all those who will believe in him as the one God sent to liberate his people. He is the true bread which God gives in order to

sustain his new people on their new journey toward the new promised land, heaven.

“Flesh, blood: When Jesus declares, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world,” the Jews “murmur” in unbelief. Their revu lsion is complete when Jesus speaks about his blood as true drink. Literal drinking of blood was prohibited in Judaism and perhaps in early Christianity (Gn 9:4; Acts 15:29). The Jews cannot go beyond the physical, and so misunderstand Jesus’ promise. “Jesus will provide food for the life of the world. In place of the manna and the gift of the Torah, the Jews are told to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus who is the Son of Man. “Flesh” has to do with the incarnate life of Jesus. He, the divine Word, became flesh, a human being in its weakness and mortality. “Blood” has to do with his very real death. To be eaten and to be drunk means that the flesh is to be broken and the blood is to be spilled. Jesus now speaks of the separation of his flesh and blood in a violent death as the moment of total giving of himself. Jesus speaks of the inevitability of his death on the cross.

“Later, the believers will have to ask: Where do we encounter the revelation of God in the flesh and blood of the Son of Man? How can we partake of his flesh and blood? The evangelist’s insinuation of the Eucharistic language in Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life provides an answer: one encounters the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic celebration.

From the online article “John 6 - The Bread Of Life Discourse” (http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org):

The Eucharist is much more than a memorial service using grape juice and crackers. It is a sacrifice and a meal. The sacrifice comes in two forms: 1) us giving our whole selves to Christ and 2) the continuation of the sacrifice made by Christ of His flesh and blood. The meal is accepting the gift of holy food in the form of the body and blood of Christ.

Many Protestant Churches misinterpret John 6 and believe it is symbolic. The passage "It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." often confuse people that do not understand that the terms "flesh" and "blood" are used two different ways in the passage. Initially, Jesus is speaking literally of His flesh and blood. This is what we now call the Eucharist. His use of flesh and blood in the last portion is moving to the

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familiar analogy between flesh (earthly things) and spirit (heavenly things). He is simply stating that His (literal) flesh and blood are of spirit (of heaven) while flesh (all earthly things) are of no use. He is simply telling us that His flesh and blood are spiritual food. Real food!

Tim Staples, in an online article What Catholics Believe about John 6, ( from http://www.catholic.com) says: For millions of non-Catholic Christians, Jesus was using pure symbolism in John 6:53 when he declared to his followers, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” So the non-Catholic claims Jesus is using metaphor in John 6, just as he does elsewhere in the Gospels.

When we examine the surrounding context of John 6:53, Jesus’ words could hardly have been clearer. In verse 51, he plainly claims to be “the living bread” that his followers must eat. And he says in no uncertain terms that “the bread which I shall give . . . is my flesh.” Then, when the Jews were found “disputing among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” in verse 52, he reiterates even more emphatically, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Only the Spirit can accomplish the miracle of the Eucharist, and only the Spirit can empower us to believe the miracle. The resurrected body is spiritual, and indeed we can be called spiritual as Christians inasmuch as we are controlled by the Spirit of God.

From an online article, “I Am the Bread of Life” ( http://www.gty.org):

“The most compelling statement around which all of this is built is the repeated statement, “I am the Bread of life. I am the Bread of life.” That’s His claim, verse 32, verse 33, verse 48….This is a metaphor... Verse 41, there’s a lot of shock about that, but I just want you to notice they understood exactly what He was saying. The Jews are grumbling because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” In verse 42, they are wondering how this man whose parents they know can say, “I have come down out of heaven.” Verse 46, again says, “Not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God.” He has come down out of heaven. “Verse 47, “I say, he who believes has eternal life.” Verse 50, “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat of it and not die.” Not die. Verse 51, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever, and the bread which I give,” again he says, “I give for the life of the world.” It’s life and it’s eternal life. Verse 53, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.” Verse 54, “He who eats My flesh, drinks My blood, has eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day.” Life, life, life, life. Eternal life. Verse 58 at the end, “He who eats this bread will live forever.” How is this possible? Because of verse 56, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him.”

“How do we get eternal life into these mortal bodies? Because we come into real union with Christ. Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I, but Christ lives in me.” “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit.” We are one in Christ. And so His eternal life is in us, granting us eternal life.

“And it culminates in a resurrection. Several times Jesus says, “I’ll raise him at the last day. I’ll raise him at the last day. I’ll raise him at the last day.” It is a union that will not only be a union in spirit, but it will be a union in spiritual body. Philippians 3, “We will have a body like unto His glorious body. We will reflect His glory. We will be made like Christ when we see Him as He is,” right? This is what it means to be a Christian. It’s not following the teachings of a man. It’s having His life in us. This is the work of God. This doesn’t happen unless you’re taught of God, as verse 45 says. This does not happen unless God the Father draws you.

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“This is the bread which comes down out of heaven so that one may eat,” and now we’re back into the metaphor. Believing is eating. Taking in, receiving, appropriating. Verse 51, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” Verse 57, “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.” Again, verse 58, the end of the verse, “He who eats this bread will live forever.” I mean this is a powerful metaphor that everybody understands. You have to take Me in. It’s not enough to come and listen. It’s not enough to admire to get some kind of information. You have to eat. You have to appropriate. You have to receive Me…

“You not only have to believe in Him as living bread, you have to believe in Him as dying blood. What? Verse 51, “I am the living bread. I came down out of heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Now, he’s talking about giving up His life. Very specific terms. Verse 53, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourself.” 54, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.” Verse 55, “For My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink.” Verse 56, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me in and I in him.”

“You have to be able to eat His flesh in the sense that you take Him as the one who nourishes the soul. And you have to be willing to drink His blood in the sense that you accept his sacrificial death. Verse 52, they can’t even get to the part about eating His flesh, let alone the part about drinking his blood or accepting His death. Just in conclusion, a few things to think about. Eating is necessary. If you want eternal life, eating is necessary.”

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TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Cycle B Eucharist - A banquet of wisdom

Gospel: Jn 6:51-58


On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. Now as they were eating,f Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. He said, ‘Take it and eat; this is my body’ (v. 26). Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. He said, ‘Drink all of you from this (v. 27). For this is my blood, the blood of theg covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sinsh(v. 28). From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Fatheri (v. 29)’. The he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ (v. 19). He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.h (v. 20).

Is 25:6 Jn 6:51,54

Mt 26:26f

Mk 14:22-25 =Lk 22:19-20 =1 Co 11:23-25 Jn 6:51-58 1 Co 10:16 Ex 24:8 Zc 9:11 Mt 20:28+ Is 53:12 Mt 8:11+

Lk 22:19p =Mt 26:26-28 =Mk 14:22-24 1 Co11:23-25 Jn 6:51 Jr 31:31 Mt 28:28

1 Co 11:24

51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give if my flesh,n for the life of the world.o

Jn 6:51- n - Add ‘that I shall give’; the phrase is, in any case, to be understood. o -Jesus is the true bread because he is God’s Word, vv. 32f, and also because he is a victim whose body and blood are offered in sacrifice for the life of the world, vv. 51-58, cf. 6:22+. The word ‘flesh’ suggests a connection between the Eucharist and incarnation: the Word made flesh, 1:14, is the food of man. Is 25:6 - c - Zion. Mt 26:26 – f– They have come to the Passover supper itself. The rubrics for this solemn blessing of bread and wine are laid down exactly; on to this ceremony Jesus grafts the sacramental rites of the new religious order of things which he institutes. g - Add (Vulg.) ‘new’, cf. Lk 22:20; 1 Co 11:25. h - As at Sinai, the blood of victims sealed the covenant of Yahweh with his people, Ex. 24:4-8+, so on the cross the blood of Jesus, the perfect victim,

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and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you;i do this as a memorial of me.

is about to seal the ‘new’ covenant, cf. Lk. 22:20, between God and man - the covenant foretold by the prophets, Jr 31:31+. Jesus takes on himself the task of universal redemption that Isaiah assigns to the ‘servant of Yahweh’, Is. 42:6; 49:6; 53:12, cf. 41:8+. Cf. Heb 8:8; 9:15; 12:24. i - Allusion to the eschatological banquet, cf. 8:11; 22:1f. Jesus and his disciples will never meet at table again. Lk 22:19-20 - h - Or alternatively ‘which has to be given’ and ‘which has to be poured out’. 1 Co 11:24- I–Var. ‘This is my body, broken for you.’

52 Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said.

The word was made flesh, m he lived among us, n and we saw his glory,o the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jn 1:14+ Ex 25:8+ Lv 26:11-12 Dt 4:7+ 1 K 8:27 Ps 85:9 Ba 3:38 Jn 17:5+ 1 Jn 1:1-3 EX 34:6+

53 Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you.

Jn 1:14+ - m- The ‘flesh’ is man considered as a frail and mortal being, cf. 3:6, 17:2, Gn 6:3, Ps. 56:4, Is 40:6,see Rm 7:5+. o- The ‘glory’ is the manifestation of God’s presence, Ex. 24:16+. No one could see its brilliance and live, Ex 33:20+, but the human nature of the word now screens this glory as the cloud once did. Yet at times it pierces

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Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’

Ho 2:22+

Mt 8:20+ Mt 11:19 2 Co 8:9

the veil, as the transfiguration, for instances, cf. Lk. 9:32, 35 (alluded to in Jn 1:14?) and when Jesus works miracles –‘signs’ that God is active in him, 2:11+, 11:40;cf. Ex. 14:24-27 and 15:7, 16:7f. The resurrection will reveal the glory fully, cf. Jn 17:5+. Mt.8:20 - h- With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to

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receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.

On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.

Is 25:6 Jn 6:51,54

54 Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day.

Is 25:6 - c - Zion.

55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me (v. 4).I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing (v. 5).

Jn 15:4-5 Jn 6:56-57 Jn 15:16 Dt 8:17

56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him.

57 As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me.p

Jn 6:57 - p - The life that the Father communicates to the Son passes to the faithful through the Eucharist.

58 This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate;q they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever.

Jn 6:58 - q - Add. ‘the manna’ or ‘in the desert’.

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First Reading: Pr 9:1-6


Parable of the wedding feasta Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again (v. 1), ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding (v. 2). He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come (v. 3). Next he sent some more servants, “Tell those who had been invited” he said ‘that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” (v. 4)

Mt 22:1-4p Mt 8:11+ Pr 9:1-6 =Lk 14:16-24 Ezk 16:1+ Rv 19:9 Mt 21:34

1 Wisdom has built herself a house, she has erecteda her seven pillars

Pr 9:1 - a - ‘erected’ Greek. Mt 22:1 -4 - a - A parable with allegorical features; in this, as in the lesson it teaches, it resembles the one that precedes it. The king is God; the wedding feast is the happiness of the messianic age and the king’s son the Messiah; those sent with the invitation are the prophets and the apostles; the invited who ignore them and do them violence are the Jews; those called from the streets are the sinners and the pagans;

2 she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine, she has laid her table.

Wisdom calls about in the streets,d she raises her voicee in the public squares;

Pr 1:20 Pr 8:1-3; 9:3 Si 24 Jn 7:37

3 She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed from the city’s heights

Pr 1:20 – d – ‘in the streets’ Greek; ‘Such is the way’ Hebr. e – Wisdom personified, cf. 8:22+, acts like a prophets, cf. Jr. 5:1, walking through the streets and urging her doctrine on the people.

4 ‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’ To the fool she says,

She will give him the bread of understanding to eat, and the water of wisdom to drink.

Si 15:3 Pr 9:5 Ws 6:16; 8:2

5 ‘Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared!

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Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits (v. 19), for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the honeycomb (v. 20). They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more (v. 21). Oh, come to the water all who are thirsty; though you have not money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat,a and, at no cost, wine and milk (v. 1). Why spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy (v. 2). Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenantb out of the favors promised to David (v. 3). Happy those who hunger and thirsty for what is right; they shall be satisfied.

Si 24:19-21 Si 15:3 Pr 9:5 Is 55:2 Mt 11:28 Jn 6:35 Mt 5:6 Jn 4:13-14

Is 55:1-3 Is 12:3 Ps 36:9 Sg 5:1 Si 51:25 Mt 10:8 Jn 4:1+; 7:37 Ac 8:20 Rv 3:18; 21:6; 22:17 Pr 81:8 Pr 9:3-6 Si 24:19-22 Jn 6:35 Ps 119:175 2 S 23:5 Ps 89:28 2 S 7:1+ ↗Ac 13:34 Rv 1:5+

Mt 5:6 Pr 21:21 Is 51:1 Am 8:11

Is 55:1-3 - a - Hebr. adds ‘come and buy’ absent from Greek and DSIa. b - On this everlasting covenant, 59:21; 61:8, which is also the new covenant, see Jr 31:31+. Jn 6:35 - i - The Greek phrase ego eimi recalls the name that God revealed to Moses, Ex 3:14+, cf. Jn 8:24+, but here (and frequently elsewhere) it also forms the prelude to the explanation of a parable. In this case the parable is not in words but in action: the gift of the manna and the multiplication of the loaves are explained as parables of Christ’s gift of himself, the true bread. j - As Wisdom invites man to her table, Pr. 9:1f, so does Jesus. Jn sees him as the Wisdom of God which, in the OT revelation, was already moving towards personification, cf. 1:1+. This perception springs from Christ’s own teaching already recorded in the Synoptics, Mt 11:19; Lk 11:31p, but given here much more clearly by Jn. Tus, Christ’s origin is mysterious, Jn 7:27-29; 8:14,19; cf. Jb 28:20-28; he alone knows the secrets of God and reveals them to man, 3:11-12,31-32; cf. Mt 11:25-

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Jesus answered: ‘I ami the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst.j

Pr 9:5 Si 24:21

Jn 6:35+ Jn 4:10,14 Pr 9:1-6 Si 24:19-22 Is 55:1-3 Mt 11:19 Lk 7:35 Lk 11:31 1 Co 1:24

27p; Ws 9:13-18; Ba 3:29-38; he is the living bread that supremely satisfies, 6:35; cf. Pr 9:1-6; Si 24:19-22, if men will only come to him, 3:20,21; 5:40; 6:35,37,44,65; 7:37; cf. Pr 9:4-5; Si 24:19; Mt 11:28; but they must seek him before it is too late, 7:34; 8:21; cf. Pr 1:28. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3. For Paul’s teaching, cf. 1 Co 1:24+.

6 Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of perception’

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15 So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people.

Be tactful with those who are not Christian and be sure you make the best use of your time with them.

Col 4:5 1 Co 5:12+ =Ep 5:15 2 Co 6: Ep 5:16

16 This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it.

That will explain why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to pray for you, and we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will.

Col 1:9 =Ep 1:15 Ep 5:17 Ph 1:9 Phm 6 Col 3:10+

17 And do not be thoughtless but recognize what is the will of the Lord.

Never relish how red it is, this wine, how sparkling in the cup, how smooth it flows. Let the message of Christ,g in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other and advice each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God;h (v. 16) and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (v. 17).

Pr 23:31 Ep 5:18-19

=Col 3:16-17

18 Do not drug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation: be filled with the Spirit.

Col 3:16-17 – g – Var. ‘of the Lord’, or ‘of God’ possibly the text originally read ‘the Word’, cf. Ph 1:4; 2:30. h–‘These ‘inspired songs’ could be charismatic improvisations suggested by the Spirit during liturgical assembly; cf. 1 Co 12:7f; 14:26.

19 Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together, and go on

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singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts,

…and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.

1 Th 5:18 Ep 5:20 1 Tes 4:3

20 So that always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Homily for 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Jn 6:51-58 (Gospel), Pr 9:1-6 (First Reading) and Ep 5:15-20 (Second Reading)


EUCHARIST – A BANQUET OF WISDOM

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Jn 6:51-58 (This scripture is a later interpolation). Verse 51 says: I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone one who eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh,n for the life of the world.’o Footnote n says: “Add ‘that I shall give’; the phrase is, in any case, to be understood”; and Footnote o states that “Jesus is the true bread because he is God’s Word, vv. 32f, and also because he is a victim whose body and blood are offered in sacrifice for the life of the world, vv. 51-58, cf. 6:22+. The word ‘flesh’ suggests a connection between the Eucharist and incarnation: the Word made flesh, 1:14, is the food of man.” Parallel texts are:

e. Is 25:6 - On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. Footnote c - Zion.

f. Mt 26:26 – 29 - Now as they were eating,f Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. He said, ‘Take it and eat; this is my body’ (v. 26). Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. He said, ‘Drink all of you from this (v. 27). For this is my b lood, the blood of theg covenant, which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sinsh(v. 28). From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Fatheri (v. 29)’. Footnotefsays: “They have come to the Passover supper itself. The rubrics for this solemn blessing of bread and wine are laid down exactly; on to this ceremony Jesus grafts the sacramental rites of the new religious order of things which he institutes”;Footnoteg states that ‘Add (Vulg.) ‘new’, cf. Lk 22:20; 1 Co 11:25”; Footnoteh says “As at Sinai, the blood of victims sealed the covenant of Yahweh with his people, Ex. 24:4-8+, so on the cross the blood of Jesus, the perfect victim, is about to seal the ‘new’ covenant, cf. Lk. 22:20, between God and man - the covenant foretold by the prophets, Jr 31:31+. Jesus takes on himself the task of universal redemption that Isaiah assigns to the ‘servant of Yahweh’, Is. 42:6; 49:6; 53:12, cf. 41:8+. Cf. Heb 8:8; 9:15; 12:24”; Footnote i says: “Allusion to the eschatological banquet, cf. 8:11; 22:1f. Jesus and his disciples will never meet at table again.”

g. Lk 22:19p - Then he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ (v. 19). He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you.h (v. 20). Footnoteh says: “Or alternatively ‘which has to be given’ and ‘which has to be poured out’.”

h. 1 Co 11:24 - and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, ‘This is my body, which is for you;i do this as a memorial of me. FootnoteI says “Var. ‘This is my body, broken for you.’”

Verse 52 and 53 say: Then the Jews started arguing with one another: ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ they said. Jesus replied: ‘I tel l you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Parallel texts are:

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a. Jn 1:14 - The word was made flesh, m he lived among us, n and we saw his glory,o the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. Footnote m says: “The ‘flesh’ is man considered as a frail and mortal being, cf. 3:6, 17:2, Gn 6:3, Ps. 56:4, Is 40:6,see Rm 7:5+”; Footnote n says: “”Add ‘that I shall give”; the prahse is, in any case, to be understood”: and Footnote o-says: “The ‘glory’ is the manifestation of God’s presence, Ex. 24:16+. No one could see its brilliance and live, Ex 33:20+, but the human nature of the word now screens this glory as the cloud once did. Yet at times it pierces the veil, as the transfiguration, for instances, cf. Lk. 9:32, 35 (alluded to in Jn 1:14?) and when Jesus works miracles –‘signs’ that God is active in him, 2:11+, 11:40;cf. Ex. 14:24-27 and 15:7, 16:7f. The resurrection will reveal the glory fully, cf. Jn 17:5+”.

b. Mt 8:20 - Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’Footnoteh says: “With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

Verse 54 says: Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. Parallel text is Is 25:6 that says: On this mountain,c Yahweh Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines. Footnote c - Zion Verses 55 and 56 say: For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. Parallel text is Jn 15:4-5 that says: Make your home in me, as I make mine in you. As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me (v. 4). I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing (v. 5). Verses 57 and 58 say: As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me.p This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate;q they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live forever. Footnotep says “The life that the Father communicates to the Son passes to the faithful through the Eucharist.”Footnoteq states: “ Add. ‘the manna’ or ‘in the desert’.” The First Reading for this Sunday is Pr 9:1-6. Verse 1 and 2 say: Wisdom has built herself a house, she has erecteda her seven pillars, she has slaughtered her beasts, prepared her wine, she has laid her table. Footnote a - ‘erected’ Greek.

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Parallel text for verse 1 is Mt 22:1-4 that says: Parable of the wedding feasta. Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again (v. 1), ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son’s wedding (v. 2). He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come (v. 3). Next he sent some more servants, “Tell those who had been invited” he said ‘that I have my banquet all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding.” (v. 4) Footnote a says: “A parable with allegorical features; in this, as in the lesson it teaches, it resembles the one that precedes it. The king is God; the wedding feast is the happiness of the messianic age and the king’s son the Messiah; those sent with the invitation are the prophets and the apostles; the invited who ignore them and do them violence are the Jews; those called from the streets are the sinners and the pagans.” Verse 3 and 4 says: She has dispatched her maidservants and proclaimed from the city’s heights. ‘Who is ignorant? Let him step this way.’ To the fool she says… Parallel text is Pr 1:20 that says: Wisdom calls about in the streets,d she raises her voicee in the public squares. Footnote d – ‘in the streets’ Greek; ‘Such is the way’ Hebr; and Footnote e – Wisdom personified, cf. 8:22+, acts like a prophets, cf. Jr. 5:1, walking through the streets and urging her doctrine on the people. Verse 5 and 6 say: ‘Come and eat my bread, drink the wine I have prepared! Leave your folly and you will live, walk in the ways of perception’. Parallel texts are:

a. Si 15:3 - She will give him the bread of understanding to eat, and the water of wisdom to drink. b. Si 24:19-21 - Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits (v. 19), for memories of me are sweeter than honey, inheriting me is sweeter than the

honeycomb (v. 20). They who eat me will hunger for more, they who drink me will thirst for more (v. 21). c. Is 55:1-3 - Oh, come to the water all who are thirsty; though you have not money, come! Buy corn without money, and eat,a and, at no cost, wine and milk (v. 1). Why

spend money on what is not bread, your wages on what fails to satisfy? Listen, listen to me and you will have good things to eat and rich food to enjoy (v. 2). Pay attention, come to me; listen, and your soul will live. With you I will make an everlasting covenantb out of the favors promised to David (v. 3). Footnote a says “Hebr. adds ‘come and buy’ absent from Greek and DSIa”; Footnoteb says “On this everlasting covenant, 59:21; 61:8, which is also the new covenant, see Jr 31:31+.”

d. Mt 5:6 - Happy those who hunger and thirsty for what is right; they shall be satisfied. e. Jn 6:35 - Jesus answered: ‘I ami the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be hungry; he who believes in me will never thirst. j Footnote i says “The Greek phrase

ego eimi recalls the name that God revealed to Moses, Ex 3:14+, cf. Jn 8:24+, but here (and frequently elsewhere) it also forms the prelude to the explanation of a parable. In this case the parable is not in words but in action: the gift of the manna and the multiplication of the loaves are explained as parables of Christ’s gift of himself, the true bread”; Footnotej says “As Wisdom invites man to her table, Pr. 9:1f, so does Jesus. Jn sees him as the Wisdom of God which, in the OT revelation, was already moving towards personification, cf. 1:1+. This perception springs from Christ’s own teaching already recorded in the Synoptics, Mt 11:19; Lk 11:31p, but given here much more clearly by Jn. Tus, Christ’s origin is mysterious, Jn 7:27-29; 8:14,19; cf. Jb 28:20-28; he alone knows the secrets of God and reveals them to man, 3:11-12,31-32; cf. Mt 11:25-27p; Ws 9:13-18; Ba 3:29-38; he is the living bread that supremely satisfies, 6:35; cf. Pr 9:1-6; Si 24:19-22, if men will only come to him, 3:20,21; 5:40; 6:35,37,44,65; 7:37; cf. Pr 9:4-5; Si 24:19; Mt 11:28; but they must seek him before it is too late, 7:34; 8:21; cf. Pr 1:28. Cf. also Is. 55:1-3. For Paul’s teaching, cf. 1 Co 1:24+.”

The Second Reading for this Sunday isEp 5:15-20.

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Verses 15 and 16 say: So be very careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people. This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it. Parallel text is Col 4:5 that says: “Be tactful with those who are not Christian and be sure you make the best use of your time with them.” Verse 17 says: And do not be thoughtless but recognize what is the will of the Lord. Parallel text is Col 1:9 that says: That will explain why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to pray for you, and we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will. Verses 18 , 19 and 20 say: Do not drug yourselves with wine, this is simply dissipation: be filled with the Spirit. Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together, and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts, so that always and everywhere you are giving thanks to God who is our Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Parallel texts for verse 18 are:

a. Pr 23:31 - Never relish how red it is, this wine, how sparkling in the cup, how smooth it flows. b. Col 3:16-17 - Let the message of Christ,g in all its richness, find a home with you. Teach each other and advice each other, in all wisdom. With gratitude in your hearts

sing psalms and hymns and inspired songs to God;h (v. 16) and never say or do anything except in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (v. 17). Footnote g – Var. ‘of the Lord’, or ‘of God’ possibly the text originally read ‘the Word’, cf. Ph 1:4; 2:30; and Footnote h – ‘These ‘inspired songs’ could be charismatic improvisations suggested by the Spirit during liturgical assembly; cf. 1 Co 12:7f; 14:26.

Parallel text for verse 20 is 1 Th 5:18 that says: …and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus.

The Bread of Life Discourse, from http://graceandspace.org.

“Flesh, blood: When Jesus declares, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world,” the Jews “murmur” in unbelief. Their revulsion is complete when Jesus speaks about his blood as true drink. Literal drinking of blood was prohibited in Judaism and perhaps in early Christianity (Gn 9:4; Acts 15:29). The Jews cannot go beyond the physical, and so misunderstand Jesus’ promise. …“Later, the believers will have to ask: Where do we encounter the revelation of God in the flesh and blood of the Son of Man? How can we partake of his flesh and blood? The evangelist’s insinuation of the Eucharistic language in Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life provides an answer: one encounters the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic celebration.

An online article “Eucharist” (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia):


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“The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a sacrament accepted by almost all Christians. It is reenacted in accordance with Jesus' instruction at the Last Supper, as recorded in several books of the New Testament, that his followers do in remembrance of him as when he gave his disciples bread, saying, "This is my body", and gave them wine saying, "This is my blood."

“The Greek noun “Eucharist: εὐχαριςτία (eucharistia),” meaning "thanksgiving," is not used in the New Testament as a name for the rite,[4] however, the related verb is found in New Testament accounts of the Last Supper,[5][6][7] including the earliest such account:[4]

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me". (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

“The term "Eucharist" (thanksgiving) is that by which the rite is referred by the Didache (late 1st or early 2nd century), Ignatius of Antioch (who died between 98 and 117) and Justin Martyr (writing between 147 and 167).[9][11][14] Today, "the Eucharist" is the name still used by Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholics, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Lutherans. Other Protestant denominations rarely use this term, preferring either "Communion", "the Lord's Supper", or "the Breaking of Bread".

“This term, “The Lord's Supper” (Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον), is a name used in the early 50s of the first century as witnessed by the First Epistle to the Corinthians (11:20-21):

“When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.

“The Last Supper appears in all three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It also is found in the First Epistle to the Corinthians,which suggests how early Christians celebrated what Paul the Apostle called the Lord's Supper.

“In his First Epistle to the Corinthians (c 54-55), Paul the Apostle gives the earliest recorded description of Jesus' Last Supper: "The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. ‘In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me'".[1 Cor. 11:23-25]

“The synoptic gospels, Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29, Luke 22:13-20, depict Jesus as presiding over the Last Supper. References to Jesus' body and blood foreshadow his crucifixion, and he identifies them as a new covenant. In the gospel of John, the account of the Last Supper has no mention of Jesus taking bread and "the cup" and speaking of them as his body and blood; instead it recounts his humble act of washing the disciples' feet, the prophecy of the betrayal, which set in motion the events that would lead to the cross, and his long discourse in response to some questions posed by his followers, in which he went on to speak of the importance of the unity of the disciples with him and each other.

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“In John 6:26-65, the evangelist attributes a long discourse to Jesus which deals with the subject of the living bread and in verses 52-59 contains echoes of Eucharistic language. The interpretation of the whole passage has been extensively debated. Hoskyns notes (that) the language is metaphorical and verse 63: "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit" and life" gives the author's precise meaning.”

“The expression The Lord's Supper, derived from St. Paul's usage in 1 Cor. 11:17-34, may have originally referred to the Agape feast (or love feast), the shared communal meal with which the Eucharist was originally associated.[23] The Agape feast is mentioned in Jude 12. But The Lord's Supper is now commonly used in reference to a celebration involving no food other than the sacramental bread and wine. The bread and wine become the means by which the believer has real communion with Christ in his death and Christ's body and blood are present to the faith of the believer as really as the bread and wine are present to their senses but this presence is "spiritual", that is the work of the Holy Spirit.

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TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Cycle B DESERTING THE LORD

“After this many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.” (Jn 6:66) Gospel: Jn6:60-69

TEXT PARALLEL TEXT MAIN VERSE MAIN TEXT FOOTNOTE I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. e

‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael.‘Before Philip called you,’ said Jesus ‘ I saw you under the fig tree.’ ‘…and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me’.

Jn 3:11+ Jn 1:4,12,18 3:32,34 5:24,29 7:16,43 8:14,28,31 Is 54:4,10 Mt 11:27

Jn 1:48+ Jn 2:25; 6:61,64 Mt 9:4 Lk 6:8

Mt 11:6

60 After hearing it, many of his followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?

Jn 3:11+ - e – Jesus does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.

And when I am lifted up from the earth,j I shall draw all menkto myself.’ l Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the

Jn 12:32+ Jn 3:35+

Mt 8:20

61 Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you?

Jn 12:32- j -Om. ‘from the earth’. Allusion to the ‘lifting of’ Christ on the cross (v. 33) and to his ‘lifting up’ to heaven, 3:13,14; 8:28; cf. 6:62, on the day of his

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birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’

Mt 11:19 2 Co 8:9

resurrection, 20:17+; the two events are two aspects of the same mystery, 13:1+. When Christ is raised to the Father’s right hand in glory, 12:23; 17:5+, he will send the Spirit, 7:39,through whom his reign will spread over the world, 16:14; cf. 3:35+. k - Var. ‘every man’ or ‘all things’. l - The crucified Jesus will be set before the eyes of the world as its savior, cf. 19:37. This is the answer to the Greeks’ request to ‘see’ Jesus, cf. 6:40+. Mt.8:20 - h- With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both

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veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.

62 What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?

I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest in the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit”.y What s born of flesh is flesh; what is born of spirit is spirit. I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence.

e

Jn 1:33+ Jn 3:5 Mt 3:11+

Jn 3:6 Gn 6:3 Jn 6:63 1 Co 15:44-50

Jn 3:11+

63 ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.r

Jn 6:63 - r - Christ words about the bread from heaven reveal something real and divine of which only the Spirit, cf. 1:33+, can supply understanding, cf. 10:26+, and which is the source of life for men. Jn 1:33 - y- This phrase sums up the whole purpose of the Messiah’s coming, cf. Jn 1:1+, namely, that mankind might be born again in the spirit: the O.T. had already foretold it,cf. Ac. 2:33+. The Spirit rests on him, Is. 11:12, 42:1, Jn 1:33, and so he can confer it on others baptism on the Spirit, cf. here and Ac 1:5+), but only after his resurrection, Jn 7:39,16:7,8,20:22; Ac.2. For Jesus came in the flesh, 1 Jn. 4:2, 2 Jn 7, flesh that was corruptible, Jn 1:14+, and it is only when he is ‘lifted up; and has gone to the Father that his body, glorified now, is fully endowed with divine, life-giving power. Thenceforward the Spirit flows to the world from his body as from an inexhaustible spring, Jn 7:37-39, 19:34, cf. Rm. 5:5+. For the water symbolism, cf. Jn 4:1+.

How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. Jn 1:48+

64 But there are some of you who don’t believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.

65 He went on, ‘This is why I told you that

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no one could come to me unless the Father allows him’.

You are the men who stood by me faithfully in my trials.

Lk 22:28 Jn 6:66-68; 15:27 Rv 2:26-28

66 After this many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues;d they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover’

=Mk 16:16p Mk. 13:10 Is. 52:7 Mt 28:18-20 Lk. 24:47 Jn 20:21 Col. 1:23 Mt. 10:1p Ac 1:8+; 14:3 Lk. 10:19 Ac 28:3-6 1 Tim 4:14+

67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’

Mk 16:17 - d - Var. ‘new tongues’.

‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’u (v. 21). Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God,ff you are the King of Israel’ (v. 49). He humbled you, he made you feel hungry, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. a It was you who accusedf the Holy One,g the Just One,h you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer …

Jn 1:21+ Mt 17:10-13+ Jn 6:15; 12:13

Dt 8:3 Pr 3:3 Am 8:11 Ex 16

Ac 3:14+ Lk 23:2,5,19,22+, 25,47

68 Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life,

Jn. 1:21 - t - On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt. 17:10-13. u - From Dt. 18;15,18(see note) the Jews argued that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet parexcellence, cf. Nb. 12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt. 16:14+. Dt 8:3 - a - Yahweh makes all things by his word and so gives life to Israel by means of the commandments (miswah) that issue (mosa) from his mouth. On this text, cited in Mt 4:40, see Am 8:11; Ne 9:29; Pr 9:1-5; Ws 16:26; Si 24:19-21;

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…who believes in me!’ As scriptures says: From his breastq shall flow fountains of living water.r

Ac 2:23+

Jn 7:38 Is. 55:1,3 Jn 2:21+ Jn 19:34+ 1 Co. 10:4+

Jn6:30-36,68+. Ac. 3:14 – f – Var. ‘disowned’. g – Cf. with Ac. 4:27,30: Jesus is the ‘holy servant of God’. He is also ‘the holy one of God’ and ‘the holy one’ par excellence; Ac 2:27; Lk 1:35; 3:34; Mk. 1:24+; Jn. 6:69; Rv. 3:7. h – Cf. Is. 53:11; Ac. 7:52; 22:14. See also Mt. 27:19; Lk. 23:47; 1 P. 3:18; 1 Jn. 2:1. Jn 7:38 - r - The liturgy of the feast of Tabernacle, which formed the background of this words, included prayers for rain, rites which commemorated the Mosaic water-miracle, Ex. 17:1-7; cf. 1 Co. 10:4; and readings from biblical passages foretelling life-giving waters from Zion, Zac. 14:8; Ezk. 47:1f; Cf. Jn 4:1+.

69 And we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God’s

Jn 6:69 - s - i.e. the Messiah, God’s chosen envoy, consecrated and united in him uniquely, cf. 10:36; 17:19. Var. ‘you are the Christ, the Son of God’ or ‘the Son of the living God’, cf. Mt 16:16.

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First Reading: Jos 24:1-2, 15-18


1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem;b then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

Jos 24:1 - b - Shechem with its central position was suitable for tribal gatherings, cf. also 1 K 12; and its history makes it the ideal place for making this religious pact: Abraham had built an altar there, Gn 12:6-7. Jacob had bought land there, Gn 33:18-20, and there had buried the idols brought from Mesopotamia, Gn 35:2-4.

The descendants of Terahe These are Terah’s descendants: Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot (v. 27). Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans (v. 28). Abraham and Nahor both married: Abram’s wife was called Sarai. Nahor’s wife was called Milcah, the daughter of Haran, father of Milcah and Iscah (v. 29). Sarai was barren, having no child. (v. 30). Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran and his daughter-in-law the wife of Abram, and made them leavefUrof the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But on arrival in Haran they settled there.g (v. 31). Terah’s life lasted two hundred and five years;h there he died at Haran (v. 32). Listen, daughter, pay careful attention: forget your nation and your ancestral

Gn 11:27-32 Jos 24:2 Gn 22:20-23 Gn 16:1; 17:19-21 Jg 13:3 Gn 15:7 Tb 4:12 Jdt 5:8

Ps 45:10 Gn 12:1

2 Then Joshua said to all the people: ‘Yahweh the God of Israel says this, ‘in ancient days your ancestors lived beyond the River-such was Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor- and they served other gods.

Gn 11:27-32 = e - The story of the chosen race is about to begin and the genealogical table becomes more detailed with a view to introducing its two parents, Abram and Sarai, whose names were later changed to Abraham and Sarah, 17:5,15; it also introduced Nahor, Rebekah’s grandfather, 24:24, and Lot, ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites, 19:30-38. f - ‘made them leave’ ancient versions: ‘went with tme’ Hebr. g - First stage of the journey to the Promised Land. Ur is in Lower Mesopotamia. Haran lies in the north-west of Mesopotamia. h - Only 145 according to the Samaritan Pentateuch: this would mean that Abraham left Haran only when his father died (cf. 11:26 and 12:4); cf. Ac 7:4. Ps 45:10 - g - In the messianic interpretation: Israel, like the ancestral figure Abraham must sever all links with the surrounding pagan world, thus

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home.g Jos 24:2 Ezk 16:3

leaving the ‘ancestral home’ in order to receive ‘sons’, v. 16.

15 But if you will not serve Yahweh, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River; or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve Yahweh.’

Then all the people answered as one, ‘All that Yahweh has said, we will do.’ And Moses took the people’s reply back to Yahweh. Moses went and told the people all the commands of Yahweh and all the ordinances.b In answer, all the people said with one voice, ‘We will observe all the commands that Yahweh has decreed’.

Ex 19:8 Dt 5:27 Jos 24:16-24

Ex 24:3 Dt 5:27 Jos 24:16-24

16 The people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting Yahweh and serving other gods!’

Ex 24:3 - b - The commands (or words, debarim) which alone are referred to in what follows, may indicate the Decalogue. The ordinances (mishpatim) are possibly those of 21:1-22:17.

17 Was it not Yahweh our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples though whom we journeyed?

18 What is more, Yahweh drove all those people out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve Yahweh, for he is our God.

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But all call Zion “Mother”,c since all were born in her.d Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. In the same way, wives should be obedient to their husbands. Then, if there are some husbands who have not yet obeyed the word, they may find themselves won over, without a word spoken, by the way their wives behave (1), when they see how faithful and conscientious they are (2). Do not dress up for show; doing up your hair, wearing gold bracelets and fine clothes (v. 3); all these should be inside, in a person’s heart, a imperishable: the ornament of a sweet and gentle disposition - this is what is precious in the sight of God (v. 4). That is how the holy women of the past dressed themselves attractively - they hoped in God and were tender and obedient to their husbands (v. 5); like Sarah, who was obedient to Abraham, and called him her lord. You are now her children, as long as you live good lives and do not give way to fear or worry (v. 6). In the same way, husbands must always treat their wives with consideration in their life together,

Ps 87:5 ↗Ga 4:26 ↗Ep 5:22-23

=Col 3:18 =Ep 5:21; 6:9 1 P 3:1-7 Tt 2:5

1 P 3:1-7

21 Give way to one another in obedience to Christ.

Ps 87:5 - c - ‘Mother’ Greek; absent from Hebr. d - The pagans, wherever born, are adopted by Zion, which becomes their true country. 1 P 3:1-7 - a - Lit. ‘should be the hidden man (self) of the heart’. b - ‘(she)’ is equally an heir’, var. ‘you are equally heirs’, ‘the life of grace’, lit ‘the grace of life’; var. ‘her own form of the grace of life’, cf. 4:10.

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respecting a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heirb to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your prayers (v. 7).

22 Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord,

For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.

1 Co 3:11 Ps 118:22 Is 28:16 Ac 4:11-12 1 P 2:4

23 sincee as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife.

Ep 5:23 - e - By drawing a parallel between human marriage and the marriage of Christ to the Church, vv. 23-32, Paul makes these two concept illumine each other. Christ is the husband of the Church because he is her head and because he loves the Church as much as a man loves his own body when he loves his wife. Having established this, the comparison naturally suggests an ideal for human marriage. The symbol of Israel as the wife of Yahweh is common in the OT, Ho 1:2+.

He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church (v. 22), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creationu (v. 23)

Ep 1:22-23 Col. 1:18+,19 Ph 2:9 1 Co 15:24-25 Col 1:18+, 19+

24 And as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything.

Ep. 1:23 – u – Lit. ‘fills all in all’. The Church, as the body of Christ, 1 Co. 12:12f, can be called the fullness (pleroma); cf. Infra 3:19, 4:13) in so far as it includes the whole new creation that shares (since it forms the setting of the human race) in the cosmic rebirth under Christ its ruler and head, cf. Col. 1:15-20f. The adverbial phrase ‘all in all’ is used to suggest something of limitless size, cf. 1 Co. 6, 15:28, Col. 3:11.

…and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a

Ep 5:2 Mt 5:48

25 Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed

1 P 3:7 - b - ‘(she)’ is equally an heir’, var. ‘you are

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fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. In the same way, husbands must always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heirb to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your prayers.

2 Th 3:7+ Ga 2:20 1 Jn 3:16

=Col 3:19 =Ep 5:21; 6:9 1 P 3:1-7 Tt 2:5

1 P 3:7

himself for her equally heirs’, ‘the life of grace’, lit ‘the grace of life’; var. ‘her own form of the grace of life’, cf. 4:10.

In other words, a when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, b so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.

It was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our savior. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.

Rm 6:4 Rm 1:4+ Ex 24:16+

Tt 3:5-7 RM 6:1 2 Tm 1:9 Jn 3:5 Rm 5:5; 6:4+,22 2 Cor 13:13+ Ep 5:26 1 Tm 1:1+ Rm 3:24; 8:17,24

26 to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words.

Rm. 6:4+ a – Lit. ‘therefore’; var. ‘for’. b – Baptism is not separated from faith but goes with it, Ga. 3:6f, Ep. 4:5, Heb. 10:22, cf. Ac. 12f,37, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:2-5, and gives it outward expression by the operative symbolism of the baptismal ceremonial. For this reason, Paul ascribes to faith and to baptism the same effects (cf. Ga. 2:16-20 and Rm. 6:3-9). The sinner is immersed in water (the etymological meaning of ‘baptize’ is ‘dip’) and thus ‘buried’ with Christ, Col. 2:12, with whom also he emerges to ‘resurrection’, Rm. 8:11+, as a ‘new creature’, 2 Co. 5:17+, a ‘new man’, Ep. 2:15+, a member of the one Body animated by the one Spirit, 1 Co.

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a

12:13, Ep. 4:4f. This resurrection will not be complete or final until the end of time, 1 Co. 15:12+ (but cf. Ep. 2:6), but is already taking place in the form of a new life lived ‘in the Spirit’, vv. 8:11,13, 8:2f, Ga. 5:16-24. The death-resurrection symbolism of baptism is particularly Pauline, but this initial rite of Christian life, Heb. 6:22, is also spoken of in the NT, as a cleansing bath, Ep.5:26, Heb. 10:22, cf. 1 Co. 6:11, Tt. 3:5, a new birth, Jn. 3:5, Tt. 3:5, cf. 1 P. 1:3, cf. Ep. 5:14. On the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, cf. Ac. 1:5+; these two aspects of the consecration of the Christian are apparently the ‘anointing’ and the seal’ of 2 Co. 1:21f. According to 1 P. 3:21, the ark of Noah is an antetype of baptism.

Tt. 3:5f – a –The effect of baptism are: rebirth, free forgiveness by Christ, reception of his Holy Spirit, cf. Rm. 5:5+, and the immediate enjoyment of all rights as heir to eternal life (the presence of the Holy Spirit being a pledge of this, cf. 2 Co. 1:22).

You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one husband.

2 Co 11:2 Ep 5:27 Rv 21:2,9

27 So that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.f

Ep. 5:27 - f – It was customary in the middle east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and

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…but now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body.k Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless- …let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb.a His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen,b because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husbandd (v. 2). One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb had married’ (v. 9). In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heavenj(v. 10). It had all the radiant glory from God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond (v. 11).

Col 1:22

Col 2:13 Ep 2:14-16 1 Co 1:8+ Ep 5:27+

Rv 19:7-8 Rv 11:7 Mt 22:9 Ep 5:27+ Rv 15:6 Is 61:10 Mt 22:12

Rv 21:2,9-11 Rv 19:7-8 2 Co 11:2 Ezk 40:2 Heb 11:10 Rv 21:2 Is 60:1-2

dressed. As applied mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and introduces her to himself. Col 1:22 - k - ‘he’, i.e. the Father. The human, natural body is that of his Son (lit. ‘flesh body’); this provides the locus where the reconciliation takes place. Into the body the entire human race is effectively gathered, cf. Ep 2:14-16, because Christ has assumed its sin, 2 Co 5:21. The ‘flesh’ body is the body as affected by sin, 2 Co 5:21; cf. Rm 8:3; 7:5+; Heb 4:15. Rv 19:7-8 - a - The wedding of the Lamb symbolizes the beginning of the heavenly kingdom described in 21:9f. See Ho 1:2+ and Ep 5:22-23+. b - Symbol of victorious purity, a gift from God. Rv 21:2,9-11 - d - The new and joyful wedding of Jerusalem and her God has taken place, cf. Is 65:18; 61:10; 62:4-6; the Exodus ideal has at last been achieved, cf. Ho 2:16+. j - i.e. the renewal in these present, messianic times; the transformation of humanity by an act of God.

28 In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself.

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29 A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church.

Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.k

1 Co 12:12+ 1 Co 6:15 1 Co 10:17 Rm 12:4-5 Ep 4:25 Col 3:15 Ga 3:28 Ep 4:4-6 Col 3:11

30 Because it is his body – and we are its living parts. g

Ep 5:30 - g - Add. (Vulg.) ‘made from his flesh and blood’. 1 Co 12:12 - k - The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.

This is why a man leaves father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body. …and that he said: this is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body?

Gn 2:24 Mt 19:5p Mk 10:7 1 Co 6:16 Ep 5:31

Mt 19:5p Gn 2:24 Ep 5:31

31 For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother – and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body.

Doxologyj Glory to him who is able to give you the strengthk to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mysteryl kept secret for endless ages…

Rm 16:25+ Jude 25 Rm 11:25 1 Co 2:7 Ep 1:9; 3:3 Col 1:26 1 Tm 3:9

32 This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.h

Ep 5:32 - h - Paul makes this Gn text a prophecy of the marriage of Christ and the Church: a mystery, like that of the salvation of the pagans, that has been hidden but is now revealed, cf. 1:9f; 3:3f. Rm 16:25 - j - Most authorities place this doxology here, but in some it appears at the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude 24-25, of the main points of the

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letter. k - Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in Christian practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21; Col 2:7. l - The idea of a ‘mystery’ of wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden in God and now revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed by Paul from Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the term by applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross of Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26; Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep 3:6, to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19, and finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep 1:9-10. See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2 Tm 1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.

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Homily for 21stSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Jn 6:60-69 (Gospel), Jos 24:1-2, 15-18 (First Reading) and Ep 5:21-32 (Second Reading)


DESERTING THE LORD ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ (Jn 6:67)

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Jn 6:60-69 . Verse 60 says: After hearing it, many of his followers said, ‘This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it? Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 3:11 - I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. e Footnote e – Jesus does not

speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.

b. Jn1:48 -‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. c. Mt 11:6 -‘…and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me’.

Verse 61 says: Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, ‘Does this upset you?

a. Jn 12:32 - And when I am lifted up from the earth,j I shall draw all men k to myself.’l Footnotej says “Om. ‘from the earth’. Allusion to the ‘lifting of’ Christ on the cross (v. 33) and to his ‘lifting up’ to heaven, 3:13,14; 8:28; cf. 6:62, on the day of his resurrection, 20:17+; the two events are two aspects of the same mystery, 13:1+. When Christ is raised to the Father’s right hand in glory, 12:23; 17:5+, he will send the Spirit, 7:39,through whom his reign will spread over the world, 16:14; cf. 3:35+; Footnote k - Var. ‘every man’ or ‘all things’”; and Footnote l says “The crucified Jesus will be set before the eyes of the world as its savior, cf. 19:37. This is the answer to the Greeks’ request to ‘see’ Jesus, cf. 6:40+.”

b. Mt 8:20 - Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Manh has nowhere to lay his head.’ Footnote h says“With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

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Verses 62 and 63 say: What if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before? ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.r Footnoter says “Christ words about the bread from heaven reveal something real and divine of which only the Spirit, cf. 1:33+, can supply understanding, cf. 10:26+, and which is the source of life for men.” Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 1:33 - I did not know him myself, but he who sent me to baptize with water had said to me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and rest in the one who is going to baptize with the Holy Spirit”.y Footnote y says “This phrase sums up the whole purpose of the Messiah’s coming, cf. Jn 1:1+, namely, that mankind might be born again in the spirit: the O.T. had already foretold it,cf. Ac. 2:33+. The Spirit rests on him, Is. 11:12, 42:1, Jn 1:33, and so he can confer it on others baptism on the Spirit, cf. here and Ac 1:5+), but only after his resurrection, Jn 7:39,16:7,8,20:22; Ac.2. For Jesus came in the flesh, 1 Jn. 4:2, 2 Jn 7, flesh that was corruptible, Jn 1:14+, and it is only when he is ‘lifted up; and has gone to the Father that his body, glorified now, is fully endowed with divine, life-giving power. Thenceforward the Spirit flows to the world from his body as from an inexhaustible spring, Jn 7:37-39, 19:34, cf. Rm. 5:5+. For the water symbolism, cf. Jn 4:1+.”

b. Jn 3:6 - What s born of flesh is flesh; what is born of spirit is spirit. c. Jn 3:11 - I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence.e Footnote e – Jesus

does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.

Verse 64, 65, and 66 say: But there are some of you who don’t believe.’ For Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. He went on, ‘This is why I told you that no one could come to me unless the Father allows him’. After this many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.

Parallel text is Lk 22:28 that says: You are the men who stood by me faithfully in my trials.

Verse 67 says: Then Jesus said to the Twelve, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’

Parallel text is Mk 16:16 that says: He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils, they will have the gift of tongues;d they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison, they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover’. Footnote d says that “Var. ‘new tongues’.”

Verse 68 and 69 say: Simon Peter answered, ‘Lord, who shall we go to? You have the message of eternal life, and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God.’s Footnote s says “i.e. the Messiah, God’s chosen envoy, consecrated and united in him uniquely, cf. 10:36; 17:19. Var. ‘you are the Christ, the Son of God’ or ‘the Son of the living God’, cf. Mt 16:16.”

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Parallel texts for verse 68 say:

a. Jn 1:21- ‘Well then,’ they asked ‘are you Elijah?’t ‘I am not’ he said. ‘Are you the prophet?’u (v. 21). Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God,ff you are the King of Israel’ (v. 49).Footnote t says: “On the expected return of Elijah, see Ml. 3:23-24 and Mt. 17:10-13”; Footnote u says “From Dt. 18;15,18(see note) the Jews argued that the expected Messiah would be another Moses (the prophet par excellence, cf. Nb. 12:7+) who would repeat on a grand scale the prodigies of the Exodus. Cf. Jn. 3:14; 6:14, 30-31, 68; 7:40,52; 13:1+; Ac. 3:22-23; 7:20-44; Heb. 3:1-11. See also Mt. 16:14+.

b. Dt 8:3 - He humbled you, he made you feel hungry, he fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known, to make you understand that man does not live on bread alone but that man lives on everything that comes from the mouth of Yahweh.a Footnotea says “Yahweh makes all things by his word and so gives life to Israel by means of the commandments (miswah) that issue (mosa) from his mouth. On this text, cited in Mt 4:40, see Am 8:11; Ne 9:29; Pr 9:1-5; Ws 16:26; Si 24:19-21; Jn 6:30-36,68+.”

c. Ac 3:14 - It was you who accusedf the Holy One,g the Just One, you who demanded the reprieve of a murderer … d. Jn 7:38…who believes in me!’ As scriptures says: From his breastq shall flow fountains of living water.r Footnoter says “The liturgy of the feast of Tabernacle, which

formed the background of this words, included prayers for rain, rites which commemorated the Mosaic water-miracle, Ex. 17:1-7; cf. 1 Co. 10:4; and readings from biblical passages foretelling life-giving waters from Zion, Zac. 14:8; Ezk. 47:1f; Cf. Jn 4:1+.”

The First Reading for this Sunday isJos 24:1-2, 15-18. Verse 1 and 2 say: Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem;b then he called the elders, leaders, judges and scribes of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. Then Joshua said to all the people: ‘Yahweh the God of Israel says this, ‘in ancient days your ancestors lived beyond the River-such was Terah the father of Abraham and of Nahor- and they served other gods. Footnote b says “Shechem with its central position was suitable for tribal gatherings, cf. also 1 K 12; and its history makes it the ideal place for making this religious pact: Abraham had built an altar there, Gn 12:6-7. Jacob had bought land there, Gn 33:18-20, and there had buried the idols brought from Mesopotamia, Gn 35:2-4. Parallel texts are:

a. Gn 11:27-32 - The descendants of Terahe These are Terah’s descendants: Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot (v. 27). Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans (v. 28). Abraham and Nahor both married: Abram’s wife was called Sarai. Nahor’s wife was called Milcah, the daughter of Haran, father of Milcah and Iscah (v. 29). Sarai was barren, having no child. (v. 30). Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran and his daughter-in-law the wife of Abram, and made them leavef Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But on arrival in Haran they settled there.g (v. 31). Terah’s life lasted two hundred and five years;h there he died at Haran (v. 32).Footnote e - The story of the chosen race is about to begin and the genealogical table becomes more detailed with a view to introducing its two parents, Abram and Sarai, whose names were later changed to Abraham and Sarah, 17:5,15; it also introduced Nahor, Rebekah’s grandfather, 24:24, and Lot, ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites, 19:30-38; Footnote f says ‘made them leave’ ancient versions: ‘went with me’ Hebr.; Footnote g says “First stage of the journey to the Promised Land. Ur is in Lower Mesopotamia. Haran lies in the north-west of Mesopotamia; Footnote h says “Only 145 according to the Samaritan Pentateuch: this would mean that Abraham left Haran only when his father died (cf. 11:26 and 12:4); cf. Ac 7:4.

b. Ps 45:10 - Listen, daughter, pay careful attention: forget your nation and your ancestral home.g Footnoteg says “In the messianic interpretation: Israel, like the ancestral figure Abraham must sever all links with the surrounding pagan world, thus leaving the ‘ancestral home’ in order to receive ‘sons’, v. 16.”

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Verses 15, 16, 17 and 18 say: But if you will not serve Yahweh, choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River; or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve Yahweh.’ The people answered, ‘We have no intention of deserting Yahweh and serving other gods!’Was it not Yahweh our God who brought us and our ancestors out of the land of Egypt, the house of slavery, who worked those great wonders before our eyes and preserved us all along the way we travelled and among all the peoples though whom we journeyed? What is more, Yahweh drove all those people out before us, as well as the Amorites who used to live in this country. We too will serve Yahweh, for he is our God. Parallel texts of verse 16 are:

a. Ex 19:8 - Then all the people answered as one, ‘All that Yahweh has said, we will do.’ And Moses took the people’s reply back to Yahweh. b. Ex 24:3 - Moses went and told the people all the commands of Yahweh and all the ordinances.b In answer, all the people said with one voice, ‘We will observe all the

commands that Yahweh has decreed’. Footnote b says“The commands (or words, debarim) which alone are referred to in what follows, may indicate the Decalogue. The ordinances (mishpatim) are possibly those of 21:1-22:17.”

The Second Reading for this Sunday isEp 5:21-32. Verse 21 and 22 say: Give way to one another in obedience to Christ. Wives should regard their husbands as they regard the Lord. Parallel texts are:

a. Ps 87:5 - But all call Zion “Mother”,c since all were born in her.d Footnotec says ‘Mother’ Greek; absent from Hebr.”; Footnote d says “The pagans, wherever born, are adopted by Zion, which becomes their true country.”

b. Col 3:18 - Wives, give way to your husbands, as you should in the Lord. c. 1 P 3:1-7 - In the same way, wives should be obedient to their husbands. Then, if there are some husbands who have not yet obeyed the word, they may find

themselves won over, without a word spoken, by the way their wives behave (1), when they see how faithful and conscientious they are (2). Do not dress up for show; doing up your hair, wearing gold bracelets and fine clothes (v. 3); all these should be inside, in a person’s heart, a imperishable: the ornament of a sweet and gentle disposition - this is what is precious in the sight of God (v. 4). That is how the holy women of the past dressed themselves attractively - they hoped in God and were tender and obedient to their husbands (v. 5); like Sarah, who was obedient to Abraham, and called him her lord. You are now her children, as long as you live good lives and do not give way to fear or worry (v. 6). In the same way, husbands must always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting a woman as one who, though she may be the weaker partner, is equally an heirb to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your prayers (v. 7). Footnote a says “Lit. ‘should be the hidden man (self) of the heart’.; Footnote b says ‘(she)’ is equally an heir’, var. ‘you are equally heirs’, ‘the life of grace’, lit ‘the grace of life’; var. ‘her own form of the grace of life’, cf. 4:10.”

Verse 23 says: sincee as Christ is head of the Church and saves the whole body, so is a husband the head of his wife. Footnote e says “By drawing a parallel

between human marriage and the marriage of Christ to the Church, vv. 23-32, Paul makes these two concept illumine each other. Christ is the husband of the Church because he is her head and because he loves the Church as much as a man loves his own body when he loves his wife. Having established this, the comparison naturally suggests an ideal for human marriage. The symbol of Israel as the wife of Yahweh is common in the OT, Ho 1:2+.”

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Parallel text is 1 Co 3:11 that says: For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ. Verse 24 says: And as the Church submits to Christ, so should wives to their husbands, in everything. Parallel text is Ep 1:22-23 that says: He has put all things under his feet, and made him, as the ruler of everything, the head of the Church (v. 22), which is his body, the fullness of him who fills the whole creationu (v. 23) Footnote u says “Lit. ‘fills all in all’. The Church, as the body of Christ, 1 Co. 12:12f, can be called the fullness (pleroma); cf. Infra 3:19, 4:13) in so far as it includes the whole new creation that shares (since it forms the setting of the human race) in the cosmic rebirth under Christ its ruler and head, cf. Col. 1:15-20f. The adverbial phrase ‘all in all’ is used to suggest something of limitless size, cf. 1 Co. 6, 15:28, Col. 3:11.”

Verse 25 says: Husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the Church and sacrificed himself for her…

Parallel texts are:

a. Ep 5:2 - …and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up in our place as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God. b. Col 3:19 - Husbands, love your wives and treat them with gentleness. c. 1 P 3:7 - In the same way, husbands must always treat their wives with consideration in their life together, respecting a woman as one who, though she may be the

weaker partner, is equally an heirb to the life of grace. This will stop anything from coming in the way of your prayers.

Verse 26 says: to make her holy. He made her clean by washing her in water with a form of words.

Parallel texts are:

a. Rm 6:4 - In other words, a when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, b so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. Footnote a says “Lit. ‘therefore’; var. ‘for’: Footnote b –says “Baptismis not separated from faith but goes with it, Ga. 3:6f, Ep. 4:5, Heb. 10:22, cf. Ac. 12f,37, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:2-5, and gives it outward expression by the operative symbolism of the baptismal ceremonial. For this reason, Paul ascribes to faith and to baptism the same effects (cf. Ga. 2:16-20 and Rm. 6:3-9). The sinner is immersed in water (the etymological meaning of ‘baptize’ is ‘dip’) and thus ‘buried’ with Christ, Col. 2:12, with whom also he emerges to ‘resurrection’, Rm. 8:11+, as a ‘new creature’, 2 Co. 5:17+, a ‘new man’, Ep. 2:15+, a member of the one Body animated by the one Spirit, 1 Co. 12:13, Ep. 4:4f. This resurrection will not be complete or final until the end of time, 1 Co. 15:12+ (but cf. Ep. 2:6), but is already taking place in the form of a new life lived ‘in the Spirit’, vv. 8:11,13, 8:2f, Ga. 5:16-24. The death-resurrection symbolism of baptism is particularly Pauline, but this initial rite of Christian life, Heb. 6:22, is also spoken of in the NT, as a cleansing bath, Ep.5:26, Heb. 10:22, cf. 1 Co. 6:11, Tt. 3:5, a new birth, Jn. 3:5, Tt. 3:5, cf. 1 P. 1:3, cf. Ep. 5:14. On the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, cf. Ac. 1:5+; these two aspects of the consecration of the Christian are apparently the ‘anointing’ and the seal’ of 2 Co. 1:21f. According to 1 P. 3:21, the ark of Noah is an antetype of baptism.”

b. Tt 3:5-7 - It was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our savior. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.a

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Footnote a says “The effect of baptism are: rebirth, free forgiveness by Christ, reception of his Holy Spirit, cf. Rm. 5:5+, and the immediate enjoyment of all

rights as heir to eternal life (the presence of the Holy Spirit being a pledge of this, cf. 2 Co. 1:22).”

Verse 27, 28 and 29 say: So that when he took her to himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and faultless.f In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself. A man never hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church. Footnote f says “It was customary in the middle east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and introduces her to himself.”

Parallel texts of verse 27 are: a. 2 Co 11:2 - You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one

husband. b. Col 1:22 - …but now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body.k Now you are able to appear before him holy, pure and blameless-Footnotek says ‘he’,

i.e. the Father. The human, natural body is that of his Son (lit. ‘flesh body’); this provides the locus where the reconciliation takes place. Into the body the entire human race is effectively gathered, cf. Ep 2:14-16, because Christ has assumed its sin, 2 Co 5:21. The ‘flesh’ body is the body as affected by sin, 2 Co 5:21; cf. Rm 8:3; 7:5+; Heb 4:15.”

c. Rv 19:7-8 - …let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb.a His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen,b because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints. Footnotea says “The wedding of the Lamb symbolizes the beginning of the heavenly kingdom described in 21:9f. See Ho 1:2+ and Ep 5:22-23+”; Footnote b says “Symbol of victorious purity, a gift from God.”

d. Rv 21:2,9-11 - I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of the heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husbandd (v. 2). One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came to speak to me, and said, ‘Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb had married’ (v. 9). In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven j (v. 10). It had all the radiant glory from God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond (v. 11).Footnote d says “The new and joyful wedding of Jerusalem and her God has taken place, cf. Is 65:18; 61:10; 62:4-6; the Exodus ideal has at last been achieved, cf. Ho 2:16+”; Footnote j says“i.e. the renewal in these present, messianic times; the transformation of humanity by an act of God.”

Verses 28, 29 and 30 say: In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies; for a man to love his wife is for him to love himself.A man never

hates his own body, but he feeds it and looks after it; and that is the way Christ treats the Church. Because it is his body – and we are its living parts.g Footnote g–says “Add.

(Vulg.) ‘made from his flesh and blood’.

Parallel text is 1 Co 12:12 that says: Just as a human body, it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ.k Footnotek says “The way a human body gives unity to all its component parts is the way Christ, as a unifying principle of the Church, gives unity to all Christians in his Body.”

Verse 31 says For this reason, a man must leave his father and mother – and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one body.

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Parallel texts are: a. Gn 2:24 - This is why a man leaves father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body. b. Mt 19:5 - …and that he said: this is why a man must leave father and mother, and cling to his wife, and the two become one body?

Verse 32 says: This mystery has many implications; but I am saying it applies to Christ and the Church.h Footnote h says “Paul makes this Gn text a prophecy of the marriage of Christ and the Church: a mystery, like that of the salvation of the pagans, that has been hidden but is now revealed, cf. 1:9f; 3:3f.”

Parallel text is Rm 16:25 that says: Doxologyj Glory to him who is able to give you the strengthk to live according to the Good News I preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mysteryl kept secret for endless ages…Footnote j says “Most authorities place this doxology here, but in some it appears at the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude 24-25, of the main points of the letter; Footnote k says ”Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in Christian practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21; Col 2:7”; Footnote lstates: “The idea of a ‘mystery’ of wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden in God and now revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed by Paul from Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the term by applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross of Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26; Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep 3:6, to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19, and finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep 1:9-10. See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2 Tm 1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.”

An online article “Lord, to whom shall we go? (John 6:60-69),” from: anicecupofjesus.wordpress.com, posted in Lessons from the Bible by guidemesafelyhome:

“Life is hard. Things in life are hard. Many of those times when things are too hard we simply get up, pack our things and walk away. Desertion is a common response to take as soon as things get too hairy, too prickly, too awkward or just too much effort.

“So many of Jesus’ disciples did just that on the day described in John 6. Jesus’ teachings were hard and hit home in a way that many of his followers simply could not digest. This man who claimed to be the bread of life? This man who claimed to be God; the one who was promised? Nope, too hard, we know this man! Making that leap of faith was just too much effort for those who turned back that day.

Alas, there were some who did not turn away! The Twelve, when asked if they would like to leave too, said what to me are some of the most profound words in the Bible: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Another online article by Terry Trivette, “That’s a Good Question - The Difference in a Disciple and a Deserter” from sermons.pastorlife.com:

“Toward the close of John chapter 6, there is a sad and arresting verse. Verse 66 says, “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” “Obviously hurt by this defection, in verse 67, Jesus turned to the twelve original disciples and said, “Will ye also go away?” “That’s a good question for all of us. Will you go away as well? Will you finish your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or a deserter of the faith you once claimed? “Look at our text, and notice

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again verse 66. There it says, “From that time many of his disciples went back…” In order to understand what led to this mass retreat, I think we need to identify who these “many…disciples” were, and what it was that initially drew them to follow Jesus. “Very often those abandon the faith in the end do so because they approached the faith in the beginning for all of the wrong reasons. “There are those who come to Jesus as an experiment. They are interested in Him to some degree, and they choose to pursue Him on a sort of “trial basis”, curious of what He might do for them. “The “many” in verse 66 can be traced back to the earlier parts of John 6. For instance, look back with me at verse 2. There we read, “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” “No doubt, some of those who deserted the Lord in verse 66 were first drawn to Him out of a curiosity about His power.These are the sign seekers. “As we move through chapter 6, we find the story of Jesus feeding the multitude…After this miracle, Jesus escaped from the crowds, only to be pursued by them again. Look with me in verse 26. There Jesus says to the crowd, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”Here is another group following Jesus. This group was looking not so much for miracles, as for meals. They sought Jesus not so much for wonders, but for a sort of religious welfare in which Jesus filled their stomach, and eased their hungers. “This group represents those who follow Jesus for purely selfish reasons. They try Him out to see what He can offer them. As long as their bellies are full, and they feel good, they will hang around. “However, it is likely that when Jesus begins to call them to a life sacrifice and selflessness, they will turn their backs and walk away. Those who walked away in verse 66, did so because Jesus had become difficult and demanding in their lives, and they no longer enjoyed His company.What about you? Do you enjoy Jesus? Notice a couple of things that are involved in enjoying Jesus. First of all, to enjoy Jesus is to enjoy:Look back at the text, and notice verse 60. There we read the people’s reaction to the sermon Jesus had preached. It says, “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?” For some the harsh truth that Jesus proclaims is too much. They grumble and complain about His word, enduring, rather than enjoying what He says.In verse 67, Jesus looks sorrowfully at the backs of those who were walking away, and He turns to His disciples and asks, “Will ye also go away?” To this Peter responds for the group,“Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.”For Peter, and the other disciples that remained, walking away from Jesus was simply not an option. He was essential to their lives. Jesus asked, “Are you going to leave too?” Peter answered Him, “Who else are we going to follow? You have the words of eternal life.” “The difference in a disciple and a deserter is that the disciple believes that there is no truth apart from Christ! His Word is the final word for their lives. Those that walked away had been interested in Jesus to some degree. However, they walked away from Him because they felt like they could do without Him. How do you prevent desertion from happening in your life? The answer is simple, follow Jesus, not because of any peripheral or temporal thing, but simply because He is the only hope for your life and your soul.”

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Pastor Charlie Vannieuwenhoven says at www.northdalelutheran.org (accessed 2 May 2014):

“In our text, we see both of these reactions. Let’s set the scene: Jesus had just finished the Bread of Life discourse... It started with the feeding of the 5,000 when the people there wanted to make Jesus their Bread King—an earthly king who could provide all that they needed. Jesus used this opportunity to focus their attention on the true king that he was, the one who provides what is necessary for eternal life. This teaching caused offense to many who were there. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (vs. 53-54)” What caused offense was that Jesus was connecting eternal life to himself. Jesus was emphasizing that all who want eternal life must enter into a personal relationship of faith with Him as the Son of God. They recognized that Jesus was calling himself God and that eternal life came from him. But this they could not accept. “And Jesus understood this about them which is why he pressed them a little further, “Does this offend you?” What offended them was that they had come with different presuppositions. It was not the Father’s persuasion that brought them to see Jesus. It was materialist motives that veiled their eyes. They couldn’t comprehend what Jesus was really saying to them because his message was meant for their souls. They were of the opinion their souls were fine, it was their bodies that needed the help. Jesus pressed them even further, “Would you believe if you saw me ascend into heaven?” And the answer is no. They were offended by Jesus’ teaching because the cause of that offense was rooted in unbelief. They would not see Jesus as their Savior, the spiritual king that he came to be. They refused to see it and eventually they walked away, saddened and disheartened that they hadn’t found the king they were looking for.

“God’s Word is offensive to some still in our world today. The common thought is that if you want good conversations you avoid politics and religion. Both are charged topics. But religion especially, as we talk about God’s Word, causes offense to people—even to us. By nature, we are offended at God’s Word. We are told in scripture that our sinful minds are hostile to God. We want to be our own gods or kings. We want things our way. We want to make sure we take care of our needs and what best benefits us. If God and his word can help—great. But if not, then we want to look somewhere else. When God’s word confronts our sin and tells us that we are wrong, we are offended. “Who are you to tell me what’s best for me?” This is the attitude of our world. We want things to be on our terms they way that we want them to be. And when we can’t have it our way, we are offended. Not only do we have a hard time when our sinful nature is offended by God’s word, we have a hard time when others are offended by it. The temptation today is not only for us to walk away from God’s Word, but to water down God’s word so that others might not be offended by what God says.

“We hear Peter speak on behalf of the disciples and confess beautifully the truth of Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We

believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” There Peter sums the entire issue up. He brings us back to what Jesus is all about and what is most

important. Eternal life. Eternal life is found in only one place. Jesus. Really, what other choice is there? Where else could you go? If you are looking for eternal

life—no where. As the Holy One of God, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the laws of God. With his perfect sacrifice on Calvary Jesus bring life and forgiveness to all.

“These are the words that bring such joy and gladness to us. These are the words that remind us what following Jesus is all about. It is all about eternal life,

found in Jesus alone. And so to you I put forward this question, “To whom will you go?”

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TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Cycle B PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION

Gospel: Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23


Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem then came to Jesus and said (v.1), ‘Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders?a They do not wash their hands when they eat foodb (v. 2). And why do you’ he answered ‘ break away from the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (v. 3) For God said: Do your duty toc your father and mother and: Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death (v. 4). But you say, “If anyone says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is dedicated to God”d (v. 5), he is rid of his duty to father or mother.e In this way you have made God’s word null and void by means of your tradition (v. 6). Hypoctites! It was you Isaiah meant when he so rightly prophesied (v. 7): This people honors me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me (v. 8) The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations’ (v. 9). …and they have heard that you instruct all Jews living among the pagans to break away from Moses,h authorizing them not to circumcise their children or

=Mt 15:1-9 =Mk 7:1-13 Rm 14:14 Ga 1:14 Col 2:8 Lk 11:38 Ex 20:12; 21:17 Lv 20:9 Dt 5:16 Si 3:12 Pr 20:25 Mt 6:2; 23:13f Is 29:13 Ps 78:36f Col 2:23

Ac 21:21 Ac 6:11,14; 15:1; 28:17 Mk 7:1-13

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round him,

Mt 15:1-9 - a - Oral traditionwhich, to safeguard the observance of the written Law, make many additions to it. According to the rabbis this tradition went back through the ‘elders’ to Moses himself. b - Lit. ‘eat bread’. c - Lit “Honor”, but implying a reverence shown in practical ways. d - Vulg. Interprets ‘Every gift I make (to God) is useful to you’. e - Because property thus made over by vow assumes a sacred character which precludes all claims made by the parents. Such a vow was in fact only a legal fiction involving no sacrifice of ownership: it was no more than a despicable way of escaping the duty of filial piety. Though the rabbis acknowledged itsimpiety they sustained its validity. Ac 21:21 - h - Paul’s doctrine of faith as the one source of justification, cf. Rm 1:16+; 3:22+, did indeed lead to this, since it meant that the Mosaic Law no longer gave the Jews superiority over the gentile. But Paul’s purpose in expounding this principle was to leave converts from paganism free of Jewish observance, cf.

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to follow customary practices.

Ga. 2:11f, not to dissuade devout Jews from it.

The Pharisees saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal.

Lk 11:38 Mt 15:2 Mk 7:2,5

2 And they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them.

There were six stone jars standing there, meant for the ablution that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons. …how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions ofmy ancestors.

Jn 2:6 Mk 7:3-4

Ga 1:14 Mk 7:3f Ac 26:4-5

3 For the Pharisees and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the eldersa and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow;

Mk 7:3 - a - The ‘tradition of the elders’ comprises the injunctions and practices added by the rabbis to the Mosaic Law.

4 And returning from the marketplace they never eat without first sprinklingb themselves. There are also many other observances which has been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes.

Mk 7:4 - b - Var. ‘bathing’. Or they never eat what comes from the market without having sprinkled it’.

5 So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ’Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’

Yahweh has said: Because this people approaches me only in words, honors me only with lip-service while its heart is far from me, and my religion, as far as it is concerned, is nothing but human commandments, a lesson memorized.

Is 29:13 Is 1:10-20+ Am 5:21+ Mt 7:21; ↗Mt 15:8-9 Ps 78:36

6 He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honor me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me.

7 The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

8 You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’

He called the people to him and said, =Mt 15:10-11, 14 He called the people to him again and said,

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‘Listen and understand (v. 10). What goes into the mouth does not make a man unclean; it is what comes out of the mouth that makes him unclean’ (v. 11)...

17-20 Mt 12:34 Ep 4:29, Jm 3:6 1 Tm 4:4, Tt 1:15

‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand.

15 Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.

The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secret? So they are steepedr in all sorts of depravity rottenness, greed and malice,s and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite.

Jr 17:9 Mk 7:21 Pr 17:3

Rm 1:29+ Rm 13:13

21 For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder,

Rm 1:29 - r - Here, as he frequently does elsewhere, Pul uses lists of vices taken from current pagan and (even more so) Jewish literature: 13:13; 1 Co 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 2 Co 12:20; Ga 5:19-21; Ep 4:31; 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tm 1:9-10; 6:4; 2 Tm 3:2-5; Tt 3:3; Cf also Mt 15:19p; 1 P 4:3; Rv 21:8; 22:15. s - Add ‘fornication’.

22 adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly.

23 All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

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First Reading: Dt 4:1-2, 6-8


Moses called the whole of Israel together and said to them: Listen Israel, to the laws and customs that I proclaim in your hearing today. Learn them and take care to observe them. These then are the commandments, the laws and the customsa which Yahweh your God has instructed me to teach you that you may observe them in the land which you are going to make your own. You must keep my laws and my customs. Whoever complies with them will find life in them. I am Yahweh. This is my solemn warning to all who hear the prophecies in this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him every plague mentioned in the book (v. 18); if anyone cuts anything out of the prophecies in this book, God will cut out his share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are described in the book (v. 19).

Dt 5:1 Dt 4:1

Dt 6:1 Dt 4:1

Lv 18:5 Dt 4:1 Ne 9:29 Ezk 20:11; 20:21 Lk 10:28 Rm 7:10; ↗10:5 ↗Ga 3:12

Rv 22:18-19 Rv 21:6 1 Co 11:26 Dt 4:2

1 And now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that Yahweh the God of your fathers is giving you.

Dt 6:1 – a–The laws and customs’ properly so called are not enumerated until after the discourse, 12:1f.

Israel at Peora Israel settled at Shittim.b The people gave themselves over to debauchery

Nb 25:1-18 Nb 31:16 Dt 3:29; 4:3

2 You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of Yahweh your God just

Nb 25:1-18 – a–Continuing the story of Israel’s contact with her neighbors. The passage, ‘Priestly’ in

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with the daughters of Moabc (v. 1). These invited them to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ated and bowed down before their gods (v. 2). With Israel thus committed to the Baal of Peor, the anger of Yahweh blazed out against them (v. 3). Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people. Impale them for Yahweh, here in the sun; then the burning anger of Yahweh will turn away from Israel (v. 4). Moses said to the judges in Israel, ‘Every one of you must put to death those of his people who have committed themselves to the Baal of Peor’ (v. 5). A man of the sons of Israel came along, brining theeMidianitewomaninto his family, under the very eyes of Moses and the whole community of the sons of Israel as they wept at the door of the Tent of Meeting (v. 6). When he saw this, Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, stood up and left the assembly, seized a lance (v. 7), followed the Israelite into the Alcove, and there ran them both through the Israelite and the woman, right through the groin. And the plague that had struck the sons of Israel was arrested (v. 8). In the plague twenty-four thousands of them had died (v. 9). Yahweh spoke to Moses and said (v. 10), Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar son of Aaron, has turned my wrath away from the sons of Israel,

Ps 106:28-31 ↗Rv 2:14 Nb 33:49 Ho 9:10 Ex 22:19 Jos 22:17 2 S 21:6f Ex 18:25f Ezk 9:5 Nb 31:16 Ex 2:15+ Ex 6:25; 32:39 Jos 22:13 Jg 20:28 Ezk 9:5 1 Co 10:8 Jos 22:13 Dt 14:24+ Ex 32:25-29 Lv 1-7 Dt 33:8-11 Ps 106:30-31 Si 45:23-26 Ezk 44:15

as I lay them down to you. outlook, establishes the right of Phinehas to the priesthood; it is therefore a sequel to 20:22-29. b–On Shittim or Abel-hash-shittim see Jos 2:1+. c–What follows concerns the Midianites rather than the Moabites. d–The sacred banquet of semitic communion sacrifices. e–She is presumed known. f- Alternative translation ‘It is the reward of his zeal for his God and of having made atonement’.

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because he was the only one among them to have the same zeal as I have; for this I did not make an end, in my zeal, of the sons of Israel (v. 11). Proclaim this, therefore: To him I now grant my covenant of peace (v. 12). For him and for his descendants after him, this covenant shall ensure the priesthood for ever. In reward for his zeal for his God, he shall have the right to perform the ritual of atonementf over the sons of Israel’ (v. 13). The Israelite who was killed (he who had been killed with the Midinaite woman) was called Zumri son of Salu, leader of one of the patriarchal Houses of Simeon (v. 14). The woman, the Midinaite who was killed, was called Cozbi, daughter of Zur, chief of the clan, of a patriarchal House of Midian (v. 15). Yahweh spoke to Moses and said (v. 16), ‘Harry the Midianites and strike them down (v. 17), for they have harassed you with their guile in the Peor affair and in the affair of Cozbi their sister, daughter of the prince of Midian, the woman who was killed the day the plague came on account of Peor’ (v. 18)

Nb 31:3-12

Bless the Lord God in everything; beg him to guide your ways and bring your paths and purposes to their end. For wisdom is not given to every nation: the Lord himself gives all good things. At his will he lifts upc or he casts down to the depths of the dwelling of the dead. So

Tb 4:19 Ps 119:10,12,26f, 33f Dt 4:6 1 S 2:7

6 Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation”.

Tb 4:19 – c–‘he lifts up’ Vet. Lat.

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now, my child, remember the precepts and never let them fade from your heart. And he said to man, ‘Wisdom? It is fear of the Lord. Understanding? – avoidance of evil. The precepts of Yahweh are upright, joy for the heart; the commandments of Yahweh is clear, light for the eyes. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;a fools spurn wisdom and discipline. The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; the knowledge of the Holy One – perception indeed! To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, she is created with the faithful in their mother’s womb; she has made a nest among men, an age-old foundation, and to their offspring she will cling faithfully. Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has shattered their bars. Her king, her nobles, are now with the pagans, the Law is no more. Even her prophets receive no further vision from Yahweh.

Jb 28:28 Dt 4:6 Pr 1:7+; 8:13

Ps 19:8

Pr 1:7 Pr 9:10; 15:33 Dt 4:6 Jb 28:28 Ps 111:10 Si 1:14

Pr 9:10 Pr 1:7 Dt 4:6

Si 1:14-16 Dt 4:6 Pr 1:7+

Lm 2:9 Dt 28:36 2 K 25:7 Dt 4:6,8 Ps 74:9

Pr 1:7 – a – The ‘fear of Yahweh’ in the Bible is approximately what we call the virtue of religion, or devotion to God, being its product, is essentially religious.

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Ezk 7:26 Dn 3:38

Put this question, then, to the ages that was past, that went before you, from the time God created man on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic; from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything ever heard? This is how he is to perform the rite of atonement over the sanctuary for the uncleanness of the sons of Israel, for their transgressions and for all their sins. I will set up my dwelling among you, and I will not cast you off. I will live in your midst; I will be your God and you shall be my people. Is there another people on the earth like your people Israel, with a God setting out to redeem them and make them his people, make them renowned, work great and terrible things on their behalf, drive nations out and gods before his people?k For as these ordeals were intended by him to search their hearts, so now this is not vengeance God exacts against us, but a warning inflicted by the Lord on those who are near his heart. …standing close to all who invike him,

Dt 4:32f Dt 32:7 Jb 8:8 Ba 4:4

Lv 16:16 Ezk 45:18-20 Rm 3:25+

Lv 26:11-12 Dt 4:7+ Ezk 48:35 Jn 1:14+

2 S 7:23 Dt 4:7,34 Ps 44:1-2 Ex 6:7 Dt 7:6+; 26:17; 29:12

Jdt 8:27 Dt 4:4

Ps 145:18

7 And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call to him?a

Dt 4:7 - a - Whereas the other Pentateuchal traditions emphasize the distance between God and man, cf. Ex. 33:20+, Dt calls attention to God’s loving intimacy with his people in whose midst he dwells, 12:5. This same outlook is found in the narrative of the dedication of the Temple, 1 K 8:10-29 and the idea recurs in Ezk 48:35. The NT gives it supreme expression, cf. Jn 1:14+. 2 S 7:23 - k- To avoid giving the impression that these gods actually existed, the scribal tradition modified the Hebr. text (here restored in accordance with Ch and versions), eliminating even the suggestion that false gods could do for their own people what Yahweh could do for Israel.

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close to all who invoke Yahweh faithfully. He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and rulings to Israel. …raising the fortunesb of his people, to the praises of the devout, of Israel, the people dear to him. Seek Yahweh while he is to be found, call to him while he is still near.

Dt 4:7 Is 55:6; 58:9 Jr 29:13

Ps 147:19f Ps 78:5 Dt 33:3-4 Ba 3:37

Ps 148:14 DT 7:6+ Ep 2:13

Is 55:6 Si 5:7 Ho 5:6+ Dt 4:7 Ps 145:18

Ps 148:14 – b – Lit. ‘raising a horn for’.

8 And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?

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Second Reading: Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27


When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’. This is what we have heard from him, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; there is no darkness in him at all.

Jn 8:12+ Gn 1:5 Ex 13:22 Jb 11:17; 18:5 Is 42:6; 58:10 Lm 3:2Jl 2:2 Am 5:18 Mi 7:8 Mt 5:14

1 Jn 1:5 1 Jn 3:11 Dn 2:22 Jn 8:12+ 1 Tm 6:16 Jm 1:17

17 It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comesdownh from the Father of all light;i with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change.

Jas 1:17 - h - Om. (Vet. Lat.) ‘from above’. i- Lit. ‘the Father of the lights’, i.e. the maker of the stars, Gn 1:14-18, and the source of spiritual light, cf. 1 P 2:9; 1 Jn 1:5. The imagery following this phrase is suggested by astronomy. Var. ‘no such thing as alteration due to the movement of a shadow’.

But to all who did accept him he gave power to becomei children of God, to all who believe in the name of himj (v. 12) who wask born not of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself.l …your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God.g These are the ones who have kept their virginitye and not been defiled with women; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes;f they have been redeemed

Jn 1:12-13 Jn 10:35 Jn 3:11+ Ho 2:1 1 Jn 3:2 1 Jn 5:18

1 P 1:23+ Jn 3:11+ Jm 1:18 1 Jn 3:9; 5:1 1 P 1:3

Rv 14:4 Jr 2:2-3 Jm 1:18 Zp 3:13

18 By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truthj so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created.

Jas 1:18 - j - Lit. ‘He deliberately teemed us forth by a word of truth’. This ‘word of truth’ is everything. Jn. 1:12 - i – Var. ‘to be called’. j – ‘to those who believe in his name’ omitted by many of the Fathers. k – Lit. ‘who was born of not of blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man’. Var. (the commonly accepted reading) ‘those who are born’, ‘not of blood…man’; the shorter reading ‘not of flesh or blood’ is perhaps the original one. l – Allusion to the eternal generation of the

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from amongst men to be the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb.

Word but also, as it seems, to Christ’s virgin birth, cf. Mt 1:16,18-23 and Lk 1:26-38. 1 P 1:23 - g - Or ‘the living and eternal Word of God’. e–Metaphorically in the OT, marital infidelity is a metaphor of idolatry, cf. Ho 1:2+, in this case the worship of the beast. f– Just as Israel followed Yahweh at the Exodus, so the new Israel, newly redeemed, follows the Lamb into the desert, cf. Jr 2:2-3, where the marriage rites are renewed (Ho. 2:16-25).

When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels… I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. e

Ga 5:19+ Mt 7:17 Rm 1:29+ 1 Co 3:3+ Ep 5:3 Jm 1:21

Jn 3:11+ Jn 1:4,12,18 3:32,34 5:24,29 7:16,43 8:14,28,31 Is 54:4,10 Mt 11:27

21 …so do away with all impurities and bad habits that are still left in you- accept and submit to the word which had been planted in you and can save your souls.

Jn 3:11+ - e – Jesus does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.

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Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock (v. 24). Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall; it was founded on rock (v. 25). But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand (v. 26). Rain came down; floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had (v. 27)! But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put them into practice. It is not listening to the Law but keeping it that will make people holy in the sight of God. If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him? (v. 17). My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active…

Mt 7:24-27p Pr 10:25; 12:3,7 Ezk 33:31 1 Jn 2:17 Jb 8:15 Ezk 13:10-14

Lk 8:21 Lk 11:27-28 Ezk 33:31

Rm 2:13 Mt 7:26-27 Lk 8:21 Jm 1:22-25

1 Jn 3:17f 1 Jn 2:5; 4:12 Jn 5:42 Mt 7:21 Jm 1:22

22 But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.

You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry

Ex 22:21+ Ex 12:48+; 23:9 Lv 19:33f; 24:17f 27:19 Ps 146:9

27 Pure, undefiled religion, in the eyes of God out Father is this: coming to the help of the orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

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Is 1:17 Ezk 22:7

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Homily for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 (Gospel), Dt 4:1-2, 6-8 (1st Reading);Jas 1:17-18,21-22, 27 (2ndReading)


PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23.Verse 1 says: The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round him… Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 15:1-9 - Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem then came to Jesus and said (v.1), ‘Why do your disciples break away from the tradition of the elders?a They do not wash their hands when they eat foodb (v. 2). And why do you’ he answered ‘ break away from the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? (v. 3) For God said: Do your duty toc your father and mother and: Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death (v. 4). But you say, “If anyone says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is dedicated to God”d (v. 5), he is rid of his duty to father or mother.e In this way you have made God’s word null and void by means of your tradition (v. 6). Hypoctites! It was you Isaiah meant when he so rightly prophesied (v. 7): This people honors me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me (v. 8) The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations’ (v. 9). Footnotea - Oral tradition which, to safeguard the observance of the written Law, make many additions to it. According to the rabbis this tradition went back through the ‘elders’ to Moses himself; Footnote b - Lit. ‘eat bread’; Footnote c says“Lit “Honor”, but implying a reverence shown in practical ways”; Footnote d says “Vulg. Interprets ‘Every gift I make (to God) is useful to you’; and Footnoteesays“Because property thus made over by vow assumes a sacred character which precludes all claims made by the parents. Such a vow was in fact only a legal fiction involving no sacrifice of ownership: it was no more than a despicable way of escaping the duty of filial piety. Though the rabbis acknowledged its impiety they sustained its validity”.

b. Ac 21:21…and they have heard that you instruct all Jews living among the pagans to break away from Moses,h authorizing them not to circumcise their children or to follow customary practices. Footnoteh says “Paul’s doctrine of faith as the one source of justification, cf. Rm 1:16+; 3:22+, did indeed lead to this, since it meant that the Mosaic Law no longer gave the Jews superiority over the gentile. But Paul’s purpose in expounding this principle was to leave converts from paganism free of Jewish observance, cf. Ga. 2:11f, not to dissuade devout Jews from it.”

Verse 2 says: And they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. Parallel text is Lk 11:38 that says: The Pharisees saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. Verses 3 and 4 say: For the Pharisees and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the eldersa and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; And returning from the marketplace they never eat without first sprinklingb themselves. There are also many other observances which has been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. Footnotea says “The ‘tradition of the elders’ comprises the injunctions and practices added by the rabbis to the Mosaic Law”; Footnoteb says “Var. ‘bathing’. Or they never eat what comes from the market without having sprinkled it’.” Parallel texts for verse 3 are:

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a. Jn 2:6 - There were six stone jars standing there, meant for the ablution that are customary among the Jews: each could hold twenty or thirty gallons.

b. Ga 1:14 - …how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors. Verses 4, 5 and 6 say: And returning from the marketplace they never eat without first sprinklingb themselves. There are also many other observances which has been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ’Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honor me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me. Footnote b says “Var. ‘bathing’. Or they never eat what comes from the market without having sprinkled it’.” Parallel text for verse 6 is Is. 29:13 that says: Yahweh has said: Because this people approaches me only in words, honors me only with lip-service while its heart is far from me, and my religion, as far as it is concerned, is nothing but human commandments, a lesson memorized.

Verses 7 and 8 are: The worship they offer me is worthless; the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ Verses 14 and 15 say: He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outs ide can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. Verses 21, 22 and 23 say: For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’ Parallel text for verse 21 are:

a. Jr 17:9 - The heart is more devious than any other thing, perverse too: who can pierce its secret? b. Rm 1:29 - So they are steepedr in all sorts of depravity rottenness, greed and malice,s and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite. Footnote r says

“Here, as he frequently does elsewhere, Paul uses lists of vices taken from current pagan and (even more so) Jewish literature: 13:13; 1 Co 5:10-11; 6:9-10; 2 Co 12:20; Ga 5:19-21; Ep 4:31; 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tm 1:9-10; 6:4; 2 Tm 3:2-5; Tt 3:3; Cf. also Mt 15:19p; 1 P 4:3; Rv 21:8; 22:15”; Footnote s –says “Add ‘fornication’.”

The First Reading for this Sunday is Dt 4:1-2, 6-8. Verse 1 says: And now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that Yahweh the God of your fathers is giving you. Parallel texts are:

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a. Dt 5:1 - Moses called the whole of Israel together and said to them: Listen Israel, to the laws and customs that I proclaim in your hearing today. Learn them and take care to observe them.

b. Dt 6:1 - These then are the commandments, the laws and the customsa which Yahweh your God has instructed me to teach you that you may observe them in the land which you are going to make your own. Footnote asays “The laws and customs’ properly so called are not enumerated until after the discourse, 12:1f”.

c. Lv 18:5 - You must keep my laws and my customs. Whoever complies with them will find life in them. I am Yahweh. d. Rv 22:18-19 - This is my solemn warning to all who hear the prophecies in this book: if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him every plague mentioned in the

book (v. 18); if anyone cuts anything out of the prophecies in this book, God will cut out his share of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are described in the book (v. 19).

Verse 2 says: You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of Yahweh your God just as I lay them down to you. Parallel text for verse 2 is Nb 25:1-18 that says: Israel at Peora - Israel settled at Shittim.bThe people gave themselves over to debauchery with the daughters of Moabc (v. 1). These invited them to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ated and bowed down before their gods (v. 2). With Israel thus committed to the Baal of Peor, the anger of Yahweh blazed out against them (v. 3). Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Take all the leaders of the people. Impale them for Yahweh, here in the sun; then the burning anger of Yahweh will turn away from Israel (v. 4). Moses said to the judges in Israel, ‘Every one of you must put to death those of his people who have committed themselves to the Baal of Peor’ (v. 5). A man of the sons of Israel came along, brining theeMidianitewomaninto his family, under the very eyes of Moses and the whole community of the sons of Israel as they wept at the door of the Tent of Meeting (v. 6). When he saw this, Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, stood up and left the assembly, seized a lance (v. 7), followed the Israelite into the Alcove, and there ran them both through the Israelite and the woman, right through the groin. And the plague that had struck the sons of Israel was arrested (v. 8). In the plague twenty-four thousands of them had died (v. 9). Yahweh spoke to Moses and said (v. 10), Phinehas the priest, son of Eleazar son of Aaron, has turned my wrath away from the sons of Israel, because he was the only one among them to have the same zeal as I have; for this I did not make an end, in my zeal, of the sons of Israel (v. 11). Proclaim this, therefore: To him I now grant my covenant of peace (v. 12). For him and for his descendants after him, this covenant shall ensure the priesthood for ever. In reward for his zeal for his God, he shall have the right to perform the ritual of atonementf over the sons of Israel’ (v. 13). The Israelite who was killed (he who had been killed with the Midianite woman) was called Zumri son of Salu, leader of one of the patriarchal Houses of Simeon (v. 14). The woman, the Midinaite who was killed, was called Cozbi, daughter of Zur, chief of the clan, of a patriarchal House of Midian (v. 15). Yahweh spoke to Moses and said (v. 16), ‘Harry the Midianites and strike them down (v. 17), for they have harassed you with their guile in the Peor affair and in the affair of Cozbi their sister, daughter of the prince of Midian, the woman who was killed the day the plague came on account of Peor’ (v. 18). Footnotes a says “Continuing the story of Israel’s contact with her neighbors. The passage, ‘Priestly’ in outlook, establishes the right of Phinehas to the priesthood; it is therefore a sequel to 20:22-29. Footnote bsays “On Shittim or Abel-hash-shittim see Jos 2:1+; Footnote c says “What follows concerns the Midianites rather than the Moabites”; Footnote d says “The sacred banquet of semitic communion sacrifices; Footnote e says “She is presumed known”; and Footnote f says “Alternative translation ‘It is the reward of his zeal for his God and of having made atonement’”. Verse 6 says: Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of al l these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation”.

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Parallel texts are: a. Tb 4:19 - Bless the Lord God in everything; beg him to guide your ways and bring your paths and purposes to their end. For wisdom is not given to every nation: the

Lord himself gives all good things. At his will he lifts upc or he casts down to the depths of the dwelling of the dead. So now, my child, remember the precepts and never let them fade from your heart. Footnote a says: “Whereas the other Pentateuchal traditions emphasize the distance between God and man, cf. Ex. 33:20+, Dt calls attention to God’s loving intimacy with his people in whose midst he dwells, 12:5. This same outlook is found in the narrative of the dedication of the Temple, 1 K 8:10-29 and the idea recurs in Ezk 48:35. The NT gives it supreme expression, cf. Jn 1:14+.”

b. Jb 28:28 - And he said to man, ‘Wisdom? It is fear of the Lord. Understanding? – avoidance of evil. c. Ps 19:8 - The precepts of Yahweh are upright, joy for the heart; the commandments of Yahweh is clear, light for the eyes. d. Pr 1:7 - The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;a fools spurn wisdom and discipline. e. Pr 9:10 - The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; the knowledge of the Holy One – perception indeed! f. Si 1:14-16 - To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, she is created with the faithful in their mother’s womb; she has made a nest among men, an age-old foundation,

and to their offspring she will cling faithfully. g. Lm 2:9 - Her gates have sunk into the ground; he has shattered their bars. Her king, her nobles, are now with the pagans, the Law is no more. Even her prophets receive

no further vision from Yahweh. Verses 7 and 8 say : And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as Yahweh our God is to us whenever we call to him?a And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today? Footnote a says “Whereas the other Pentateuchal traditions emphasize the distance between God and man, cf. Ex. 33:20+, Dt calls attention to God’s loving intimacy with his people in whose midst he dwells, 12:5. This same outlook is found in the narrative of the dedication of the Temple, 1 K 8:10-29 and the idea recurs in Ezk 48:35. The NT gives it supreme expression, cf. Jn 1:14+”. Parallel texts for verse 7 are:

a. Dt4:32f - Put this question, then, to the ages that was past, that went before you, from the time God created man on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic; from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything ever heard?

b. Lv 16:16 - This is how he is to perform the rite of atonement over the sanctuary for the uncleanness of the sons of Israel, for their transgressions and for all their sins. c. Lv 26:11-12 - I will set up my dwelling among you, and I will not cast you off. I will live in your midst; I will be your God and you shall be my people. d. 2 S 7:23 -Is there another people on the earth like your people Israel, with a God setting out to redeem them and make them his people, make them renowned, work

great and terrible things on their behalf, drive nations out and gods before his people?k Footnote k says “To avoid giving the impression that these gods actually existed, the scribal tradition modified the Hebr. text (here restored in accordance with Ch and versions), eliminating even the suggestion that false gods could do for their own people what Yahweh could do for Israel.”

e. Jdt 8:27 - For as these ordeals were intended by him to search their hearts, so now this is not vengeance God exacts against us, but a warning inflicted by the Lord on those who are near his heart.

f. Ps 145:18 - …standing close to all who invoke him, close to all who invoke Yahweh faithfully. g. Ps 147:19f -He reveals his word to Jacob, his statutes and rulings to Israel. h. Ps 148:14 - …raising the fortunesb of his people, to the praises of the devout, of Israel, the people dear to him. Footnote bsays “Lit. ‘raising a horn for’.”

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i. Is 55:6 - Seek Yahweh while he is to be found, call to him while he is still near. The Second Reading for this Sunday is Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27. Verse 17 says: It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes downh from the Father of all light;i with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. Footnote h says “Om. (Vet. Lat.) ‘from above’”; Footnote i says “Lit. ‘the Father of the lights’, i.e. the maker of the stars, Gn 1:14-18, and the source of spiritual light, cf. 1 P 2:9; 1 Jn 1:5. The imagery following this phrase is suggested by astronomy. Var. ‘no such thing as alteration due to the movement of a shadow’.” Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 8:12+ - When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: ‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life’.

b. 1 Jn 1:5 - This is what we have heard from him, and the message that we are announcing to you: God is light; there is no darkness in him at all. Verse 18 says: By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth j so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created. Footnote j says “Lit. ‘He deliberately teemed us forth by a word of truth’. This ‘word of truth’ is everything.” Parallel texts are:

a. Jn 1:12-13 - But to all who did accept him he gave power to becomei children of God, to all who believe in the name of himj (v. 12) who wask born not of human stock or urge of the flesh or will of man but of God himself. l Footnotei says “Var. ‘to be called’; Footnote j says ‘to those who believe in his name’ omitted by many of the Fathers; Footnote k says “Lit. ‘who was born of not of blood or the will of the flesh or the will of man’. Var. (the commonly accepted reading) ‘those who are born’, ‘not of blood…man’; the shorter reading ‘not of flesh or blood’ is perhaps the original one; Footnote l says “Allusion to the eternal generation of the Word but also, as it seems, to Christ’s virgin birth, cf. Mt 1:16,18-23 and Lk 1:26-38.”

b. 1 P 1:23 - …your new birth was not from any mortal seed but from the everlasting word of the living and eternal God.g Footnoteg says “Or ‘the living and eternal Word of God’”; Footnotee says “Metaphorically in the OT, marital infidelity is a metaphor of idolatry, cf. Ho 1:2+, in this case the worship of the beast.”; Footnote f says “Just as Israel followed Yahweh at the Exodus, so the new Israel, newly redeemed, follows the Lamb into the desert, cf. Jr 2:2-3, where the marriage rites are renewed (Ho. 2:16-25).

c. Rv 14:4 - These are the ones who have kept their virginitye and not been defiled with women; they follow the Lamb wherever he goes;f they have been redeemed from

amongst men to be the first-fruits for God and for the Lamb. Verse 21 says: so do away with all impurities and bad habits that are still left in you- accept and submit to the word which had been planted in you and can save your souls. Parallel texts are:

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a. Ga 5:19 - When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels…

b. Jn 3:11 - I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence.e

Footnote e says “Jesus does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.”

Verse 22 says: But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves. Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 7:24-27 - Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock (v. 24). Rain came down, floods rose, gales blew and hurled themselves against that house, and it did not fall; it was founded on rock (v. 25). But everyone who listens to these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a stupid man who built his house on sand (v. 26). Rain came down; floods rose, gales blew and struck that house, and it fell; and what a fall it had (v. 27)!

b. Lk 8:21 - But he said in answer, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put them into practice. c. Rm 2:13 - It is not listening to the Law but keeping it that will make people holy in the sight of God. d. 1 Jn 3:17 - If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living

in him? (v. 17). My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active… Verse 27 says: Pure, undefiled religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of the orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world. Parallel text is Ex 22:21 that says: You must not be harsh with the widow, or with the orphan; if you are harsh with them, they will surely cry out to me, and be sure I shall hear their cry. The gospel narrative for this 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time talks about the discussion between the Scribes and Pharisees and Jesus Christ concerning eating with unclean hands. This attitude of Jesus’ disciples which the scribes and Pharisees tried to point out to Jesus Christ contravened the rabbi’s injunctions and practices that constituted the Mosaic Law, which are based merely on human traditions. In verse 4 of this scripture, the exact infractions of Jesus Christ’s disciples that the scribes and Pharisees were complaining about were listed. The exact complaint of the scribes and Pharisees is stated in verse 5.

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Verses 14 to 23 contain Jesus Christ’s teaching to the people on what are to be considered by all as unclean, impure and defiled. This point brings us to the teaching of the Second Reading for this Sunday from James (1:7-18, 21-22, 25) concerning the pure and undefiled religion that is pleasing to God. “Pure, undefiled religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of the orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the

world” (James 1:27, Jerusalem Bible). Verse 21, James says “so do away with all impurities and bad habits that are still left in you…” because these are what make a man impure and defiled, constituting contamination from the world that disregards the practice of that pure and undefiled religion that is pleasing to God. Verse 27 of James ch. 1 lists the two acts that constitute the pure and undefiled religion that is pleasing to God; first act is coming to the help of the orphans and widows when they need it; and, second, is keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world. These two acts is what constitute the pure and undefiled religion that is pleasing to God, and not the Jewish religion being practiced by the scribes and Pharisees that were merely based on the human traditions of the Mosaic Law. The following extensive quotations are some of the opinions of writers taken from some online articles (accessed 2 May 2014). An online article “Pure and Undefiled Religion,” frombiblehub.com says:

From “Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible - Pure religion and undefiled,.... That which is sincere and genuine, and free from adulteration and hypocrisy: before God and the Father; or in the sight of God the Father of Christ, and all his people; that which is approved of by him, who is the searcher of hearts, and the trier of the reins of men, "is this": not that the apostle is giving a full definition of true religion; only he mentions some of the effects of it, by which it is known, and without which it cannot be true and genuine; and they are these: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction; and not only to see them, and speak a word of comfort to them, but to communicate to them, and supply their wants, as they may require, and according to the ability God has given: where there is true religion in the heart, there is love to God; and where there is love to God, there is love to the saints; and this will show itself to them, in times of affliction and distress; and where this is wanting, religion itself is not pure and undefiled: and to keep himself unspotted from the world: from the men of the world, who defile by their evil communications; and "from the vices of the world", as the Arabic version renders it, which are of a defiling nature; and, where religion is in its power and purity, and the Gospel of the grace of God comes with efficacy, it teaches to separate from the rest of the world, and to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly.

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From Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: 27. Pure … and undefiled—"Pure" is that love which has in it no foreign admixture, as self-deceit and hypocrisy. "Undefiled" is the means of its being "pure" [Tittmann]. "Pure" expresses the positive, "undefiled" the negative side of religious service; just as visiting the fatherless and widow is the active, keeping himself unspotted from the world, the passive side of religious duty. This is the nobler shape that our religious exercises take, instead of the ceremonial offices of the law. before God and the Father—literally, "before Him who is (our) God and Father." God is so called to imply that if we would be like our Father, it is not by fasting, etc., for He does none of these things, but in being "merciful as our Father is merciful" [Chrysostom]. visit—in sympathy and kind offices to alleviate their distresses - the fatherless—whose "Father" is God (Ps 68:5); peculiarly helpless. and—not in the Greek; so close is the connection between active works of mercy to others, and the maintenance of personal unworldliness of spirit, word, and deed; no copula therefore is needed. Religion in its rise interests us about ourselves in its progress, about our fellow creatures: in its highest stage, about the honor of God. keep himself—with jealous watchfulness, at the same time praying and depending on God as alone able to keep us (Joh 17:15; Jude 24).”

From gibbons.8m.com (The Sword and Staff) “A STATEMENTABOUT “PURE RELIGON”, this article says:

“From our study, we find that the word translated “religion” basically means worship as publicly displayed in ritual and ceremony. James, in keeping with the Old Testament prophets (Micah 6:6-8; Isaiah 1:11-17), points his readers (who have a Jewish background, 1:1) away from this concept to a more spiritual and genuine meaning of the word. In saying “pure” and “undefiled,” he is saying the same thing from a positive and a negative viewpoint for sake of emphasis. “Before God” tells us that God sees, and that this is the way He looks upon it. God is spoken of as “the God and Father” (one article, “the,” and the order of these words in the original language). “Father” is added to define the character of God. He is “Father” in reference to the fatherless and widows (Psalms 68:5) who are mentioned next. Now the essence of “pure religion” is laid out before us: “To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself [oneself] unspotted from the world.” The word for “fatherless” is found one other place in the New Testament where it is translated “comfortless” (John 14:18, KJV). We get our word orphan from this word. It means to be deprived of one or both parents. The word “widows” indicates a gap, a deficiency or the lack or loss of one’s husband. Not cushioned by government sponsored social security as in our modern world, to be fatherless and widows in ancient times, indeed, for the most part, was to be in “affliction.” Being vulnerable, they became the objects of mistreatment and abuse. To “visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction” meant not only to personally visit them, but, as the word “visit” in the original language implies, to look over their situation with the view to helping them and actually doing it. “And to keep himself *oneself+ unspotted from the world” rounds out the two pronged emphasis of “pure religion.” The word “keep” means to guard by keeping an eye on. “Unspotted” means unstained, not blemished Consider 2 Corinthians 7:1. The “world” means the present order of things, as controlled and motivated by the flesh. John gives us a little more information on this (John 2:15-17).”

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From http://asimpleandspirituallife.blogspot.com, "Pure Religion and Undefiled"! (James 1:27), it says:

"Pure Religion and Undefiled before Our Father and GOD is this! To visit The Fatherless (those who have no relationship with The GOD and FATHER{Creator} of ALL), and widows (those whose "bridegroom" has not risen from among the dead) in their affliction and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world!" (James 1:27)

Simply, ALL other religion IS "IMPURE and DEFILED"!

Simply, corporate "religion" is pagan and of this wicked world!

History has revealed, and yet reveals, that multiplied billions have been killed and enslaved (in physical chains at times, yet primarily in the chains of strong delusion that are the commandments and doctrines of men) in the name of the god(s) of this, or that religion!

Proving that the fruit of death and enslavement are borne of religion's way, because life is but a pawn in the wicked game they play!

Once again, there is but One "Pure Religion and Undefiled"! (James 1:27)

Not a system! But "The Family of Our Father and GOD"....... (Ephesians 3:15)

ALL other religions, self-worshiping atheists inclusive, are of "the father of lies" and but carry on the legacy of the Pharisees (John 8:44)!

Yet because of pagan Catholicism and her harlot Christian daughters "The Way of Truth is evil spoken of"! (II Peter 2:1-3). From Dr. Paul Chappel, “Pure Religion” From: thebaptistvoice.com:

Generally, the word religion has a different connotation than what we are seeking. In fact, the Bible never calls the Christian faith a religion. It is a miracle, a new birth, a divine life with a personal relationship with God—but not a system.

Religions tend to promote self-sufficiency and self-righteousness. True spirituality, however, encourages humility and dependence on God. So when James defines “pure religion,” he isn’t about to list several more rules to add. He’s talking about what pleases God.

Often it is those who “seem to be religious” who are putting on a surface appearance of something they are not. Outwardly, they are committed and wise—and they are only too eager to help those who are using “old methods.” But the fact is, they have no personal fruit.

The first indicator that a person who seems to be religious is really walking in false piety is that he can’t hold his tongue… We must be so careful with our words. Remember, written words are recorded permanently.

Pure religion is clean—free from every admixture of pretension. It is sincere and real to the core. Our church is not perfect—by any stretch.

http://asimpleandspirituallife.blogspot.com/

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Someone who is living a pure life of spiritual growth demonstrates it by compassion toward others—specifically, toward the fatherless and the widows.

If we attempt to engage in the compassion of pure religion while neglecting consecration, we set ourselves up for moral failure and public reproach of Christ. We must have both, and we must live both from a genuinely pure heart.

Pure religion is not a matter of forms, church attendance, and ceremonies. It’s not pompous nor contentious. It is a matter of a controlled tongue, sacrificial service, and a clean heart. None of us will be perfect this side of Heaven, but we can be genuine. While some may “seem to be religious,” we can ask God for His power to exercise the compassion and consecration of pure religion.

From The Expository Files www.bible.ca, “Keeping Yourself Unspotted From The World”:

In verse 26, James gives one example of useless religion: thinking you are religious while not controlling the tongue, thus deceiving your own heart. In verse 27, James gives two three examples of pure and undefiled religion: (1) visiting orphans, (2) visiting widows and (3) keeping oneself unspotted from the world. James - in verse 26 - does not cite every possible example of useless religion. In the Scriptures, "world" is used in different contexts. The term is used in at least three ways: (1) The physical world, composed of water, soil, atmosphere, vegetation, etc. {example: Nahum 1:5}. (2) The human world, made up of people; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son," {Jno. 3:16}. (3) The world in the moral sense, which is composed of all those things that attract us away from God {see 2 Pet. 1:4; Tit. 2:12; Rom. 12:2; 1 Jn. 2:15-17}. The teaching of James 1:27 requires that we shun any and every form of attitude, action or association that would move us away from God. Because of the influence of God's grace in my life, I should be determined to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and therefore - keep myself unspotted from the world. Bridle your tongue; do not deceive your heart; personally take up the cause of orphans and widows in their trouble. Being unspotted from the world is defined within the book of James - before Jas. 1:27 and after. Before the verse, in James 1:21 - "Lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness." After the verse, in James 4:7,8 - "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." To keep myself unspotted from the world, I must lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and I must purify my heart and cleanse my hands. This is all about personal repentance and determination to avoid all sin and error. I'm afraid, when most people think of religion, they do not think of God the Father. They do not think first of Him and the spiritual blessings He provides in Christ.

Right religion is man's response to Him. When man's response is in keeping with His instructions and is expressive of faith in His Son - then you have "pure and undefiled religion." Anything else is vain.

http://www.bible.ca/

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TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Cycle B EPHPHATHA!

“That is, “Be opened!”. (Mk 7:34)

Gospel: Mk 7:31-37 TEXT PARALLEL TEXT MAIN VERSE MAIN TEXT FOOTNOTE DOCTRINE

Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.

Mt 15:29 Mk 7:31

31 Returning form the district of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis Region.

So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see anything?”g You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you;d do not let it lie unused.

Mk 6:5 Mk 7:32 1 Tm 4:14+ Mt 8:10+

Mk 8:23 Jn 9:6 1 Tm 4:14+

1 Tm 4:14 Ac 1:18+ Mt 9:18; 19:13 Lk 4:40 Ac 6:6

32 And people they brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment; and they asked him to lay his hand on him.

1 Tm 4:14 - d - Li. ‘a spiritual gift given by means of prophecy with imposition of hands by the body of elders’. The ‘imposition of hands’ can be the rite for transmitting grace or a charism, Heb 6:2, or it can be the gesture used when blessing, Mt 19:15, or curing, Mt 9:18p; 17; 28:8, or imparting the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, Ac 1:5+. It can also be the rite for consecrating a person for a particular public function, Ac 6:6; 13:3, as in this passage and 5:22+; 2 Tm 1:6. Since the day on which he received the imposition of hands, Timothy has had a permanent charism (‘grace-gift’) that consecrates him to his ministry. For the part played by the ‘prophets’, cf. 1Tm 1:18.

33 He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his

http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/8#49008023-g

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tongue with spittle. 34 Then looking up to heaven, he

sighed; and he said to him, “Ephphatha!”, that is, “Be opened!”.

Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And his leprosy was cured at once.a

Mt 8:3+

35 And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly.

Mt. 8:3- `a - By his miracle Jesus his power over nature (8:23-27; 14:22-33p), especially over sickness (8:1-4,5-13, 14-15; 9:1-8, 20-22, 27-31; 14:14,36; 15:30; 20:29-34 and p; Mk. 7:32-37; 8:22-26; Lk. 14:1-6; 17:11-19; Jn. 5:1-16; 9:1-41), over death ( Mt 9:23-26p ;Lk 7:11:19; Jn 11: 1-44), over devils (Mt 8:29+). Christ miracles are not elaborate: in this they differ from the fantastic prodigies reported of the Hellenistic world of from those attributed to the Jewish rabbis, but they are most notably different by reason of the spiritual and symbolic significance that Jesus attaches to them. They declare the judgments of the messianic age (21:18-22p) as also privileges it brings (11:5+;14:13-21;15:32 -39p; Lk 5:4-11; Jn 2:1-11 ; 21:4-14); they are the first signs of the triumph of the spirits over Satan’s empire (8:29+) and over all the powers of evil whether sin passion (20:34; Mk 1:41; Lk 7:13) butt they are directed principally to the Strengthening of faith (8:10+; Jn 2;11+). This it is only with great deliberation that Jesus works any

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miracles at all, demanding secrecy for any he does agree to work (Mk 1:34+), and leaving it for force decision (12:39-40). When he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom he gave his own healing power (10:1,8p) and for this reason Matthew recounts before the missionary Discourse (ch. 10) a series of ten miracles (ch. 8-9 as sign accrediting the missionary (Mk 16:17f; Ac 2:22;cf. 1-8+).

And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.i

Mk 1:34+ Mk. 3:12; 9:30 Mt. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; 17:9; Lk. 5:14; 8:56; 9:21

36 And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it.

Mk. 1:34 - i - Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk,

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frequently omitting it even in these cases.

Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again,j the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they praised the God of Israel.

Mk 9:25 Mk 7:37

Mt 9:33 Nt 8:29+ Mk 7:37

Mt 15:31

37 Their admiration was unbounded. “He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Mt 15:31 - j - Om. ‘the cripples whole again’.

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First Reading: Is 35:4-7


Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; Here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.

Is 40:10 Is 35:4 =Is 62:11

4 Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you.

…the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.d And he said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

↗Mt 11:5 Mt 8:3 Is 26:19; 29:18f; 35:5f; 61:1

↗Lk 7:22

Is 26:19; 35:5-6; 61:1 Ac 3:8

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened;

Mt 11:5 - d - The allusion to the oracle of Is assures John that the messianic era is being inaugurated, even though Jesus confines himself to beneficent and saving miracles, without resorting to violence and retribution. Cf Lk 4:17-21.

..he jumped up, stood, and began to

walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God.

I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the wilderness into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water.

↗Ac 3:8 Is 35:6 Lk 7:22p

Is 41:18

Is 35:6-7; 43:20; 48:21

6 Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the Arabah.

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Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, For I put water in the wilderness and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, They did not thirst when he led them through dry lands; Water from the rock he set flowing for them; he cleft the rock, and waters welled forth.”f Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.

Is 43:20 Ps 148:10; 35:6-7; 41:18; Ex 17:1-7

Is 48:21 Is 35:6; 40:3+; 41:18 Ps 78:15-16 Ex 17:1-7

Jn 4:1+ Ps 23:2; 42:1 Jr 31:9 Jl 4:18

7 The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water; The abode where jackals crouch will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus.

http://www.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/48#29048021-f

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Second Reading: Jas 2:1-5


1 My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

2 For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in,

3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,”

4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs?

Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast* before God.

1 Co 1:26-29 Dt 7:7 Si 10:19f Rm 7:5 Jg 7:2 1 S 16:7 2 Co 4:7 Jm 2:5

5 Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor* in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?

Mt 4:17 - d - The sovereignty of God over the chosen people, and trough them over the world, is at the heart of Christ’s preaching as it was the theocratic ideal of the OT. It implies a kingdom of ‘saints’ where God will be truly King because they will acknowledge his royal rights by knowing and loving him. This sovereignty, jeopardized by rebellious sin, is to be reasserted by an act of supreme intervention on the part of God and his Messiah (Dn 2:28+). This is the intervention which Jesus, following John the Baptist (3:2), declares imminent (4:17-23; Lk 4:43). It is to take the form not, as was commonly expected, of a successful nationalist rising (Mk 11:10; LK 19:11; Ac 1:6) but of a purely spiritual movement (Mk 1:34+; Jn

http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1#54001029-1

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Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who have observed his law; Seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger. I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich.* I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan. Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation,* for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heavend is at hand.” And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.

Zp 2:3+ Am 5:4-6 Est 1:1k Ps 72:3-4 Si 3:20; 11:12 Dn 3:87 Jm 2:5

Rv 2:9 Rv 1:17-18+ Is 44:6; 48:12 Jas 2:5

Jas 1:12 Dn 12:12 Rm 8:28 Ws 5:15-16 1 Co 9:25+

Mt 4:17+ Mt 3:2+ Dn 7:14 Lk 17:20

Ga 3:29 Jn 17:21f Heb 6:12 Jas 2:5

18:36). The redemptive work of Jesus as ‘Son of Man’ (Mt 8:20+) and as ‘servant’ (Mt 8:17+; 20:28+; 26:28+) sets man free from Satan’s rule which opposes God’s (4:8; 8:29+; 12:25-26). Before it achieves its final eschatological realization when the elect will be with the Father in the joy of the heavenly banquet (8:11+; 13:43; 26:29) the kingdom makes an impressive entrance (13:31-33). Its modest beginning is mysterious (13:11) and arouses opposition (13:24-30), it has come unnoticed (12:28; Lk 17:20-21); the development of the kingdom on earth is slow (Mk 4:26-29) and is effected by the Church (Mt 16:18+). By the judgment of God that falls on Jerusalem it is established with power as the kingdom of Christ (Mt 16:28; Lk 21:31) and is preached throughout the world by apostolic missionaries (Mt 10:7; 24:14; Ac 1:3+). When the times comes for the final judgment (13:37-43, 47-50; 25:31-46), the return of Christ in glory (16:27; 25:31) will be the final act that establishes the kingdom which Christ will present to the Father(1 Co 15:24). Until that time the kingdom appears as a free gift of God (20:1-16; 22:9-10; Lk 12:32), accepted by the humble (Mt 5:3; 18:3-4; 19:14,23-24) and the generous (13:44-46; 19:12; Mk 9:47; Lk 9:62; 18:29f), refused by the proud and selfish (21:31-32,43; 22:2-8; 23:13). There is no entering it without the wedding garment which is the new life (22:11-13; Jn 3:3,5) and not all men are admitted (Mt 8:12; 1 Co 6:9-10; Ga 5:21). One has to be awake so as to be ready when it comes

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unexpectedly (Mt 25:1-13). On Matthew’s treatment as a guiding idea of his arrangement, see Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels.

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Homily for 23rdSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Based on Mk 7:31-37(Gospel), Is 35:4-7 (First Reading) and Jas 2:1-5 (Second Reading) From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

EPHPHATHA! “That is, “Be opened!”. (Mk 7:34)

Today’s gospel reading is taken from Mk 7:31-37 Verse 31 says: Returning form the district of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis Region.

Parallel text is Mt 15:29 that says: Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Verse 32 says: And people they brought him a deaf man who had a speech impediment; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. Parallel texts are:

a. Mk 6:5 - So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. b. Mk 8:23 - He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, “Do you see

anything?”g Footnote c. 1 Tm 4:14 - You have in you a spiritual gift which was given to you when the prophets spoke and the body of elders laid their hands on you;d do not let it

lie unused. Footnote d says “Lit. ‘a spiritual gift given by means of prophecy with imposition of hands by the body of elders’. The ‘imposition of hands’ can be the rite for transmitting grace or a charism, Heb 6:2, or it can be the gesture used when blessing, Mt 19:15, or curing, Mt 9:18p; 17; 28:8, or imparting the Holy Spirit to the newly baptized, Ac 1:5+. It can also be the rite for consecrating a person for a particular public function, Ac 6:6; 13:3, as in this passage and 5:22+; 2 Tm 1:6. Since the day on which he received the imposition of hands, Timothy has had a permanent charism (‘grace-gift’) that consecrates him to his ministry. For the part played by the ‘prophets’, cf. 1Tm 1:18.”

Verses 33, 34 and 35 say: He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed; and he said to him, “Ephphatha!”, that is, “Be opened!”. And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened, and he spoke clearly. Parallel text is Mt 8:3 that says: Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’ And his leprosy was cured at once.a

Footnote a says “By his miracle Jesus his power over nature (8:23-27; 14:22-33p), especially over sickness (8:1-4,5-13, 14-15; 9:1-8, 20-22, 27-31; 14:14,36; 15:30; 20:29-34 and p; Mk. 7:32-37; 8:22-26; Lk. 14:1-6; 17:11-19; Jn. 5:1-16; 9:1-41), over death ( Mt 9:23-26p ;Lk 7:11:19; Jn 11: 1-44), over devils (Mt 8:29+). Christ miracles are not elaborate: in

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this they differ from the fantastic prodigies reported of the Hellenistic world of from those attributed to the Jewish rabbis, but they are most notably different by reason of the spiritual and symbolic significance that Jesus attaches to them. They declare the judgments of the messianic age (21:18-22p) as also privileges it brings (11:5+;14:13-21;15:32 -39p; Lk 5:4-11; Jn 2:1-11 ; 21:4-14); they are the first signs of the triumph of the spirits over Satan’s empire (8:29+) and over all the powers of evil whether sin passion (20:34; Mk 1:41; Lk 7:13) butt they are directed principally to the Strengthening of faith (8:10+; Jn 2;11+). This it is only with great deliberation that Jesus works any miracles at all, demanding secrecy for any he does agree to work (Mk 1:34+), and leaving it for force decision (12:39-40). When he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom he gave his own healing power (10:1,8p) and for this reason Matthew recounts before the missionary Discourse (ch. 10) a series of ten miracles (ch. 8-9 as sign accrediting the missionary (Mk 16:17f; Ac 2:22;cf. 1-8+).” Verse 36 says: And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Parallel text is Mk 1:34 that says: And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them

to speak, because they knew who he was.i Footnote i says “Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.” Verse 37 says: Their admiration was unbounded. “He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Parallel texts are: a. Mk 9:25 -Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him

and never enter him again!” b. Mt 9:33 - and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in

Israel.” c. Mt 15:31 - The crowds were astonished to see the dumb speaking, the cripples whole again,j the lame walking and the blind with their sight, and they

praised the God of Israel.Footnote j says “Om. ‘the cripples whole again’”.

The First Reading for this Sunday isIs 35:4-7 Verse 4 says: Say to the fearful of heart: Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you.

Parallel text is Is 40:10 that says: Here comes with power the Lord GOD, who rules by his strong arm; Here is his reward with him, his recompense before him.

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Verse 5 says: Then the eyes of the blind shall see, and the ears of the deaf be opened; Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 11:5 - …the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.d

Footnote d says “The allusion to the oracle of Is assures John that the messianic era is being inaugurated, even though Jesus confines himself to beneficent and saving miracles, without resorting to violence and retribution. Cf Lk 4:17-21.”

b. Lk 7:22 - And he said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.

Verses 6 and 7 say: Then the lame shall leap like a stag, and the mute tongue sing for joy. For waters will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the Arabah.The

burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water; the abode where jackals crouch will be a marsh for the reed and papyrus. Parallel texts of verse 6 are:

a. Ac 3:8 - ..he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God. b. Is 41:18 -I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will turn the wilderness into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of

water. c. Is 43:20 -Wild beasts honor me, jackals and ostriches, For I put water in the wilderness and rivers in the wasteland for my chosen people to drink, d. Is 48:21 - They did not thirst when he led them through dry lands; Water from the rock he set flowing for them; he cleft the rock, and waters welled forth.” e. Jn 4:1 - Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.

The Second Reading for this Sunday is Jas 2:1-5

Verse 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 say: My brothers, show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if a man with gold rings on his fingers and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and a poor person in shabby clothes also comes in, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here, please,” while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil designs? Listen, my beloved brothers. Did not God choose those who are poor* in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? Parallel texts of verse 5 say:

a. 1 Co 1:26-29 - Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.

b. Zp 2:3 - Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who have observed his law; Seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger. c. Rv 2:9 - I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of

Satan.

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d. Jas 1:12 - Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. e. Mt 4:17 - From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heavendis at hand.”Footnote d says “The sovereignty of God over the chosen

people, and trough them over the world, is at the heart of Christ’s preaching as it was the theocratic ideal of the OT. It implies a kingdom of ‘saints’ where God will be truly King because they will acknowledge his royal rights by knowing and loving him. This sovereignty, jeopardized by rebellious sin, is to be reasserted by an act of supreme intervention on the part of God and his Messiah (Dn 2:28+). This is the intervention which Jesus, following John the Baptist (3:2), declares imminent (4:17-23; Lk 4:43). It is to take the form not, as was commonly expected, of a successful nationalist rising (Mk 11:10; LK 19:11; Ac 1:6) but of a purely spiritual movement (Mk 1:34+; Jn 18:36). The redemptive work of Jesus as ‘Son of Man’ (Mt 8:20+) and as ‘servant’ (Mt 8:17+; 20:28+; 26:28+) sets man free from Satan’s rule which opposes God’s (4:8; 8:29+; 12:25-26). Before it achieves its final eschatological realization when the elect will be with the Father in the joy of the heavenly banquet (8:11+; 13:43; 26:29) the kingdom makes an impressive entrance (13:31-33). Its modest beginning is mysterious (13:11) and arouses opposition (13:24-30), it has come unnoticed (12:28; Lk 17:20-21); the development of the kingdom on earth is slow (Mk 4:26-29) and is effected by the Church (Mt 16:18+). By the judgment of God that falls on Jerusalem it is established with power as the kingdom of Christ (Mt 16:28; Lk 21:31) and is preached throughout the world by apostolic missionaries (Mt 10:7; 24:14; Ac 1:3+). When the times comes for the final judgment (13:37-43, 47-50; 25:31-46), the return of Christ in glory (16:27; 25:31) will be the final act that establishes the kingdom which Christ will present to the Father(1 Co 15:24). Until that time the kingdom appears as a free gift of God (20:1-16; 22:9-10; Lk 12:32), accepted by the humble (Mt 5:3; 18:3-4; 19:14,23-24) and the generous (13:44-46; 19:12; Mk 9:47; Lk 9:62; 18:29f), refused by the proud and selfish (21:31-32,43; 22:2-8; 23:13). There is no entering it without the wedding garment which is the new life (22:11-13; Jn 3:3,5) and not all men are admitted (Mt 8:12; 1 Co 6:9-10; Ga 5:21). One has to be awake so as to be ready when it comes unexpectedly (Mt 25:1-13). On Matthew’s treatment as a guiding idea of his arrangement, see Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels.”

f. Ga 3:29 - And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise.

An online article “Ephphatha” (Εφφαθα), from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “In Greek, the Aramaic is written εφφαθα. This could be from the Aramaic 'ethpthaḥ', the passive imperative of the verb 'pthaḥ', 'to open', since the 'th' could assimilate in western Aramaic. In Aramaic, it could be אתפתח or אפתח.”

An online article “Healing the deaf mute of Decapolis”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: “The magic word “Ephphatha!” used in Mark 7.34 could be a sign of the historical Jesus. It means ‘be opened’ in Aramaic which many believe Jesus spoke along with Greek and Hebrew. Nazareth, where Jesus is said to originate from, was primarily Aramaic-speaking. The use of the word in this miracle story is implicit of the historical Jesus as Aramaic was a common language in the first century AD in Israel and the surrounding areas. The New Testament contains many examples of Aramaic (and Hebrew) additions, including Ephphatha. Some scholars believe that the gospel writers had access to Aramaic sources which they took from. For instance, Q was possibly a collection of Aramaic writings. So the use of the Aramaic word and phrase may be representative of source material as well as the historical Jesus…This phrase is also found in Romans 8.15 and Galatians 4.6. Εφφαθα (אתפתח) could be the passive imperative of the verb ‘to open’ and is also given in Greek transliteration, similarly to these other examples. Mark’s explanation of the word at the end of Ephphatha is indicative of his writing for a Gentile audience which he believed required him to provide some often highly detailed explanations.” An online article from http://ship-ubf.org, “Jesus Heals A Deaf And Mute Man” (Mark 7:31-37 ): “He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”)… Finally we learned that our spiritual deafness can be cured by coming to Jesus and hearing his words, “Be opened!...Jesus can open our ears and loosen our tongue. Jesus was greatly moved by their caring hearts. He accepted their shepherd’s heart and was eager to take care of the helpless man. How did he help the man? Look at verses 33-34. After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). First, Jesus took the deaf and mute man aside, away from the crowd (33). Jesus paid personal attention

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to the man. He wanted to have a personal relationship with the man. Next, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. The man couldn’t hear, but he could feel the compassionate touch of the Messiah. Then Jesus spit and touched the man’s tongue. I don’t know why Jesus spit. And spitting and touching the man’s tongue doesn’t sound a healthy thing to do. The man could have felt humiliated. But one thing is certain. Jesus showed his affection towards the man. Jesus showed his eager desire to help the man. What did Jesus do next? Look at verse 34. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means, “Be opened!”). He looked up to heaven and had a deep sigh. I don’t think this was a sigh of frustration. Jesus had a deep compassion towards this helpless man. Then he said to him, “Be opened!” At this, the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly (35)…The compassionate touch of the good shepherd and the absolute word of the Son of God brought a wonderful miracle to the life of one man. In no time, the man was able to hear and talk… This man’s life was turned around because Jesus opened his ears and loosened his tongue. This is what happens to anyone who comes to Jesus. Some people may say, “But I can hear fine and speak very well, thank you.” We should know that there are two kinds of deafness--physical and spiritual. There are many people who have excellent hearing but are spiritually deaf. That’s why Jesus often said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””

An online article “Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute” (Mark 7:31–37), from https://sermons.logos.com: “When Jesus finally arrived back at Galilee, it didn’t take too long before the people found him again. This time they brought one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech. We really don’t know much about this deaf man. Nor did Mark tell us the exact nature of the deaf man’s affliction. Our text says that he was deaf and had a speech impediment. He couldn’t hear at all and he had difficulty speaking plainly. The fact that he could speak even less difficulty probably indicates that he had not been born deaf, in which case he would not have been able to say anything. Perhaps he had lost his hearing when he was relatively young, i.e., before he learned to speak well. But that’s all that Mark says. The only thing we know for certain is that this man was deaf and more or less mute when he met the Lord. Some commentators account for this man’s condition by claiming that he was demon-possessed. Mark 9:17 tells about a man whose son had a deaf and dumb spirit. The assumption is that the man in our text was afflicted with the same kind of demon. But the only reason for asserting this is the statement in verse 35 that Jesus loosed the man’s tongue when he healed him. This, plus the fact that not all hearing and speech difficulties can be attributed to demonic activity, makes it almost certain that this man’s problem was nothing more than a physical defect of some sort.”

An online article “Jesus Heals a Deaf and Mute Man” (Mk 7:31-37), from www.columbusubf.org: “Ephphatha!’, which means, ‘Be opened!’” (33-37) The people in town begged Jesus to place his hand on the man. What did Jesus do for him? Look at verses 33,34. “After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man's ears. Then he spit and touched the man's tongue. He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, ‘Ephphatha!’ (which means, ‘Be opened!’).” Jesus took him so that he might avoid unnecessary attention from the people and help him personally.”

Skip Moen, D. Phil. from “Odd Circumstances” at www.skipmoen.com:

“Ephphatha – Try this tongue twister. It’s rather humorous that this word comes from a story about a man who spoke with difficulty. All of us may have trouble saying this.

What kind of word is this word ephphatha? Obviously it isn’t Greek. If it were, Mark would never have to add what it means. His Greek reading audience would know. That means this word is a transliteration, a phonetic equivalent without meaning translation. But what language is the original word? We assume that it is Aramaic, from the passive imperative pthah, “to open.” But if all of Yeshua’s conversation were in Aramaic, as most seminaries teach, then why did Mark transliterate only this word? Did you get that? If everything Yeshua says were Aramaic, then there would be no reason to include this one word as a

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transliterated word. Mark would simply translate this word along with everything else. Apparently Yeshua’s use of this Aramaic word was so odd that it needed explanation.

What this implies is that Yeshua spoke Aramaic – but not often, at least not commonly. That means that when He used an Aramaic word or phrase, as He sometimes did, it was recorded as a foreign word. Therefore, it needed to be explained. Now, why would Yeshua use this foreign expression on this occasion? There are two fascinating possibilities. The first is that the man who had difficulty speaking spoke Aramaic. That would mean if Yeshua wanted to say something to him in his native tongue, He would speak in Aramaic. Of course, Israel was multi-lingual. Many people spoke Greek (for trade), Latin (out of necessity), Aramaic (left over from those who returned) and Hebrew. It is more than likely that Yeshua spoke several languages, certainly Aramaic and Hebrew. In this instance, He may simply have been saying what the man would love to hear – healing words in his own tongue. But there is also another possibility. We have already encountered the wry sense of humor about this word when I asked you to say it. If there were any word that a tongue-tied person might wish to be able to say, it’s a tongue-twister like this one. Do you suppose that Yeshua picked this word simply because its very structure exemplified the difficulty this man faced? Yet it rolls off the tongue of the Messiah without hesitation. The Lord has power over the tongue too. Ephphatha!...If Yeshua uses this odd Aramaic word to heal a man of his speech impediment, He stands in good ironic company. The prophets did the same thing, employing word plays and puns to communicate God’s message of justice and redemption. Perhaps the whole incident is a bit too subtle for us. Too often we read only the obvious – and we skip over words like this as if they have no deeper meaning. But I’m guessing that Yeshua didn’t choose this word accidentally. What do you think?”

An online article from the Bible Dictionary at http://dictionary.reference.com: “Ephphatha definition the Greek form of a Syro-Chaldaic or Aramaic word, meaning "Be opened," uttered by Christ when healing the man who was deaf and dumb (Mark 7:34). It is one of the characteristics of Mark that he uses thevery Aramaic words which fell from our Lord's lips. (See 3:17; 5:41; 7:11; 14:36; 15:34.)”

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TWENTY-FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Cycle B FAITH AND GOOD WORKS

Gospel: Mk 8:27-35


When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he put this question to his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (v. 13) And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’c (v. 14). He said to them, ‘But you’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ (v. 15) Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’d (v. 16) Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and bloode that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven’ (v.17). So now I say to you: You are Peterf and on this rock I will build my Church.g And the gates of the underworldh can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatsoever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatsoever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.i (v.19)Then he gave his disciples strict orders to tell not to tell anyone that he was the Christj (v. 20).

Peter’s profession of faithc Now one day when he was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put

=Mt 16:13-20 =Mk 8:27-30 =Lk 9:18-21 Mt 8:20+; 14:2 Jn 6:69 Mt 4:3+; 14:33 Rm 7:5+ Ep 6:12 Heb 2:14 Is 28:16 Jn 1:42 =Mt 18:18 Is 22:22 Lk 22:32 Jn 20:23 Rv 3:7 Mk 1:34

Lk 9:18-21 =Mt 16:13-20 =Mk 8:27-30

27 Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, “Who do people say I am?”

Mt 16:13-20 - c -Jesus claimed the title ‘prophet’ for himself only indirectly and obscurely, Mt. 13:57p; Lk. 13:33, but the public hailed him as such, Mt. 16:14p; 21:11,46; Mk. 6:15p; Lk. 7:16,39; 24:19; Jn. 4:19; 9:17. The title had messianic significance because the Jews confidently expected a revival of the spirit of prophecy (extinct since Malachi) as a sign of the messianic era. It was to revive either in the person of Elijah, Mt. 17:10-11p; or in the form of a general outpouring of the Spirit, Ac. 2:17-18,33. Many (false) prophets did actually arise in Christ’s time. Mt. 24:11p., etc. John the Baptist was himself a prophet, Mt. 11:9p; 14:5; 21:26p; Lk. 1:76, precisely because he was the Precursor who had come ‘in the spirit of Elijah’, Mt. 11:10p,14; 17:12p. Nevertheless he denied (Jn. 1:21+) that he was ‘the prophet’ foretold by Moses, Dt. 18:15. This prophet, the early Christians believed, was Jesus and no other, Ac. 3:22-26; Jn. 6:14; 7:40. From Pentecost onwards, however, prophecy became a familiar charismatic phenomenon in the early church, Ac. 11:27+; for this reason the title prophet as applied to Christ soon dropped out and was replaced by other more suited to his unique function and person. d - In Mt Peter acknowledges not only that Jesus is the Messiah but also that he is the Son of God: this second title is not found in Mk and Lk. Cf. also 14:33 with Mk 6:51f. Cf Mt 4:3+. e - The expression indicates man, emphasizing his

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this question to them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” (v. 18) And they answered, “John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life’(v. 19).‘But you,’ he said them, “who do you say I am?” It was Peter who spoke up, ‘The Christ of God’ he said (v. 20) But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this (v. 21).

Lk 9:8 Lk 2:26+; 23:35 Mk 1:34+

material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12; Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13. f - Neither the Greek word petrosnor even, as it seems, its Aramaic equivalent kephas (rock) was used as a person’s name before Jesus conferred it on the apostles’ leader to symbolize the part he was to play in the foundation of the Church. This change of name had possibly been made earlier, cf. Jn. 1:42; Mk. 3:16; Lk. 6:14. g - The Hebr. qahal which the Greek renders ekklesia means ‘an assembly called together’; it is used frequently in the OT to indicate the community of the Chosen People, especially the community of the desert period, cf. Ac. 7:38. Certain Jewish groups (among them the Essenes of Qumran) regarded themselves as the chosen remnant of Israel (Is. 4:3+), which was to survive in the latter days. These had also used the term that Jesus now adopts to indicate the messianic community, the community of the ‘new alliance’ sealed with his blood, Mt. 26:28+; Ep. 5:25. By using the term ‘assembly’ side by side with that of the kingdom of heaven, Mt. 4:17+, Jesus shows that this eschatological community (community of the end times) is to have its beginning here on earth in the form of an organized society whose leader he now appoints, Cf. Ac. 5:11+; 1 Co. 1:2+. h -Greek: Hades: Hebrew: Sheol, the dwelling place of the Dead, cf. Nb. 16:33 +. Here its personified ‘gates’ suggest the powers of evil which first lead man into the death which is sin and then imprison him once for all in eternal death. The Church’s task will be to rescue the elect from death’s dominion, from the death of the body and above all from eternal death,

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so that it may lead them into the kingdom of heaven, cf. Col 1:13; 1 Co 15:26: Rv. 6:8; 20:13. In this the church follows its Master who died, descended into the underworld, cf. 1 P. 3:19+, and rose again. Ac. 2:27,31. i - The City of God, like the City of Death, has its gates too; they grant entrance only to those who are worthy of it. Peter has the keys. It is his function, therefore, to open or close to all who would come to the kingdom of heaven through the Church. ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ are technical rabbinic terms; primarily they have a disciplinary reference; one is ‘bound’ (condemned to) o ‘loosed’ (absolved from) excommunication. Their secondary usage is connected with doctrinal or juridical decisions: an opinion is ‘bound’ (forbidden) or ‘loosed’ {allowed). Of the household of God Peter is controller (the keys symbolize this, cf. Is. 22:22). In that capacity, he is to exercise the disciplinary power of admitting or excluding those he thinks fit; he will also, in the administration of the community, make necessary decision in questions of doctrinal belief and of moral conduct. The verdicts he deliver or the pronouncements he makes will be ratified by God i heaven. Catholic exegetes maintain that these enduring promises hold good not only for Peter himself but also for Peter’s successors. This inference, not explicitly drawn in the text, is considered legitimate because Jesus plainly intends to provide for his Church’s future by establishing a regime that will not collapse after Peter’s death. Two other texts, Lk. 22:31f and Jn. 21:15f, on Peter’s primacy emphasize that its operation is to be in the domain of faith; they also indicate that this makes him head not

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only of the Church after the death of Christ but of the apostolic group then and there. j - Vulg. ‘Jesus Christ’. Lk 9:18 - c - Lk has left out a whole section of Mk (6:45-8:26).

28 And they told him, ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah’, others again, one of the prophets.’

29 “But you,’ he asked, ‘who do you say I am?” Peter spoke up and said to him, “You are the Christ.”

And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.i

Mk 1:34+ Mk. 3:12; 9:30 Mt. 8:4; 9:30; 12:16; 17:9; Lk. 5:14; 8:56; 9:21

30 Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Mk. 1:34 - i - Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.

From that timek, Jesus began to make clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, to be put

=Mt 16:21-23 =Mk 8:31-33 =Lk 9:22 Mt 17:12,22-23 Mt 20:17-19

31 He began to teach them that the Son of Man` must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.

Mt 16:21 – k – Jesus has just elicited from his disciples the first explicit profession of faith in him as Messiah. At this crucial moment he tells them for the first time of his coming Passion: he is not only the glorious Messiah,

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to death and to be raised on the third day (v. 21).Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. “Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you (v. 22)’.But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s’ (v. 23). First prophecy of the Passiond “The Son of Man’ he said, is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead (v. 9). So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant (v. 10).He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.” (v. 31) .But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him (v. 32). Third prophecy of the Passion:

Lk 2:38+; 13:33 Ac 10:40+ Mt 4:10 Mk 4:13

=Lk 9:22 =Mt 16:21 =Mk 8:31 Lk 9:44; 12:50; 17:25; 18:31; 24:7,26,44

Mk 9:9-10,31-32 =Mt 17:9-10 Mk 1:34+; 8:21; 4:13+ Mk 1:34+; 8:31+; 4:13+

Mk 10:32-34

he is also the suffering servant. Within the next few days this teaching method will be pursued in a similar situation: the glorious transfiguration will be followed by an injunction to silence and a prediction of Passion, 17:1-12. It is Christ’s way of bracing the disciples’ faith for the approaching crisis of death and resurrection. Lk 9:22 - d - This prophecy is to b followed by several others, 9:44; 12:50; 17:25; 18:31-33. Cf. 24:7,25-27. Lk omits Peter’s protest and his rebuke by Jesus, Mk 8:32f.

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They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him (v. 32).“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles (v. 33) who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise” (v. 34).

Mt 20:17-19 =Lk 18:31-33 Jn 11:16 Mk 8:31+

32 He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?c

Mk 4:13+ =Mt 13:18-23+ =Lk 8:11-15 Jn 12:16

33 At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Mk 4:13 - c -The apostles’ incomprehension of Christ’s works and words is a favorite theme of Mk. 6:52; 7:18; 8:17-18,21,33; 9:10,32; 10:38. With the exception of certain parallel places (Mt. 15;16; 16:9,23; 20:22; Lk 9:45) and of Lk 18:34; 24:25,45. Mt and Lk often pass such remarks over in silence, or even emend them; compare Mt 14:33 with Mk 6:51-52, and see Mt 13:51, Cf. Jn 14:26+.

Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me (v.38). Whoever finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itn (v. 38). Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must

=Mt 10:38-39 Dt 33:9 =Mt 16:24-25 =Mk 8:34-35 =Lk 9:23-24; 17:33 =Jn 12:25

Mt 16:24-28 =Mk 8:24-9:1

34 He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said* to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

Mt 10:38-39 - n - In Mt this dictum is given in a more archaic form than in Mk or Lk: ‘find’ covers the idea of ‘winning’ ‘securing for oneself’, cf. Gn 26:12; Ho 12:9; Pr 3:13; 21:21. See Mt. 16:25. Mt 16:25 - m - Paradox. This dictum and those immediately

http://usccb.org/bible/mark/8#49008034-1

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deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me (v. 24).For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itm (v. 25). What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? (v. 26). For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct (v. 27). Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (v. 28). Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me (v. 23). For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it (v. 24). What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self? (v. 25). For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when h comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels (v. 26). ‘I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God’ (v. 27).

=Lk 9:23-27 =Mt. 10:38-39 =Lk. 14:27; 17:33 =Jn 12:25-26 Mt 25:31f Jb 34:11 Ps 62:12 Jr 17:10 Zc 14:5 2 Th 1:7 Mt 10:23; 24:30,34; 26:64

=Lk 9:23-27 =Mt 16:24-27 =Mk 8:34-38 =Mt 10:38 Lk 14:27 Jn 12:26 Lk 17:33 =Mt 10:39 =Jn 12:25 Lk 12:9 =Mt 10:33 2 Tim 1:8 =Mt 16:28+ =Mk 9:1

following oscillate between two senses of human ‘life’; its present stage and its future. The Greek psyche, here equivalent to the Hebrew nephesh, contains all three senses of ‘life’, soul’, ‘person’.

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“If any man comes to me without hatingc his father, mother, wife,d children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (v. 26).Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (v. 27).

Lk 14:26-27 Mt 10:37;19:29 =Mt 10:38; 16:24 =Mk 8:34 Lk 9:23 Jn 12:26

Lk 14:26-27- c - Hebraism. Jesus asks, not for hate, but for total detachment now, cf. 9:57-62. d - ‘wife’, peculiar to Lk, illustrating his leaning to ascetism, cf. 1 Co 7, So Lk also, 18:29.

Anyone who loves his life loses it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.

=Jn 12:25 =Mt 16:25 =Mk 8:35 =Lk 9:24

35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.

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First Reading: Is 50:5-9


You, who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, openedb my ear, you asked no holocaust or sacrifice for sin; then I said, ‘Here I am! I am coming!” Fourth Song of the Servant of Yahwehk See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights (v. 13).As the crowds were appalled on seeing himl, so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer humanm (v. 14),So will the crowds be astonished at himn, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before (v. 15);Who could believe what we have heardand to whom has the power of Yahweh revealed? (v. 1).He grew up in front of usalike a shootb in arid ground; without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes (v. 2), a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their facesc; he was despised and we took no account of him (v. 3). And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours

Ps 40:6 Heb 10:5-7 Is 50:5 Ps 50:7-15; 51:16-17; 69:30-31 Am 5:21+

Is 52:13-53:12

Is 42:1+; 50:5 Ps 22 Ws 2:12-24 Jn 12:32+ Ac 3:13 Ep 1:20-21 Ph 2:9 1 P 1:11 Jb 2:12 Ps 7:7 Mt 26:67; 27:29-31 Jn 19:5 ↗Rm 15:21 ↗Jn 12:58 ↗Rm 10:16 Ps 22:6-7 Ps 69:26 ↗Mt 8:17 Heb 2:10 2 Co 5:21 Rm 4:25

5 The Lord GOD opened my ear;d I did not refuse, did not turn away.

Is 50:5 - d - The servant, cf. 42:1+, is here not so much a prophet as a sage inspired by Yahweh. Ps 40:6 - b - Lit ‘dug out’. God sees to it that his servant knows his will, cf. Is 50:5. A Greek variant, ‘you have fashioned a body for me, was interpreted messianically and applied to Christ, Heb 10:5. Is 52:13- k - On the meaning of this song, cf. 42:1+. The poem is apparently in dialogue form. First Yahweh delivers an oracle, v. 13, then the kings of the nation speak, vv. 14 f, and next the people; the poem ends with a further oracle, 53:11-12. It is difficult to decide, however, precisely where the speaker changes. l - ‘On seeing him’ Targ, and Syr.; ‘on seeing you’ Hebr. m - A DSIa variant suggests the translation ‘By my anointing I took his human appearance from him’. n - ‘will be astonished’ following Greek and Lat.; ‘he will come to leap’ Hebr. Is 53:1 -12 -

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the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low (v. 4).Yet he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed(v. 5). We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way; and Yahweh burdened him with the sins of us all(v. 6). Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse, like a sheep dumbed before its shearers, never opening his mouth (v. 7). By force and by law, he was takend, would anyone plead his cause? Yet, he was torn away from the land of the living; for ourf faults struck down in death (v.8).They gave him a grave with the wicked, a tomb with the richg, though he had done no wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth (v.9). Yahweh had been pleased to crush him with sufferingh. If he offers his life in atonement, he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life, and through him what Yahweh wishes will shall be done(v.10).His soul’s anguish over he shall see the light;I and be content;j By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself (v.11).Hence I will great whole hordes his tributes, he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, for

Ga 3:13 ↗1 P 2:24 Ps 119:176 Ezk 34 1 P 2:25 Rm 4:25 2 Co 5:21 Ws 2:19 ↗Mt 26:63 Ps 38:13 Jr 11:19 Mi 27:14 Jn 1:29+ ↗Ac 8:32-33 Mt 27:38p Mt 27:60 Zp 3:13 1 P 2:22 Is 49:4 Ps 22:30; 74:11 Jn 12:24 Dn 9:24 Rm 3:26; 5:19 1 P 3:18 Ps 2:8 Col 2:15 Is 50:5 Mi 26:28 ↗Mk 15:28

a - ‘in front of us’ corr,; ‘in front of him’ Hebr. b - In 11:1,10, Immanuel is a ‘root’. c - The expression was used of lepers. d - Suggesting that the servant has been condemned by process of law. e - ‘cause’ corr.; ‘generation’, ‘descent’ Hebr. Interpretation uncertain. The ‘who will explain his descent?’ of the Greek and Lat. Has been taken by Christian tradition to refer to the mysterious origin of Christ; the Hebr. dor( a generation) cannot however bear this sense. f - ‘our’ corr.; ‘of my people’ Hebr. g - With DSIa, Hebr. ‘in his death he is with the rich man’. Early Christian preaching seems to have had this text in mind when recording the burial of Jesus in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea, ‘a rich man’, Mt 27:57-60. It is possible to correct to ‘in his death he is with the evil-doers’, Lk. 22:37 which, however, refers rather to v. 12. h - ‘with suffering’ corr., cf. versions; ‘he has pierced him’ DSIa, cf. v. 5. i- ‘the light’ Greek, DSIa and DSIb; absent from Hebr. j - ‘By his suffering’ corr. following one Hebr. MS; ‘By his knowledge’ Hebr. Before ‘servant’ Hebr. inserts ‘the just one’.

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surrendering himself to death, and letting himself be taken for a sinner while he was bearing the faults of many, and praying all the time for sinners (v.12).

↗Lk 22:37; 23:32 Jn 1:29+; 19:18 Heb 9:28 1 P 2:24

To offer his cheek to the striker, To be overwhelmed with insults. Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists; others said as the struck him,… And they spat upon him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.

Lm 3:30 Is 50:6 Mt 5:39

Mt 26:67 Ws 2:19 Is 50:6; 52:14

Mt 27:30p Mt 27:11 Is 50:6

6 I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who tore out my beard; My face I did not hide from insults and spitting.e

Is 50:6 - e - The description of the servant’s suffering recurs in the fourth song, 52:13-53:12.

But now I will make you as defiant as they are, and as obstinate as they are; I am going to make your resolutions as hard as diamond, and diamond is harder than flint. So, do not be afraid of them, do not be overwhelmed by them, for they are a set of rebels(vv. 8-9). No, those who hope in you are never shamed, shame awaits disappointed traitors.

Ezk 3:8-9 Is 50:7

Ps 25:3 Ps 22:5; 40:15f; Is 49:23; 50:7 Dn 3:40

7 The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; Therefore I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.

After saying this, what can we add? With God on our side, who can be against us? (v. 31). Since God did not spare his own

↗Rm 8:31-33 Rm 5:9-11 Gn 22:12,16

8 He who declares my innocence is near. Who will oppose me? Let us

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Son but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain that, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give (v. 32). Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn (v. 33).

Jn 3:16 2 Co 5:14-21 1 Jn 4:10 Is 50:8 Ac 2:23

appear together. Who will dispute my right? Let them confront me.

For the moth shall eat them like garment, the grub devour them like wool; but my integrity will remain forever, and my salvation for all generations. While my life is crumbling like rotten wood, or a moth-eaten garment. Very well I myself willbe the moth for Ephraim, the canker of the house of Judah.

Is 51:8 Is 50:9 Jb 13:28

Jb 13:28 Ps 39:12; 102:27 Is 50:9; 51:8

Ho 5:12

Ho 7:9 Is 50:9+

9 See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will declare me guilty? See, they will all wear out like a garment, devoured by moths.

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Second Reading: Jas 2:14-18


Faith and good worksf Jas 2:14-18 - f - The different points of view of James and Paul, Rm. 3:20-31; Ga 2:16; 3:2,11f; Ph3:9, are not wholly irreconcilable. Paul is anxious to rule out the view that a human being can earn salvation without having faith in Christ, since such a reliance on self-made sanctity would be contradicted by the radical sinfulness of unredeemed man, Rm 1:18-3:20; Ga 3:22, and would make faith in Christ superfluous, Ga. 3:17; cf. Rm 1:16+. But Paul does not deny that the saint who has been made holy by grace must show his faith by actually loving, Ga 5:6; cf. 1 Th 1:3; 2 Th 1:11; Phm 6, and in this way obeying the Law, Rm 8:4, i.e. the Law or commandments of Christ and his Spirit, Ga 6:2; Rm 8:2, which is the commandment to love, Rm 13:8-10; Ga 5:14. It is perfectly true, however, that in order to teach the same truth as Paul, James in a different context and under different circumstances

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explain the case of Abraham in a completely different way from Paul.

You see now that it is by doing something good, and not only by believing that a man is justified. Apply this to Abrahama found, the ancestor from whom we are all descended?b …since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not counts makes no difference –what matters is faith that makes its power through love

Jm 2:24 Jm 2:14

Rm 4:1 Gn 12:1+; 15:6+ Ga 3:6-9 Jm 2:14+,20-24 Si 44:19-21 Rm 3:27

Ga 5:6 Ga 6:15 1 Co 13:13+ Jm 2:14

14 Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims he has faith? Will that faith save him?

Rm 4:1 – a –Lit. ‘What then shall we say about Abraham?’ Var. (Vulg.) ‘What then shall we say that Abraham has gained?’ b– The recurrence of the fatherhood of Abraham theme marks the stages in the argument, vv. 1:12, 16-18.

Next he will say to those on his left hand, ’Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 41). For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink (v. 42); I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.’ (v. 43). Then it will be their turn to ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help? (v. 44)‘ Then he will answer, ‘I

Mt 25:41-45 Jb 22:7

15 If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on,

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tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of these, you neglected to do it to me (v. 45).’ …it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offence, and it is not resentful. If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living in him? (v. 17). My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active…

1 Co 13:5 Rm 12:9-10

1 Jn 3:17 1 Jn 2:5; 4:12 Jn 5:42 Mt 7:21 Jm 1:22

It is not those who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven.

Mt 7:21 Jas 2:14-17 1 Jn 3:18

16 and one of you says to them, “I wish you well, keep yourself warm, and eat plenty” without giving them these bare necessities of life body, what good is it?

17 Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.g

Jas 2:17 - g - Lit.‘it is dead by itself’.

18 This is the way to talk to people of that kind:h “You say you have faith and I have good works; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds - now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.

Jas 2:18 - h - The same opponents as in vv. 17 and 26.

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Homily for the 24thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) Based on Mk 8:27-35 (Gospel),Is 50:5-9 (First Reading) and Jas 2:14-18 (Second Reading) From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

FAITH AND GOOD WORKS Today’s gospel reading is taken from Mk 8:27-35. Verse 27 says: Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 16:13-20 - When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he put this question to his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (v. 13) And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets’c(v. 14). He said to them, ‘But you’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ (v. 15) Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’d(v. 16) Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and bloode that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven’ (v.17). So now I say to you: You are Peterf and on this rock I will build my Church.g And the gates of the underworldh can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatsoever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatsoever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.i(v.19)Then he gave his disciples strict orders to tell not to tell anyone that he was the Christ j (v. 20). Footnote c states that “Jesus claimed the title ‘prophet’ for himself only indirectly and obscurely, Mt. 13:57p; Lk. 13:33, but the public hailed him as such, Mt. 16:14p; 21:11,46; Mk. 6:15p; Lk. 7:16,39; 24:19; Jn. 4:19; 9:17. The title had messianic significance because the Jews confidently expected a revival of the spirit of prophecy (extinct since Malachi) as a sign of the messianic era. It was to revive either in the person of Elijah, Mt. 17:10-11p; or in the form of a general outpouring of the Spirit, Ac. 2:17-18,33. Many (false) prophets did actually arise in Christ’s time. Mt. 24:11p., etc. John the Baptist was himself a prophet, Mt. 11:9p; 14:5; 21:26p; Lk. 1:76, precisely because he was the Precursor who had come ‘in the spirit of Elijah’, Mt. 11:10p,14; 17:12p. Nevertheless he denied (Jn. 1:21+) that he was ‘the prophet’ foretold by Moses, Dt. 18:15. This prophet, the early Christians believed, was Jesus and no other, Ac. 3:22-26; Jn. 6:14; 7:40. From Pentecost onwards, however, prophecy became a familiar charismatic phenomenon in the early church, Ac. 11:27+; for this reason the title prophet as applied to Christ soon dropped out and was replaced by other more suited to his unique function and person”; Footnote d says “In Mt Peter acknowledges not only that Jesus is the Messiah but also that he is the Son of God: this second title is not found in Mk and Lk. Cf. also 14:33 with Mk 6:51f. Cf Mt 4:3+”; Footnote e says “The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12; Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13”; Footnote f says “Neither the Greek word petros nor even, as it seems, its Aramaic equivalent kephas (rock) was used as a person’s name before Jesus conferred it on the apostles’ leader to symbolize the part he was to play in the foundation of the Church. This change of name had possibly been made earlier, cf. Jn. 1:42; Mk. 3:16; Lk. 6:14”; Footnote g says “The Hebr. qahal which the Greek renders ekklesia means ‘an assembly called together’; it is used frequently in the OT to indicate the community of the Chosen People, especially the community of the desert period, cf. Ac. 7:38. Certain Jewish groups (among them the Essenes of Qumran) regarded themselves as the chosen remnant of Israel (Is. 4:3+), which was to survive in the latter days. These had also used the term that Jesus now adopts to indicate the messianic community, the community of the ‘new alliance’ sealed with his blood, Mt.

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26:28+; Ep. 5:25. By using the term ‘assembly’ side by side with that of the kingdom of heaven, Mt. 4:17+, Jesus shows that this eschatological community (community of the end times) is to have its beginning here on earth in the form of an organized society whose leader he now appoints, Cf. Ac. 5:11+; 1 Co. 1:2+”; Footnote h says “Greek: Hades: Hebrew: Sheol, the dwelling place of the Dead, cf. Nb. 16:33 +. Here its personified ‘gates’ suggest the powers of evil which first lead man into the death which is sin and then imprison him once for all in eternal death. The Church’s task will be to rescue the elect from death’s dominion, from the death of the body and above all from eternal death, so that it may lead them into the kingdom of heaven, cf. Col 1:13; 1 Co 15:26: Rv. 6:8; 20:13. In this the church follows its Master who died, descended into the underworld, cf. 1 P. 3:19+, and rose again. Ac. 2:27,31”; Footnote i says “The City of God, like the City of Death, has its gates too; they grant entrance only to those who are worthy of it. Peter has the keys. It is his function, therefore, to open or close to all who would come to the kingdom of heaven through the Church. ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ are technical rabbinic terms; primarily they have a disciplinary reference; one is ‘bound’ (condemned to) o ‘loosed’ (absolved from) excommunication. Their secondary usage is connected with doctrinal or juridical decisions: an opinion is ‘bound’ (forbidden) or ‘loosed’ ,allowed). Of the household of God Peter is controller (the keys symbolize this, cf. Is. 22:22). In that capacity, he is to exercise the disciplinary power of admitting or excluding those he thinks fit; he will also, in the administration of the community, make necessary decision in questions of doctrinal belief and of moral conduct. The verdicts he deliver or the pronouncements he makes will be ratified by God i heaven. Catholic exegetes maintain that these enduring promises hold good not only for Peter himself but also for Peter’s successors. This inference, not explicitly drawn in the text, is considered legitimate because Jesus plainly intends to provide for his Church’s future by establishing a regime that will not collapse after Peter’s death. Two other texts, Lk. 22:31f and Jn. 21:15f, on Peter’s primacy emphasize that its operation is to be in the domain of faith; they also indicate that this makes him head not only of the Church after the death of Christ but of the apostolic group then and there”; Footnote j states “Vulg. ‘Jesus Christ’.”

b. Lk 9:18-21 - Peter’s profession of faithc - Now one day when he was praying alone in the presence of his disciples he put this question to them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” (v. 18) And they answered, “John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life’(v. 19).‘But you,’ he said them, “who do you say I am?” It was Peter who spoke up, ‘The Christ of God’ he said (v. 20) But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this (v. 21). Footnote c states that “Lk has left out a whole section of Mk (6:45-8:26)”.

Verses 28, 29 and 30 say: And they told him, ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah’, others again, one of the prophets.’ “But you,’ he asked, ‘who do you say I am?” Peter spoke up and said to him, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. Parallel text for verse 30 is Mk 1:34 that says: And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.i Footnote i says “Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.” Verse 31 says: He began to teach them that the Son of Man` must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. Parallel texts are:

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a. From that timek, Jesus began to show his disciples that he* must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised (v. 21).Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (v. 22). He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (v. 23). Footnote k – Jesus has just elicited from his disciples the first explicit profession of faith in him as Messiah. At this crucial moment he tells them for the first time of his coming Passion: he is not only the glorious Messiah, he is also the suffering servant. Within the next few days this teaching method will be pursued in a similar situation: the glorious transfiguration will be followed by an injunction to silence and a prediction of Passion, 17:1-12. It is Christ’s way of bracing the disciples’ faith for the approaching crisis of death and resurrection.

b. First prophecy of the Passiond -“The Son of Man’ he said, is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to beput to death and to be raised up on the third day. Footnote d says “This prophecy is to b followed by several others, 9:44; 12:50; 17:25; 18:31-33. Cf. 24:7,25-27. Lk omits Peter’s protest and his rebuke by Jesus, Mk 8:32f.”

c. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead (v. 9). So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant (v. 10).He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.” (v. 31) .But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him (v. 32).

d. Third prophecy of the Passion: They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him (v. 32).“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles (v. 33) who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise” (v. 34).

Verse 32 and 33 say: He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” Parallel text for verse 33 is Mk 4:13 that says: He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?c Footnote c says “The apostles’ incomprehension of Christ’s works and words is a favorite theme of Mk. 6:52; 7:18; 8:17-18,21,33; 9:10,32; 10:38. With the exception of certain parallel places (Mt. 15;16; 16:9,23; 20:22; Lk 9:45) and of Lk 18:34; 24:25,45. Mt and Lk often pass such remarks over in silence, or even emend them; compare Mt 14:33 with Mk 6:51-52, and see Mt 13:51, Cf. Jn 14:26+.” Verse 34 says: He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said* to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Parallel texts are:

a. Mt 10:38-39 - Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me (v.38). Whoever finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itn (v. 38). Footnoten says “In Mt this dictum is given in a more archaic form than in Mk or Lk: ‘find’ covers the idea of ‘winning’ ‘securing for oneself’, cf. Gn 26:12; Ho 12:9; Pr 3:13; 21:21. See Mt. 16:25.”

http://usccb.org/bible/mark/8#49008034-1

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b. Mt 16:24-28 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me (v. 24).For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itm (v. 25). What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? (v. 26). For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct (v. 27). Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (v. 28). Footnotem says “Paradox. This dictum and those immediately following oscillate between two senses of human ‘life’; its present stage and its future. The Greek psyche, here equivalent to the Hebrew nephesh, contains all three senses of ‘life’, soul’, ‘person’.

c. Lk 9:23-27 - Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me (v. 23). For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it (v. 24). What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self? (v. 25). For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when h comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels (v. 26). ‘I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God’ (v. 27).

d. Lk 14:26-27 - “If any man comes to me without hatingc his father, mother, wife,d children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (v. 26).Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (v. 27).Footnotec says “Hebraism. Jesus asks, not for hate, but for total detachment now, cf. 9:57-62”; Footnote d says “‘wife’, peculiar to Lk, illustrating his leaning to ascetism, cf. 1 Co 7, So Lk also, 18:29.”

Verse 35 says: For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. Parallel text for verse 35 is Jn 12:25 that says: Anyone who loves his life loses it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life. The First Reading for this Sunday isIs 50:5-9.

Verse 5 says: The Lord GOD opened my ear;d I did not refuse, did not turn away. Footnoted

says “The servant, cf. 42:1+, is here not so much a prophet as a sage inspired by Yahweh”. Parallel texts are:

a. Ps 40:6 - You, who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, openedb my ear, you asked no holocaust or sacrifice for sin; then I said, ‘Here I am! I am coming!” Footnote b says “Lit ‘dug out’. God sees to it that his servant knows his will, cf. Is 50:5. A Greek variant, ‘you have fashioned a body for me, was interpreted messianically and applied to Christ, Heb 10:5”.

b. Is 52:13-53:12- Fourth Song of the Servant of Yahwehk-See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be lifted up, exalted, rise to great heights (v. 13).As the crowds were appalled on seeing himl, so disfigured did he look that he seemed no longer humanm (v. 14),So will the crowds be astonished at himn, and kings stand speechless before him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before (v. 15);Who could believe what we have heard and to whom has the power of Yahweh revealed? (v. 1).He grew up in front of usa like a shootb in arid ground; without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes (v. 2), a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their facesc; he was despised and we took no account of him (v. 3). And yet ours were the sufferings he bore, ours the sorrows he carried. But we, we thought of him as someone punished, struck by God, and brought low (v. 4).Yet

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he was pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins. On him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed(v. 5). We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way; and Yahweh burdened him with the sins of us all(v. 6). Harshly dealt with, he bore it humbly, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb that is led to the slaughterhouse, like a sheep dumbed before its shearers, never opening his mouth (v. 7). By force and by law, he was takend, would anyone plead his cause? Yet, he was torn away from the land of the living; for ourf faults struck down in death (v.8).They gave him a grave with the wicked, a tomb with the richg, though he had done no wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth (v.9). Yahweh had been pleased to crush him with sufferingh. If he offers his life in atonement, he shall see his heirs, he shall have a long life, and through him what Yahweh wishes will shall be done(v.10).His soul’s anguish over he shall see the light;I and be content;j By his sufferings shall my servant justify many, taking their faults on himself (v.11).Hence I will great whole hordes his tributes, he shall divide the spoil with the mighty, for surrendering himself to death, and letting himself be taken for a sinner while he was bearing the faults of many, and praying all the time for sinners (v.12).

For Is 52:13, footnotek says “On the meaning of this song, cf. 42:1+. The poem is apparently in dialogue form. First Yahweh delivers an oracle, v. 13, then the kings of the nation speak, vv. 14 f, and next the people; the poem ends with a further oracle, 53:11-12. It is difficult to decide, however, precisely where the speaker changes; Footnote l - ‘On seeing him’ Targ, and Syr.; ‘on seeing you’ Hebr.; Footnote m –says “A DSIa variant suggests the translation ‘By my anointing I took his human appearance from him’; Footnote n says ‘will be astonished’ following Greek and Lat.; ‘he will come to leap’ Hebr.; For Is 53:1 -12, footnote a says ‘in front of us’ corr.; ‘in front of him’ Hebr; Footnote b says “In 11:1,10, Immanuel is a ‘root’; Footnote c says “The expression was used of lepers.; Footnote d says “Suggesting that the servant has been condemned by process of law; Footnote e says “‘cause’ corr.; ‘generation’, ‘descent’ Hebr. Interpretation uncertain. The ‘who will explain his descent?’ of the Greek and Lat. Has been taken by Christian tradition to refer to the mysterious origin of Christ; the Hebr. Dor (a generation) cannot however bear this sense; Footnote f – “‘our’ corr.; ‘of my people’ Hebr.”; Footnote g says “With DSIa, Hebr. ‘in his death he is with the rich man’. Early Christian preaching seems to have had this text in mind when recording the burial of Jesus in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea, ‘a rich man’, Mt 27:57-60. It is possible to correct to ‘in his death he is with the evil-doers’, Lk. 22:37 which, however, refers rather to v. 12.; Footnote hsays “‘with suffering’ corr., cf. versions; ‘he has pierced him’ DSIa, cf. v. 5.”; Footnote I says “‘the light’ Greek, DSIa and DSIb; absent from Hebr.; Footnote j says “‘By his suffering’ corr. following one Hebr. MS; ‘By his knowledge’ Hebr. Before ‘servant’ Hebr. inserts ‘the just one’.” Verse 6 says: I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who tore out my beard; My face I did not hide from insults and spitting.e Footnote esays“The description of the servant’s suffering recurs in the fourth song, 52:13-53:12.” Parallel texts are:

a. Lm 3:30 - To offer his cheek to the striker, to be overwhelmed with insults. b. Mt 26:67 - Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists; others said as the struck him… c. Mt 27:30 - And they spat upon him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak, dressed

him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. Verse 7 says: The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; Therefore I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.



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Parallel texts are: a. Ezk 3:8-9 - But now I will make you as defiant as they are, and as obstinate as they are; I am going to make your resolutions as hard as diamond, and diamond is harder

than flint. So, do not be afraid of them, do not be overwhelmed by them, for they are a set of rebels(vv. 8-9). b. Ps 25:3 - No, those who hope in you are never shamed, shame awaits disappointed traitors.

Verse 8 says: He who declares my innocence is near. Who will oppose me? Let us appear together. Who will dispute my right? Let them confront me. Parallel text is Rm 8:31-33 that says: After saying this, what can we add? With God on our side, who can be against us? (v. 31). Since God did not spare his own Son but gave him up to benefit us all, we may be certain that, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give (v. 32). Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn (v. 33). Verse 9 says: See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will declare me guilty? See, they will all wear out like a garment, devoured by moths. Parallel texts are:

a. Is 51:8 - For the moth shall eat them like garment, the grub devour them like wool; but my integrity will remain forever, and my salvation for all generations. b. Jb 13:28 - While my life is crumbling like rotten wood, or a moth-eaten garment. c. Ho 5:12 - Very well I myself will be the moth for Ephraim, the canker of the house of Judah.

The Second Reading for this Sunday isJas 2:14-18. This scripture is entitled: Faith and good worksf Footnote f of this title says “The different points of view of James and Paul, Rm. 3:20-31; Ga 2:16; 3:2,11f; Ph3:9, are not wholly irreconcilable. Paul is anxious to rule out the view that a human being can earn salvation without having faith in Christ, since such a reliance on self-made sanctity would be contradicted by the radical sinfulness of unredeemed man, Rm 1:18-3:20; Ga 3:22, and would make faith in Christ superfluous, Ga. 3:17; cf. Rm 1:16+. But Paul does not deny that the saint who has been made holy by grace must show his faith by actually loving, Ga 5:6; cf. 1 Th 1:3; 2 Th 1:11; Phm 6, and in this way obeying the Law, Rm 8:4, i.e. the Law or commandments of Christ and his Spirit, Ga 6:2; Rm 8:2, which is the commandment to love, Rm 13:8-10; Ga 5:14. It is perfectly true, however, that in order to teach the same truth as Paul, James in a different context and under different circumstances explain the case of Abraham in a completely different way from Paul.”

Verse 14 says: Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims he has faith? Will that faith save him?

Parallel texts are: a. Jm 2:24 - You see now that it is by doing something good, and not only by believing that a man is justified. b. Rm 4:1 - Apply this to Abrahama found, the ancestor from whom we are all descended?b Footnote a says “Lit. ‘What then shall we say about Abraham?’ Var. (Vulg.)

‘What then shall we say that Abraham has gained?’; Footnote b says “The recurrence of the fatherhood of Abraham theme marks the stages in the argument, vv. 1:12, 16-18.”

c. Ga 5:6 - …since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not counts makes no difference –what matters is faith that makes its power through love

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Verse 15 says: If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on,

Parallel texts are: a. Mt 25:41-45 - Next he will say to those on his left hand, ’Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 41). For

I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink (v. 42); I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.’ (v. 43). Then it will be their turn to ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help? (v. 44)‘ Then he will answer, ‘I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of these, you neglected to do it to me (v. 45).’

b. 1 Co 13:5 - …it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offence, and it is not resentful. c. 1 Jn 3:17 - If a man who was rich enough in this world’s goods saw that one of his brothers was in need, but closed his heart to him, how could the love of God be living

in him? (v. 17). My children, our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active… Verses 16, 17 and 18 says: and one of you says to them, “I wish you well, keep yourself warm, and eat plenty” without giving them these bare necessities of life body, what good is it?Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.g This is the way to talk to people of that kind:h “You say you have faith and I have good works; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds - now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show. Footnote g says “Lit.‘it is dead by itself’”; and Footnote h says “The same opponents as in vv. 17 and 26.” Parallel text of verse 16 is Mt 7:21 that say: It is not those who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. Discussion on the Justification by Faith and Good Works: J. A. Wylie, History of the Waldenses: The whole great doctrine of justification by faith elaborated in Paul’s epistle to the Romans is involved in Christ’sdeclaration in John 3:16.The Protestant Reformation was born, apparently, of an intense conviction of the utter sinfulness of man and his radical need of Divine regeneration. As the only antidote to the theoretical Semi-Pelagianism and the practical Pelagianism and the innumerable unspeakable pharisaical abominations of Catholicism, Luther and Calvin, in the sixteenth century, proclaimed anew, in trumpet tones, to the priest-ridden millions of Europe, the great Pauline and Augustinian doctrine of sin and grace—the entire natural equality and total depravity of all men in the eyes of an Infinitely Holy God, the absolute dependence of fallen man upon the sovereign mercy of the Most High, justification by faith alone (solifidianism)—nothing like this old Bible doctrine, when believed, to cut up human pride and merit and pharisaism by the roots, to humble man in the dust before God, to stir him up to heartfelt gratitude for the Divine salvation, to cause him to serve God in spirit from an inward principle of filial love, and to comfort him in trial and despondency. All these features are perfectly consistent and congenial with papal synergism, Semi-Pelagianism, pharisaism, but totally irreconcilable with the great monergistic, Pauline, Christian doctrineof Divine predestination and election, justification by faith alone, salvation by grace alone. As established by Ludwig Keller, the present royal archivist at Munster, in his thorough and authoritative work on “The Reformation and the Older Reforming Parties Exhibited in their Connection,” published at Leipzig in 1885, the evangelical Anti-Catholic Christians from the eleventh to the sixteenth centuries, known as Petrobrusians, Henricians, Waldenses, Pikards, Beghards, Beguins, Spirituales, Sabbati, Insabbati, Apostolic Brethren, Poor men in Christ, Friends of God, Mystics and Bohemians, were, in the darkness of the Dark Ages,

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Arminians. They exalted the Scriptures above all human books, and accepted the doctrine of justification by faith; but they earnestly insisted on thefreedom of man’s will to accept or reject the provisions of Divine grace, and emphasized the necessity of imitating Christ in His life of self-denial.The earliest Waldenses are believed to have been Anti-Pedobaptists. It appears that the early Waldenses were not established in the doctrine of predestination, and of the redemptive work of Christ, and of our full and free justification by faith in Him; their prevailing type of doctrine is less that of Paul than of James. In the darkness of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries they were more Arminian than Augustinian in their views. They were babes in Christ, and were gradually led into the doctrine of grace. It is highly probable, and is believed by many eminent historians, that the Waldenses in Northern Italy were the spiritual descendants and successors of the Novatians—like them, stigmatized as Anabaptists, rejecting the superstitions and corruptions of Rome, and re-immersing all who joined them from the Catholic communion. The fifteenth (and the first quarter of the sixteenth) century was the period of the Augustan culmination and thorough paganization of Latin “Christianity” (in Popes Nicholas V and LeoX); of the unspeakable abominations of John XXIII and Alexander (Borgia) VI; of papal conspiracies, poisonings for wealth, assassinations and debaucheries; of the papal suppression of all vernacular translations of the Scriptures; of the burning of the Lollards in England (includingSir John Oldcastle, Lord Cobham) and of Hus and Jerome of Prague, and of the ferocious papal crusades against the Bohemian Hussites and the French and Italian Waldenses; of the establishment and operations of the so-called “improved, reformed, or modern,” diabolical, terrific and unequalled Spanish Inquisition against Jews, Moors and “heretics,” withTorquemada’s superintendence and his infernal autos da fe; of the so-called “Reforming Councils” of Pisa, Constance and Basel, pretending to correct some of the external evils of Catholicism (while leaving unnoticed the false doctrines lying at the root of those evils), but miserably failing in their attempts, the popes, with Satanic, yet characteristic cunning and perseverance, taking back more than all that had been taken from them; of two and even three popes and Councils at once, cursing and warring against each other, and making “confusion worse confounded;” of the unrivalled increase of the worship of images, relics, saints, and especially Mary, and of penances, pilgrimages, jubilees and post-jubilees, and of the sale of indulgences for the sins of the dead and for the past and future sins of the living, a price in money being fixed for every sin; of the abandonment of preaching by the ordinary “clergy,” and the degradation of it by the monks to the mere rehearsal of lying legends, indecent tales and low comic exhibitions; of the disappearance of religion from the head, as it had long since disappeared from the heart; of the substitution of the abominable Machiavellian politics, and of the old Pagan literature, mythology, cruelty and sensuality for Christianity; of the abandonment of the restraining principle of shame, and of the almost universal prevalence of degrading and unnatural licentiousness in monasteries and nunneries, and among the “secular clergy” and all ranks of society, and of the consequent first appearance, at the close of the fifteenth century, of the most awful and loathsome contagious disease that ever afflicted humanity; so that as in the horrible chaos of the first century of the Christian era, men everywhere even naturally despaired of their race unless it were regenerated by Divine power. The utter hollowness of the Catholic doctrine of justification by works, and the absolute necessity of a radically different doctrine, thatof justification by faith, were unmistakably demonstrated to all the world that had eyes to see. And yet there were many providential events in this period of dismal spiritual darkness, unconsciously, as it were, preparing for the widespread and successful publication to poor lost sinners prepared to receive the message, of the glad news of God’s free, full, holy, and omnipotent salvation. The sixteenth century was the period of the fixed and executed purpose of the popes to build at Rome a religious structure to be known as “St. Peter’s,” designed to eclipse in costly and colossal magnificence all the other temples of earth; and, though intended by the popes to be a grand perpetual monument of Roman Catholic glory, yet designed by Providence to be a grand perpetual monument of Roman Catholic shame, proclaiming forever to the world the bottomless abyss of corruption into which an organization calling itself the “Holy Catholic Church” had descended to offer in the public marts of Europe the unblushing sale for gold of unlimited indulgences for past, present and future sins—the declared object of the popes being to devote the gold to the erection of the cathedral of “St. Peter’s;” against which tremendous and

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unparalleled abomination Martin Luther[2] was raised up by the Holy Spirit to utter a mighty trumpet-blast of God’s absolute and eternal predestination of His people to everlasting life, of justification by faith alone, and salvation by grace alone, which reverberated all over Roman Catholic Europe, aroused sleeping millions from their nocturnal slumbers, and shook to its center the Kingdom of Mystical Babylon. The sixteenth was the century, too, of the great counter-blast against Luther and Protestantism[3] in the necessitated external reformation of Catholic morals; in the perpetration of terrific massacres, and the waging of protracted, desolating and bloody wars; in the revivification and intensification of the horrors of the Reformed Inquisition; in the permanent petrifaction, in the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, of the mediaeval Catholic heretical doctrines of tradition, free-will, Semi-Pelagianism, falling from grace, meritoriousness of good works, transubstantiation, baptismal regeneration, sacerdotalism, Roman apostolical (or, as it should be called, apostatical) images, and indulgences; and in the establishment of the Society of Jesuits, with their Pelagianism, probabilism, and cunning casuistry, their absolute devotion, in both body and soul, to the papacy, their perverted education of European youth, and their accommodating, compromising, mongrel, and therefore “very successful missions” to India, Japan, China, and North and South America. Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), the able, scholarly, eloquent, clear-headed, bold-hearted and patriotic leader of the Reformation in German Switzerland, despising papal threats and gold, advocated, like Luther, the doctrine of justification by faith alone, and salvation by grace alone. He declared, at the daily risk of his life, that tradition is worthless, and the Scriptures are the only standard of faith and practice; that the mass and image and saint worship are idolatry; that Christ is the only sacrifice for sin, and the only mediator between God and man. “Over against the mock sovereignty of the pope,” says Prof. Schaff, “Calvin set the absolute sovereignty of God, and he made this the chief article in his system; while Luther gave the greatest prominence to justification by faith alone; but the central place in the Christian system belongs only to the person and work of Christ—the incarnation and the atonement.”Calvin had extraordinary light on the doctrine of grace and the holy effects of that doctrine in the heart and life; but he was in great and lamentable darkness in regard to infant baptism, indifference of the “form” of baptism, a modified sacramentalism, alliance of “Church and State,” the civil punishment of excommunicated persons, the subjection of the individual church to a gradation of higher bodies, and fellowshipping Catholics and all the members of every so-called Christian “Church.”In particular, Wesleyan ministers insist on the doctrines of original sin, general redemption, repentance, justification by faith, the witness of the Spirit, and Christian perfection” by “the witness of the Spirit” meaning, they say, a sense of sins forgiven, but not necessarily final salvation; and, by “Christian perfection,” meaning, not sinlessness, but the perfection of love, which they believe tobe attainable in the present life. The doctrinal essence of Methodism is thus well stated in the American Cyclopaedia: “Methodism holds that the salvation of each human being depends solely on his own free action in respect to the enlightening, renewing and sanctifying inworkings of theHoly Spirit (which this system holds to be universal). If, in respect to these inworkings, he holds himself receptively, he will be saved both here and hereafter; but if he closes his heart against these influences of the Spirit, he will continue in death both here and in eternity.” This deficiency is an essential part of all Rationalism, including Arminianism. They sometimes admit, and sometimes deny, the innate depravity of the human race sincethe Fall; and they distinctly and emphatically abandon the central doctrine of Protestantism, the justification of the Christian by faith alone, and return to the Roman Catholic doctrine ofjustification by faith and works (or rather work-baptism being the one great work with them). From: Andrew N. Dugger and Clarence O. Dodd, A History of the True Church

Page 73. “The beginning of the thirteenth century saw thousands of persons hanged or burned by these diabolical devices, whose sole cr ime was, that they trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, and renounced all the vain hopes of self-righteousness, idolatry and superstition. Whoever has attended closely to the subject of the epistles to the Colossians and Galatians, and has penetrated into the meaning of the epistle, sees the great duty of HOLDING THE HEAD, and resting for justification by faith, on Jesus Christ alone, inculcated throughout them as the predominant precept of Christianity, in opposition to the rudiments of the world, to

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human works and devices of whatever kind. Such a person sees what true Protestantism is, contrasted with genuine popery; and, of course, he is convicted, that the difference is not merely verbal or frivolous, but that there is a perfect opposition in the two plans; and such as admits of no coalition or union; and that therefore the true way of withstanding the devices of Satan, is to be faithful to the great doctrine of justification by the grace of Jesus Christ, through faith alone, and not by our own works or deservings. Hence the very foundation of false religion is overthrown; hence troubled consciences obtain solid peace, and faith, working by love, leads men into the very spirit of Christianity, while it comforts their hearts, and establishes them in every good work.”

Page 76."The greater part of Europe, had now forsaken the all-important article of justification by the merit of Jesus Christ alone through faith, and were entangled in the nets of pharisaical religion, and readily betook themselves to numberless superstitions, to give quiet and ease to their consciences. The Waldenses found peace and comfort, and the expectation of heaven through Jesus Christ alone by faith, and hence despised the whole popedom with all its appendages; while others, who trembled in conscience for their sins; and knew not the holy wisdom of resting in Christ alone for salvation, might well swell with indignation at the wickedness of the court of Rome, but durst not emancipate themselves from its bonds. The power of the Pope was then but a cement of wickedness which encouraged men with the hopes of heaven, while living in superstition and the indulgence of the greatest crimes.”

Page 77."In this, Gregory, in effect, opposed the doctrine of the atonement of Christ, and in contempt of it, taught men to expect justification from God, on the merit of military service, rendered at the command of his [self-styled] Viceregent. In this way, the human mind was removed from faith in Christ, and men were taught to rely for pardon on the sovereign pontiff, and were led to imbibe the fatal doctrines that wickedness might be committed, with the flattering prospect of gaining the divine favor, without a reformation of heart and life.”

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “Moravian Church”:“The Hussite movement that was to become the Moravian Church was started by Jan Hus (English: John

Huss) in the late 14th century, in what is today the Czech Republic. Hus objected to some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and wanted to return the church in Bohemia and Moravia to early Byzantine-inspired practices: liturgy in the language of the people (i.e. Czech), having lay people receive communion in both kinds (bread and wine - that is, in Latin, communio sub utraque specie), married priests, and eliminating indulgences and the idea of Purgatory. Jan Hus rejected indulgences and adopted a doctrine of justification by grace through faith alone; consequently, the Moravian Church became the first Protestant church.”

Enc. Britannica, “Waldenses”: “A second period in their history began when the French reformer Guillaume Farel introduced Reformation theology to the Waldensian

ministers (barbes) in 1526. The Waldenses raised questions concerning the number of sacraments, the relationship between free will and predestination, and the problem of reconciling justification by faith with the scriptural emphasis on the necessity of good works. At a conference at Cianforan in 1532 most Waldenses accepted secular law courts and celibacy for their barbes and agreed to accept only two sacraments (baptism and Holy Communion) and the doctrine of predestination as presented by the Protestants in attendance. By further adapting themselves to Genevan forms of worship and church organization, they became in effect a Swiss Protestant church. Years of persecution continued, however, before they received full civil rights in 1848.”

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, History of Christianity:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/201817/Guillaume-Farel

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/495422/Reformation

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/474519/predestination

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Martin Luther was an Augustinian friar and professor at the University of Wittenberg. In 1517, he published a list of 95 Theses, or points to be debated, concerning the illicitness of selling indulgences. Luther had a particular disdain for Aristotelian philosophy, and as he began developing his own theology, he increasingly came into conflict with Thomistic scholars, most notably Cardinal Cajetan.[75] Soon, Luther had begun to develop his theology of justification, or process by which one is "made right" (righteous) in the eyes of God. In Catholic theology, one is made righteous by a progressive infusion of grace accepted through faith and cooperated with through good works. Luther's doctrine of justification differed from Catholic theology in that justification rather meant "the declaring of one to be righteous", where God imputes the merits of Christ upon one who remains without inherent merit.[76] In this process, good works are more of an unessential byproduct that contribute nothing to one's own state of righteousness.Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss scholar and parish priest who was likewise influential in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. Zwingli claimed that his theology owed nothing to Luther, and that he had developed it in 1516, before Luther's famous protest, though his doctrine of justification was remarkably similar to that of the German friar.

David C. Pack, What is your Reward in the Next Life? “Before explaining whether or not a Christian must perform good works in his life, we must examine a more basic question.

“Are Christians required to obey the laws of God? What is the answer—the truth—from the Word of God?

“Jesus never taught that people should just “believe on Him” to receive salvation. When a young, rich man asked Him what he must do to have “eternal life”—receive salvation—Christ did not tell him, “Just believe in Me.” Instead, He told him, “If you will enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.” Hearing this, the disciples were shocked. (So are most ministers and churchmen.) They did not understand how this was possible and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Christ answered, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:17, 25-26). It is possible to obey God.

“In Mark 7:7-8, Christ said, “Howbeit IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men.” It is possible to worship Christ in vain. It is possible to think about Him, talk about Him and refer to Him often as Lord—ALL IN VAIN!

“Now notice: “Not every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven *“of” not “in” heaven+; but he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Paul wrote, “the DOERS of the law *God’s+ shall be justified” (Rom. 2:13).

“A Christian is one who actually does certain things. His responsibility is more than just belief. In the context of explaining the difference between those who build their house on a rock and those who build on sand, Christ said, “And why call you Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). A Christian does what God says to do! Also, carefully read James 1:22-25; 2:8-12, 14, 17-20. These verses substantiate Christ’s instruction commanding true Christians to keep the laws of God, tying works and faith together. They show it is not faith or works but faith and works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Wittenberg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/95_Theses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cajetan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity#cite_note-75

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justification_(theology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity#cite_note-76

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“So, a Christian is a “doer” not just a “believer” or “hearer.” Salvation is a gift, but there are qualifyingconditions—behavior, conduct, works—that must be

performed, or belief in Christ is in vain! And one who claims to have love must perform definite “works” of obedience to the law, which demonstrate it.Being “saved by grace” and “rewarded according to works” are entirely different matters. Few understand that it is not one or the other—IT IS BOTH!

“The Bible repeatedly states that Christians will be rewarded later according to their works now. We will see that this is an absolutely CLEAR—PLAIN—teaching of scripture. But, what kind of works is this referring to? The Bible actually refers to works with two different intended meanings. This booklet will focus on one of them.

“Paul’s epistles to the Romans and the Galatians make reference to “the works of the law.” The Greek word for this, ergon, refers to the tedious physical ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices that ancient Israel was required to perform under certain circumstances. The book of Leviticus and other places discuss them in detail. They were often required to be performed in conjunction with obedience to the Ten Commandments.

“But, this is not the meaning that we will focus upon. Ergon can also refer to “physical work, action, labor or acts of spiritual righteousness.” Invariably, when this meaning is intended, the word “works” stands alone, omitting the phrase “of the law” (God’s law, the Ten Commandments). The often-used Greek word praxis, often translated “works,” also has a nearly identical meaning.

“You cannot live your life without doing many things each day. All the things that you do are either good or bad. They are your “works.” They define you for what you are. Solomon wrote, “Even a child is known by his doings” (Prov. 20:11). If this is true of children, how much more so of adults?

“While salvation is a gift, your reward in God’s kingdom will be determined solely by your “works” now, in this life. Understand this!

“Before examining the scriptures that prove this, you must first understand a little of what salvation will primarily entail.

“Christians are overcomers. They understand that they must “keep” Christ’s “works.” They do not sit idle, “just believing” in Jesus. They recognize that they are in training to be teachers and rulers!

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Homilies for the Sundays in Ordinary Time Cycle B Part 2

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