Since the close of the Christmas season we’ve been following Jesus as he begins his ministry. We’ve seen him Baptized by John (twice), we’ve seen him gathering his first Apostles (Andrew, Simon-Peter, James and John - twice), and this week we continue our journey as Jesus begins to preach, teach, and heal. Jesus has many different titles, but this week we focus on three: Prophet, Teacher, and Lord.
The Word for the 4th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Mark 1:21-28
Our first reading from the book of Deuteronomy gives us a clear understanding of what it means to be a prophet. Here Moses says a prophet is one like himself – someone chosen by God to speak for God. Now hearing this you might ask why God can’t speak for himself? Addressing that exact point Moses continues by reminding the people that it was they themselves who requested that God speak through an intermediary – through a prophet. It was at Mt. Horab where God initially spoke to the people, but His voice so frightened them they asked that only Moses hear the voice of God and relay the message. From that moment on God allowed Moses (and all the prophets who followed) to speak to us on his behalf. But beware, God also warns them that if someone should claim to be a prophet without God’s permission they will surely die.
One of the things we learn quickly is that what the prophet says may not be easy to hear. Our Psalm anticipates this as we sing, “if today you hear my voice, harden not your hearts.” This idea plays to both the calling of a prophet (who are often reluctant to take on this difficult task) as well as to those who are hearing God’s message (which can be difficult to hear or follow). But the Psalm also reminds us that God is our rock of salvation who deserves our praise, reminding us of that time at Massah and Meribah where we didn’t trust the message – a mistake we should not repeat.
Our second reading continues our journey through Paul’s 1st letter to the Corinthians. Though not directly related to our other readings, Paul’s message, like our Psalm, reminds us to stay focused on the Lord. As we examine this reading, as we hear Paul teaching us about the ways of married and unmarried men and women and how they should act. It’s passages like this that, when they heard through our 21st century understanding, can make us feel very uncomfortable and in fact allow us to feel that Paul is completely out of touch with our enlightened reality, thus diminishing the value of the message as irrelevant for our age. As with all scripture we need to give it deeper study to find the relevant truth. In this case, Paul is reminding us that as our lives become more busy, we become more focused on the moment, giving our attention to the here and now, which then distracts us from our higher commitment to God. When we read passages like this from Paul, we need to pay particular attention to his context – his hermeneutic, or point of view. Granted, Paul’s views may seem dated in our age, but for his age, they were quite progressive.
Our Gospel from Mark continues where we left off last week. After having gathered his first Apostles, he goes to Capernaum and teaches in the Synagogue. Here we see Jesus as the great “rabbi” or “teacher.” We hear how everyone was amazed by his teaching with an authority like that of a prophet. If that were not enough, the narrative continues with a possessed man in the synagogue rebuking Jesus. Jesus confronts the unclean spirit and by his position as Lord causes the unclean spirit to flee. Note here that the unclean spirit recognizes who Jesus is, and it is because of this recognition the demon flees, and thus reinforcing our understanding of Jesus as Lord and Son of God. This story shows us that Jesus has all the qualifications to take on this mission of spreading the Gospel.
Final Thoughts:
When we hear stories like this week’s Gospel it’s easy for us to feel intimidated. We see the ability of Jesus not only to impress the crowd with his teaching and prophecy but chasing away demons in the process. Already, still at the beginning of Mark’s Gospel story, we see that Jesus is a pretty impressive fellow – a force to be reckoned with. But we too are called to this mission. I’ve heard it many times by my fellow Christians – “I’m not Jesus, I can’t do that.” But we too easily forget that Jesus didn’t pass this responsibility onto just one person, he passed it on to all of us – the entire Church. Just as the Apostles had each other and the many disciples that followed after them, we are not alone in our mission to spread the Gospel. We do it with the rest of the Church around us.
For anyone who is a parent, or anyone who’s had to mediate a dispute among children, you likely have confronted the phrase “But that’s not fair!” How many times in your life have you uttered that phrase? Even as adults we have a tendency to equate “justice” with “fairness.” But here’s the thing – what is “just” may not always be “fair,” and what is “fair” to one person may not always be “fair” to the other. Our readings this week deal with just that problem, the difference between what we think is fair and what God thinks is both fair and just. The Word for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:6-9 Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18 Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a Matthew 20-1-16a We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah, in this case from the closing chapter of Deutero or “second” Isaiah. This comes from a point in Israelite history where the people have been released from their Exile in Babylon. The Lord has shown them great mercy and forgiveness by freeing them from th
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