Commentary – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
September 13, 2015
First Reading – Isaiah 50.5-9a
The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
Commentary
THE SERVANT OF GOD IN ISAIAH
The key to this passage is in the verse that precedes today’s reading: “The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to answer the weary a word that will waken them. Morning after morning he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do.” The one speaking here is nourished by God’s Word, and because of it he is persecuted; but God’s Word also gives him the strength to face his persecution.
We would obviously like to identify the speaker! This passage is from what is known as “the Servant Songs” in the book of Isaiah: four texts that paint a remarkable portrait of God’s Servant: he is a true prophet, leads an exemplary life, but is persecuted; he is posthumously recognized as God’s messenger, and mysteriously, it is through him that all of humanity is saved; through him is accomplished God’s project of salvation for all humanity. Of course, we immediately think of Jesus Christ!
But the prophet Isaiah was obviously not thinking about Jesus Christ when he wrote this text, probably in the 6th century BC, during the Babylonian Exile. Who then did Isaiah have in mind? Was it a particular individual? Or could it have been the people of Israel in exile? For they are indeed God’s servant - nourished each morning by God’s Word and persecuted because of their faith, yet still holding on despite hardships. If this hypothesis is correct, then the purpose of this text is to encourage the people to hold fast, assured that they will “not be put to shame”, as Isaiah says.
In this text, Isaiah describes the extraordinary relationship between the servant (Israel) and God. Its main characteristic is trust. To “hear” the word, to “hear as disciples do” means to live in trust. “The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue… Morning after morning he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do ... The Lord GOD opens my ear.”
The prophets repeatedly entreated the people, saying, “Hear, O Israel” or, “if today you hear God’s voice”; and in their mouth “to hear” consistently meant to trust God always and in all things. St. Paul explains why: it is because “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8.28). God brings forth good out of every evil, difficulty or trial. God counters hatred with a stronger love, persecution with the power of forgiveness, and death with life and resurrection. Although the evil remains, God brings forth good from it.
It is this trust that propels the servant to accept the mission with which he is entrusted. This may sound like a play on words, but mutual trust is the key here. God has confidence in the servant to whom God has entrusted a mission; in return the servant confidently accepts the mission. And it is this mutual trust that gives the servant the necessary strength to stand firm even in the face of inevitable opposition.
The mission is that of prophetic witness: “that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them,” says the servant. The Lord provides the necessary strength for the mission as well as the right words: “The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue.” God also provides the confidence to boldly witness to others: “He opens my ear,” indicates that listening (in the biblical sense of trusting) is itself a gift from God. Everything is gift: the mission and also the strength and the confidence that makes the servant unwavering in his mission.
THE PROPHET’S MISSION IS FULL OF RISKS
It is characteristic of the believer to see everything as gift from God; and whoever lives in this permanent giftedness from God is ready to face anything: “I have not rebelled, have not turned back.” Fidelity to the mission entrusted inevitably brings persecution: true prophets, that is to say those who actually speak the word of God rarely die of old age…
Isaiah describes the persecution in very realistic terms: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” Why do prophets – God’s true servants - inevitably face persecution? Because faithfulness to the Word of God sets the servant apart from his contemporaries, which makes him disliked; if he truly “listens” to the Word of God, if he lives it concretely, he soon becomes discomfiting to others. His own conversion calls others to conversion. Some hear the call while others reject it and turn against the servant, sure that they are doing the right thing.
Each morning, the servant renews his strength by going to the One who enables him to face whatever comes: “Morning after morning he opens my ear ... The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced...” And here Isaiah uses a typically Hebrew expression: “I have set my face like flint”*: it expresses resolve and courage. We sometimes say of a distraught person that his “face fell”; here the servant is saying: “nothing will crush me, I will hold on no matter what happens; you won’t see me with a fallen face.” This confidence is not a prideful boast; it comes from knowing the source of his strength: “The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced...”
Jesus embodied all of this; and in today’s Gospel he invites us to follow him, whatever happens, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 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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Note
*Luke uses this exact phrase when speaking of Jesus as he resolutely heads toward Jerusalem (Lk 9.51). A literal translation would be: “Jesus hardened his face to go toward Jerusalem.”
Responsorial Psalm – 1161-6, 8-9
R/ I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
Because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R/I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
And I called upon the name of the LORD,
“O LORD, save my life!”
R/I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R/I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R/I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
Second Reading – James 2.14-18
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ”
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say,
“You have faith and I have works.”
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
Commentary
IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY: LORD, LORD!
We are familiar with Jesus’ statement that, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Mt 7.21). Although St. James’ words are not as well known, they express the same thing: “What good is it… if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” If James’ words seem somewhat controversial, it is because the matter was being debated in his community: what if someone claims to have faith, but does not act? The formula “if someone” invites the assumption that some members of the community actually claimed to have faith while doing nothing to help their brothers and sisters.
In fact, it had been necessary for all preachers throughout the ages to address this issue, as can be seen in the Law and the Prophets, in Israel (indicating once again how much James identified with the Old Testament). Service to others was a favorite theme of the prophets; for example, Isaiah says: “Is this not, rather, the fast that I choose: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking off every yoke? Is it not sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the afflicted and the homeless into your house; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own flesh?” (Is 58.6-7). This is what James calls “faith with works.” We on the other hand might think that to practice one’s faith is to attend Mass.
It seems that this is the lesson of this text: there are various ways of practicing one’s faith, ... and indeed the New Testament authors express this: they speak of the practice of faith through worship and of the practice of faith through acts of charity; and they all agree in saying that one does not replace the other. Twice, Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hos 6.6; quoted in Mt 9 and 12) as a reminder that all of our fine cultic practices (sacrifices) do not exempt us from acts of charity.
James is saying the same thing with his little parable: “If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?” Translate: The world’s finest rhetoric does not accomplish anything.
But this is something we already know! However, James seems to be saying that not only is fine rhetoric useless in helping others; it does nothing for us as well! According to him, our faith withers when it is not put into practice, that is to say, placed at the service of others. A few lines down, he says: “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (2. 26). This means that acts of charity are the breath of faith.
Once again, we can hear St. John in the background: in his first letter he writes, “If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? Children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth… Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love” (1 Jn 3.17-18, 8). Or again, “everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God ” (1 Jn 4.7).
Faith is not something we carry around with us; it is a journey in which we discover God through service to our sisters and brothers. Jesus uses a different comparison, that of a building under construction: “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock… And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand” (Mt 7.24 ... 26).
And St. Paul says: “if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13.2). Obviously, Paul and James are in agreement. But then, what should we make of Paul’s many statements on salvation as a free gift? He insists that God saves us gratuitously, without any merit on our part: it is not what we call our “works” that save us. (By “works” Paul means works of charity, but more so circumcision and Jewish dietary laws).
In reality, there is no fundamental opposition between Paul and James on this matter. Nevertheless, they are each addressing a different audience and so they do not emphasize the same things. The Christians to whom Paul writes are constantly arguing over whether or not they ought to observe all of the Jewish practices (starting with circumcision) in addition to Christian baptism. So Paul tells them: God saves us gratuitously, (“by faith”, as he says); we simply need to believe in God and to openly receive the salvation offered. Works of charity will inevitably follow if our faith is real!
However, some in James’ Christian community cleverly manipulate Paul's affirmations to say that since it is sufficient to have faith, our works (our acts of charity) count for nothing - no need to care for others! To these, James simply recalls Jesus’ words: “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13.35).
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Addendum
Jesus echoed this in many ways: for example, the parable of the last judgment in Matthew’s gospel seems to favor “works”: “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25.31-46).
Gospel – Mark 8.27-35
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
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.
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.”
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.
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.”
Commentary
Peter has dared to utter the most extraordinary statement imaginable at the time: “You are the Christ.” Jesus' reaction is rather unexpected: although he does not refuse the title, he forbids his disciples to tell anyone. This is not the first time that we encounter the “messianic secret” in Mark’s gospel: that it is too early to tell everyone that Jesus is the Messiah, because this title is still too ambiguous. Yes, Jesus is the awaited Messiah, but he does not meet the expectations of the Messiah! This is what Jesus will try to make his disciples understand: “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.”
To Jewish ears such words were completely paradoxical: even as Jesus claimed the title of Messiah (the Son of Man is a synonymous term), he foresaw failure, suffering and death. A few words on the title “Son of Man”: this phrase is taken straight out of the book of Daniel, Chapter 7: “As the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds of heaven One like a son of man. When he reached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him, He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed” (Dn 7.13-14). A few verses on, Daniel makes it clear that this Son of Man is not a solitary individual, but a people: “But the holy ones* of the Most High shall receive the kingship, to possess it forever and ever... the kingship and dominion and majesty of all the kingdoms under the heavens shall be given to the people of the holy ones of the Most High, whose kingship shall be an everlasting kingship, whom all dominions shall serve and obey” (Dn 7.18,27). Therefore, when Jesus applies to himself the title of Son of Man, he does so as the head of God’s people. He is indeed the Messiah who comes to establish God's reign on earth.
But a suffering Messiah was a preposterous idea! Peter is right to voice his opposition. Like many of his contemporaries, he expected a Messiah-King who would be triumphant, glorious, powerful, and drive out definitively the Roman occupiers from Palestine. Therefore Jesus’ words are unacceptable - the almighty God would not allow such things! This text could possibly be entitled: “Peter’s first denial”, that is, his first refusal to follow the Messiah in suffering. Jesus confronts Peter’s impulsive act of refusal as a real temptation for himself and vehemently says: “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
It is only natural that our thinking be impulsively “human”! We must however allow the Spirit to transform our thinking and even to turn it on its head if we wish to remain faithful to God's plan. Unlike Matthew and Luke, Mark does not relate the details of Jesus' temptations in the desert, but here he undoubtedly describes one of them, a very serious temptation at that, since it elicits such a strong reaction from Jesus, evidence that he is facing a real struggle: “he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.”
Why did Mark mention that Jesus reacted this way because of his disciples presence? Is it not because Peter’s misunderstanding is all the more serious in that he risks leading others into error? The title of Satan (“the obstructer”) captures what is at stake: just like Isaiah’s Servant (first reading), Jesus is committed to “listen” to his Father, to allow himself to be taught like a disciple, and to fully accomplish his mission in spite of having to suffer from the insults, spitting and the blows of others. “I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.”
A triumphant Messiah is not part of God's plan of salvation: for human beings to “come to the knowledge of truth,” as Paul says (1 Tim 2.4), they need to discover the God of tenderness and forgiveness, of mercy and compassion, which is not revealed through acts of power but through the supreme gift of the life of the Son: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15.13). Jesus invites all his disciples throughout the ages to follow him in this.
Mark notes that Jesus then called the crowd and continued his teaching on the demands of evangelization: “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. 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.”
Translated with permission by Simone Baryliuk, from: Commentaires de Marie Noëlle Thabut, 13 septembre, 2015
http://www.eglise.catholique.fr/foi-et-vie-chretienne/commentaires-de-marie-noelle-thabut.html
