Category: Sunday Commentary

Sunday Gospel and Readings Commentary

The 4^th Sunday of Ordinary Time

28^th of January, 2018

Lectionary readings: Dt.18:15-20; Ps. 95:1-2, 6-9; 1Cor.7:32-35; Mark 1:21-28

 

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In today’s Gospel, Mark clearly shows us that Jesus is both teacher and healer. He is the one who nourishes by his word and makes us whole again. The setting is in the synagogue at Capernaum where the people have gathered on Sabbath as a community to worship.

 

While speaking on the scripture, Jesus is interrupted by the shouting of a man who is possessed with an unclean spirit who questioned Jesus, “What have you come to do – to destroy us?” (1:24)  Jesus immediately addressed the inflicted man and rebuked the unclean spirit commanding, “Be silent and come out of him!” (1:25)  Immediately the unclean spirit left the man. He now stood erect freed from his tormentors. Those attending were astonished as they remarked, “What is this? A new teaching – with authority! He commands the evil spirits, and they obey him.” (1:27)

 

Those in attendance were not only amazed at what they had witnessed but were shocked and  therefore questioned by what authority does he do this. They had never seen anything like this before. Other teachers had never acted in this way but now Jesus taught with a power that they had never seen.

 

It was not the unclean spirit that troubled the audience for this was a common occurrence in their lives.  What disturbed them was the way that Jesus acted.  He had asserted by his words and actions that he had the authority and the right to act in this manner.

 

The common belief at that time was that a person would become defiled if he/she had any contact with a person possessed by an unclean spirit. “In fact, the simple presence of the unclean spirit in the synagogue contaminates the entire synagogue. The scribal advice was avoidance. The people and individuals were holy to the degree they kept distance from what was unholy.”  (Shea, 48)

 

Therefore, it was common practice to avoid all contact with a person possessed by an unclean spirit. That person was to be left alone. The unclean spirit knew this and counted on being left alone. That is why the unclean spirits wondered what Jesus would do to them. They realized who Jesus is, the Holy One of God, and they did not think that he would risk defilement.

 

Jesus, however, did not accept this thinking for it is a form of domination of God’s good creation.  He silenced this way of reasoning with power and authority and the unclean spirits obeyed.  “The higher Spirit of God who descended upon Jesus at his baptism (Mark 1:10) and leads his mission does not allow lesser beings to harm those whom God loves.  It commands them, “Get out!” And they got out, taking with them all the pain they have caused.” (Shea, 50)

 

In this extremely dramatic scene, Jesus by his actions addressed both the plight of this poor individual and the prevailing understanding of the people. Was avoidance the way to deal with these evil spirits?  No, Jesus wanted to convey that no human being needs to be held captive by evil and tormented like this.  What this man had endured was a very real experience of bondage to the powers that enslaved him and destroyed his ability to be free.

God’s creation is good and cannot be ruled by evil. Jesus’ inclusive manner has shocked the crowd as well as the unclean spirits! He has come among us to teach that in the all-embracing love of his Father, no one is excluded and barriers are broken. “The reign of God is the ultimate threat to the reign of evil and this form of the “good news” has radical implications for every aspect of the Church’s life.” (Farmer, 1406)

 

For Reflection and Discussion: [1.] How do I face evil in my own life and in our world?  [2.] If I see creation as a gift of God, how do I appreciate and treat this gift?

 

Bibliography:  W.R.Farmer, The International Biblical Commentary, (Collegeville, 1998),

John Shea, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers, (Collegeville, 2005)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Rita Kammermayer, nds, BA, B.Ed, Masters of Pastoral Studies, Jerusalem, Israel

Bat Kol alumni 2001

Email: ritakammermayer@netscape.net

[Copyright © 2018]

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

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~~1983–2018~~

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info; Administration: gill@batkol.info

 The Third Sunday of the Year (21 January 2018)

Lectionary readings: Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 24(25):4-6,7b-9; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20

 

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Today’s gospel offers a summary of Jesus’ mission according to Mark (1:14-15), highlighting four important aspects: it is good news (euangelion); it is responsive to the possibility of the present time (kairos); it is focused on the reign of God (basileia); and asks people to respond through their actions (“repentance”, metanoia).

 

This summary is followed by two separate call narratives. The first is of Simon (Peter) and Andrew, who in the Marcan tradition are two poor fishermen casting their nets from the shore as they presumably do not own a boat (1:16-18). Next, Jesus calls James and John, who are part of a family business with workers and a boat (1:19-20). The call of Jesus is for those who are poor and wealthy alike, and invites them into the mission of proclaiming good news of God (euangelion tou theou, 1:14): “the theological focus for this Gospel” (Beavis, Kindle locations 1274-1275).

 

In this commentary, I will focus on two aspects of this summary: time (kairos) and good news (euangelion). Time features in three of the four passages we listen to today. In the first reading, Jonah is commanded to proclaim the message of The Eternal (YHWH) to the city of Nineveh (Jonah 3:2): “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown! (nehpakhet)” (3:4). There is some ambiguity as to the translation of nehpakhet, which might also be translated as “turns over (i.e., reforms itself)” (J.S.B., 1192). Whilst the number forty indicates a considerable period of time, the turnaround in the behaviour of the citizens of Nineveh “great and small alike” is as immediate as it is universal (3:5).

 

The reading from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is framed with a sense of eschatological urgency: “the appointed time [kairos] has grown short…For the present form of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29, 31). “Paul’s advice is not to withdraw into the safe and unrestricted realms of the inner life, but to maintain freedom in the midst of involvement” (Conzelmann, 133). Paul is exhorting his readers to be present to the possibilities that the present – the only time we can encounter the Mystery of the Divine – is offering us, as we are.

 

A similar sense of “eschatological urgency” (Beavis, Kindle location 1384) is evident in Jesus’ first words in Mark’s Gospel, “The time [kairos] is fulfilled!” (Mark 1:15), as well as the responses of Simon, Andrew, James and John to Jesus’ call to follow him. Their response is immediate, as they leave their families and their livelihoods to follow Jesus as disciples (Mark 1:18, 20). Although it is more common for a disciple to seek out a rabbi (cf. last Sunday’s gospel, John 1:35-42, also b. Eruv. 30a; b. Ketub. 66b) there is also biblical precedent in Elijah’s seeking out Elisha (1 Kings 19:19-21, JANT, 637) – not the only echoes of the Elijah stories to find their way into the Gospels.

 

Karl Barth (Time Magazine, 1966) noted “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” Here we find a link to the Psalm, with repeated requests for The Eternal to teach (lammed) its author God’s paths and truth (25:4, 5). The Eternal instructs and leads (25:8, 9). Just like Simon, Andrew, James and John, we are called to follow as disciples (talmidim): people eager to learn the ways of the Divine.

 

At mass on Sunday, our priest remarked that there is no ordinary time – the season to which we have just returned – only “extraordinary time.” I could not help but think of the richness of the term kairos, “which has the connotation of “proper” or “opportune” time as well as a time of crisis” (Donahue & Harrington 70-71). We can only live in the present and we are being called to read the “news” (reality) of our world in the light of the Good News of God announced by Jesus, which is rooted in the Scriptures we share with the Jewish people. Now is the time, there is only now, there is only kairos!

 

For Reflection and Discussion: How do I read the “news” of our world? Through what eyes do I consider its veracity? How will I respond to the Good News of God and of God’s Reign that I am called to participate in?

 

Bibliography: Mary Ann Beavis, Mark: Paideia Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2011); Adele Berlin, Marc Zvi Brettler, and Michael A. Fishbane, eds., The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004); Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians, Hermeneia 67 (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1975); John R Donahue & Daniel J Harrington, The Gospel of Mark (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2002); Amy-Jill Levine & Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Annotated New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Mark David Walsh, B.A., B.Theol. Grad. Dip. R.E., M.R.E., Australia,  Bat Kol alum ‘01, ‘02, ’04, ‘13
Email address: markdavidwalsh@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

 

 

 The Second Sunday of the Year (14 January 2018) 

Lectionary readings: 1Sam 3:3-10. 19; Ps 40; 1Cor 6:13-15. 17-20; Jn 1:35-42 

Theme: Jesus, the Lamb of God

 

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What strikes me about this gospel narrative is the use of names and titles. It begins with naming John whom we know as the Baptizer. The two with him are ‘disciples’ who are not named. John sees Jesus and points him out with the title “Lamb of God”. The ‘disciples’ (still not named) leave John and follow Jesus. Jesus speaks his first words in this gospel: “What do you seek?” They answer him with another title ‘Rabbi’ meaning ‘Teacher’.

 

We then learn that one of the ‘disciples’ is Andrew. Interestingly enough he is designated as being the brother of ‘Simon Peter’ whom we have not met. Andrew tells Simon (now we are introduced) that they have found the ‘Messiah’ known in Greek as the ‘Christos’, the anointed one.

 

Andrew brings Simon to Jesus and Jesus looks at the man who is Simon the son of John and gives him his title: Cephas, Peter or Rock.

 

‘Titles’ can often take away the humanity of the person and raise them to something that enhances their ego and gives them power especially over other mere mortals. In this passage ‘titles’ designate a calling. John is the one who prepares the way by baptizing with water as he attests to in verses 31-34 where he gives Jesus his true identity: ‘Son of God’.

 

The disciples are followers or learners in the ways of God first with John and then with Jesus whom they recognise as ‘Rabbi’ but after spending time with Jesus attest to the fact that he is the ‘Messiah’ the anointed Saviour of God.

 

Why does John call Jesus the ‘Lamb of God’? The first time he uses the title is in verse 29 and he gives his reason for that: “who takes away the sin of the world”. We are meant to recall the paschal lamb of Exodus 12 and to follow this through to Jesus’ death which John puts at the time of the slaughtering of the paschal lambs. The second time John uses this title is to point out to his disciples who Jesus is, about whom he has already spoken.

 

McKenzie: Dictionary of the Bible (1965) p.491 says that this title refers to Is 53:7 one of the ‘Songs of the Suffering servant of the Lord’ which is also quoted in Acts 8:32 and Jn 19:36: all of which point to Jesus.

 

McKenzie further points out that Joachim Jeremias has suggested that the original Aramaic word talyᾱ’ means both lamb and servant. He says that the original statement was: “Here is the Servant of God”.

 

So ‘titles’ in the kingdom of God are about being a servant, pointing the way to Jesus away from ourselves and showing Jesus to others. As Sirach says in 2:1: “My son (daughter) when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials”.  Our answer with Jesus is: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your instruction lies deep within me” (Ps 40:9).

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. At the beginning of this New Year what is your answer to Jesus’ question: “What do you seek?” 

 

Bibliography: King, N. The New Testament, (Great Britain: 2004); McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible (New York: 1965); The African Bible, (Nairobi: 1999).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Bernadette Chellew, ,Durban, South Africa

 Bat Kol Alum 2008
Email address: btrnchellew@gmail.com

 

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

…………………………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible  within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

 

Baptism of the Lord (January 7, 2018)

Isa 42:1-4, 6-7,; Ps 29:1-4, 9b-10; Acts 10:34-38; Matt 3:13-17 

Theme: Baptismal gift and responsibility

 

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In today’s Gospel story on the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River we are told the identity of Jesus by a voice of heaven with these words: This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.

 

The phrase “a voice from heaven” may reflect or be connected with the rabbinic bat kol (literally “daughter of a voice”), that is, an echo of a word uttered in heaven. The rabbis speak of bat kol as a voice delivering a divine message proclaiming God’s will or judgment.

 

The manifestation of Jesus’ identity before his public ministry can also be found in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.  But in Matthew, this is made in the third person (“This is . . .”) as opposed to the second person in Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 (“You are . . .”).  Does this make Matthew’s version a more definitive manifestation?  All three versions, however, as formulated have references and allusions from Hebrew Scriptures specifically from the books of Psalms, Genesis and Isaiah.

 

“This is my son” echoes  Psalm 2:7,  a psalm used for the coronation of the king of the House of David  that  gives definite royal connotations  and  divine aspect as well since kings were believed to be related to the deity.

 

This also points to Jesus as the Messiah according to Raymond Brown. In Talmudic literature the title Moshiach, or Melech HaMoshiach (the King Messiah), is reserved for the Jewish leader who will redeem Israel in the End of Days and who is a direct descendant of the Davidic dynasty.

 

The designation “my beloved son” recalls another beloved son, Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah and father of Jacob, who was to be sacrificed as a burnt offering on one of the mountains.  (Gen 22:2).

 

The additional “with whom I am well pleased” echoes Isaiah 42:1 which describes the Servant of the Lord as “my chosen one with whom I am well pleased.”  This is said to point to Jesus as the Isaian Servant who is to bear the infirmities of many and be led to slaughter for the guilt of all (Isaiah 53:4-10). 

 

In summary, Jesus is identified in terms of characters in the Hebrew Scriptures – that of a Davidic king who is an adopted son of God, the longed-for messiah, Isaac and God’s servant – indicating seemingly contradicting royalty, divinity and servanthood attributes.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Thus, according to a biblical scholar, the text manifesting Jesus’ identity contains “a surplus of meaning,” combining royal and servant motifs along with the language from the tradition of the suffering just person (Wis 2:12-20). It foretells a far from easy ministry for Jesus, with the spectre of sacrifice, suffering and even death.

 

Today, as we read about the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, let us ponder upon our own baptism. The sacrament of baptism is called the sacrament of initiation (to belong to the Church and to mission). When we are baptized, God declares publicly that we are his children. (And I would like to believe also as beloved children with whom God is well pleased.)  We belong to God’s family and we are called to spread God’s love.

 

 But like the life of Jesus, our lives as Christians may be far from simple. I don’t think it is going to be a walk in the park all the time. Just as we are given a great gift, we also gave a great responsibility.  Like Jesus and Isaiah’s suffering servant we also may be asked to make sacrifices and to suffer for our faith.  

 

For Reflection and Discussion:  1) what do you believe to be your greatest gift as a member of the Church? 2) We renew our baptismal promises during Easter usually at the Easter Vigil or the Easter Sunday Mass.  What has been the baptismal vow that you have found hard to keep? Why? How can you help others keep their baptismal promises?

 

Bibliography: Bergant, Dianne. Preaching the New Lectionary, Year B. (Manila, 2008), Brown, Raymond. Christ in the Gospels of the Ordinary Sundays. (Bangalore, 1999), Harrington, Daniel ed. Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Matthew (Minnesota, 2009).

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Minerva Generalao, Philippines, Bat Kol Alumna July 2014

Email: mayneer@gmail.com

Copyright 2018

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

…………………………………………………….

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

 

Holy Family (31 December 2017)

Sir 3:3-7, 14-17a; Ps 128:1-5; Col 3:12-21; Matt 2:13-15 19-23

 

Theme: Above all these, put on love.

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I used to be a cantor in a Catholic church, and when it was time to sing Psalm 128, I would always cringe. After suffering in silence for several years, it turned out in conversation with another female cantor that we both were put off by the words of the Psalm. Our pastor, who was part of the conversation, was shocked that we disliked the Psalm’s comparison of “your wife” to a “fruitful vine,” and the blessing on “the man who fears YHWH.” He thought the Psalm was beautiful and touching with its warm evocation of family life, but who wants to be valued solely for her ability to produce many children to build up a patriarchal household?  The pastor had unquestioningly identified with the contented paterfamilias, while we women had seen that the Psalm was really not about us!

 

For contemporary readers, the passages from Sirach and Colossians may prompt similar reactions. Admittedly, the mention of both mothers and fathers in Sir 3:3, 6, 16, likely influenced by the commandment (Exod 20:12; cf. Lev 20:9), is welcome in a writing so notoriously misogynistic: “So negative are Sirach’s views on women that one scholar has argued that the text reveals an author whose misogyny is pathological even by the male-dominated standards of the author’s own day (Trenchard)” (Eisenbaum, 298). The patriarchal family system presupposed in Colossians 3:12-21 takes for granted a household where wives defer to husbands, children obey their parents, and slaves must obey their masters. Such household codes were well-known in antiquity (e.g., Aristotle, Politics 1,xii-xiii), and presupposed that males and elders were naturally more suited to leadership than women and the young, and that slaves were inferior beings without the capacity to make their own decisions. The deutero-Pauline author of Colossians has a distinctive spin on this ideology that scholars call “love patriarchalism,” in which husbands are instructed to love their wives (3:19), fathers are enjoined not to provoke their children (3:20), and slaves are reminded that their true master is God (3:22-24; cf. Eph 5:21-6:9; 1 Pet 2:11-3:22). Although this ethic moderates the rigid hierarchy of the patriarchal household, it still conceives families in hierarchical terms of status, gender and age, and falls short of the counter-cultural egalitarianism of Gal 3:28.

 

Against this backdrop, the portrayal of Joseph in Matthew is refreshing. Matthew’s infancy narrative focuses on Joseph, not Mary. When he initially finds out that his betrothed is pregnant, presumably by another man, rather than angrily calling for her punishment as an adulteress—an offence worthy of death (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22; cf. John 8:1-11), “he resolved to divorce her quietly” so as not to shame her (Matt 1:19). He accepts the divine assurance that the pregnancy is “of the Holy Spirit” (1:20), and faithfully protects Mary and a child not his own to the point of fleeing with them to Egypt until the death of Herod (Matt 2:13-15, 19-13). Contrary to the Christian tradition that Joseph was much older than Mary, it is likely that both partners were in their teens, thus making the young man’s loving care of his unconventional family even more praiseworthy.

 

Bibliography: Pamela Eisenbaum, “Sirach,” Women’s Bible Commentary, Revised and Expanded Edition, ed. Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Ringe and Jacqueline E. Lapsley (London: SPCK, 2014), 298-304; Pontifical Biblical Commission (PBC), The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scripture: The Word that Comes from God and Speaks of God for the Salvation of the World (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2014).

 

For Reflection and Discussion: In the light of today’s commentary, discuss the PBC’s that scripture interpreters need to distinguish between what “should be considered perennially valid and what should be considered relative, linked to a culture, a civilization, or even the mentality of a specific period of time” (PBC, no. 132).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Mary Ann Beavis, Ph.D., Saskatoon, Canada, Bat Kol Alumna 2004, 2006, 2012,

 Email address: mbeavis@stmcollege.ca

[Copyright©2017]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

………………………………………………………..

 

 ~~1983–2017~~

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info;   gill@batkol.info

 

The Third Sunday of Advent, – 17 December, 2017

Isaiah 61: 1:2a, 10-11    Ps.  Luke 1:46-50, 53-54   1 Thess. 5: 16-24   John 1:6-8, 19-28

 

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In Chapter 4 of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth.  He then went to the synagogue on the sabbath “as was his custom.”  He stood up and read from the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah the passage that is today’s reading.  It was the beginning of his public ministry in Galilee.  I have always thought that Jesus saw this as his “job description.”  As his disciples, I believe it is ours as well.  Jesus is filled with the joy of God’s love and recognizes that healing and justice is called for everywhere he would go.

 

Our Psalm of rejoicing is one that we hear put into the mouth of Mary – an ancient prayer echoing her ancestor in faith, Hannah (2 Sam 1-10).  It is one of gratitude and hope in God’s promise and mercy.

 

Paul’s letter to the community of Thessaloniki is thought to be the earliest writing in the entire New Testament.  It was most likely written in Corinth or Athens around 50 C.E.  It therefore predates the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.  It is a most encouraging letter to this new community as they have hope that the second coming of Jesus would come in their lifetime.  Paul gently reminds them to Rejoice,  in the deeper sense of God’s abiding love and care, despite the sufferings and trials of daily life.  He call them to pray in the midst of whatever is happening in their lives and give thanks for God’s presence no matter what injustice is encountered.  Trusting in God will enable them to show compassion and give them the strength to work for justice for all those around them.

 

The Gospel of John introduces John, the baptizer, the preparer of the way.  He is questioned by the people as to his identity.  He responds that he is a “voice crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the lord.”  John leads them to Jesus as he points them to the one who will bring justice into the world, making things “right” with God; preparing a just world, repenting of greed.  His message is both hopeful and joyful.

 

Gaudete Sunday links joy, prayer and gratitude.  Each one flows into the next and is cause for rejoicing.  God IS among us.  So let us indeed REJOICE!

 

For reflection and discussion:  Do you ever feel anger as you see the injustices around you?  Does this lead you to action?  Have you experienced great works of charity coming from strong emotions and holy anger?  Where?  Who has paved a way and been a model for you  in this kind of wilderness?How do we as disciples 2000 years later join in solidarity with other to help to heal the brokenness around us and share hope with so many who are hopeless?

*  Pope Francis believes in the Joy of the Gospel .*

(and today, 17 December, is actually his 81^st Birthday!! -Ad multos annos!)

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Mary Louise Chesley-Cora, MAT in Religious Studies

Hockessin DE USA

Bat Kol  Alumna 2001

Email:  chezcor@msn.com

[Copyright © 2017]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

………………………………………………………

 

 ~~1983–2017~~

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

Website: www.batkol.info;   gill@batkol.info

Second Sunday of Advent Year B (10 December 2017)

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85:9-14; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8.

  Theme: Prepare the Way of the Lord

 

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The first words of Mark’s Gospel in nearly all English versions are “The beginning…”, e.g. in NRSV, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” [1:1]. However the Greek text does not include the word “The” and reads “Beginning of the good news…” There is no verb in this first verse so it is now regarded by many scholars as the title for the book rather than its introductory statement [Boring, 29-32]. The implications are profound if it is the whole book, not just the first verse, that is the beginning of the Good News. The whole Gospel is just the beginning of something much greater!

 

Mark immediately grounds his story of Jesus firmly in the Hebrew scriptures with a quotation from “the prophet Isaiah”. The quotation is actually a composite one, the first part from Malachi and the second from Isaiah. Malachi 3:1a, “See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me”, is the voice of YHWH promising to visit his people. But Mark has changed the quotation to “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you”, as a reference to John the Baptizer coming ahead of Jesus. John the Baptizer is seen as an Elijah-like figure, dressed as Elijah was in a garment of hair and a leather belt [2 Kings 1:8], and calling all to prepare for the coming of the Lord [cf. Isaiah 40:3]. Mark is presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s deepest hopes and dreams.

 

The “Lord” who is coming in Isaiah 40:3 is YHWH, but in Mark the “Lord” probably refers to Jesus [cf. 5:19; see Hurtado 15-16, 23-24]. Isaiah 40:4 goes on to specify what needs to be done in the wilderness, the lifting up of every valley and the levelling off of every mountain and hill. Is it the obstacles in the wilderness of our lives that need to be smoothed out so that the Lord can come to us?

 

Most English versions have John proclaiming a “baptism of repentance” but the Greek word metanoia in 1:4 implies much more than “repentance”. John is calling people to a radical change of mind and heart; he is calling them to abandon their current world-view and adopt a completely new one. The rest of Mark’s Gospel spells out the radical and counter-cultural nature of the world-view proclaimed by Jesus.

 

John’s last words about Jesus are that he will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit”. Marc Bregman has explored the rich Jewish tradition of the “Holy Spirit”, Rua Ha-Qodesh, the breath, or spirit, of the Holy One, and its evocation of the first creation story in Genesis. He points out that in rabbinic literature the primary meaning of Rua Ha-Qodesh is as the source of prophetic inspiration [see commentary on Deuteronomy 18:18 in Midrash Sefre Devarim 176, https://www.sefaria.org/Sifrei_Devarim.176?lang=bi]. In addition he draws attention to the stream of rabbinic interpretation beginning with Hillel that accepts the wide accessibility of the Holy Spirit to all people of good will, an approach developed in later Christian thinking.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. If the whole of Mark’s story of Jesus is just the “beginning of the good news” where might we find its continuation? 2. What might be some of the mountains that need levelling and valleys that need filling in our society today? 3. What does it mean for you to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

 

Bibliography: Boring, Mark (Louisville KT, 2006); Bregman, The Holy Spirit in Judaism (Unpublished, 2009); Hurtado, New International Bible Commentary: Mark (Peabody MA, 1989).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Br Kevin McDonnell cfc, PhD., Australia. Bat Kol Alumnus, 2003, 2004, 2005.
Email address: klmcdonnell@edmundrice.org

 

[Copyright © 2017]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

……………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2017

“Christians Studying the Bible  within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

 

First Sunday of Advent Year B  (3 December 2017)

Isa 64:1-9, 1 Cor 1:3-9, Mk 13:24-37, Ps 80:1-7, 18-18

Theme: Keep Awake

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The  invitation in today’s Gospel  to be watchful is a key message of the Advent season:  To be vigilant while waiting for the coming of Christ.

 

Christians believe that after the passion, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven of Jesus Christ, he “shall come to judge the living and the dead” (Apostle’s Creed). 

 

The word Christ, Christos, the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Moshiach (Messiah), is a title which  means “anointed.” In Biblical Hebrew, the title moshiach was bestowed on somebody who had attained a position of nobility and greatness to include priests (Exo 29:29; Lev 4:3), kings (1 Sam 10:1; 24:7), and prophets (Isa 61:1).

 

In Talmudic literature the title Moshiach, or Melech HaMoshiach (the King Messiah), is reserved for the Jewish leader who will redeem Israel in the End of Days.

 

As stated by Maimonides, Jews believe that one day there will arise a dynamic Jewish leader, a direct descendant of the Davidic dynasty, who will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and gather Jews from all over the world and bring them back to the Land of Israel. Today, Jews await the coming of this messiah.

 

After the death and resurrection of Jesus, the title Christ gradually became a proper name and the expression Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus became only one designation.  This shows that the Christians identified Jesus with the promised Messiah of the Jews.

 

In this season of advent, preparations for the coming of Christ, whether it is his first coming, second coming or his coming everyday into our lives, shall include how to be in the grace of God. Among others, as stated in last week’s Gospel (Mt. 25:31-46),  this calls for   the giving of loving kindness (gemilut chassadim)  so as to be judged as “sheep” who will be blessed to  inherit the kingdom of God.  That is, one has to give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, take care of the sick and visit  prisoners.

 

In today’s Gospel, the mention of the servants “sleeping” (Mk 13:36) prepares for the picture of the disciples sleeping in the Gethsemane episode (Mk. 14:37, 40, 41) where Jesus asks Peter: Were you not strong enough to watch one  hour? (v. 37b) And he says:  “Keep watching and praying lest you enter into testing.” (v. 38).

 

Full of distress, Jesus prays that God spare him of the suffering awaiting him as he begs, “Take this cup away from me.”  But in the end, Jesus affirms his faith in God’s power.  Addressing God as “Abba, Father,” he submits to his will and says: “Not what I wish but what you wish.” (v.36).  Scholars has pointed this as linking  the Gethsemane narrative to the Lord’s Prayer which is  a prayer for the full coming of God’s kingdom (“Thy kingdom come”).

 

In Gethsemane, Jesus leaves his disciples three times to pray and return to find them sleeping each time. But in spite of the disciples’ persistent weakness and failures, Jesus invites them to accompany him as he moves forward to the cross. (“Get up. Let us go.”)

 

 We may be human and weak, but we are invited to suffer for Christ and to hope in the coming of the kingdom. And praying is part of this invitation.

 

In sum, our vigilance to prepare for the coming of the Lord shall include doing good works,  praying and seeking the will of God in our lives.  Our prayer may be:  Lord, come.  We await your coming.  We want to know your will so it’s your will, not mine, that will be done.  

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1) We are to celebrate another Christmas this year.  What are you doing to celebrate it differently from previous years?  2) What about spiritual preparations? What can you add to these practical suggestions: Attend advent recollections, set aside time for prayer, spiritual reading?

 

Bibliography: Almazan, “Welcome to our Bible Study: 1^st Sunday of Advent” unpublished. Nov. 30, 2011,  Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08374x.htm,  Dubov,”What is the Jewish Belief about Moschiach (Messiah)? In http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/108400/jewish/The-End-of-Days.htm, Harrington, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of  Mark  (Minnesota, 2002);  The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+13%3A24-37&version=NRSV,

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Minerva Generalao, Philippines, Bat Kol Alumna July 2014

Email: mayneer@gmail.com

Copyright ©2017

 

……………………………………………………………

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

……………………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2017

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info

Feast of Christ the King – 26 November 2017

Ez. 34:11-1, 15-17; Ps 23:1-3, 5-6; 1Cor15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46

Theme: When the Son of Man comes…

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This is the third parable in chapter 25 that portrays the end time (eschatology) as a time to be ready to account for the way we have lived our lives. This is not strictly a parable but rather a “stylized picture of the end of history” when all people (‘nations’) – Jews and Gentiles – will be brought to account before God. Matthew blends eschatology and ethics saying how we have behaved towards one another is the chief criterion in God’s action to bring history to its completion (Kee, Young & Froehlich: 1973:327). Brown, R.M. (1984:127-141) says that this narrative is a ‘parable-in-reverse’. Jesus begins with the unfamiliar to the listeners’ experience (angels and final judgement) to the familiar (visiting the sick, feeding the hungry etc.) and in the middle connecting these two are sheep and goats, the livelihood of the people.

 

“When the Son of man comes…” (v. 31), the way Jesus spoke about himself refers to Daniel’s vision (7:13) of the end times – apocalyptic genre. The angels are all with the Son of Man – their work as messengers and caring for the world having been completed. Gathered with the angels are ‘all the nations’.  The king is not addressing individuals but nations. “He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats” (32b). Sheep and goats pastured together but were separated when it was time to go to market. The goat is not a symbol of wickedness! What I find interesting is that the sheep have to be led and cared for while goats lead and are hardy and more ‘independent’. Does it take the needy to care for the needy? Are the self-sufficient unaware of the needy around them? Are the sheep the poor in spirit, merciful, etc. of the beatitudes? Are the goats the self-righteous who think that following the law and living individualistically are what life is about? Are we faced here with the Pharisee and the Publican; the Samaritan and the priest and the Levi? The shock in this ‘parable’ is that we shall be judged on how we have treated our needy neighbors. What R.M. Brown also points out is that the nations are separated and are on trial here. So this is a question of Social Morality. Nations are called to account by God for how they had treated needy nations. Have the richer nations taken note and helped the poorer/poorest nations? Have strangers (refugees) been welcomed and given a home? The Kingdom of God comprises the saints who have lived, giving to the needy as a way of life, according to the example of Jesus Christ as God’s beloved Son.

 

I have always found this picture of the final judgement frightening and challenging. This is what I (we) am/are going to be judged on! Right now I stand with one (half!) foot in the sheep’s camp and the other (and a half!) with the goats. This was what Dennis Linn (1994) concluded in his book Good Goats: healing our image of God (see source below).

 

So what is the Good News of this ‘parable’? The narrative begins with “When the Son of Man comes…” It is still going to happen so NOW is the time to change to be ready. It is time now to become accountable for the poor, the sick, the prisoners and the strangers of our world – not so much as individuals (though this is where it begins) but as communities of Believers across the nations affecting policies at the risk of being told not to mix religion with politics!

 

For Reflection and Discussion: How does this gospel reading challenge you? Does it help you to live Advent more as the NOW-time to change in preparation for Christmas and the Second Coming?

 

Bibliography: Brown, R.M. Unexpected News. (Philadelphia: 1984); Kee/Young/Froehlich. Understanding the New Testament. (New Jersey: 1973); Linn, D et al. Good Goats. (New York: 1994); McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible. (New York: 1965).

 

This week’s Sunday Gospel Commentary was prepared by

Bernadette Chellew, South Africa.  [Bat Kol Alum 2008]
Email address: btrnchellew@gmail.com

[Copyright © 2017]

 

…………………………………..………………………………

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

…..………………….……………………………………..

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2017

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info

 

Solemnity of Christ the King Year A

 (26 November 2017)

Ezk 34:11-12, 15-17; Ps 23:1-3, 5-6; 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 and Mt 25:31-46

 Theme: Giving Loving-Kindness

 

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Most of us live under a democracy today and our image of a king is what we have read in history books or in fairy tales or have seen in movies.  In today’s readings we are given the images of Christ as a special kind of king – one who is a shepherd and a judge, among others.

 

The image of a “shepherd” is a common metaphor in the Near East and in the Bible.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is used to refer to leaders or kings (2 Sam 5:2) or to God (Gen 48:15).  Jesus also used the title as he calls himself “the good shepherd.” (Jn 10:11).

 

In the reading from Ezekiel,  God speaking in the first person “I” enumerates the acts of a shepherd: I will look after and tend my sheep (34:11), I will tend my flock among the scattered sheep (v. 12a), I will rescue them (v. 12c), I will pasture my sheep (v 15),  I will give them rest (v.15b), I will seek out the lost (v. 16), I  will bring back the strayed (v. 16b),  I will bind up the injured (v. 16c), I will heal the sick (v.16d), I will shepherd them rightly (v. 16e),  I will judge my sheep (v.17).

 

Psalm 23 which begins with the famous statement, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Ps 23:1), lists what God does as a shepherd in the eyes of a believer:  He gives repose (v. 2), He leads to peaceful places – to relax and refresh (v. 2), He guides (v. 3), He “spread the table” – gives a banquet or feeds (v. 5) and He anoints or empowers (v. 5).

 

In the Gospel, the Son of Man, a title Jesus used  to refer  to himself,  will sit “on the throne of  his glory”  (Mt  25:31) and as king (v. 34) will judge and separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (v. 31b).

 

Those judged as sheep will be blessed to inherit the kingdom of God and they are those who gave food to the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed strangers, clothed the naked, took care of the sick and visited those in prison.

 

 In Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of  Matthew, Harrington says that except for visiting prisoners, the services rendered are in the Jewish list of good works (Imprisonment was then rare among the Jews because they did not build jails).  My sense is that this is because Jesus and his first disciples were Jews and they must have practiced “gemilut chassadim.”

 

 Literally, meaning  “the giving of loving-kindness,” gemilut chassadim is a fundamental social value in the everyday lives of Jews. It is a mitzvah (a command and precept) that an individual completes gemilut chassadim without anticipating receiving something in return. There is no fixed measure of gemilut chassadim, which is one reason why rabbinic teachers articulate the importance of doing it all the time. Some examples of gemilut chassadim are the ones enumerated in Matthew’s Gospel like clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and visiting the sick as well as assisting brides and grooms, burying the dead, comforting mourners, granting free loans, among others.

 

 Scholars have debated whether there is a limited meaning of who are to be judged and for whom service is to be rendered. Does the Gospel refer to the judging only of the Gentiles (nonJews and nonChristians)?  Do the “least of these who are members of my family” refer only to Christians (missionaries and disciples)?

 

 The usual interpretation, however, has been broad and universal. We are all to be judged and we are all called to give loving kindness to people in distress and in need to sum up, God is the king who shepherds his flock and he is to judge everyone according to his/her deeds.  But judgment will not be based on awesome or amazing feats but on the services rendered for those needing them.  In the end, it pays to be loving and kind.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1) Looking back on your life so far, do you consider yourself a sheep or a goat? 2) What are loving acts of kindness you have done? 3) Can we teach and spread kindness?  If yes, how?

 

Bibliography: Harrington, Sacra Pagina: The Gospel of Matthew (Minnesota, 2007), The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25&version=NRSV;

 

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111264/jewish/The-Precept-of-Loving-Kindness.htm;   http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/gemilut-hasadim

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Minerva Generalao, Philippines, Bat Kol Alumna July 2014

Email: mayneer@gmail.com

Copyright ©2017

 

……………………………………………………

PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Gospel commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Sunday Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

……………………………………………………

 

Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem

1983-2017

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

gill@batkol.info Website: www.batkol.info