Lectionary: 185
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.
In today’s gospel we hear the frustration of Jesus who teaches “what is for your good, and leads you on the way you should go.”
After the series of falls recorded in Genesis 1-12 (Adam’s disobedience, Cain’s murder, Ham’s irreverence and Babel’s arrogance) the Lord took a new tack with our salvation. Clearly the simple beginning in pure generosity which created the human family was not leading to satisfaction for anyone. He chose Abraham, a flawed human being, and made him and his descendants “a blessing for all nations.”
The Lord will teach the nations “the way you should go” with the example of certain chosen people. They will be wiser and more discerning than all other nations although they have no particular native virtue to recommend themselves.
See, I am teaching you the statutes and ordinances as the LORD, my God, has commanded me, that you may observe them in the land you are entering to possess.The writers of the Old Testament -- the prophets and sages -- scrupulously remembered God's teaching and all the sins of the people. They would not forget how the God's Beloved failed to live up to the Covenant. A superficial reading of these many stories, some of them horrifying, might lead one to conclude the Jews forfeited their right to be God's people.
Observe them carefully, for this is your wisdom and discernment in the sight of the peoples, who will hear of all these statutes and say, “This great nation is truly a wise and discerning people.”
For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and ordinances that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?
That reading is wrong on three counts:
- first God has never and will never take back his promise.
- Secondly, the unflinching record of sins as we find them listed in the sacred text is a proof of fidelity. (Evil people never admit they have done wrong.)
- Finally, the Jews gave us Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Apostles and Disciples, prophets, martyrs, confessors and evangelists. These men and women were the harvest of many centuries of fidelity.
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| Friars and staff chat during the Assembly |
God is faithful. God's faithful spirit abides in us. The prophets and sages of the Old Testament must complain. The Lord and the New Testament authors must add their protests, rightly.
True to God's Spirit we confess our sins freely. We heard your piping and we did not dance. We heard the dirge and we did not weep. We remember your grief and repent.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.