BIBLE STUDY #123


SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

February 24, 2013



READING 1

GENESIS 15:5-12, 17-18



The Lord God took Abram outside and said,

“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can.

Just so,” he added, “shall your descendants be.”

Abram put his faith in the LORD,

who credited it to him as an act of righteousness.



He then said to him,

“I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans

to give you this land as a possession.”

“O Lord GOD,” he asked,

“how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He answered him,

“Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat,

a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

Abram brought him all these, split them in two,

and placed each half opposite the other;

but the birds he did not cut up.

Birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses,

but Abram stayed with them.

As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram,

and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.



When the sun had set and it was dark,

there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch,

which passed between those pieces.

It was on that occasion that the LORD made a covenant with Abram,

saying: “To your descendants I give this land,

from the Wadi of Egypt to the Great River, the Euphrates.”



The Word of the Lord



READING 2

PHILIPPIANS 3:17—4:1



Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,

and observe those who thus conduct themselves

according to the model you have in us.

For many, as I have often told you

and now tell you even in tears,

conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.

Their end is destruction.

Their God is their stomach;

their glory is in their “shame.”

Their minds are occupied with earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven,

and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

He will change our lowly body

to conform with his glorified body

by the power that enables him also

to bring all things into subjection to himself.



Therefore, my brothers and sisters,

whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,

in this way stand firm in the Lord.



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL

LUKE 9:28B-36



Jesus took Peter, John, and James

and went up the mountain to pray.

While he was praying his face changed in appearance

and his clothing became dazzling white.

And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,

who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus

that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,

but becoming fully awake,

they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,

“Master, it is good that we are here;

let us make three tents,

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

But he did not know what he was saying.

While he was still speaking,

a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,

and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,

“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.

They fell silent and did not at that time

tell anyone what they had seen.



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



We read this Gospel on the second Sunday of Lent in cycle C because there is an ancient tradition that says that this event took place 40 days before Good Friday. This passage comes shortly after the first prediction of Jesus passion, death, and resurrection and provides heavenly confirmation to Jesus’ declaration that his suffering will end in glory.



Jesus takes his 3 favorite disciples, Peter, James, and John, up to the mountain to pray. Jesus prays before every significant event in his life in Luke’s Gospel.



While on the mountain, Jesus is transfigured to share in God’s glory. This is the glory he will have after his death, resurrection, and ascension. Dazzlingly white clothes are symbols of joy and celebration.



Moses and Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets, are present when Jesus is transfigured into the glory he will have after the resurrection, and are in fact sharing in resurrection glory. I often refer this passage when someone tries to limit eligibility for eternal life to a select group of people (usually only people like themselves). Jesus is God’s final and definitive revelation of God’s will and desire for us. Jesus “transfigures” the Law and the Prophets to make them complete. This is why we emphasize the Old Testament (or Hebrew Scriptures) because we need to understand the Old Testament before we can understand the New Testament. I had a scripture professor in seminary that went to graduate school to become a New Testament Scholar, but spent the first year and a half studying the Old Testament before they even ventured into the New Testament.

Jesus is speaking with Moses and Elijah about ‘the exodus’ he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. What does this mean?



In the Book of Exodus, God uses Moses to lead His people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Moses was able to finally convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage through the use of 10 plagues. The final plague was the death of the first born in all of Egypt. The Israelites first born were spared because they used the blood of a slaughtered lamb to put on their doorpost, so the angel of death ‘passed over” their households, which became the feast of Passover. So, it was the blood an innocent lamb spread on the wood of the door that led the people from the slavery of sin to the freedom of the Promised Land.



Jesus is called the ‘Lamb of God” because it was his blood shed on the wood of the Cross that freed us from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of new and eternal life. That was Jesus’ exodus. Moses frees the people for a worldly Promised Land. Jesus frees his people to live in the Kingdom now, and to live in eternal life in the future, which is our “Promised Land”.



Peter wants to erect three tents; they want to stay and capture the experience. They are setting up camp because they never want to leave. They don’t yet understand that glory is not the way of faith: obedience and suffering are. Hey don’t follow Jesus by staying on the mountain, but by going down the mountain and sharing faith over all the land.



Erecting 3 tents means that Peter is setting up Jesus as an equal to Moses and Elijah. The Father corrects that: Jesus is His Son, and we are to listen to Him.



This story tells us that Jesus is a prophet, that he will suffer and die, and that he will return in glory.



They keep silent about this event because they don’t understand its full meaning until after Pentecost.



I imagine that this powerful scene must have stuck in the memories of the three apostles, a memory that would have been there for them in difficult times, to strengthen and encourage them as they are spreading the Good News. They know the end result: if they are committed, hold the course, they will suffer, but eventually will share in Jesus’ glory. These ‘mountain top’ experiences come occasionally and are good to have, but are not necessary; faith comes through obedience to God’s Word and doing God’s will.



In the first reading from Genesis, we have the covenant God made with Abram (soon to be Abraham.). Abram put his faith in the Lord, and was considered righteous. God promises Abram land and many descendants. The cutting up of animals was a way covenants were sealed in those days.



In the second reading, Paul encourages others to imitate him, not out of arrogance, but humble simplicity, since all the converts know he is dedicated to imitating Christ. By living in the Kingdom, we have one foot in heaven, and are citizens of heaven; when we finally reach heaven, we will share in Jesus’ glory.





Fr. Phil

BIBLE STUDY #122


FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

February 17, 2013



READING 1: DEUTERONOMY 26:4-10



Moses spoke to the people, saying:

“The priest shall receive the basket from you

and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.

Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,

‘My father was a wandering Aramean

who went down to Egypt with a small household

and lived there as an alien.

But there he became a nation

great, strong, and numerous.

When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,

imposing hard labor upon us,

we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,

and he heard our cry

and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

He brought us out of Egypt

with his strong hand and outstretched arm,

with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;

and bringing us into this country,

he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.

Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits

of the products of the soil

which you, O LORD, have given me.’

And having set them before the Lord, your God,

you shall bow down in his presence.”



The Word of the Lord



READING 2: ROMANS 10:8-13



Brothers and sisters:

What does Scripture say?

The word is near you,

in your mouth and in your heart

—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,

for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

For one believes with the heart and so is justified,

and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

For the Scripture says,

No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;

the same Lord is Lord of all,

enriching all who call upon him.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL: LUKE 4:1-13



Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan

and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,

to be tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days,

and when they were over he was hungry.

The devil said to him,

“If you are the Son of God,

command this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered him,

“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”

Then he took him up and showed him

all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.

The devil said to him,

“I shall give to you all this power and glory;

for it has been handed over to me,

and I may give it to whomever I wish.

All this will be yours, if you worship me.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It is written:

You shall worship the Lord, your God,

and him alone shall you serve.”

Then he led him to Jerusalem,

made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,

“If you are the Son of God,

throw yourself down from here, for it is written:

He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,

and:

With their hands they will support you,

lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Jesus said to him in reply,

“It also says,

You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

When the devil had finished every temptation,

he departed from him for a time.



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection





By saying that Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit, it is Luke’s way of designating Jesus as a prophet. Jesus received the Spirit at his baptism and is equipped to overcome the devil. We, too, wit the help of the Spirit, can overcome the temptations in our lives.



Jesus is “led by the Spirit into the desert” which conveys a sense of deliberateness to this testing. This test isn’t random, but done on purpose. Satan is trying to deflect Jesus from his mission.



Jesus is in the desert for forty days, which recalls the 40 years that the Israelites were wandering in the desert.



After 40 days without food, Jesus is hungry, but this is not the test: the devils’ temptations are the tests.



In the first temptation, the devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus responds, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” Life is more than material things, or jobs, or incomes, or status, or prestige. The devil wants to turn Jesus away from his spiritual mission to turn to a secular ambition. There is something deeper to life than secular ambitions or material things. This does not mean that we ignore people who need assistance with food, clothing, or shelter. It’s our duty as Christians to help those in need. We need to feed on the Eucharist and daily prayer so we can help build God’s kingdom on earth.



In the second temptation, the devil tempted Jesus with political power. In Jesus day, the people expected a messiah who was specially chosen by God to defeat the Romans and liberate the Promised Land from all oppression. The devil's idea of a kingdom would be to establish the kingdom by leaving a trail of death and destruction through conquering militarily. Jesus had a different idea. Freedom is only established by those committed to weakness, not power. Freedom comes when we serve each other in humility. We are to serve God, not ourselves. We do what God wants, not what we want.



In the third temptation, Jesus will not succumb to the devils request to test the Father; Jesus is not a show off nor does he need to prove anything. He is the servant, the perfectly obedient Son who carries out the Father's will without regard for the consequences. Notice how understated the resurrection is in the gospels. Jesus only appears to this followers, not to his enemies. Faith is not about drawing attention to ourselves, but about sharing the Good News. We shouldn't expect to be rewarded, thanked, or be publicly applauded for what we do.



Fr. Phil