Bible Study #8

TWENTY FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 22, 2010

Gospel: Luke 13:23-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
Then he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!’
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Jesus is continuing his long journey to Jerusalem at which time he will undergo his passion, death and resurrection. On his way to his fate, Jesus takes the opportunity to instruct his disciples (and us) about living the Christian life.

One thing to note here is that there is no mention of Jesus teaching in the synagogue (i.e. see 4:15, 6:6 and 13:10). Up to this point, Jesus mission was very much connected to the synagogue. From here on out, however, Jesus never again enters the synagogue. He is beginning to separate himself from Judaism (at least Luke is suggesting this separation) because Jesus is much more than a reformer, he is the son of God, the divine second person of the blessed trinity, and by his own authority, is rewriting all the rules. Since he is God, he can do so. I know we would like to, but can’t.

In this journey theme of Luke’s, we also see Jesus teaching marked by sense of his own personal destiny: the “master of the house has arisen” (verse 25) refers to the risen Jesus and the very fact that someone asks Jesus about salvation (verse 23) alludes to Jesus mission to suffer, die and rise to open for us the gates of heaven, which is why he came to us. Not to preach, or teach, or heal, or anything else, but to suffer, die, and rise on the third day.

Someone asks Jesus in verse 23, “Lord, will only a few people be saved.” Is he asking this question because he is interested in being saved? Is he asking this question because if it is too hard, he will leave? Is he asking this question to see if he is included? It makes us think of our own motivation in asking that question.

You should notice that Jesus doesn’t answer that question directly, but instead talks about the effort necessary to be saved. He doesn’t include or exclude anyone from salvation; it seems that people include and exclude themselves.

Jesus tells us that the gate leading to salvation is narrow. It can’t be too narrow for a person because people do enter through the gate. Does it become too narrow to pass through because we may carry too much baggage? Are our sins making it impossible to enter the gate? Are we swelled by pride, are we carrying too much guilt, or does our lack of forgiveness weigh us down enough to prevent us from passing through the gate?

Jesus says many may not be strong enough. Strong enough to do what? To admit our faults? To seek forgiveness from God and others? To offer and ask for forgiveness? To try to do better? To think we have to change? Our sins are numerous, and these questions can be numerous too. We all have baggage that weighs us down and keeps us from being the kind of person God intends us to be. Jesus paid the price for our sins. When will we learn to lay our sins at his feet?

One of the most powerful experiences of forgiveness in my life came when I was in the seminary. We had a class retreat, and part of the retreat was a penance service. After we went to confession, we took a nail and laid it upon a cross that was lying in front of the altar. That was very powerful to me – a vivid reminder that God takes away our excess baggage; when it is too heavy for us to carry, he carries it for us. He’s paid the price for our sins because we can’t, and he offers it freely. No reason to carry the load ourselves when Jesus will do it for us. How much better and happier would our lives be if we depended more on Jesus and less on ourselves?

The master of the house (the risen Jesus) locks the door and leaves people standing outside. Why would Jesus do that? The door is locked to all those who reject Jesus and his teachings. It is a statement by Luke of the people of Jesus day who rejected him, and a statement about people of all ages that have rejected him. We make the mistake of thinking these people were forced out, but they were not. They left of their own accord. They left because they wanted to leave. The door is not locked permanently, however. Forgiveness is the key that opens the door for us into eternal life.

There is no guarantee that we will be saved: “We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.” The insiders, the Jewish people, thought they were saved by birthright, that they would be saved because they were Jews. Jesus rejects this. Only those who do the will of the Father will be saved. This applies to us, too. Baptism does not guarantee us salvation. We need to follow Jesus’ teachings in their entirety. We can’t pick and choose what we want to do. We can’t say, “I don’t need to give alms because I go to church and pray”, nor can we say, “I don’t need church because I help others.” We need to do both.

Whenever people discuss who can be saved, it is always them who are saved and others who are not. People are very easy on themselves; they will say, “Well, I didn’t kill anyone or steal anything, so I guess I’ll be saved.” As if not being a convicted felon is reason enough to enter eternal life. Yet these same people are hard on others and apply the rules severely: “I haven’t seen them in church in a few weeks”, not even knowing why they weren’t there, but ready to condemn anyway.

Why do we do this? Maybe it is because if we can point to others who are sinners, and we aren’t like them, then maybe we can convince ourselves that we are saved and don’t have to change. Just remember that God doesn’t judge us based on what someone else does; he judges us on our actions (or inactions). There will come a time when we will be standing in front of the throne of God when we will not be able to blame someone else but will have to answer for our own lives.

What can God ask us to do? He can’t ask us to be perfect, because we were made to be imperfect. I think that all God can ask us to do is to be the best disciples we can everyday, given our limitations and our circumstances. When we fail, which we will, we seek God’s forgiveness, and go on with our lives in peace and happiness, knowing that Jesus has paid the price for our sins. As long as we’re trying our best, we should have no fear of what happens in the next life. If not….

Just because salvation is a free gift from God, it doesn’t give us a free ride through life.

Fr. Phil