BIBLE STUDY #49
JULY 3, 2011
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Reading 1 Zec 9:9-10

Thus says the LORD:
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The Word of the Lord


Reading II Rom 8:9, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:
You are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Consequently, brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

The Word of the Lord





Gospel Mt 11:25-30

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

Throughout the centuries, God revealed more and more about himself. As we read the Old Testament, we learn more and more about God; in other words, the theology and knowledge of God grows and grows over time.

In the New Testament, part of Jesus mission is to be the revealer of God’s will. We believe that Jesus is the final and definitive revelation of God’s will for us in our lives. Jesus is that bridge that spans the distance between God and us. It is through Jesus that we feel the power and presence of God.

Jesus praises God because God has chosen to reveal “these things’ (i.e. His saving revelation) to the little ones (or childlike, or babes in other translations), but not to the wise and the learned (or the wise and understanding in another translation).

The wise and the learned refer to the religious experts, such as scribes and Pharisees who generally reject Jesus and his teachings.

Why don’t these people believe? They are experts in scripture and the law, why wouldn’t they believe?

Have you ever met someone who thinks they know everything? Like the woman who married ‘Mr. Right’. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize his first name was ‘Always.’ Ever try to convince them of something? It’s impossible, because they think that they are right, and are not open to any other suggestions, opinions, or even facts. They rationalize everything and have a reason why they’re right– a sign of a closed mind.

The religious authorities in Jesus day thought like this – they knew, they were the educated ones, they were the scholars, and no other revelation from God would change their minds

The religious authorities in Jesus day believed in an earthly, Davidic kind of Messiah – a political, religious, economic, earthly style of Messiah. Jesus, however, came as a humble servant who would suffer for our sins, die, and then rise, offering us eternal life. If someone has their mind set on the first type of Messiah, how do you convince him that the second kind is true?

Our first reading from Zechariah is from a section of chapter 9 called ‘Restoration under the Messiah.’ The Messiah will come not as a conquering hero, but as a humble and meek savior (a warrior would ride on a horse, someone meek and humble would ride on an ass), which reminds us of Jesus, meek and lowly, riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on an ass. Zechariah tells us that in the time of the Messiah, the chariot, the bow, and the horse will be banished, he will proclaim peace, and rule over all the land, which is much more in line with the Prince of Peace than a warrior king. Another scripture reference to Jesus as the Messiah is the Suffering Servant Songs of Isaiah, which point to suffering as the way to salvation, hardly the glorious victory of a warrior.

The learned and the clever block the avenues of God’s grace by their stubbornness. They refuse God’s revelation through Jesus for a messiah that is a Prince of Peace. It’s not that God does not choose to offer them faith, they turn it down.

On the other hand, the little ones (the childlike), the sinners, the tax collectors, the poor, cannot possible keep, let alone know, all 613 laws and the rabbinical teachings on these laws. They were looked down upon by the learned and the clever. The Law became a heavy burden to them, one almost impossible to keep. They were struggling to survive, and didn’t have the time or the education to study the Law, and were condemned by the religious elite.

We see Jesus trying to make a difference in the lives of these people. We see a high Christology here like in John’s Gospel (high Christology referring to Jesus divinity). We see the direct and unique relationship with the Father and the Son “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son´ (reminds us of last week, Trinity Sunday). There is a mutual knowledge here which puts them on an even level with each other. Jesus is the one who knows the Father and is the revealer of the Father to us.

One translation of the Bible refers to ‘the little’ ones as ‘childlike’. I like this word because it tells us a lot about how we should be before the Father: like a child who has implicit and total trust in their parents, who want everything that is good for their children. God is like that and we need to trust in Him.

Jesus tells us to come to him for rest, that is, to share in his unique and personal relationship with the Father. Receiving God’s grace has a way of changing our lives. It opens our eyes and hearts to the teachings of Jesus, the ultimate revealer of God’s desires for us in our lives. We start to become more like Jesus and are kind, forgiving, sacrificing, virtuous, and al those other things that Jesus taught and practiced in his own life. I find this to be very freeing and restful.

For example, when I am angry with someone, I find it very tiring. This supposed hurt dominates my life and distracts me from my mission. I can’t stop thinking about it and I tire mentally, and even physically. Letting it go, forgiving, resting and trusting in the lord, I find very refreshing and restful.

Coming to the Lord and resting in Him also changes our attitudes and worries in life. I’ve found that most burdens in life are self made, like worrying about a career, how my investments are doing, what other people think about me, how I make this person love me, and the like. Notice that these burdens and worries are very self centered. It’s about me. I tell engaged couples that marriage is not about me – it’s not 50%- 50%, but it’s 100%,-100%. When we think like the former, we worry about what we get out of a marriage, and when we do that, all we do is get out of a marriage. When we think about the latter, we give everything we have to make our marriage work, and more than that – to be a very loving relationship. If both marriage partners lived like this, it would be a beautiful marriage. And they find that even though their marriage may be a struggle, it is not a burden, and all the sacrifice is worthwhile.

Resting in the Lord changes us like that, because in imitating Jesus we become less and less self centered, and become more and more self giving. And we find that’s where true peace and happiness come from. Living like Jesus, regardless of the cost, isn’t a burden, but a blessing.

That’s why Jesus yoke is light – because the proper, holy way to live is not burdensome, but freeing, refreshing, and restful. Jesus carries our burdens with us and gives us the grace and strength in the midst of life’s troubles. Notice that faith doesn’t take away our burdens, but gives us the means to carry them easily. A yoke is a devise attached to oxen that allows them to pull great weights with ease. Jesus yoke allows us to carry our burdens in the same way.










Footprints
One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
________________________________________
Carolyn Carty, 1963



















In the 2nd reading, St Paul tells us that we are not to live by the flesh but to live by the Spirit. For St. Paul, living in the flesh means being closed and hostile to God, while living in the Spirit means to welcome God into our lives and to strive to be the best disciples we can be. He tells us that those who live in the flesh will die, but those who live in the Spirit will have life. The Spirit allows us to live like Christ and to be like Christ.

Let us rest in the Lord and let his Spirit guide us and direct us in our lives. This is the way to true fulfillment and happiness.

Fr. Phil