Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

“Christ with the Chalice”
by  Juan de Juanes, 1560’s

Readings for Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent[1][2]

Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]

Reading 1: Jeremiah 11:18-20

I knew their plot because the LORD informed me;

at that time you, O LORD, showed me their doings.

Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,

had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:

"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;

let us cut him off from the land of the living,

so that his name will be spoken no more."

But, you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge,

searcher of mind and heart,

Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,

for to you I have entrusted my cause!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Jer 11:18-20

In this selection we hear the Prophet Jeremiah reflecting on a plot against his life. Borrowing from St. Augustine’s titled work, this first reflection, called a “confession” is the first of five such passages.  This plot according to other scripture may have been initiated by his own family.  Other scholars contend that it was earlier in his career when the priests of Anathoth opposed him because his preaching provided backing for Josiah's religious reform.  He speaks prophetically of the event using language similar to Job 21:7-13 and Psalms 37, 49, 73 and provides images that will later associate this passage to the plots against Jesus in his last days

CCC: Jer 11:19 608

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

R. (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

O LORD, my God, in you I take refuge;

save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,

Lest I become like the lion's prey,

to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.

R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

Do me justice, O LORD, because I am just,

and because of the innocence that is mine.

Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,

but sustain the just,

O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.

R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

A shield before me is God,

who saves the upright of heart;

A just judge is God,

a God who punishes day by day.

R. O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

Psalm 7 is a lament. In the verses used here, we find the psalmist also being persecuted. He is calling on the Lord for protection and salvation. As in many cases, the singer sees the Lord as armor, a shield against those who would do him harm, the wicked.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,

"This is truly the Prophet."

Others said, "This is the Christ."

But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?

Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family

and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"

So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.

Some of them even wanted to arrest him,

but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,

who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"

The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."

So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?

Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?

But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."

Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,

"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him

and finds out what he is doing?"

They answered and said to him,

"You are not from Galilee also, are you?

Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."

Then each went to his own house.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commentary on Jn 7:40-53

The irony of St. John’s Gospel shows in the first part of this passage.  The crowd is pointing at facts about the Davidic Messiah, specifically where he was prophesied to have been born.  They name the prophecy – the Messiah will be from the line of King David (cf 2 Samuel 7:12-14; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5; and Ezekiel 34:23-24), and Jesus is; and he will have been born in Bethlehem (cf Micah 5:2), as Jesus was.  Not knowing these the truth about these facts the crowd is not wholly convinced.

In the second part St. John describes the deliberations in the Sanhedrin – why had the guards not arrested Jesus? Based upon the description, we can infer that those present actually prevented the guards from taking that step as the religious leaders cynically say that “the crowd which does not know the law is accursed.” After more discussion, they are still not ready to act and return to their homes, action for the moment is delayed.

CCC: Jn 7:48-49 575; Jn 7:49 588; Jn 7:50 595; Jn 7:52 574

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reflection:

In the Gospel from John on Friday, we heard the first echoes of the coming passion of Christ.  Today we hear it again in a resounding way.  First we find Jeremiah speaking of the plot against him, letting us know that this is not the first time God’s people have not wanted to hear what God needed them to hear.  The author also speaks of God’s faithfulness to Jeremiah, how God’s messenger (Jeremiah) trusts him to take care of these obstacles. 

The Psalmist translates the prophet’s call into a song, full of hope and trust in God.  As is usual this common call puts us in the place of Jeremiah.  In our lives there are always pitfalls along the way.  Sometimes they are of our own making, sometimes placed there by others.  In some cases, in spite of our constant prayer; “deliver us from temptation.” we fall into those snares and need the Psalmist’s assurances; “O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,” (Psalm 7:2)

The Gospel today describes how the plot against Jesus thickens.  The Scribes and the Pharisees are very upset because the genuine voice of God is hard to disguise and it was not saying what they needed it to say.

It is clear they do not know the particulars of his background or the Lord’s identity would have been immediately seen.  They did not know he was of the line of David, the ancestry predicted for the Messiah.  They did not know he had been born in Bethlehem, the prophesied place of birth for the Messiah.  They had not heard his claim that he had come to fulfill all that had been written in the Law, redefining key terms (expanding the love of God from just the house of Israel to encompass all peoples and nations).  Had they understood the Prophet Isaiah, they would have seen that not only did he meet the prophetic standard for the physical arrival of the Messiah; he also fulfilled the path to be followed. They would see this too late.

If this were an adventure novel, right now we, the readers, would be saying to Jesus; “Look out, it’s a trap!  Don’t go there (to Jerusalem) where they can get you.  Run – go back to Galilee where it’s safe for you.”  But as we know, he sees this trap and knows the fate that awaits him and because of his great love for us – he walks knowingly in.

This is our great example of what the Lord tells us about love for one another.  Never does he express hate or even anger about the people who plot his arrest and death.  How can he? For, they are his creation as well.  But we must see his face in those who plot against us, we, like him must trust in the Lord to give us strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and peace in all we do. 

Pax

---

[1] ALTRE

[2] The picture is “Christ with the Chalice” by  Juan de Juanes, 1560’s

[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.