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| “Christ with the Chalice” by Juan de Juanes, 1560’s |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
During the Fourth Week of Lent (especially in
cycles B and C when the Gospel of the man born blind is not read on the Fourth
Sunday of Lent) optional MassTexts are offered.
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!
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Commentary on Jer 11:18-20
In this selection we hear the Prophet Jeremiah
reflecting on a plot against his life. This first reflection, called a
“confession,” borrowing from St. Augustine’s titled work. It is the first of
seven such passages. This plot, according to later scripture passages, may have
been initiated by his own family (Jeremiah 12;6ff). 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
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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.
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Commentary on Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10,11-12
Psalm 7 is a lament. In the verses used here, we
find the psalmist 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.
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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.
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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 be born. They recite 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.
He will be born in Bethlehem (cf Micah 5:2), as Jesus was. Not knowing 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. The religious leaders cynically say that “this
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.
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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 rejected 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 that voice 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 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? They are his
creation as well. But we must see his face in those who plot against us.
We, like Jesus must trust in the our Heavenly Father to give us strength in the
face of adversity, courage in the face of peril, and peace in all we do.
Pax
[1]
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.
