Homily for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B)
Based
on Mk 6:7-13 (Gospel), Am 7:12-15
(First Reading) and Ep 1:3-14 (Second Reading)
From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
A MISSIONARY REJECTED
The gospel narrative for
this 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle B) is Mk 6:7-13, under the
title “The mission of the Twelve.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Mt 10:1,9-14 - He summoned his twelve disciples,a
and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out
and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness (v. 1). Yourselves with no gold or silver, not even a
few coppers for your purses (v. 9), with no haversack for the journey or spare
tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workmen deserves his keep (v. 10). Whatever town or village you go into, ask for
someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave (v. 11). As you enter his
house, salute it; e (v. 12) and if the house deserves it. Let your
peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you (v. 13).
And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you
walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet f (v.
14). Footnote a says: “Matthew
supposes that the reader already knows about the choice of the Twelve; Mark and
Luke mentions it expressly and distinguish the choice from the mission”
Footnotes for Mt 10:11-14 are: e that says: “The oriental greeting is a wish of peace In v. 13 this wish is treated
in concrete fashion as an entity which, if it fails to secure its effect,
nevertheless remains in being and returns to its original owner”; and f
that says: “The phrase is Jewish in
origin. The dust of any country other than the Holy Land is reckoned unclean:
in this passage the impurity attaches to any place that refuses the word.”
b. Lk
9:1-6 - He called the Twelvea together and gave them power and
authority over all devils and to cure diseases (v. 1), and he sent them out to
proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (v. 2). He said to them; ‘Take nothing
for the journey; neither staff, nor haversack, nor bread, nor money; and let
none of you take a spare tunic (v. 3).
Whatever house you enter, stay there; and when you leave, let it be from
there (v. 4). As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town
shake the dust from your feet as a sign to them’ (v. 5). So they set out and
went from village to village proclaiming the Good News and healing everywhere
(v. 6). Footnote a says: “Add.
‘apostles’.”
c.
Lk10:4-11 - Carry no purse, no haversack, and no
sandals. Salute no one on the road (v. 4). Whatever house you go into, let your
first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ (v. 5) And if a man of peaced
lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to
you (v. 6). Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to
offer, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house (v.
7). Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set
before you” (v. 8). Cure those in it who are sick and say, “The kingdom of God
is very near to you” (v. 9). But whenever you enter a town and they do not make
you welcome, go out into the streets and say (v. 10), ‘We wipe off the very
dust of your town that cling to our feet, and leave it with you. Yes, be sure
of this; the kingdom of God is very near” (v. 11). Footnote d says “Lit. ‘son of peace’, a Hebraism for those who deserve ‘peace’, i.e. all the
spiritual and temporal blessings the word implies. CfJn 14:27+.”
Verses 7 up to 12 say:
He made a tour round the villages
teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out by pairs
giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take
nothing for the journey except a staff b- no bread, no haversack, no
coppers for their purses.
They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘do not take a spare tunic’.
And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave
the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen
to you, as you walk away shake off the dust under your feet as a sign to them.’
So they set off to preach repentance. Footnote b for Mk 6:8
says: “In Mt and Lk the staff is
forbidden, but the sense is the same, the missionary must be detached.”
Verse 13 says: and
they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured
them.
Parallel text is Jm 5:14 that says: “If one of you is ill, he should send for the elders of the church, and
they must anoint him with oil in the name of the Lordd and pray over
him (v. 14). The prayer of faith will save the sick man and the Lord will raise
him up again; and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven (v.
15).” Footnote d says “Om. ‘of the Lord. The tradition that these
prayers and this anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, and for the
purpose of helping the sick and forgiving their sins, are the origin of the
Church’s ‘sacrament of the sick’ (or Holy Unction) was endorsed by the Council
of Trent.”
The First Reading is
taken from Am 7:12-15. Verse by verse, it says:
Verses 12 and 13 - To Amos, Amaziah said, ‘Go away, seer;h
get back to the land of Judah; earn your breadi there, we want no
more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’
Verse 12’s Footnote h says “Here
the term is possibly contemptuous (visionary’)”; and Footnote isays
“Amaziah speaks as is Amos were one of
the professional prophets for whom prophecy was a livelihood, cf. 1 S 9:7+.”
Parallel text is Am
2:12 that says: But you have forced the
nazirites to drink wine and gave orders to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy’.
Verses 14 and 15 say:
‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong
to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’j Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I
was a shepherd,k and looked after sycamores: but it was Yahweh who
took me from herding the flock and Yahweh who said, ‘Go, prophesy to my people
Israel”. Footnote
j says ‘neither did I
belong…’ lit. ‘nor the son of a prophet’, cf. 2 K 2:3+”; and Footnote k
says ‘shepherd’ corr., cf. 1:1;
‘herdsman’ Hebr.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Am 3:3-8 - The
prophetic call cannot be resistedd Do two men take the road together
if they have not planned to do so?e(v. 3) Does the lion roar in the
jungle if no prey has been found? Does the young lion growl in his lair if he
has captured nothing? (v. 4) Does the bird fall to the groundf if no
trapg has been set? Does the snare spring up from the ground if
nothing has been caught? (v. 5) Does the trumpet sound in the city without the
populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if Yahweh has not
sent it? (v. 6). No more does the Lord Yahweh do anything without revealing his
plans to his servants the prophetsh (v. 7) The lion roars who can
help feeling afraid? The Lord Yahweh speaks who can refuse to prophesy? (v.
8). Footnote d says “In all
this passage the prophet is justifying his intervention. There is neither
effect without cause, vv. 3-5b, nor cause without effect, vv. 5c-6, 8a. If the
prophet exercises his office, it is because Yahweh has spoken; if God speaks,
the prophet cannot but prophesy, v. 7-8b. The images chosen suggest that the
message will be one of disaster”; Footnote e–says “Or ‘without having met’; Greek ‘without
knowing each other’; Footnote f–Hebr. Adds ‘in the snare’; omitted
by Greek.; Footnote g says “Or
‘no bait’, or ‘no sling’.; and Footnote h says “This verse may be a gloss.”
b.
2 S 7:8 - This is what you must say to my
servant David, “Yahweh Sabaoth says this: I took you from the pasture, from
following the sheep, to be the leader of my people Israel…
c.
Ps 78:70-73 - Choosing David as his servant, he
took him from the sheepfolds, called him from tending ewes in lamb to pasture
his people Jacob and Israel his heritage: who did this with unselfish care and
led them with a sensitive hand.
The Second Reading is from Ep 1:3-14. Verse by verse it says:
Verse 3 says: Blessed be God,
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual
blessings of heaven in Christ.b Footnote b- All the way through the letter, 1:20; 2:6;
3:10; 6:12, Paul reverts to this opening reference to heaven. The spiritual
blessings listed in the following verses must wait till the end of the world
before they can be fully realized in heaven where they had been formulated
since all eternity.
Parallel texts are:
a.
Tb. 13:1 - Blessed be God who lives forever, for
his reign endures throughout all ages!
b.
Ga. 3:14 - This was done so that in Christ
Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through
faith we might receive the promised Spirit.f Footnote
f says “Lit. ‘the promise of the Spirit’. Var. ‘the blessing of the
Spirit’.”
Verse 4 says: Before the world
was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live
through lovec in his
presence. Footnote c says “First
blessing: through their union with the glorified Christ the faithful already
enjoy, in a hidden sort of way, the eternal happiness to which the chosen are
called. ‘Love’ here is primarily the love God has for us, and that leads him to
‘choose’ us and to call us to be ‘holy’, cf. Col. 3:12, 1 Th. 1:4, 2 Th. 2:13,
Rm. 11:28, but does not exclude our love for God that results from and is a
response to his own love for us, cf. Rm. 5:5.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Jn. 17:24 - Father, I want those you have
given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you
have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
b.
1 P. 1:20 - Who, though known since before
the world was made, has been revealed only in our time, the end of the ages,
for your sake.
c.
Ep. 5:27 - So that when he took her to
himself she would be glorious, with no speck or wrinkle or anything like that,
but holy and faultless.f Footnote f
says: “It was customary in the middle
east at the time this letter was written, for the ‘sons of the wedding’ to escort
the bride to her husband after she had been bathed and dressed. As applied
mystically to the Church, Christ washes his bride himself in the bath of
baptism, and makes her immaculate (note the mention of a baptismal formula) and
introduces her to himself.”
Verses 5 and 6 say: Determining
that we should become his adopted sons,d through Jesus Christ for
his own kind purposes, to make us praise the glory of his grace,e
Footnote d says: “Second blessing: Jesus Christ, the only Son, is both the
source and the model of the way God has chosen for us to become holy, i.e.
adopting us as his heirs, cf. Rm. 5:5; and Footnote e says “The word grace (charis) as it is used here
emphasizes not so much the interior gift that makes a human being holy, as the
gratuitousness of God’s favor and the way he manifests his glory, cf. Ex
24:16f. These are the two themes that run through this account of God’s
blessings: their source is God’s liberality, and their purpose is to make his
glory appreciated by creatures. Everything comes from him, and everything
should lead to him.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
1 Co. 1:8 - And he will keep you steady and
without blamed until the last day, the daye of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Footnote d says
“Cf. Ph 1:10; 2:15f; Ep 1:4; Col 1:22; 1
Th 3:13; 5:23; Jude 24’; and Footnote e says “This ‘day of the Lord’, 5:5; 2 Co 1:14, 1 TH
5:2; 2 Th 2:2; cf. 2 P. 3:10, called also the ‘day of Christ’, Ph 1:6,10; 2:16,
or simply the ‘day’, 2 Th 1:10; 2 Tm 1:12, 18; 4:8; cf. Mt 7:22; 24:36; Lk
10:12; 21:14, or ‘the day of the Son of Man’, Lk 17:24, cf. v. 26, or ‘the day
of God’, 2 P 3:12, or ‘the day of visitation’, 1 P 2:12, or ‘the great day’,
Jude 6; Rv 6:17; 16:14, or ‘the last day’, Jn6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; 12:48, is
the fulfillment in the eschatological era, ushered in by Christ, of the ‘day of
Yahweh’ foretold by the prophets, Am 5:18+. The fulfillment begins with the
first coming of Christ, Lk 17:20-24, and the punishment of Jerusalem, Mt 24:1+;
and this final stage in thehistory of salvation, cf. Ac 1:7+, will be completed
by the glorious second coming, 1 Co. 1:7+; 15:23+; 1 Tm 6:14+, of theSovereign
Judge, Rm 2:6+; Jm 5:6-9. A cosmic upheaval and renewal will accompany it (cf.
Am 8:9+), Mt 24:29p+; Heb 12:26f; 2 P 3:10-13; Rv 20:11; 21:1; cf. Mt 19:20; Rm
8:20-22. This day of light is coming, Rm 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jm 5:8; 1 P 4:7; cf.
1 Th 5:5,8, but exactly when is uncertain, 1 Th 5:1+, meanwhile we must prepare
for it. 2 Co. 5:2+.”
b.
1 Jn. 3:1 - Think of the love that the Father
has lavished on us, by letting us be called God’s children; and that is what we
are. a Footnote a –says “Om. ‘and that is what we are’; var. (Vulg)
‘and may we become precisely that’.
c.
Jn. 1:12 - But to all who did accept him he gave
power to becomei children of God, to all who believe in the name of
himj. Footnote i
says “Var. ‘to be called’; and
Footnote j says “‘to those who
believe in his name’ omitted by many of the Fathers.”
d.
Rm. 8:29 - They are the ones he chose specially
long ago and intended to become true
images of his Son,q so that his Son might be the eldest of
many brothers. Footnote q says “Christ
the image of God in the primordial creation, Col. 1:15+, cf. Heb. 1:3, has now
come by a new creation, 2 Co 5:17+, to restore to fallen man the splendor of
that image which had been darkened by sin, Gn. 1:26+, 3:22-24+, Rm. 5:12+. He
does this by forming man in the still more splendid image of a son of God (Rm.
8:29); thus, sound moral judgment is restored to the ‘new man’; Col. 3:10+, and
also his claim to glory which he had sacrificed by sin, Rm. 3:23+. This glory
which Christ as the image of God possesses by right, 2 Co. 4:4, is
progressively communicated to the Christian, 2 Co. 3:18, until his body is
itself clothed in the image of the ‘heavenly’ man, 1 Co. 15:49.”
Verses 7 and 8 say: his free
gift to us in the Beloved,f in whom, through his blood, we gain
freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.g Such is the richness of the
grace which heh has bestowed on us in all wisdom and insight. Footnote
f says “Var. (Vulg) ‘his
beloved Son’”; and Footnote g says: “Third blessing: our redemption by an event in time, i.e. the death of
Jesus.”
Parallel texts are:
a.
Rm 3:24 - And both are justified through the
free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ
Jesus. Footnote i says “This word (charis) when used with reference
to human relationships can mean as the quality that makes a person attractive
(Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean
something given free and unearned (Ac. 25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This
last sense predominates in the NT and especially in Paul. (John uses agape),
who uses the word to describe the way God saves through Jesus: it is a work of
spontaneous love to which no one has any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for
Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt. 2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9),
for his Father to give up as a gift that includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32;
cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification, salvation, and the right to inherit by
having faith in him, without having to perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24;
4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11): it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for
Christ to come again at the end of the world and for us to receive everlasting
glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by grace that Abraham received the promise
(Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm 11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us,
it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf. 2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers
sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word ‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that
it can be used to indicate the entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by
the prophets (1 P.1:10) and is now proclaimed as the Good News (Col 1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32).
The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul begins and ends his
letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and 5:28, etc.; cf 1 P
1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by an act of grace
that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation (Ga 1:6; 2 Tim
1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7; cf 2 Th 2:16;
Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3; 15:15f; 1 Co 3:10;
Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each Christian a part he has
to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+; 2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7;
1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P
2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30; cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim);
Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of the highest name of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk
2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends primarily on God’s
initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible to receive grace I
vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga. 5:4), to forfeit grace
(Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29). Grace obtained
must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12) and used wisely (1 P
4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf 14:26; 15:40), it
must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2 Tm 2:1), and help us to
persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine help is given to the
humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since this is to approach
‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be granted and will be
found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in weak man (2 Co 12:9;
cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over unspiritual wisdom (2 Co
1:12). The same word charis is also used for thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co
10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6; 1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the
verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is the fundamental and necessary
disposition for grace. From all these shades of meaning, it is clear that the
word charis is always used to emphasize that the gift is absolutely free: to bring out its power
and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+)’”; and
Footnote j says: “Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering
her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his
‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+. When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from
Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less
restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps
130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30;
cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has
‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin,
Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own,
Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price
was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9.
This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the
Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when
deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23.”
b.
Col 1:13-14 - Because that is what he has done:
he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the
kingdom of the Son that he loves (v. 13), and in him, we gain our freedom,d
the forgiveness of our sins (v. 14). Footnote d – “Lit. ‘In whom we have the redemption’. Add.
(Vulg.) ‘by blood”, cf. Ep 1:7.”
c.
Heb 1:3 - He is the radiant light of God’s glory
and the perfect copy of his nature,c sustaining the universe by his
powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone
to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. Footnote c
says “These two metaphors are borrowed
from the Sophia and logos theologies of Alexandria, Ws 7:25-26; they express
both the identity of nature between Father and Son, and the distinction of
person. The Son is the brightness, the light shining from its source, which is
the bright glory, cf. Ex. 24:16+, of the Father (‘Light from Light’). He is
also the replica, cf. Col 1:15+, of the Father’s substance, like an exact
impression made by a seal on clay or wax, cf. Jn 14:9.”
d.
Ep 2:7 - This was to show for all ages to come,
through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in
grace.
Verses 8 and 9 say: which heh
has bestowed on us in all wisdom and insight. He has let us know the mystery of
his purpose,i the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the
beginning. Footnote h says “God
the Father”; and Footnote i-
says “Fourth blessing: the revelation of
the ‘mystery’, Rm 16:25f.”
Parallel text of verse
9 is Rm 16:25 that says: Doxologyj Glory to him who is
able to give you the strengthk to live according to the Good News I
preach, and in which I proclaim Jesus Christ, the revelation of a mysteryl
kept secret for endless ages Footnote j says “Most authorities place this doxology here, but in some it appears at
the end of ch. 15 or 14; others omit. A solemn presentation, cf. Ef 3:20; Jude
24-25, of the main points of the letter”; Footnote ksays “Firmly grounded in doctrine and strong in Christian
practice. Cf. 1:11; 1 Th 3:2,13; 2 Th 2:17; 3:3; 1 Co 1:8; 2 Co 1:21; Col 2:7; Footnote l
says “The idea of a ‘mystery’ of
wisdom, v. 27; 1 Co 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:2-3, long hidden in God and now
revealed, v. 25; 1 Co 2:7,10; Ep 3:5,9f; Col 1:26, is borrowed by Paul from
Jewish apocalypse, Dn 2:18-19+, but he enriches the content of the term by
applying it to the climax of the history of salvation: the saving cross of
Christ, 1 Co 2:8; the call of the pagans, v. 26; Rm 11:25; Col 1:26-27; Ep 3:6,
to this salvation preached by Paul, v. 25; Col 1:23; 4:3; Ep 3:3-12; 6:19, and
finally the restoration of all things in Christ as their one head, Ep 1:9-10.
See also 1 Co 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; 15:51; Ep 5:32; 2 Th 2:7; 1 Tm 3:9,16; 2 Tm
1:9-10; Mt 13:11p+; Rv 1:20; 10:7; 17:5,7.”
Verse 10 says: To act upon when
the times had run their course to the end;j that he would bring
everything together under Christ as head, everything in the heaven and
everything on earth.k Footnote j says “ Lit. ‘for a dispensation of the times’
fullness’, cf. Ga 4:4f. Footnote k - The main theme of this letter
is how the whole body of creation, having been cut off from the Creator by sin,
is decomposing, and how its rebirth is effected by Christ reuniting its parts into an organism with
himself as the head, so as to reattach it to God. The human (Jew and pagan) and
the angelic worlds are brought together again through the fact that they were
saved by a single act, cf. 4:10f.”
Parallel text
a.
Mk 1:15 -
‘The time has come’ he said ‘and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent,
and believe the Good News.’
b.
Ga 4:4 - But when
the appointed timec came, God sent his son, born of a woman, born a
subject of the Law. Footnote c - Lit. ‘fullness of time’; the phrase
indicates how when the messianic age comes it will fill a need felt for
centuries, rather like filling up a jug. Cf. Ac 1:7+ and Mk 1:15; 1 Co 10:11;
Ep 1:10; Heb 1”2; 9:26; 1 P 1:20.
c.
Col. 1:16,20… - “for him were created all things
in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones,
Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers - all things were created through him and
for him (v. 16). …and all things to be reconciled through him and for him,
h everything in heaven and everything on earth,I when he made
peace by his death on the cross ( v. 20).” Footnote h - i.e. through
and for Christ, cf. the parallel ‘though
him and for him’ of v. 16. Alternatively, it could read “God wanted
everything…to be reconciled to himself, though him who made peace…’ cf. Rm
5:10; 2 Co 5:18f; Footnote i - This reconciliation of the whole
universe (including angels as well as human beings) means not that every single
individual will be saved, but that all who are saved will be saved by their
collective return to the right order and peace of perfect submission to God.
Any individual who do not join this new creation through grace will be forced
to join it, cf. 2:15; 1 Co 15:24-25 (the heavenly spirits) and 2 Th 1:8-9; 1 Co
6:9-10; Ga. 5:21; Rm 2:8; Ep 5:5 (men).
Verses 11 and 12 say: And it is
in himl that we were claimed
as God’s own,m chosen from the beginning, under the predetermined
plan of the one who guides all things as he decides by his own will; Chosen to
be, for his greater glory, the people who would put their hopes in Christ
before he came. Footnote lsays “Christ.” and Footnote m
says “Fifth blessing: the pagans are
called to share the salvation that had, till then, been reserved for the Jews;
that they will be saved is proved by the fact that they receive the Spirit as
was promised.”
Parallel texts for verse 11 are:
a. Dt
7:6 - For you are a people consecrated to Yahweh your God, it is you that
Yahweh your God has chosen to be his very own people out of all the peoples on
earth.b Footnote b - Declaring Israel’s election, as in
14:2. To ‘find himself a nation’ God made use of wonders, 4:34, cf. 4:20;
26:7-8, vv. 7-8 of this chapter explain the reason for God’s choice, namely,
loyalty to the promises which, of his own loving will, he had made to the
Fathers, cf. 4:37, 8:18; 9:5; 10:15. This choice, ratified by the covenant (v.
9; 5:2-3) makes Israel a dedicated people (v. 6; 26:19). The idea of election,
strongly emphasized in Dt., pervades the OT. Israel as a nation set apart, Nb
23:9, God’s people, Jg 5:13, consecrated, Ex 19:6+, a covenanted race, Ex.
19:1+, God’s son, Dt 1:31+, the nation of Immanuel, (God-with-us), Is 8:8,10.
The election marks Israel off from the world but the prophets foretell the
recognition of Israel’s God by all nations and the universality of salvation Zc
14:16; Is 49:6; 45:14+. The coming of Jesus inaugurates this ‘messianic’ era.
b. Col 1:12 - …thanking the Father who has made
it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.c
Footnote c - Lit. ‘Thanking the Father (for) having
made you (var. ‘us’) fit for the part of the lot of the saints in the light’;
var. ‘for having called you (var. ‘us’) to…’ The ‘lot of the saints’ is what
all holy people are to inherit, i.e. the ‘salvation’ that had been thought of
as a bequest made exclusively to Israel. Now, non-Jews are called to share it,
cf. Ep 1:11-13. The word ‘saints’ (lit. ‘holy ones’) here can mean either
Christians, i.e. people called to live the ‘life of light’ while still living
on earth, Rm 1:7f, cf. Jn 8:12f, or it can mean the angels who live with God in
the eschatological ‘light’, cf. Ac 9:13+.
c. Is
46:10 - From the beginning I foretold the future, and predicted beforehand what
is to be. I say: my purpose shall last; I will do whatever I choose.
d.
Rv 4:11 - You are our Lord and our God, you are
worthy of glory and honor and power, because you made all the universe and it
was only by your will that everything was made and exists.k Footnote
k - Lit. ‘though your will they were (var. ‘they were not’)
and they were created’; text uncertain.
Parallel text for verse 12 is Ps 66:2 that says: …play
music to the glory of his name, glorify him with your praises, say to God,
‘What dread you inspire!’
Verses 13 and 14 say: Now you
too, n in him, have heard the message of the truth and the good news
of your salvation, and have believed it; and you too have been stamped with the
seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise.o The pledge of our
inheritance which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, p
to make his glory praised. Footnotes n says “Sixth blessing: the Jews are chosen to be
the human share allotted to God, and are to be his witness until the coming of
the Messiah. Paul, being a Jew, here uses ‘we”; Footnote o says
“Paul completes his Trinitarian account
of God’s plan with the Spirit, since the giving of the Spirit shows the plan
has reached its final stage. Nevertheless, though this gift has already begun,
it is only given in a hidden way while the unspiritual world lasts, and will
only be given fully when the kingdom of God is complete and Christ comes in
glory”; and Footnote psays
“Lit. ‘the setting free of that (enslaved
people) which had been acquired’, i.e., by God, and at the cost of the life of
his son. This is one of the occasions when Paul widens an OT concept (like
‘blessing’, ‘saint’, ‘choice’, ‘adoption’, ‘redemption, ‘share’, ‘promise’) by
applying it to the Church as the new Israel and the body of the saved.”
Parallel texts for verse 13 are:
a.
Ac 1:4 - When he had been at table with them, he
had told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had
promised. ‘It is’ he had said, ‘what you have heard me speak about:
b.
Col 1:5 - …because of the hope which is stored up
for you in heaven. It is only recently that you heard of this, when it was
announced in the message of truth. The Good News…
c.
Col 2:9 In
his body lives the fullness of divinity,e and in him you too find
your own fulfillment… Footnote e says “The word pleroma here, cf. 1:19+, is defined as the ‘divinity’ that is
actually ‘filling’ Christ now in his body: in other words, the risen Christ,
through his incarnation and resurrection, unites the divine and the created.
The former is what he is by his pre-existence and his present glory; the latter
is, as human, what he has assumed directly, and, as cosmic, what he assumed
indirectly through being human. In this way he himself is the pleroma of all
possible categories of being.”
d.
Heb 6:12 - …never growing careless, but
imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the
promises.
e.
Ep 4:30 - Otherwise you will only be grieving
the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free
when the day comes. q Footnote q says “
The one Holy Spirit that keeps the one body of Christ united, 4:4, 1 Co. 12:13 , is ‘grieved’; cf. 4:30 , Is. 63:10, by anything that
harms the unity of the body.”
f.
2 Co 1:22 - …marking us with his seal and giving
us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.
g.
Ac 2:33 - Now raised to the heights by God’s
right hand,s he has
received from the father the Holy Spirit, who was promised,t and what you see and hear is
the outpouring of that Spirit. Footnote ssays “Words
borrowed from Ps. 118 (v.16 LXX ‘The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’)
used in their preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac 4:11, 1
P 2:7, Mt 21:9p,42p, 23:39, Lk 13:35, Jn 12:13, Heb 13:6. But it is possible to
translate. ‘ Having raised up to the right hand of God’ and to se in this an
introduction to the quotation (v.34) of Ps. 110); which is another name of
Apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p,26:64p, Mk 16:19, Ac 7:55,56, Rm 8:34, 1Co.
15:25, Ep. 1:20 Col. 3:1, Heb. 1:3,13, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P.3:22”; and
Footnote t – says “According to the prophets, the gif of the
Spirit would characterize the messianic
era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the
‘pouring out’ of this spirit, foretold in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ”.
h.
Rm 5:5 - And this
hope is not deceptive, because the love of Gode has been poured into
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which had been given us.f Footnote
e
says “God’s love for us; of this the Holy
Spirit is a pledge and to this, by his active presence within us, he bears
witness, cf. 8:15 and Ga. 4:6. Through him we stand before God as sons before
their father; the love is mutual. This text therefore, in the light of its
parallel passages, asserts that the Christian shares in the life of the Trinity
through ‘sanctifying grace’”; Footnote f
says “The promised Spirit, Ep 1;13, cf. Ga 3:14; Ac 2:33+, distinctive of the
new covenant as contrasted with the old, Rm 2:29; 7:6; 2 Co 3:6; cf. Ga 3:3;
4:29; Ezk 36:27+, is not merely exhibition of healing or charismatic power, Ac
1:8+; is also, and especially, an inward principle of new life, a principle
that God ‘gives’, 1 Th 4:8, etc., cf. Lk 11:13; Jn 3:34; 14:16f; Ac 1:5; 2:38
etc.; 1 Jn 3:24, ‘sends’, Ga 4:6; cf. Lk 24:49; Jn 14:26; 1 P 1:12, ‘supplies’,
Ga 3:5; Ph 1:19, ‘pours out’, Rm 5:5; Tt 3:5f; cf. Ac 2:33. Received into the
Christian by faith, Ga 3:2,14;cf. Jn 7:38f; Ac 11:17, and baptism, 1 Co 6:11;
Tt 3:5; cf. Jn 3:5; Ac 2:38; 19:2-6, It dwells within him, Rm 8:9; 1 Co 3:16; 2
Tm 1:14; cf. Jm 4:5, in his spirit, Rm 8:16; cf. the Spirit of Christ, Rm 8:9;
Ph 1:19; Ga 4:6; cf. 2 Co 3:17; Ac 16:7; Jn 14;26; 15:26; 16:7, 14; makes the
Christian a son of God, Rm 8;14-16; Ga 4:6f, and establishes Christ in his
heart, Ep 3:16. For the Christian (as for Christ himself, Rm 1:4+) this Spirit
is a principle of resurrection, Rm 8:11+, in virtue of as eschatological gift
which even in life signs him as with a seal, 2 Co 1:22; Ep 1:13; 4:30, and
which is present within him by way of pledge, 2 Co 1:22; 5:5; Ep 1:14, and of
first-fruits, Rm 8:23. It takes the place of the evil principle in man that is
‘the flesh’. Rm 7:5+, and becomes a principle of faith, 1 Co 12:3; 2 Co 4:13;
cf. 1 Jn 4:2f, of supernatural knowledge, 1 Co 2:10-16; 7:40; 12:8f; 14:2f; Ep
1:17; 3:16, 18; Col 1:9; cf. Jn 14:26+, of love, Rm. 5:5, 15:30, Col. 1:8, of
sanctification, Rm 15:16, 1 Co. 6:11, 2 Th .2:13, cf. 1P 1:2, of moral conduct,
Rm 8:4-9, 13; Ga. 3:16-25, of apostolic courage, Ph. 1:19; 2 Tim 1:7f; cf. Ac
1:8+, of hope, Rm 15:13, Ga. 5:5, Ep. 4:4, of prayer. Rm. 8:26f,cf. Jm 4:35;
Jude 20. The Spirit must not be
quenched, 1 Th. 5:19, or grieved, Ep. 4:30.
It unites man with Christ, 1 Co 6:17, and thus secures the unity of his
Body, 1 Co. 12:3, Ep. 2:16,18, 4:4.
Parallel texts for verse 14 are:
a.
2 Co 1:22 - …marking us with his seal and giving
us the pledge, the Spirit, that we carry in our hearts.
b.
Rm 3:24 - And both are justified through the
free gift of his gracei by being redeemedj in Christ
Jesus. Footnote i says “This
word (charis) when used with reference to human relationships can mean as the
quality that makes a person attractive (Ac. 2:47), or it can mean thank for a
gift (Lk. 6:32-34; 17:9); or it can mean something given free and unearned (Ac.
25:3, 1 Co. 16:3, 2 Co. 8:6-7, 19). This last sense predominates in the NT and
especially in Paul. (John uses agape), who uses the word to describe the way
God saves through Jesus: it is a work of spontaneous love to which no one has
any claim It was an act of ‘grace’ for Jesus to come on earth (2 Co. 8:9, Tt.
2:11, Jh. 1:14,47); to die (Heb. 2:9), for his Father to give up as a gift that
includes all divine favors (Rm 8:32; cf. 1 Co 2:12; Ep 1:8f): justification,
salvation, and the right to inherit by having faith in him, without having to
perform the works of the Law ( Rm 3:24; 4:4f; Ep 2:5,8; Tt. 3:7; cf. Ac 15:11):
it will also be an act of ‘grace’ for Christ to come again at the end of the
world and for us to receive everlasting glory (1 P1:13; 2 Th 1:12). It was by
grace that Abraham received the promise (Rm 4:16; Ga 3:18) and that a few
Israelites were chosen to survive (Rm
11:5f). Since grace is God’s love for us, it is inexhaustible (Ep 1:7; 2:7; cf.
2 Co 4:15; 9:8,14; 1 Tm 1:14) and it conquers sins (Rm 5:15,7,20). The one word
‘grace’ is so useful and full of meaning that it can be used to indicate the
entire messianic era that was once proclaimed by the prophets (1 P.1:10) and is
now proclaimed as the Good News (Col
1:6; cf. Ac 14:3; 20:24,32). The word sumps up the gifts of God so well that Paul
begins and ends his letters by wishing ‘grace’ to all his readers (1 Th 1:1 and
5:28, etc.; cf 1 P 1:2; 5:10,12; 2 P 1:2; 3:8, 2 Jn 3; Rv 1:4; 22:21). It is by
an act of grace that ‘the God of all grace’ (1 P 5:10) calls men to salvation
(Ga 1:6; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 P 3:7), leads them with all spiritual gifts (1 Co 1:4-7;
cf 2 Th 2:16; Ac 6:8), makes Paul an apostle of the pagans (Rm 1:5; 12:3;
15:15f; 1 Co 3:10; Ga 1:15f; 2:9; Ep 3:2,7,8; Ph 1:2) and assigns to each
Christian a part he has to play in the life of the Church (Rm 12:6; 1 Co 12:1+;
2 Co 8:1; Ep 4:7; 1 P 4:10); similarly, it is a ‘grace’ to
suffer for Christ (Ph 1:29; 1 P 2:19-20). Mary ’found grace’ with God (Lk 1:30;
cf Ac 7:46; and LXX passim); Jesus himself received the ‘grace’ of the highest name
of all (Ph 2:9; cf. Lk 2:40). For human beings to be agreeable to God depends
primarily on God’s initiative and secondarily on human response. It is possible
to receive grace I vain (2 Co 6:1; cf. 1 Co 5:10), to fall from grace (Ga.
5:4), to forfeit grace (Heb 12:15), and thus to insult the Spirit of grace (Heb
10:29). Grace obtained must be carefully guarded (Rm 5:2; Heb 12:28; 1 P 5:12)
and used wisely (1 P 4:10); it is not enough to remain in grace (Ac 13:43; cf
14:26; 15:40), it must increase (2 P 3:18), to strengthen us (2
Tm 2:1), and help us to persist in our good intention (Heb 13:9). This divine
help is given to the humble (Jm 4:6; 1 P 5:5) and is obtained by prayer, since
this is to approach ‘the throne of grace’ confidently (Heb 4:26). Grace will be
granted and will be found sufficient; it is the power of Christ operating in
weak man (2 Co 12:9; cf/ 1 Co 15:10) and this grace of Christ triumphs over
unspiritual wisdom (2 Co 1:12). The same word charis is also used for
thanksgiving (Rm 6:17; 7:25; 1 Co 10:30; 15:57; 2 Co 2:14; 8:16; 9:15; Col 3:6;
1 Tm 1:12; 2 Tm 1:3;and cf. the verb eucharistein), since gratitude to God is
the fundamental and necessary disposition for grace. From all these shades of
meaning, it is clear that the word charis is always used to emphasize that the
gift is absolutely free: to bring out
its power and its inwardness Paul also uses the word pneuma (cf. Rm 5:5+)’;
and Footnote j says “Yahweh had ‘redeemed’ Israel by delivering
her from slavery of Egypt, to provide himself with a nation for his
‘inheritance’ Dt 7:6+. When the prophets spoke of the ‘redemption’ from
Babylon, Is 41:14+, they hinted at a deliverance more profound and less
restricted, the forgiveness that is deliverance from sin, Is 44:22; cf Ps
130:8; 49:7-8. This messianic redemption is fulfilled in Christ, 1 Co 1:30;
cfLk 1:68; 2:38. God the Father through Christ - and indeed Christ himself- has
‘delivered’ the new Israel from slavery of the Law, Ga 3:13, 4:5; and of sin,
Col 1:14; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:15, by ‘acquiring’ her, Ac 20:28, making her his own,
Tt 2:14; purchasing her, Ga 3:13; 4:5; 1 Co 6:20; 7:23; cf. 2 P 2:1. The price
was the blood of Christ, Ac 20:28; Ep 1:7; Heb 9:12; 1 P 1:18f; Rv 1:5; 5:9.
This redemption, begun on Calvary and guaranteed by the present gift of the
Spirit, Ep 1:14; 4:30, will be complete only at the parousia, Lk 21:28, when
deliverance from death is secured by the resurrection of the body, Rm 8:23.”
c.
Ps 66:2 - …play music to the glory of his name,
glorify him with your praises, say to God, ‘What dread you inspire!’
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