EASY YOKE AND BURDEN LIGHT - 14th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Homily for the 14^th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Based on Mt 11:25-30(Gospel), Zec 9:9-10(First Reading) and Rm 8:9, 11-13 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

EASY YOKE AND BURDEN LIGHT

‘My yoke is easy and my burden light.’ (Mt 11:30)

The Gospel for this  14^th Sunday In Ordinary Time(Cycle A) is taken from Mt 11:25-30.

Verse 25 says: At that time Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these thingsⁱ from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Footnote  ^I says “Vv. 25-27 are bot closely connected with the context in which Matthew has placed the passage (cf. its different position in Lk). Hence, ‘these things’ refers not to what precedes but to the ‘mysteries of the kingdom’, 13:11, which are revealed to the little ones’ ‘- i.e. to the disciples, cf. 10:42 - but hidden from the ‘wise men’ - i.e. from members and teachers of the Pharisee group.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jn 10:15…just as the Father know me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

2.       Mt 13:11 -‘Because’ he replied ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them.

3.       Jn 7:48-49 - Have any authorities believed in him? Any of the Pharisees (v. 48)? This rabble knows nothing about the Law-they are damned(v. 49)’

Verse 26 says:  Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.

Parallel text of verse 26 is 1 Co. 1:26 that says:Take yourselves for instance, brothers. At the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the world^j, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? Footnote ^j says “Lit. ‘according to the flesh’. Apostle Paul is explaining God’s purpose, bit at the same time he sardonically reminds the Corinthians that they have no reason to be proud.”

Verse 27 says: Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.^j Footnote  ^j says “V. 27 has a Johannine flavor: awareness of Christ’s divine sonship exists in the deepest stratum of the synoptic tradition as well as in Jn.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 4:3…and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,^ctell these stones to turn into loaves’. Footnote^c says“The biblical title ‘Son of God’ does not necessarily mean natural sonship but may imply a sonship which is merely adoptive, i.e., which as a result of God’s deliberate choice sets up a very intimate relationship between God and his creature. In this sense the title is given to angels (Jb. 1:6), to the Chosen People (Ex. 4:22, Ws. 18:13), to individual Israelites (Dt. 14:1, Ho. 2:1, cf. Mt. 5:9,48, etc.), to their leaders (Ps. 82:6). Were therefore it is attributed to the royal Messiah (1 Ch. 17:13, Ps. 2:7, 89:26) it does not necessarily imply that he is more than man; nor need we suppose that it has any deeper significance when used by Satan (Mt. 4:3,6) or by the possessed (Mk. 3:11, 5:7, Lk. 4:41), still less when used by the centurion (Mk. 15:39, cf. Lk. 23:47). By itself the sentence at baptism (Mt. 3:17) and at the transfiguration (17:5) suggests no more than the divine predilection for the Messiah-servant, and all probability the High priest’s question (26:63) concerns messiahship only. Nevertheless the title ‘Son of God’ can bear a further, more profound meaning of sonship in the full sense of the word. Jesus clearly insinuated this meaning when he spoke of himself as ‘the Son’ (2:37), ranked above the angels (24:36), having God for his ‘Father’ in a way others had not (Jn. 20:17 and cf. ‘my Father’ in Mt. 7:21, etc.), enjoying with the Father an altogether singular relationship of knowledge and love (Mt. 11:27). These assertions, coupled with others that speak of the Messiah’s divine rank (22:42-46), of the heavenly origin of the ‘son of  man’ (8:20+), assertions finally confirmed by the triumph of the resurrection, have endowed the expression ‘son of God’ with the strictly divine significance which will later be found, e.g. in Paul (Rm. 9:5+). During the lifetime of Christ, it is true his disciples had no clear conception of his divinity – the texts of Mt. 14:33 and 16:16 which add the title ‘Son of God’ to the more primitive text of Mk reflect, in all probability, a later stage in the faith’s development. But it is equally true that Jesus expressed with his own lips and with as much clarity as his audience could support, his own consciousness of being Son of the Father in the fullest sense. On these historical utterances the faith of the disciples rested, a faith that reached its perfection after the resurrection with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

2.       Mt 16:17 - Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood^ethat revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.Footnote^e–says“The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12;  Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13.”

3.       Ws 9:17 - As for your intension, who could have learn it, had you not granted Wisdom.

4.       Jn 1:18 - No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son,^r who is nearest to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.Footnote^r–says“Var. ‘God, only begotten’.”

5.       Jn 3:35+ - The Father loves the Son and has entrusted everything to him.^r Footnote ^r says“God has communicated his power over life to the Son, 1:4; 5:21; 10:18+, and now the Son gives life to whom he will, 5:26; his gift of the Spirit, 3:5-6; 1:33+; 15:26; establishes ‘all flesh’ in incorruption, 1:14+; 11:25; 17:2,3. Thus, by the Father’s decree, a;ll things are ‘in the hand’ (or power) of the Son, 3:35; 10:28,29; 13:3; 17:2; cf. 6:37-39; Mt. 11:27; 28:18; on this is based the sovereignty, 12:13-15; 18:36-37; that he will solemnly assume on the day of his ‘lifting up’, 12;32+, 19:19; Ac 2:33; Ep 4:8; and on that day, the ‘Prince of this world’ will forfeit his kingdom, 12:31+.”

6.       Jn 10:15…just as the Father know me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.

7.       Ws 2:13 - He claims to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a son of Lord.

8.       Jn 3:11 -I tell you most solemnly, we speak only about what we know and witness only to what we have seen and yet you people reject our evidence. ^eFootnote ^esays“Jesus does not speak on his own initiative, 7:17-18; he declares what he has seen ‘with the Father’, 1:18, 3:11, 8:38, cf. 8:24+; it is the Father’s words and teaching that he hands on to man, 3:34, 8:28, 12:49,50, 14:24, 17:8,14; he is himself the Word, 1:1,14. This Word is not idle: it calls all things from nothing, 1:1+, it calls the dead from the tomb, 11:43,44, 5:28-29; it gives life to the soul, 5:24, 6:63, 8:51; it confers the Spirit, the source of immortality, 1:33+; 20:22, and so makes men children of God, 10:35, 1:12. It is required only than man should have faith in the Word, 1:12, ;dwell’ in it, cf. 8:31, ‘keep’ it, 8:51,55, 12:47, 14:23, 15:20, 17:6, obey its command which is love, 13:34. Nevertheless, the Word is enigmatic, 2:20+, and difficult, cf. 6:60, 7:36; it makes its way only into humble hearts. Those who hear it, therefore, respond differently, 7:43, 10:19; some believe, 4:41, 7:40f,46, 8:30, others go away disappointed, 6:66, in spite of the ‘signs’, 2:11+; this same rejected Word will judge them at the last day, 12:48.”

Verse 28 says: ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened,^k and I will give you rest. Footnote ^ksays“The burden of the Law and of the additional Pharisaic observances. The ‘yoke of the Law’ is a current rabbinic metaphor; see also Si 51:26; Zp 3:9 (LXX); Lm 3:27; Jr 2:20; 5:5; cf. Is 14:25.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Si 24:19 - Approach me, you who desire me, and take your fill of my fruits.

2.       Jr 2:20 -‘It is long ago now since you broke your yoke, burst your bonds and said, “I will not serve!” Yet I had yet planted you , a choice vine, a shoot of soundest stock.

3.       Jr 5:5 - But these, too, had broken the yoke, had burst the bonds.

Verse 29 says: Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,  for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Parallel texts of verse 29 are:

1.       Pr 3:17 - Her ways are delightful ways, her paths all lead to contentment.

2.       Jr 6:16 - Yahweh says this: Put yourselves on the ways of long ago enquire about the ancient paths: which was the good way? Take it then, and you shall find rest.

3.       Ho 10:11 - Ephraim is a well trained heifer that loves to tread the threshing-floor; very well, I myself mean to lay the yoke on that fine neck of hers, I am going to put Ephraim in harness, Israel will have to plough, Jacob must draw the harrow.

Verse 30 says: Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 15:10 - It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support?

2.       Ga 5:1 - When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free.^a Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.Footnote^a says“Human beings must choose either Christ or the Law as author of salvation. Some witnesses (Vulg.) join these words with the preceding verse ‘with the freedom by which Christ has made us free.’”

The First Reading is taken from  Zec 9:9-10.

Verse 9 says: Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem! See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant,^j humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.^k Footnote  ^j  says “The first adjective (lit. ‘upright’, ‘just’) does not mean that he  dispenses justice, cf. Is. 11:3-5, but that he is the recipient of God’s ‘justice’, i.e. of God’s powerful protection, cf. Is. 45:21-25. The second (lit. ‘the saved’) has much the same meaning here.”; and Footnote ^k  says “The Messiah is to be ‘humble’ (ani), a characteristic attributed in Zp 2:3+. Renouncing the panoply of the historic kings, Jr. 17:25; 22:4, the messianic king will ride the traditional mount of princes. Gn. 49:11; Jg. 5:10; 10:4; 12:14. Compare also 1 K. 1:38 with 1 K. 1:5. With this prophecy in mind, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 49:10 - The scepter shall not pass from Judah, nor the mace from between his feet, until it comes to whom it belongs,^g to whom the peoples shall render obedience.^h Footnote ^g  says “‘he to whom it belongs’ (following the versions), i.e. ‘to whom the scepter belongs’, a veiled prophecy of a Judah king who is to rule over the nations. The oracle possibly refers to David but to David as a type of the Messiah, as Jewish and Christian tradition understand.”; and Footnote ^h  says  “Lit. ‘to whom the obedience belongs’, with Hebr. ; the versions read ‘ the hope’, thus making the messianic sense of the passage explicit.”

2.       Ps 72 - The promised king^a. God, give your justice to the king, your own righteousness to the royal son (v. 1) so that they may rule your people rightly and your poor with justice (v. 2). Let the mountains and hills bring a message of peace for the people. Uprightly^b (v. 3), he will defend the poorest, he will save the children of those in need, and crush their oppressors (v.4). Like sun and moon he will endure,^c age after age, welcome as rain that falls on the pasture,^d and showers to thirsty soil (v. 6). In his days virtue^e will flourish, a universal peace till the moon is no more;^f (v. 7) his empire shall stretch from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.^g(v. 8).The Beast^h will cower before him and his enemies grovel in the dust (v. 9); the kings of Tarshish and of the islands will pay him tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts (v. 10); all the kings will do him homage, all the nations become his servants (v. 11). He will free the poor man who calls to him, and those who need help (v. 12), he will have pity on the poor and feeble, and save the lives of those in need (v. 13). He will redeem their lives from exploitation and outrage, their lives will be precious in his sight (v. 14). (Long may he live, may gold from Sheba be given him!)^I  Prayer will be offered for him constantly, blessings invoked on him all day long.^j (v. 15). Grain everywhere in the country, even in the mountain tops, abundant as Lebanon its harvest, luxuriant as common grass!^k (v. 16). Blessed be his name forever, enduring as long as the sun!^l May every race in the world be blessed by him, and all the nations call him blessed! (v. 17). Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who alone performs these marvels! (v. 18). Blessed forever be his glorious name, may the whole world be filled with his glory! Amen. Amen! (v. 19). End  of the prayers of Dvid, son of Jesse.^m Footnote ^asays “This psalm dedicated to Solomon whose wealth, glory and just and peaceful reign it celebrates (1 K 3:9, 12,28; 4:20; 10:1-29; 1 Ch 22:9), evokes the image of the future ideal king. Jewish and Christian tradition see it as a portrait of the messianic King foretold by Isaiah, 9:5; 11:1-5, and Zechariah, 9:9f.”; Footnote ^b says “Division of verse according to Greek. Text uncertain.”; Footnote ^c says “‘He will endure’ Greek; ‘they will fear you’ Hebr.”; Footnote ^d says “The versions translate ‘fleece’, cf. Jg 6:37f.”; Footnote ^e says “‘virtue’ MSS and versions; ‘the virtuous man’ Text. Rec., cf. Jr 23:5; Zc 9:9.”; Footnote ^f says “The messianic age will last to the enbd of time.”; Footnote  ^g says “The boundaries of an ideal Palestine, cf. Jg 20:1+.”; Footnote  ^h says “The word, meaning the animals and demons of the desert, Is 13:21; 34:14; Jr 50:39; Ezk 34:28, here refers to subjugated heathen states, cf. Is 27:1; Dn 7:3, etc.; Rv 13:1, etc.”; Footnote ^I says “Probably a prayer for the Messiah added later.”; Footnote ^j  says “Another translation ‘He (the Messiah) will pray (intercedes) for him (the poor man) and bless him.’ “; Footnote ^k says “‘abundant.’ Lit. ‘May it abound’, ‘its harvest’, lit. ‘putting forth’ (or ‘making it rise’), misplaced in Hebr. to after ‘luxuriant’ (lit ‘may they [the mountains] be luxuriant’ is translated ‘from the city’ (Zion). Some interpret ,May the inhabitants of Zion flourish’.”; Footnote ^l says “‘blessed’ and ‘every race in the world’; Greek; absent from Hebr. ‘enduring’ one MS and versions; ‘branching forth is his name’ Hebr., alluding to the messianic title ‘Branch’, Is. 4:2; Jr 23:5; 33:15; Zc 3:8; 6:12.”; Footnote ^m  says “The colophon and preceding doxology close the second book of the Psalter.”

3.       Is 9:5 - For there is a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they gave him: Wonder-Counselor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince of Peace.^c Footnote ^c says “A prophetic proper name, cf. 1:26+. The child possesses to a supreme degree all the qualities of all the great figures of his race: the wisdom of Solomon, the valor of David, the virtues of Moses and the patriarchs, Cf. 11:2. Christian tradition and the Christian liturgy apply these titles to Christ, presenting him as the true Immanuel.”

4.       Jr 17:25…then, through the gates of this city, kingsⁿ occupying the throne of David will continue to make their entry, mounted on chariots and horses, they and their ministers, with the men of Judah and the citizens of Jerusalem. And this city will be inhabited forever. Footnote ⁿ  says “Hebr. Adds ‘and nobles’.”

5.       Mt 11:29 - Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,  for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

6.       Mt 21:5 - Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king comes to you; he is humble, he rides on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.^a Footnote ^a says “In thus describing the messianic king’s humble mount the prophet had in mind the unpretentious, unwarlike nature of his rule. Jesus, by performing this action, deliberately took to himself both the words of the prophecy and their deeper meaning.”

7.       Jn 12:15 - Do not be afraid daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming; mounted on the colt of a donkey.

Verse 10 says: He^l will banish chariots from Ephraim and horses from Jerusalem; the bow of war will be banished. Footnote ^l says “‘He will’ Greek; ‘I shall’ Hebr. The northern tribes will be reunited with Judah in the messianic kingdom, cf. Jr 3:18+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 2:4 - He^d will wield authority over the nations and adjudicate between many peoples; these will hammer their swords into ploughshares, their spears into sickles. Nations will not lift sword against nation, there will be no more training for war. Footnote ^d says “Yahweh.”

2.       Mi 5:9 - This is how it will be, that day-it is Yahweh who speaks-I will tear away your horses from you, and destroy your chariots…

3.       Is 11:6 - The wolf lives with the lamb,^f the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion cub feed together with a little boy to lead them. Footnote ^f says “Man’s rebellion against God, Gn 3, had broken the harmony between man and nature, Gn 3:17-19, and between man and man, Gn 4. The prophets foretell war and oppression as the punishment for the sins of Israel. The messianic era, however, with its forgiveness of sin, its reconciliation with God, its reign of justice, will establish the peace that results from these: it will pay to till the land, Am 9:13-14; Ho 2:20,23-24; weapons of war will all be set aside, Is 2:4; 9:4; Mi 4:3-4; 5:9-10; there will be lasting peace, Is 9:6; 32:17; 60:17-18; Zp 3:13; Zc 3:10; Jl 4:17. The new covenant is a covenant of peace, Ezk 34:25; 37:26. The messianic kingdom is a kingdom of peace, Zc 9:8-10; Ps 72:3,7. Here the messianic age is symbolically described as a return to the peace of Eden.”

4.       Ho 2:20 - When that day comes I will make a treaty on her behalf with te wild animals, with the birds of heaven and the creeping things of the earth; I will break bow, sword and battle in the country, and make her sleep secure.^p Footnote  ^p  says “Justice and holiness will characterize the messianic age, vv. 21-22, and God will again dwell among his people, lavishing his gifts, cf. Lv 26:3-13; Dt 28:1-14. The sky will give rain, the earth will yield abundant harvest, Am 9:13; Ho 2:23-24; 14:8-9; Jr 31:12,14; Ezk 34:26-27,29; 36:29-30; Is 30:23-26; 49:10; Jl 2:19,22-24; 4:18; Zc 8:12. The crops will be safe from marauders, Am 9:15; Is 65:21-23, cf. Dt 28:30-33, since there will be no more invasion, Mi 5:4; Is 32:17-18; Jl 2:20; Jr 46:27; Is 4:5-6, cf. also 25:4-5. The wild animals will not threaten: God will make a treaty with them, Ho 2:20; Ezk 34:25,28. All the nations, under the rule of the Messiah-King, Is 9:5-6; Zc 9:10, will enjoy peace, Is 2:4=Mi 4:3; cf. Is 11:6-8+; 65:25. Death itself will be no more, Is 25:7-8; sorrow will give place to joy, Jr 31:13; Is 65:18-19; Ba 4:23,29, cf. Rv 21:4.”

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 8:9, 11-13.

Verse 9 says: Your interests, however, are not in the unspiritual, but in the spiritual, since the Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ you would not belong to him.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ps 51:11…do not banish me from your presence, do not deprive me of your holy spirit.^g Footnote ^g says “Here considered as the principle (within man but given by God) of moral and religious activity, whether of the individual, 143:10; Ws 1:5; 9:17, or of the nation as a whole, Is. 63:11; Hg 2:5; Ne 9:20.”

2.       Jn 3:5-6 - Jesus replied: ‘I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit,^c he cannot enter the kingdom of God (v. 5). What s born of flesh is flesh; what is born of spirit is spirit (v. 6).Footnote ^csays“Allusion to baptism and its necessity, cf. Rm. 6:4+.”

Verses 11 and 12 say: And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you^g. So then, my brothers, there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. Footnote  ^g says“The resurrection of the Christian is intimately dependent on that of Christ, 1 Th 4:14; 1 Co 6:14; 15:20f; 2 Co 4:14; 13:4; Rm 6:5; Ep 2:6; Col 1:18; 2:12f; 2 Tm 2:11. It is by the same power and the same gift if the Spirit, cf. Rm 1:4+, that the Father will raise them to life their turn.  This operation is already being prepared: a new life is making the Christians into sons (v.14) in the likeness of the Son himself, 8:29+, and they are being incorporated into the risen Christ by faith, 1:16+, and baptism, 6:4+.”

Parallel texts of verse 11are:

1.       Rm 6:4 - In other words, ^a when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, ^b so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life.Footnote^asays“Lit. ‘therefore’; var. ‘for’.”; Footnote^bsays“Baptismis not separated from faith but goes with it, Ga. 3:6f, Ep. 4:5, Heb. 10:22, cf. Ac. 12f,37, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:2-5, and gives it outward expression by the operative symbolism of the baptismal ceremonial. For this reason, Paul ascribes to faith and to baptism the same effects (cf. Ga. 2:16-20 and Rm. 6:3-9). The sinner is immersed in water (the etymological meaning of ‘baptize’ is ‘dip’) and thus ‘buried’ with Christ, Col. 2:12, with whom also he emerges to ‘resurrection’, Rm. 8:11+, as a ‘new creature’, 2 Co. 5:17+, a ‘new man’, Ep. 2:15+, a member of the one Body animated by the one Spirit, 1 Co. 12:13, Ep. 4:4f. This resurrection will not be complete or final until the end of time, 1 Co. 15:12+ (but cf. Ep. 2:6), but is already taking place in the form of a new life lived ‘in the Spirit’, vv. 8:11,13, 8:2f, Ga. 5:16-24. The death-resurrection symbolism of baptism is particularly Pauline, but this initial rite of Christian life, Heb. 6:22, is also spoken of in the NT, as a cleansing bath, Ep.5:26, Heb. 10:22, cf. 1 Co. 6:11, Tt. 3:5, a new birth, Jn. 3:5, Tt. 3:5, cf. 1 P. 1:3, cf. Ep. 5:14. On the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, cf. Ac. 1:5+;  these two aspects of the consecration of the Christian are apparently the ‘anointing’ and the seal’ of 2 Co. 1:21f. According to 1 P. 3:21, the ark of Noah is an antetype of baptism.”

2.       Ezk 37:10 -I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life again and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army.^d Footnote^d says “Here, as in Ho 6:2, 13:14 and Is 26:19, God announces, vv. 11-14, the messianic restoration of Israel after the sufferings of the Exile, cf. Rv 20:4+. But also, by the imagery chosen, he is already preparing minds for the idea of an individual resurrection of the body, vaguely perceived in Jb 19:25+ and explicitly stated in Dn 12:2; 2 M 7:9-14,23-36; 12:43-46; cf 2 M7:9+. For the NT, see Mt 22:29-32 and especially 1 Co 15.”

3.       Rm 1:4 - It is about Jesus Christ our Lord who is the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that is in him, was proclaimed^c Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.^d Footnote ^c says “Vulg. ‘predestined’.”; and  Footnote^dsays“For Paul Christ rose only because God raised him, 1 Th. 1:10; 1 Co. 6:14; 15:15; 2 Co. 4:14; Ga. 1:1; Rm. 4:24; 10:9; Ac. 2:24+; cf. 1 P. 1:21, thus displaying his ‘power’, 2 Cor. 13:4; Rm. 6:4; Ph. 3:10; Col. 2:12; Ep. 1:19f; Heb. 7:16;  and because God raised him to life through the Holy Spirit, Rm. 8:11. Christ is established in glory as Kyrios, Ph 2:9-11+; Ac 2:36; Rm 14:9, deserving anew, this time in virtue of his messianic work, the name he had from eternity, ‘son of God’, Ac 13:33, Heb 1:5; %:5. Cf. Rm 8:11+; 9:5+.”

4.       Rm 6:8-11 - But^d we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him (v. 8): Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore (v. 9).When he died, he died, once and for all, to sin,^e so his life now is life with God (v. 10). And in that way, you too must  consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus (v. 11)^f.Footnote ^d says “Var. ‘For’.”; Footnote^esays“Christ was sinless, 2 Cor. 5:21, but having a physical body like our own, Rm. 8:3, he belonged to the order of sin; when he became ‘spiritual’, 1 Co. 15:45-46, he belonged only to the divine order. Similarly, though the Christian remains in the flesh for a time, he already lives in the spirit.”; and Footnote^fsays“Text. Rec and Vulg. ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’”.

Verse 13 says: If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Gn 6:3 - Yahweh said, ‘My spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, for he is but flesh; his life shall last no more than a one hundred and twenty years.

2.       Ga 6:8 - If he sows in the field of self-indulgence he will get a harvest of corruption out of it; if he sows in the field of the Spirit he will get from it a harvest of eternal life.

3.       Ep 4:22-24 - that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires (v. 22). Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution (v. 23),so that you can put on the new self that has been created in God’s way, in the goodness and holiness of the truthⁿ (v. 24). Footnote ⁿ  says “Each human being should ‘put on the New Man’, Ep 2:15+, (here, as in v. 22, translates ‘self’), so as to be re-created in him, cf. Ga 3:27; Rm 13:14. In some places Paul talks in the same way about the ‘new creature’, 2 Co 5:17+.”

HOLY MAN AND PROPHET’S REWARD - 13th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Homily for the 13^th Sunday In Ordinary Time-Cycle A

Based on Mt 10:37-42 (Gospel), 2 K 4:8-11, 14-16 (First Reading) and Rm 6:3-4, 8-11 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

HOLY MAN AND PROPHET’S REWARD

“Anyone who welcomes a holy man because he is a holy man will have a holy man’s reward” (M 10:41).

The Gospel for this 13^th Sunday In Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 10:37-42.

Verse 37 says “Anyone who prefers father or mother to me is not worthy of me. Anyone who prefers son or daughter to me is not worthy of me.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ex 32:27 - And he said to them, ‘This is the message of Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Gird on your sword, every man of you, and quarter the camp from gate to gate, killing one his brother, another his friend, another his neighbor”’.

2.       Mt 8:22 - But Jesus replied, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.”

3.       Lk 14:26-27  - “If a man comes to me without hating^c his father, mother, wife,^d children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple (v. 26).  Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me  cannot be my disciple (v. 27). Footnote   ^c says “Hebraism. Jesus asks, not for hate, but for total detachment now, cf. 9:57-62.”; and Footnote ^d  says “‘wife’, peculiar to Lk, illustrating his leaning to ascetism, cf. 1 Co 7, So Lk also, 18:29.”

Verse 38 says: Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me.

Parallel text is Dt 33:9 that says: He says of his father and mother, “I have not seen them”. His brothers he does not know, nor does he know his children. Yes, they have kept your word, they hold firmly to your covenant.

Verse 39 says: Whoever finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. ⁿ Footnote  ⁿ says “In Mt this dictum is given in a more archaic form than in Mk or Lk: ‘find’ covers the idea of ‘winning’ ‘securing for oneself’, cf. Gn 26:12; Ho 12:9; Pr 3:13; 21:21. See Mt. 16:25.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 16:24-25 - Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

2.       Mk 8:34-35 - He called the people and his disciples to him and said, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross, and follow me.

3.       Lk 9:23-24 - Then to all he said, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me (v. 23). For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it (v. 24).

4.       Lk 17:33 - Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it, and anyone  who loses it will keep it safe.

5.       Jn 12:25 - Anyone who loves his life loses it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.

Verses 40 and 41 say: “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me; and those who welcomes me welcome the one who sent me. ‘Anyone who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will have a prophet’s reward; and anyone who welcomes a holy man because he is a holy man will have a holy man’s reward.^o Footnote  ^o says “‘Prophet’ and ‘holy (or ‘righteous’) man’.”

Parallel texts for verse 40 are:

1.       Mt 18:5 - Anyone who welcomes a little child like this^a in my name welcomes me. Footnote ^a says “That is to say, one who through the virtue of simplicity becomes a child again, cf. v. 4.”

2.       Mk 9:37  - ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me’.

3.       Lk 9:48…and said to them, “Anyone  who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least one among you all is the one who is great.”

4.       Lk 10:16 - Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and those who reject me reject the one who sent me.

5.       Jn 12:41-45 - Isaiah said this when he saw his glory,ⁿ and his words referred to Jesus (v. 41). And yet there were many who did believe in him, even among the leading men, but they did not admit it, through fear of the Pharisees and fear of being expelled from the synagogue (v. 42): they put honor from men before the honor that comes from God (v. 43). Jesus declared publicly: ‘Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in the one who sent me (v. 44), and whoever sees me, sees the one who sent me (v. 45). Footnote ⁿ  says “‘when he saw’; var. ‘because he saw’. Alluding to Isaiah’s vision in the Temple, Is 6:12-4. Jn interprets it as a prophetic vision of Christ’s glory, cf. 8:56+.”

6.       Jn 13:20 - I tell you most solemnly, whoever welcomes the one I send welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.”

Verse 42 says: If anyone gives so much a cup of cold water to one of these little ones^p because he is a disciple, then, I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.” Footnote  ^p says “The apostles whom Jesus is sending on their mission, cf. Mk 9:41 and Mt 18:1-6,10,14.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Pr 11:25 - Your generous soul will prosper, he who waters, will be watered.

2.       Mk 9:41  - ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.

   

The First Reading is taken from 2 K 4:8-11, 14-16.

Verses 8 and 9 say: One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem. A woman of rank who lived there pressed him to stay and eat there. After this he always broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way. She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holy man of God.

Parallel text for verse 8 is 1 K 1:3 that says: Having searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, the found Abishag of Shunem and brought her to the king.

Verses 10 to  15 say: Let us build him a small room on the roof, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp; whenever he comes to us he can rest there.’ One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay down. ‘What can be done for her then?’ he asked.’ Gehazi answered, ‘Well she has no son and her husband is old’. Elisha said, ‘Call her’. The servant called her and she stood at the door.

Parallel text for verse 8 is Jdt 8:5 that says: She had an upper room built for herself on the roof. She wore sackcloth round her waist and dressed in widow’s weeds.

Verse 16 says: “This time next year’  he said ‘you will hold a son in your arms.” But she said, “No, my lord, do not deceive your servant.

Parallel text is Gn 18:10 that says: Then his guest said, ‘I shall visit you again next year without fail, and your wife will then have a son’. Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 6:3-4, 8-11.

Verses 3 and 4 say: Or are you not aware that when we were baptized into Christ Jesus we were baptized into his death? In other words, ^a when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, ^b so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. Footnote ^a says  “Lit. ‘therefore’; var. ‘for’.”; and Footnote ^b says “Baptism is not separated from faith but goes with it, Ga. 3:6f, Ep. 4:5, Heb. 10:22, cf. Ac. 12f,37, 16:31-33, 18:8, 19:2-5, and gives it outward expression by the operative symbolism of the baptismal ceremonial. For this reason, Paul ascribes to faith and to baptism the same effects (cf. Ga. 2:16-20 and Rm. 6:3-9). The sinner is immersed in water (the etymological meaning of ‘baptize’ is ‘dip’) and thus ‘buried’ with Christ, Col. 2:12, with whom also he emerges to ‘resurrection’, Rm. 8:11+, as a ‘new creature’, 2 Co. 5:17+, a ‘new man’, Ep. 2:15+, a member of the one Body animated by the one Spirit, 1 Co. 12:13, Ep. 4:4f. This resurrection will not be complete or final until the end of time, 1 Co. 15:12+ (but cf. Ep. 2:6), but is already taking place in the form of a new life lived ‘in the Spirit’, vv. 8:11,13, 8:2f, Ga. 5:16-24. The death-resurrection symbolism of baptism is particularly Pauline, but this initial rite of Christian life, Heb. 6:22, is also spoken of in the NT, as a cleansing bath, Ep.5:26, Heb. 10:22, cf. 1 Co. 6:11, Tt. 3:5, a new birth, Jn. 3:5, Tt. 3:5, cf. 1 P. 1:3, cf. Ep. 5:14. On the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit, cf. Ac. 1:5+;  these two aspects of the consecration of the Christian are apparently the ‘anointing’ and the seal’ of 2 Co. 1:21f. According to 1 P. 3:21, the ark of Noah is an antetype of baptism.”

Parallel texts for verse 4 that says:

1.       Rm 1:4 - It is about Jesus Christ our Lord who is the order of the spirit, the spirit of holiness that is in him, was proclaimed^c Son of God in all his power through his resurrection from the dead.^d Footnote ^c says “Vulg. ‘predestined’.”; and Footnote^d  “For Paul Christ rose only because God raised him, 1 Th. 1:10; 1 Co. 6:14; 15:15; 2 Co. 4:14; Ga. 1:1; Rm. 4:24; 10:9; Ac. 2:24+; cf. 1 P. 1:21, thus displaying his ‘power’, 2 Cor. 13:4; Rm. 6:4; Ph. 3:10; Col. 2:12; Ep. 1:19f; Heb. 7:16;  and because God raised him to life through the Holy Spirit, Rm. 8:11. Christ is established in glory as Kyrios, Ph 2:9-11+; Ac 2:36; Rm 14:9, deserving anew, this time in virtue of his messianic work, the name he had from eternity, ‘son of God’, Ac 13:33, Heb 1:5; %:5. Cf. Rm 8:11+; 9:5+.”

2.       Ex 24:16…and the glory of Yahweh^f settled on the mountain of Sinai, for six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day Yahweh called to Moses from inside the cloud. Footnote  ^f  says “In the Priestly tradition, cf. 13:22+, the ‘glory of Yahweh’ is the manifestation of God’s presence. This ‘glory’ is a fire clearly distinguished (here and in 40:34-35) from the cloud that accompanied and surrounds it. The fire and the cloud are images borrowed from the great theophanies with a thunderstorm for their setting, 19:16+, but they have a more profound significance: the brilliant light (which needs no storm for appearance  33:22, and which  later leaves is glow on face of Moses, 34:29) stands for God’s unapproachable majesty. It fills the newly erected tabernacle, 40:34-35, and will fill the Temple of Solomon, 1 K 8:10-11, On the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem Ezekiel saw the glory leaving the city, Ezk 9:3; 10:4,18-19, 11:22-23; later he sees it returning to the new Temple, Ezk 43:1f; for Ezekiel the ‘glory’ assumes a shining, human form, Ezk. 1:26-28. In other texts, and particularly in the Psalms, the glory of Yahweh simply expresses God’s majesty and the honor due to him, often with eschatological overtones; or else it indicates God’s miraculous power, Ex. 15:7, cf. the ‘glory’ of Jesus, Jn 2:11; 11:;40.”

Verses 8 to 11 say: But^d we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him. Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him anymore. When he died, he died, once and for all, to sin,^e so his life now is life with God. And in that way, you too must  consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.^f Footnote  ^d  says “Var. ‘For’.”; Footnote  ^e  says “Christ was sinless, 2 Cor. 5:21, but having a physical body like our own, Rm. 8:3, he belonged to the order of sin; when he became ‘spiritual’, 1 Co. 15:45-46, he belonged only to the divine order. Similarly, though the Christian remains in the flesh for a time, he already lives in the spirit.”; and  Footnote ^f says “Text. Rec and Vulg. ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’.”

Parallel texts for verse 8 are:

1.       Ac 13:34 - The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to return to corruption, is no more that what he had declared: To you I shall give the sure and holy things promised to David^x. Footnote ^x says “The quotation from Is introduces the reference to Ps 16 (the ‘holy things promised to –lit. ‘of’-David’ are explained as the assurance to David in Ps 16 that ‘the holy one of God’ would not experience corruption).”

2.       1 Co 15:26 - And the last of the enemies to  be destroyed is death, for everything is to be put under his feet.

3.       2 Tm 1:10 - but it has only been revealed by the Appearing^c of our savior Christ Jesus. He abolished death, and he has proclaimed life and immortality to light through the Good News…Footnote ^c says The ‘Appearing’ (‘epiphany’), cf. 1 Tm 6:14+, here refers to the incarnation and redemption.’’

4.       Heb 2:14 - Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, he too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, ^h who had power over death. Footnote  ^h – says “Sin and death are related because both derive from Satan whose reign is the opposite of the reign of Christ.”

5.       Rv 1:18 - I am the Living One.^o I was dead and now I am to live forever and ever and I hold the keys to death and the underworld.^p Footnote  ^o says “The one who has life ‘in himself’, cf. Jn 5:21,26.”: and Footnote  ^p says “Lit. ‘death and Hades’. Hades was the place of the dead, the Gk word corresponding to the sheol of the OT.,cf. Nb 16:33+. Christ has the power to release souls from Hades, Jn 5:26-28.

OPEN AND FEARLESS SPEECH - 12th Sunday In Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 12^th Sunday In Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 10:26-33 (Gospel), Jr 20:10-13 (First Reading) and Rm 5:12-15 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

OPEN AND FEARLESS SPEECH

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Mt 10:28).

The Gospel for this 12^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 10:26-33,under the title “Open and fearless speech”.

Parallel text is Lk 12:2-7 that says :Everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear (v. 2). For this reason, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in hidden places will be proclaimed on the housetops (v. 3). ‘To you my friends I say: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more (v. 4). I will tell you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the power to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him (v. 5). Can you not buy five sparrows for two pennies? And yet not one is forgotten in God’s sight (v. 6). Why, every hair on your head has been counted. There is no need to be afraid: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows (v. 7).

Verses 26  and 27 says: Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now covered will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.^k What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. Footnote  ^ksays “Jesus was obliged to obscure his message: 1. His hearers would have misunderstood a clearer teaching, Mk 1:34+; 2. He himself had not yet completed- by death and resurrection-the work which alone could explain the message. Later on it will be the duty of his disciples to deliver the message in its entirety and without fear. These same words are found in Lk but with an entirely different meaning: the disciples are not to imitate Pharisaic hypocrisy; whatever they may try to hide will certainly come to light eventually; they must therefore speak openly.”

Parallel texts for verse 26 say:

1.       Mk 4:22 - For there is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed, nothing kept secret except to be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.’

2.       Lk 8:17 - For nothing is hidden is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be known and brought to light.

3.       1 Tm 5:25 - In the same way, the good that people can do can be obvious; but even when it is not, it cannot be hidden forever.

Verse 28-32 say: ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet no one falls to the ground without your Father knowing.Why, every hair on your head has been counted.So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.^l Footnote  ^lsays“When the last Judgment takes place and the Son commits the elect to his Father, cf. 25:14.”

Parallel texts of verse 28 are:

1.       Heb 10:31 - It is dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

2.       1 P 3:14…if you do have to suffer for being good, you will count it a blessing. There is no need to be afraid or to worry about them.^d Footnote ^d says: “Om. ‘or to worry about them.’”

3.       Rv 2:10  - Do not be afraid to the sufferings that are coming to you: I tell you, the devil is going to send some of you to prison to test you, and you must face an ordeal in ten days.^h Even if you have to die, keep faithful, and I will give you the crown of life for your prize. Footnote^hsays “i.e. of short duration.”

4.       Rv 14:7 - Fear God and praise him, because the time has come for him to sit in judgment; worship the maker of heaven and earth and sea and every water-spring.’

 Verse 33 says: But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mk 8:38 - For if anyone in this adulterous and sinful generation is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

2.       Lk 9:26 - For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

3.       2 Tm 2:12 - If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us.

4.      Rv 3:5 - Those who prove victorious will be dressed, like these, in white robes;^b I shall not blot their names out of the book of life, but acknowledge their names in the presence of my Father and his angels.Footnote ^bsays “A symbol of purity but also of victory and joy”.

The First Reading is taken from Jr 20:10-13.

Verse 10 says: I hear so many disparaging me, ‘“Terror from every side!” ‘Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All those who used to be my friends watched for my downfall, ‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error. Then we will master him and take our revenge!’.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Jr 6:25 - Do not go out into the countryside, do not venture on the roads, for the enemy’s sword is there, there is terror on every side.

2.       Ps 31:13 - I hear their endless slanders, threats from every quarter, as they combine against me, plotting to take my life.

3.       Ps 41:5 - My enemies say of me with malice, ‘How long before he dies and his name perishes?’

4.       Lm 2:22 - As thought to a festival you have summoned terrors on every side; on the day of your wrath, no one escaped, no one survived. Those whom I had nursed and reared, my enemy has murdered them all.

5.       Ws 2:12 - Let us lie in wait for the virtuous man, since he  annoys us^g; and opposes our way of life, reproaches us for breaches of the law and accuses us of playing false to our upbringing. Footnote  ^g says “Literary influence of Is. 3:10 (LXX).”

Verse 11 says: But Yahweh is at my side, a mighty hero; my opponents will stumble, mustered, confounded by their failure; everlasting, unforgettable, disgrace will be theirs.

Parallel text is Ps 109:29 that says: Clothe my accusers in disgrace, cover them with a cloak of shame.

Verses 12 and 13 say: But you, Yahweh Sabaoth, you probe with justice, who scrutinize the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.^g Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh, for he has delivered the soul of the needy^h from the hands of evil men. Footnote  ^g says ‘‘with justice’ two Hebr. MSS, Syr., Arab., cf. 11:20: ‘the just man’ Hebr. ‘committed’ corr., cf. 11:20; ‘revealed’ Hebr. This verse, a repetition of 11:20, does not seem to have belonged here originally.”; and  Footnote ^h  says “The ‘needy’, ebion, here in the sense of ‘devout’, the man who looks to Yahweh for support. The ‘poor of Yahweh’, cf. Zp 2:3+, are the spiritual children of Jeremiah.”

Parallel texts of verse 12 are:

1.        Jr 11:20 - But, you, Yahweh Sabaoth, who pronounce a just sentence who probe the loins and heart, let me see the vengeance you will take on them, for I have committed my cause to you.^j Footnote ^j says “‘I have committed’ corr.; ‘I have revealed’ Hebr. On such appeals to God for revenge, cf. Ps 5:10+.”

2.       1 S 16:7…but Yahweh said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see^b as man sees; man looks at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.’ Footnote  ^b says “‘God sees’ Greek.”

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 5:12-15 under the title “Adam and Jesus Christ^h”.  Footnote ^h says “Sin dwells within man, Rm 7:14-24; now death, sin’s chastisement, came into the world as a result of Adam’s fall, Ws 2:24; from this Paul concludes that sin itself entered into all men through that first fall. We have here the doctrine of original sin. Its interest for Paul lies in the parallel it enables him to draw between deadly work of the first Adam and the more than sufficient compensation of the ‘second Adam’, vv. 15-19; 1 Co 15:21f, 25. It is as the new head of the human race, the great image in which God remakes his creation, Rm 8:29+; 2 Co 5:17+, that Christ is mankind’s savior.”

Verse 12 says: Well then, sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death,ⁱ and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. ^j Footnote  ⁱ  says “Sin divides man from God. This separation is ‘death’, death spiritual and eternal; physical death is the symbol of it, cf. Ws 2:24; Heb 6:1+.”; and Footnote  ^j  says “Meaning disputed. Either by sharing in Adam’s sin, (‘all have sinned in Adam’) or else by their own personal sins, cf. 3:23. In this second interpretation the Greek could be translated ‘for this reason that everyone…’ a phrase introducing a situation actually occurring which allowed (eternal) death to threaten all mankind. Sin’s power which through Adam made its entrance into the world did in fact bring about eternal death by means of personal sin, itself an acquiescence in Adam’s rebellion (Paul is of course speaking of adults). A further translation is possible ‘by reason of which (i.e. of the death-situation brought about by Adam’s sin) everyone has sinned’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 3:1 - The Fall. The serpent^a was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that Yahweh God has made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ Footnote ^a says “The serpent is here used as a disguise for a being hostile to God and an enemy of man: this being is identified with the Adversary or the Devil (Jb 1:6+) in the Book of Wisdom, in the NT and in all Christian tradition.”

2.       Ws 2:24 - It was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world,ⁿ as those who are his partners will discover. Footnote ⁿ says ‘devil’ in the LXX renders the Hebr. Satan, cf. Jb 1:6+. Here, the author is interpreting Gn 3, cf. Rv 12:9; 20:2; Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:8. The death introduced by the devil is spiritual, with physical death as its consequence, cf. 1:13+; Rm 5:12f.

3.       Si 25:24 - Sin began with a woman, and thanks to her we all must die.^h Footnote ^h  says “Alluding to the first sin. Apostle Paul also recalls the guilt of Eve, 2 Co 1:3 1 Th 2:14, but cf. Rm 5:1.”

4.       1 Co 15:21-22 - Death came through one man and in the same way the resurrection of the dead has come through one man (v. 21).Just as all men die in Adam, so all men will be brought to life in Christ.

Verse 13 says: Sin existed in the world long before the law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’,

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Rm 3:23 - Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God’sglory^h. Footnote ^h says ‘Glory’ in OT sense, Ex 24:16+, that is to say God as present to human beings and communicating himself to them more and more, a process that can only reach its climax in the messianic era, cf. Ps 84:9; Is. 40:5, etc.

2.       Rm 6:23 - For the wage paid by sin is death; the present given by God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

3.       Gn 3:17,19 - To the man he said, Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, Accursed be the soil because of you. With suffering you shall get your food from it every day of your life (v.17) With sweat of your brow you shall eat bread, until you return to the soil, from as you were taken from it; For dust you are, and to dust you shall return (v. 19).

Verses 14 and 15 say: yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law. Adam prefigured^k the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many^l died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. Footnote  ^k says “‘prefigured’, 1 Co 10:6+: the likeness, therefore, is not complete – hence the comparison, begun in v. 12 and interrupted by the long parenthesis of vv. 13 and 14, becomes a contrast in v. 5.”; and Footnote ^l says “The word ‘many’ means all mankind, cf. v. 18; see Mt 20:28”.

Parallel text for verse 14 are:

1.       Rm 4:15 - Law involves the possibility of punishment for breaking the law - only when there is no law can that be avoided^g Footnote ^g says “Lit. ‘For laws brings anger whereas (var. ‘for’)  where there is no law there is no law-breaking either’.

2.       Rm 7:7 - The function of the Law^e.  Does it follow that the Law itself is sin? Of course not. What I mean is that I should not have known what sin was except for the Law. I should not for instance have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said you shall not covet. Footnote  ^e says “In itself the Law is holy and good since it expresses God’s will, 7:12-15, 1 Tim. 1:8, it is the glorious prerogative of Israel, Rm. 9:4, but cf. 2:14f. And yet it seems to have been a failure: in spite of the law the Jews are sinners like everyone else, Rm. 2:21-27; Ga. 6:3; Ep 2:3, and obedience to it even makes them so confident, Rm 2:17-20; 3:27; 4:2,4; 9:31f; Ph 3:9; Ep 2:8, that they are shut off by it from the grace of Christ, Ga 6:12; Ph 3:18; cf. Ac 15:1; 18:13; 21:21. In short, the Law is powerless to make any man just, Ga 3:11,21f; Rm 3:20; cf. Heb 7:19. Paul’s argument, to which polemic lends a tone of paradox, is that this apparent failure of the Law is due to the nature of the Law itself and to the part it was meant to play in the history of salvation. The Law gives information – it does not give spiritual strength. No law, whether Mosaic or otherwise, not even the primordial command given to Adam, cf. vv 9-11, can prevent sin, in fact the law makes it worse: 1. Because though the law is not the source of sin, it be comes the instrument of sin by arousing concupiscence, Rm 7:7f; 2. Because by informing the mind it increases the fault, which becomes a conscious ‘transgression’, 4:15; 5:13; 3. Because the only remedy law offer is punishment, 4:15, curse, Ga 3:10, condemnation, 2 Co 3:9, death, 2 Co 3:6; hence it can be called ‘the law of sin and death’, Rm 8:2; cf. 1 Co 15:56; Rm 7:13. Nevertheless God willed this defective system, though as a temporary period of schooling, Ga 3:24, to make people conscious of their sin, Rm 3:19f; 5:20; Ga 3:19, and to teach them to look for justification solely to the grace of God, Ga 3:22; Rm 11:32. Since this state of things is only for a time it has to give way before the fulfillment of the promise made, before the Law, to Abraham and his descendants, Ga: 3:6-22; Rm 4. Christ has put an end to the Law, Ep 2:15; cf. Rm 10:4, satisfying its demands by dying a sinner’s death, Ga 3:13; Rm 8:3; Col 2:14, but at the same he ‘fulfills’, cf. Mt 5:17; 3:15, all that is of the positive value in the Law, Rm 3:31; 9:31; 10:4. He emancipates the sons from the guardianship of the tutor, Ga 3:25f. With him they are dead to the Law, Ga 2:19; Rm 7:4-6; cf. Col 2:20, from which he has ‘redeemed’ them, Ga 3:13, in order to make them sons by adoption, Ga 4:5. Through the promised Spirit he gives to mankind thus renewed, Ep 2:15+, the inward strength to do all the good things prescribed by the Law, Rm 8:4f. This order of grace, superseding that of the old Law, may still be called a law, but it is ‘the law of faith’, Rm 3:27, ‘the law of Christ’, Ga 6:2, ‘the law of the Spirit’, Rm 8:1, and love is the essential precept, Ga 5:14; Rm 13:8f; cf. Jm 2:8.”