FIRE UPON THE EARTH - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time Cycle C

Homily for the 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 12:49-53 (Gospel), Jer 38:4-6, 8-10 (First Reading) and  Heb 12:1-4 (Second Reading)

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

FIRE UPON THE EARTH

The Gospel for this 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is taken from Lk 12:49-53. Verse 49 and 50 says: ‘I have come to bring fire^f to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!” Footnote ^f says “This fire symbolizes neither the spiritual struggle that the coming of Jesus provokes nor, strictly speaking, the Holy Spirit. It is the fire that is to purify and inflame men’s hearts, the fire lit on the cross. Jn 12:32 has the same thought in different words.”

Parallel texts of verse 50 are:

1.       Lk 9:22 - First prophecy of the Passion^d “The Son of Man’ he said, is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Footnote ^d says  “This prophecy is to b followed by several others, 9:44; 12:50; 17:25; 18:31-33. Cf. 24:7,25-27. Lk omits Peter’s protest and his rebuke by Jesus, Mk 8:32f.”

2.       Lk 22:14 - When the hour came he took his place at table, and the apostles with him.

3.       Mk 10:38  - ‘You do not know what you are asking’  Jesus said to them. ‘Can you drink the cup I must drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”^d  Footnote ^d says “The drink the cup, cf. 14:36, and to be baprized are symbols of the approaching Passion: Jesus is to be ‘immersed’ (Greek: baptizen, ”to dip”, “to tint”, or “to die”) in suffering.”

The title  “Jesus the cause of dissension”, of verse 51 and following has a parallel text in Mt 10:34-36 that says: Jesus, the cause of dissension^m Do you suppose that I have come to bring peace on the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring but a sword (v. 34). For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (v. 35). And man’s enemies will be those of his own household (v. 36). Footnote ^m says “Christ is a ‘sign that is rejected’, Lk 2:34; his aim is not to provoke dissension, but this becomes inevitable as a result of the strict alternative he offers.”

Verse 51 says: ‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Parallel text for verse 51 is Lk 22:37 that says: Because I tell you these words of scripture have to be fulfilled in me; ‘He let himself be taken for a criminal. Yes, what scripture says about me is even reaching to fulfillment.’

Verse 52 says: For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three…

Parallel text for verse 52 is Lk 2:34 that says: Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected.

Verse 52 says: The father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-n-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’

Parallel text for verse 52 is  Mi 7:6 that says:  For son insults father, daughter defies mother, daughter-in-law defies  mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are those of his own household.

The First Reading is taken from  Jer 38:4-6, 8-10.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 say: These leading men accordingly spoke to the king. ‘Let this man be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. This fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.’ He is in your hands as you know,’ King Zedekiah answered ‘for the king is powerless against you.’^b So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank. Footnote  ^b says  “Lit. ‘with you’ corr.”

Parallel text of verse 6 is Ps 40:2 that says: He has pulled me out of the horrible pit, out of the slough of the marsh, has settled my feet on a rock and steadied my steps.

Verses 8, 9 and 10 say: Ebed-melech came to the palace and spoke to the king, ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have a done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into a well where he will die.’^c At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three^d men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies’.

Footnote ^c  says “Lit. ‘he will die’ corr.; ‘and he has died’ Hebr. The Hebr. Adds ‘of hunger: for there was no more bread in the city’, a gloss suggested by 37:21’; and Footnote ^d  says “‘three’ one MS; ‘thirty’ Hebr..”

The Second Reading is taken from Heb 12:1-4. Verses 1 and 2 say: With so many witnesses in a great cloud on every side of us, we too, then, should throw off everything that hinders us, especially the sin that clings so easily, and keep running steadily in the race we have started. Let us not lose sight of Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which was still in the future, he endured the cross, disregarding the shamefulness of it, and from now on has taken his place at the right hand of God’s throne.

Parallel text for verse 2 are:

1.       Ga 5:7 - You begun your race well;^c who made you anxious to obey the truth? Footnote ^c says  “One of Paul’s favorite theme, cf. 2:2; 1 Co 9:24-26; Ph 2:16; 3:12-14; 2 Tm 4:7; Heb 12:1.”

2.       Heb 2:10 - As it was his purpose to bring a great many of his sons into glory, it was appropriate that God, for whom everything exists and through whom everything exist, in bringing many children to glory, should perfect, through suffering, the leader who would take them to their salvation.^f Footnote ^f says “By dying and fulfilling the will of God, Christ becomes the one perfect savior, responsible for the entry of human beings into the glory of God.”

3.       Mt 4:3-11 - and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,^c tell these stones to turn into loaves’ (v. 3). But he replied, “Scripture says: Man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God’ (v 4). The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple (v. 5). ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down for scripture says: ‘He will put you in his angels’ charge, and ‘ they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’(v. 6). Jesus said to him, “Scripture also says: ‘You must not put the Lord your God to the test’ (v. 7). Next, taking him to a very high mountain the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor (v. 8), ‘I will give you all these’ he said ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me’ (v. 9).Then Jesus replied, “Be off, Satan! For scripture says: ‘You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’ (v. 10). Then the devil left him and angels appeared and looked after him  (v. 11) 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.”

4.       Jn 6:15 - Jesus, who could see they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, escaped^b back to the hills by himself. Footnote ^b says “Var. ‘withdrew’.”

5.       2 Co 8:9 - Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was:^b he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty. Footnote ^b  says “Lit. ‘the generosity (or perhaps ‘grace’) of the Lord Jesus’.

6.       Ph 2:6-8 - His state was divine, e  yet he did not cling to his equality with God^f (v. 6) but emptied himself^g to assume the condition of a slave,^h and became as men areⁱ; (v. 7)and being as all men are,^j he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross (v. 8). Footnote ^e - Lit. ‘Who subsisting in the form of God’: here ‘form’ means all the attributes that express and reveal the essential ‘nature’ of God; Christ, being God, had all the divine prerogatives by right. Footnote ^f says “Lit. ‘did not deem being on an equality with God as something to grasp’ or ‘hold on to’. This refers not to his equality by nature ‘subsisting in the form of God’, and which Christ could not have surrendered, but to his being publicly treated and honored as equal to God which was a thing that Jesus (unlike Adam, Gn 3:5,22, who wanted to be seen to be like God) could and did give up in his human life; Footnote ^g says ‘He emptied himself’; this is not so much a reference to the fact of the incarnation, as to the way it took place. What Jesus freely gave up was not his divine nature, but the glory to which his divine nature entitled him, and which had been his before the incarnation, Jn 17:5, and, which ‘normally’ speaking would have been observable in his human body (cf. the transfiguration, Mt 17:1-8). He voluntarily deprived himself of this so that it could be returned to him by the Father, cf. Jn 8:50,54, after his sacrifice, vv.9-11;  Footnote ^h says ‘slave’ as opposed to ‘Kyrios’ v. 11, cf. Ga 4:1; Col 3:22f. Christ as man led a life of submission and humble obedience, v. 8. This is probably a reference to the ‘servant’ of Is 52:13-53:12, cf. Is 42:1;  Footnote ⁱ says “Not just ‘a human being’ but a human being ‘like others’; sharing all the weaknesses of the human condition apart from sin”; and Footnote ^j  says “Lit. ‘And in fashion found as man’.”

7.       Ps 110:1 - The Messiah: king and priest^a Yahweh’s oracle to you, my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand^b and I will make your enemies a footstool^c  for you. Footnote ^a  says “The prerogatives of the Messiah, worldwide sovereignty and perpetual priesthood, cf. 2 S 7:1+; Zc 6:12-13, are no more conferred by earthly investiture than were those of the mysterious Melchizedek (Gn 14:18+. V. 1 is accepted in the NT epistles and elsewhere as a prophecy of the ascension of Christ to the right hand of the Father;  Footnote ^b says “The risen Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, Rm 8:34, Heb 10:12, 1 P 3:22”; and Footnote ^c   says “Cf. Jos 10:24; Dn 7:14.”

8.       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 ^s says  “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”.

9.       Lk 2:34 - Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected-

Verse 3 and 4 say: Think of the way he stood such opposition from sinners^a and then you will not give up for want of courage. In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death. Footnote  ^a says “Lit. ‘endured contradictions of sinners against himself’; var. ‘…against themselves’”.

Parallel text is from Heb 10:32 that says: Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet  after you had received the light,^d  in earlier days. Footnote ^d says “‘Enlightenment’ or ‘illumination’ in NT as in patristic writers always refers to baptism, 6:4; Ep 5:14 (cf Rm 6:4+).”

“Fire upon the earth” that Jesus Christ mentioned I today’s gospel narrative, refers to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as said by internet sources (viz.):  (Paste here all online sources)

An article by Pastor Richard P. Bucher, Th. D, "Casting Fire Upon the Earth" from  www.orlutheran.com:

“He was talking about the baptism of his death and resurrection. For truly baptism is a death and resurrection. But once Jesus underwent his “baptism,” then he could, and did, cast fire on the earth, that is, gave the Spirit to his church. From that day until this the fire of the Spirit has fallen on the Church, and through it, has set the unbelieving world ablaze; this raging fire has spread, bringing not destruction, but salvation to an uncountable number.

But the events of Pentecost happened only once. So how has Jesus continued to cast the Spirit of fire to the earth? Through the Ministry of the Word of God and those two visible words of God, the Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Where do we get the idea that the Word of God brings with it the fire of the Spirit? In Jeremiah 23:29: “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” The Word of God, when it is preached or taught or read brings with it the Holy Spirit of fire. And when this fire comes to people through the Ministry of the Word, it accomplishes three different things.

1. It Ignites a Fire of Cleansing - Fire burns and kills and destroys. But it also cleanses and purifies, as when a forest fire removes what is already dead, or as when steel is purified of its impurities through fire. The same thing happens when the fire of the Spirit comes to sinful people: it cleanses them from sin.

2. It Ignites a Fire of Passion and Zeal - When Isaiah’s guilt was atoned for by means of the burning coal and the spoken Gospel, he immediately was filled with passion and zeal. A Fire of Zeal for the Lord and willingness to serve was ignited in his heart, which he then devoted his entire life to.

3. It Ignites a Fire of Division and Opposition - Yes the Holy Spirit of fire ignites the fire of cleansing of sin and the fire of passion and zeal. But on this occasion, Jesus was thinking especially of a third kind of fire which the Spirit of fire ignites: a fire of division and opposition.

In the very next verse of our text, the Lord says,

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

Jesus knew that whenever the Holy Spirit of fire came to people through the Ministry of the Word, it would ignite division. Why? What about God’s Word brings about division and opposition?

People don’t like to be told that they are wrong. Far worse when they are told that even the good things they are evil in God’s sight apart from Christ. It burns them up. They react to the Spirit of fire working through the Law with anger, opposition, and ultimately division. They want nothing to do with those confront them with their sin.

Yet it is not only the Law which accuses which breeds opposition. It is also, perhaps especially the Gospel. What about the sweet Gospel brings opposition, hatred and division? The fact that it is so exclusive; that fact that it says that only through faith Jesus Christ is salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life given. Because this message excludes those who refuse to turn to Jesus, it offends them, angers them, and often opposition and division result.”

An FIRE ON EARTH from http://www.ccel.org:

“If I might use such an incongruous figure, the fire that is to flash and flame through the world emerges from the dark waters of that baptism. Our Lord goes on still further to dwell upon the consequence of His mission and of His sufferings. And that, too, shadows the first triumphant thought of the fire that He was to send on earth. For, the baptism being accomplished, and the fire therefore being set at liberty to flame through the world, what follows? Glad reception? Yes, and angry rejection. Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay! but rather division.’ The fire, the baptism, and the sword; these three may sum up our Lord’s vision of the purpose, means, and mingled result of His mission.”

An article “Consequences of Christ's Coming (Luke 12:49-59)” by Robert L. (Bob) Deffinbaugh at https://bible.org:

“On the basis of these premises, one can only conclude that the “fire” of which Jesus spoke is the same fire about which the prophets, including John the Baptist, spoke—the fire of divine wrath. When Jesus said that He had come to “kindle a fire” He is therefore saying that He has come to bring about the outpouring of God’s wrath on sinful Israel.

How can this be? Elsewhere Jesus has clearly stated that He did not come to judge, but to save (cf. John 3:16-17; 8:11)? The answer is that Jesus did come the first time to save men, but for all who reject Him there is no other means of salvation. When He comes again, He will come to judge, especially those who have rejected His salvation.

How can our Lord be so zealous for this “fire” to be kindled, as His words indicate? If He is going to bring about the judgment of God upon sinners, and if this is not a work in which He takes pleasure, why is He eager for the “fire” to be kindled? I think the answer is simple—this painful and unpleasant (for both God and men, I believe) outpouring of wrath is a prerequisite of and preliminary to the establishment of the kingdom of God. In order for the kingdom of God to be established, sinners must be punished and sin eliminated.

The means by which God has determined to bring about His kingdom (“fire”—the judgment of sinners) is not just painful to sinful men. It is exceedingly painful to God, not only because men will suffer for their sins, but because Jesus Christ, God’s Son will suffer His wrath as a payment for man’s sins. Jesus said that before He cast fire on the earth He had a baptism with which to be baptized. This baptism is clearly the death which He would die on the cross of Calvary. His death on the cross would set in motion a series of events, which will eventuate in the pouring forth of God’s divine wrath on sinners. The sad reality is that it is not really necessary, because Jesus experienced the full extent of God’s wrath on the cross…”

Crucifixion, or death on a cross, in Christianity is symbolized by baptism, which means “to immerse”, “to dip”, “to tint” or “to die in a coloring vat” (See Robinson’s history of Baptism). The Sacrament of Christian Baptism therefore is the tinting or dying of a person in the color of a Christian with the hue of salvation, which is the mystical color of “orange” symbolizing the color of God that makes him a child of God.

The goal of baptism is, of course, to share into the resurrection of Christ, that is why, a person has to die first and experience the crucifixion that is symbolized by the immersion or dipping into the water of baptism in order to rise again a ‘new man’ into the image of the resurrected Christ. The end of resurrection is to achieve the end of, and relief from, all the miseries of life, which is liberation from the world and salvation in this life.

MERCY AND COMPASSION (Three Parables) - 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

Homily for the 24^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 15:1-32 (Gospel), Ex 32:7-11, 13-14 (First Reading) and  1 Tm 1:12-17 (Second Reading)

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

MERCY AND COMPASSION (Three Parables)

The Gospel narrative of this Sunday is taken from Lk 15:1-32. It is quite a lengthy scripture that contains the three Parables of God’s Mercy.

Verse 1 says: The tax collectors and sinners, meanwhile, were seeking his company to hear what he had to say…

Parallel text for verse 1 are:

1.       Lk 6:36 - Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.

2.       Ex 34:6 - Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed:^c Yahweh, Yahweh, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger and rich in kindness  and faithfulness. Footnote ^c says “Yahweh fulfills his promise, 33:19-23 and reveals his divine attributes, most particularly his loving kindness.”

3.       Ho 2:21 - I will betroth^q you to me forever: betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness^r and love… Footnote  ^q – says “God takes back his unfaithful wife with the fervor of first love, and showers her (cf. Gn 24:53; 34:12) with spiritual gifts”; and Footnote  ^r-says “The primary meaning of this word (hesed) is that of a bond, or contract. When used of human relationship, union, loyalty, especially when there are the outcome of a treaty. Used of God, the term means his faithfulness to his covenant and the kindness he therefore shows his chosen people (in Ex 34:6). Used by Hosea in the context of married love, the word assumes and from then on retains a still warmer significance: it means the tender love God has for his people, Ps 136; Jer 31:3; etc., and the benefits deriving from it, Ex 20:6; Dt 5:10; 2 S 22:51; Jr 32:18; Ps 18:50. But this divine hesed calls for creespondinghesed in man (Ho 6:6), consisting of self-giving, loving trust, abandonment, deep affection, ‘piety’, a love (in short) which is joyful submission to the will of God and an active charity to fellowmen, Ho 4:2; 6:6. This ideal, expressed in many of the Psalms, will later be that of the Hasidim, or ‘Hasidaeans’, cf 1 M 2:42+”.

4.       Ho 11:8-9 - Ephraim, how could I part with you?, Israel, how could I give you up? How could I treat you like Admah, or deal with you like Zeboiim?^k My heart recoils from it, my whole being trembles at the thought^l (v. 8). I will not give rein to my fierce anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again, for I am God and not a man: I am the Holy One in your midst  and have no wish to destroy.^m Footnote ^k says “Admah and Zeboiim were two of the five towns of the Pentapolis, Gn 10:19; 14:2,8, Dt 29:22; in the Elohistic tradition they presumably take the place of the Sodom and Gomorrah of the Yahwistic tradition, Is 1:9-10”; Footnote ^l says  “Lit. ‘My heart recoils within me, my bowels are in a ferment’”; and Footnote ^m  says  “‘I have no wish to destroy’ corr.; ‘I shall not come into the town’ Hebr.”

5.       Ps 119:176 - I am wandering like a lost sheep;^u come and look for your servant, No, I have never forgotten your commandments. Footnote  ^u says “The ‘lost sheep’ theme of the prophets, Ezk 34:1+, is here applied to the individual.”

Verse 2 says: and the Pharisees and scribes complained. “This man’ the said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Parallel text is Lk 19:7 that says: They all complained when they saw what was happening. “He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house” they said.

Verse 3 says: So he spoke this parable to them:

Parallel text is Mt 9:10-13 that says: While he was at dinner in his house, it happened that a number of tax collectors and sinners^e came to sit at the table with Jesus and his disciples (v. 10). When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (v. 11). When he heard this he replied, “It is not the healthy  who need a doctor, but the sick do (v.12). Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.’^f And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners.’; Footnote ^e  says “Those whose moral conduct or disreputable profession, cf. 5:46+, rendered ‘unclean’ and socially outcast”; and Footnote  ^f says “To the exact performance of the Law’s external  demands God prefers the inward quality of genuine compassion. It is a favorite theme of the prophets, Am 5:21+.

The title “Lost Sheep” for verses 4 to 10 has parallel texts in the following places:

1.       Ezk 34:1  - The word of the LORD came to me…

2.       Mt 18:12-14 - Tell me. Suppose a man had a hundred sheep and one of them strays; will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hillside and go in search of the stray? (v. 12). And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray (v.13)In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost (v.14).

Verse 4 says: ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it?

Parallel text for this verse is Ezk 34:4,16 that says: You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to cure for the sick ones or bandage the wounded ones. You have failed have failed to bring back strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you ruled them cruelly and violently (v. 4). I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them (v. 16).

Verse 5 and 6 says: And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders. And then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbors? Rejoice with me,” he would say ‘I have found my sheep that was lost.’

Parallel text for verse 5 is Is 40:11 that says: He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

Verse 7, 8 and 9 say:  In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance. ‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, is she  lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbors? Rejoice with me,” she would say ‘I have found the drachma I lost.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 19:10 - For the Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.”

2.       Lk 1:14 - He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoiceⁱ at his birth…Footnote ⁱ says  “Joy is the keynote of ch. 1-2; 1:28,46,58; 2:10. Cf 10:17,20f; 13:17; 15:7,32; 19:6,17; 24:41,5. Ac 2:46+.”

3.       Ws 12:2 - Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend, you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned, so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.

4.       Ezk 18:23 - What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man—it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks - not prefer to see to see him renounce his wickedness and live?

5.       Ezk 33:11 - Say to them, ‘As I live – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – I take pleasure, not  in the death of the wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Come back, come back from your evil ways. Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel?’

Verse 10 says: In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 19:10 - For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.

2.       Ezk 18:23 - Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked—oracle of the Lord GOD? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?

3.       Ezk 33:11 - Say to them, ‘As I live – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – I take pleasure, not  in the death of the wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Come back, come back from your evil ways. Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel?’

Verse 11, 12 and 13 say: He also said, “A man had two sons, The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

Parallel texts for verse 13 are:

1.       Pr 27:3 - Heaviness of stone, and weight of sand, heavier than both: annoyances from a fool.

2.       Si 9:6 - Do not give your souls to whores, or  you ruin your inheritance.

Verse 14, 15 and 16 say: When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch. So he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything.

Parallel text for verse 16 is Pr 27:7 that says:  The gorged throat revolts at honey; the hungry throat finds all bitterness sweet.

Verse 17 says: Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, but here I am dying of hunger.

Parallel text is Zc 10:9 that says: I have scattered them among the peoples but from far away they will remember me (they will teach their sons, and these will return).^h Footnote ^h says “‘have scattered’ corr.: ‘will scatter’ Hebr. ‘will teach’ corr.; ‘will rear’.”

Verses 18 and 19 say: I will leave this place and go to my father and say: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your paid servants.’

Parallel text for verse 18 is  Ho 2:9 that says: She will chase after her lovers, and never catch up with  them; she will search for them and never find them. Then she will say, “I will go back^f to my first husband, I was happier then than I am today.” Footnote  ^f says “The Baals, Canaanite gods of fertility to whom the Israelites offered the produce of their soil, which they believed came as much from the gods of Canaan as from Yahweh.”

Verse 20  says: So he left the place and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly.^a Footnote ^a says “The father’s pity symbolizes divine mercy; it contrasts with the elder son’s resentment which is like that of the Pharisees and scribes.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Tb 7:6 - Raguel leaped to his feet, and kissed him and wept.

2.       Jr 3:12f  - So go, and shout these words toward the North: Come back, disloyal Israel—it is Yahweh who speaks—I shall frown on  you^j no more; since I am merciful-it is Yahweh who speaks - I will not keep my resentment forever. Footnote ^j  says  “‘you’ (sing.) corr.: ‘you’ (plur. ) Hebr.”

3.       Is 49:14-16 - For Zion was saying, “Yahweh has abandoned me, the Lord has forgotten me’ (v.14). Does a woman forget her baby at her breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb? Yet even if these forget, I will never^h forget you (v. 15). See, I Have branded you upon the palms of my hands, your ramparts are always under my eyes. Footnote ^h says “Admirable summing up of the message of Hosea, Jeremiah and the Deuteronomist, who had already affirmed this unfailing love of Yahweh for Israel, Cf. 54:8+.

4.       Jr 31:20 - Is Ephraim, then, so dear a son to me, a child so favored, that after each threat of mine, I must still remember him, still be deeply moved for him,  and ley my tenderness yearn over him? It is Yahweh who speaks.

Verses 21 and 22 say: Then his son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’^b But the father said to his  servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Footnote ^b says “Add. ‘treat me as one of your paid servants’, cf v. 19”.

Parallel text for verse 22 says:

1.       Ba 5:1-2 - Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God forever, Wrap the cloak of the integrity of God around you, put the diadem of the glory of the Eternal on your head;

2.       Is 49:22 - Thus speaks the Lord Yahweh: I beckon to the nations and hoist my signal for the people.^k They will bring back your sons in the cloak,^l they will take your daughters on their shoulders. Footnote  ^k says “In 5:26, this signal called in the invader, now it proclaims salvation”; and Footnote ^l says “As babes are tenderly carried.”

Verse 23 and 24 say: Bring the calf we have been fattening and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And began to celebrate.

Parallel text fir verse 24 is Lk 19:10 that says: For the Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.”

Verses 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 say:  Now the older son was out in the field and, on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants, he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has returned” replied the servant, “and your father has killed the calf  he had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry and refused to go in, his father came out to plead with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders; yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But for this son yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property - he and his women-you kill the calf we have been fattening.’ The father said, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.

Parallel text for verse 28 is Jon 4:1 that says: Jonah was very indignant at this, he fell into a rage.

Verse 32 says: But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 1:14 - He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoiceⁱ at his birth. Footnote ⁱ - Joy is the keynote of ch. 1-2; 1:28,46,58; 2:10. Cf 10:17,20f; 13:17; 15:7,32; 19:6,17; 24:41,5. Ac 2:46+.

2.       Ezk 18:23 - What! Am I likely to take pleasure in the death of a wicked man—it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks - not prefer to see to see him renounce his wickedness and live?

3.       Ezk 33:11 - Say to them, ‘As I live – it is the Lord Yahweh who speaks – I take pleasure, not  in the death of the wicked man, but in the turning back of a wicked man who changes his ways to win life. Come back, come back from your evil ways. Why are you so anxious to die, House of Israel?’

4.       Lk 19:10 - For the Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.”

The First Reading is taken from Ex 32:7-11, 13-14. The title is “Moses forewarned by Yahweh” with parallel text in  1 S 28:6 that says: Saul consulted Yahweh, but Yahweh gave him no answer, either by dream nor oracle or prophet.

Verses 7 and 8 says: Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatized. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. ‘Here is your god, Israel,’ they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”

Parallel text of verse 7 is Jr 31:32 that says: but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant of mine, so I had to show them who was master. It is Yahweh who speaks.

Verse 9 says: Yahweh said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Footnote ^e says  “v. 9 absent from the Greek.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ex 33:3 - Go on to the land where milk and honey flow. I shall not go with you myself - you are a headstrong people – or I will exterminate you on the way.

2.       Ex 34:9  - “If I have indeed won your favor, Lord,’ he  said, let my Lord come with us, I beg. True they are a headstrong people but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.”

3.       Dt 9:13 - Then Yahweh said to me, “I have seen this people, and what a headstrong people they are!

4.       Is 48:4 - For I know you to be obstinate, your neck an iron bar, your forehead bronze.^a Footnote  ^a says “The hardening of Israel is a familiar theme of the prophets and the historical books. Israel has ‘stiffened his neck’, Ex 32:9; Dt 9:13+; 2 K 17:14; Jr 7:26+, has made himself blind and deaf, Is 6:9-10+; 42:19-20; 43:8, by refusing to serve God, by breaking the yoke of the Law, Jr 2:20; 5:5; his punishment is to bend his neck to the yoke of the foreign nation, Dt 28:48; cf. Jr 27:8,11; 28; 30:8; Is 9:3; 10:27. But Yahweh, true to himself, has not rejected his people, vv. 9-11, and the light of his salvation will pierce the eyes of the blind who have rebelled, 42:7, 16,18; 43:8f.”

5.       Zc 7:11 - But they would not pay attention; they  turned a petulant shoulder; they stopped their ears rather than hear.

Verse 10 says: Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 12:2 - I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name so famous that it will be used as^b a blessing. Footnote  ^b says  “‘that it will be used as’ corr.; ‘and may you be’ Hebr.”

2.       Nb 14:12 - I will strike them with pestilence and disown them. And of you I shall make a new nation, greater and mightier than they are.

The title for v. 11, “The prayer of Moses^f,” has footnote ^f that says: “Moses is shown as the great mediator: at the time of the plagues, 8:4; 9:28; 10:17; on behalf of his sister Miriam, Nb 12:13,and especially on behalf of the people on their desert journey, 32:11-14, 30-32; Nb 11:2; 14:13-19; 16:22; 21:7; Dt 9:25-29. This function of his is recalled by Jr 15:1; Ps 99:6; 106:23; Si 45:3. Cf 2 M 15:14+. His intercession foreshadows that of Christ.

Verse 11 says: But Moses pleaded with Yahweh his God. ‘Yahweh’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand?

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ex 34:9  - “If I have indeed won your favor, Lord,’ he said, let my Lord come with us, I beg. True they are a headstrong people but forgive us our faults and our sins, and adopt us as your heritage.”

2.       Dt 9:26-29 - And I pleaded with Yahweh.  My Lord Yahweh, I said, do not destroy your people, your heritage whom in your greatness you have redeemed, whom you have brought out of Egypt with your mighty hand (v. 26).Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; take no notice of this people’s stubbornness, their wickedness, and their sin (v. 27),so that it may not be said in the land from which you brought us, “Yahweh was not able to bring them to the land he promised them. It was because he hated them that he brought them out to die in the wilderness (v. 28).” But they are your people and your heritage whom you brought out by your great power and with your outstretched arm (v. 29).

3.       Jos 7:6f - Joshua tore their garments and prostrated himself before the ark of Yahweh till nightfall, the elders of Israel did as he did; and all poured dust on their heads.

4.       Ps 106:23 - He talked of putting an end to them and would have done, if Moses his chosen had not stood in the breach, confronting him, and deflecting his destructive anger.

5.       Ws 18:22 - He conquered the bitter plague, not by physical strength, not by force of arms; but by word^q he prevailed over the Punisher, by recalling the oaths made to the Fathers, and the covenants. Footnote ^q says “I. e. prayer”.

6.       Jm 5:16 - So confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, and this will cure you;^e the heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully. Footnote^e says “This mutual confession and prayer for each other instead of being only recommendations to the sick, v. 15, are here urged on all Christians. Nothing special however may be deduced about sacramental confessions.”

Verse 13 says: Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and I shall be their heritage forever.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Gn 15:5 - Then taking him outside he said: Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can. Such will your descendants,’ he told him.

2.       Gn 22:16-17 - ‘I swear by my own self -it is Yahweh who speaks -because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son (v. 16),I will shower blessings on you, I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates^d of their enemies (v. 17). Footnote ^d says “I.e. their towns, as the Greek understands, cf. 24:60”.

3.       Gn 35:11-12 - God said to him, ‘I am El Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed, a group of nations  shall descend from you. Even kings shall be numbered among your descendants (v. 11). ‘I will give you this land, the land I gave to Abraham and to Isaac; and I will give this land to your descendants after you (v. 12).

Verse 14 says: So Yahweh relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.  

Parallel text is Ps 78:38 that says: Compassionately, however, he forgave their guilt instead of killing them, repeatedly repressing his anger instead of rousing  his full wrath.

The Second Reading is from 1 Tm 1:12-17. Verses 12 and 13 say: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service. Even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance;

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ac 8:3 - Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison.

2.       Ac 3:17 - Now I know, brothers, that neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing;^k Footnote ^k says “Apparently an allusion to Lk 23:24; cf. Ac 7:60.”

3.       Jn 16:2 - They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty to God.

4.       1 Co 15:10…but by the grace of God that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is  with me, have worked harder than any of the others.

Verses 14 and 15 says: and the grace of our Lord fill me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus. Here is a saying that you can rely onⁱ and nobody should doubt: That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them. Footnote ⁱ says “Lit. ‘faithful is the word (or saying): this is one of the characteristic phrases of the Pastoral Letters, cf. 3:1;  4:9; 2 Tm 2:11; Tt 3:8.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 3:1 - Brothers, I myself was unable not speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you  as sensual men, still infants in Christ.

2.       1 Co  4:9 - But instead  it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with men sentenced to death; it is true - we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men.

3.       Mt 9:13 - Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.’^f  And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners. Footnote ^f says “To the exact performance of the Law’s external  demands God prefers the inward quality of genuine compassion. It is a favorite theme of the prophets, Am 5:21+.”

4.       Tt 3:8 - This is the doctrine you can rely on. I want you to be quite uncompromising in  teaching all this, so that those who now believe in God may keep their  minds constantly occupied in doing good works. All this is good, and will do nothing but good to everybody.

5.       2 P 3:15 - Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved: our brother Paul, who is so dear to us, told you this when he wrote to you with the wisdom that is his special gift.

Verse 16 says: and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life

Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Co 15:9 - I am the least of the apostles, in fact, since I persecuted the church of God, I hardly deserve the name  apostle.

2.       2 Th 3:7 - You know how you are supposed to imitate us;^b now we were not idle when we were with you. Footnote ^b says “By imitating Paul , 1 Co 4:16; Ga 4:12; Ph 3:17, Christians will be imitating Christ, 1 Th 1:6; Ph 2:5; cf Mt 16:24; 1 P 2:21; 1 Jn 2:6; who is the one that Paul is imitating, 1 Co 11:1. Christians must also imitate God, Ep 5:1 (cf. Mt 5:48), and they must imitate each other, 1 Th 1:7; 2:14; Heb 6:12. Behind this community of life is the idea of a model of doctrine, Rm 6:17, that has been received by tradition, v. 6: 1 Co 11:2+; 1 Th 2:13++. The leaders who transmit the doctrine must themselves  be ‘models’ v. 9; Ph 3:17; 1 Tm 1:16; 4:12; Tt 2:7;  1 P 5:3; whose faith and life are to be imitated, Heb 13:7.”

Verse 17 says:  To the eternal King, the undying,^j invisible and only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Footnote ^j says “Lit. ‘incorruptible’ or ‘imperishable’; var. (Vulg) ‘immortal’.”

 Parallel texts are:

1.       1 Tm 6:16 - Who alone is immortal, whose home is in inaccessible light, whom no man has seen and no man is able to see: to him be honor and everlasting power. Amen.

2.       Tb 13:6 - If you return back to him with all your heart and your soul, behaving honestly towards him, then he will return to you, and will hide his face from you no longer. Consider how well he has treated you; loudly give him thanks. Bless the Lord of justice and extol the King of the ages.

3.       Ps 145:13 - Your sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty, your empire lasts for age to age. Always true to his promises, Yahweh shows love in all he does. Footnote ^c says “The Nun verse is omitted in Hebr. but preserved in the versions”.

4.       Rm 16:27 - He alone is wisdom.^m Give glory therefore to him through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen.ⁿ Footnote ^m says “Cf 11:33-36; 1 Co 1:24; 2:7; Ep 3:10; Col 2:3; 10:7; 17:5,7”; Footnote  ⁿ says “Cf Ga 1:5; Ep 3:21; Ph 4:20; 1 Tm 1:17; 6:16; 2 Tm 4:18; Heb 13:21; 1 P 4:11; 2 P 3:18; Jude 25; Rv 1:6.”

5.       Col 1:15 - Christ is the head of all creation^e He is the image of the unseen God, and the firstborn of all creation. Footnote ^e says “In this poem Paul introduces two ways in which can claim to be the ‘head’ of everything that exists:1. He is the head of creation, of all that exists naturally, vv. 15-17; 2. He is head of the new creation and all that exists supernaturally through having been saved, vv. 18-20. The subject of the poem is the pre-existent Christ, but considered only in so far as he is manifest in the unique historic person that is the Son of God made man, cf. Ph 2:5+. It is as the incarnate God that Jesus is the ‘image of God’, i.e. his human nature was the visible manifestation of God who is invisible, cf. Rm 8:29+, and it is as such, in this concrete human nature, and as part of creation, that Jesus is called the ‘first born of creation’ - not in the temporal sense of having been born first, but in the sense of having been given the first place of honor.”

For the poor and miserable people, “pain is the condiment of life.”

The three parables in the gospel, the lost sheep,  the lost coin, and the prodigal son  are all about God’s mercy and compassion. These parables were narrated by Jesus Christ as his answer to the complaint of the scribes and Pharisees about his going with the tax collectors and sinners. Jesus Christ compared himself to the merciful and compassionate God who rejoices over the return of lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. He also compared the scribes and Pharisees to the elder brother of the Prodigal Son who envied his younger brother’s fortune of being welcomed back by the father and restored to his usual position in the household despite the unforgivable sin he committed against the family.  The merciful and compassionate father is compared to the God of heaven in Jesus’ parable on the Prodigal Son.

Mercy, as defined by Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, is the same as “leniency or compassion.”

The same source says: “Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French merci, from Medieval Latin merced, merces, from Latin, "price paid, wages", from merc-, merxi"merchandise") is a broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social and legal contexts. In the social and legal context, mercy may refer both to compassionate behavior on the part of those in power (e.g. mercy shown by a judge toward a convict), or on the part of a humanitarian third party, e.g., a mission of mercy aiming to treat war victims”.

The following are the scriptures that contain the word “mercy”:

1.       Mt 9:13 - Go and learn the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice.’^f And indeed I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners. Footnote  ^f says “To the exact performance of the Law’s external  demands God prefers the inward quality of genuine compassion. It is a favorite theme of the prophets, Am 5:21+.

2.       1 Tm 1:13 - Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance…

3.       1 Tm 1:16 - and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life

Esoterically, the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son is also compared to the angels in heaven who protested and complained to God over the creation of humankind, so that these angels were punished and eventually lost their heavenly ranks.