OBSTACLE IN THE PATH - 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 16:21-27 (Gospel), Jr 20:7-9 (First Reading) and Rm 12:1-2 (Second Reading)

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

OBSTACLE IN THE PATH

“Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path” (Mt 16:23)

The Gospel for this  22^nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 16:21-27. First title is: “First prophecy of the Passion,” with the following parallel texts:

1.       Mk 8:31-33 - First prophecy of the Passion: And he began to teach them that the Son of Man` was destined to suffer grievously, be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again (v. 31); and he said all this quite openly. Then taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him (v. 32). But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s (v. 33).

2.       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 be 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.”

Verses 21 and 22 say: From that time^k, Jesus began to make clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to be raised on the third day. Then taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said ‘this must not happen to you’. Footnote  ^k says “Jesus has just elicited from his disciples the first explicit profession of faith in him as Messiah. At this crucial moment he tells them for the first time of his coming Passion: he is not only the glorious Messiah, he is also the suffering servant. Within the next few days this teaching method will be pursued in a similar situation: the glorious transfiguration will be followed by an injunction to silence and a prediction of Passion, 17:1-12. It is Christ’s way of bracing the disciples’ faith for the approaching crisis of death and resurrection.”

Parallel texts of verse 21 are:

1.       Mt 17:12,22-23…however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they do not recognize him but treated him as they please; the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands (v. 12).’ Second prophecy of the Passion: One day when they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men (v. 22); and they will put him to death, and on the third day he will be raised to life again.’ And a great sadness came over them (v. 23).

2.       Mt 20:17-19 - Third prophecy of the Passion. Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, and on the way he took the Twelve to one side and said to them (v. 17), ‘Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man is about to be handed over to the chief priests and scribes. They will condemn him to death (v. 18) and will hand him over to the pagans to be mocked and scourged and crucified; and on the third day he will rise again (v. 19).

3.       Lk 2:38+ - She came by just at that moment began  to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward the deliverance of Jerusalem.^k Footnote ^k says “The messianic deliverance of the Chosen People, 1:68; 24:21, primarily affected their capital city; cf Is 40:5; 52:9 (and see 2 S 5:9+). FrLk, Jerusalem is God’s chosen centre from which will spread his salvation: 9:31,51,53; 13:22,33; 17:11; 18:31; 19:11; 24:47-49,52; Ac 1:8+.”

4.       Lk 13:33 - But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.ⁱ Footnote ⁱ  says “Meaning apparently ‘My work will soon be over, but not yet. I have not finished my work of exorcising and healing: this I shal contrive to do on my way to Jerusalem where my destiny lies’, cf. 2:38+. Similarly, in Jn 7:30; 8:20 (cf. 8:59; 10:39; 11:54) the enemies of Jesus have no power over him so long as ‘his hour has not yet come’.”

5.       Ac 10:40…yet three days afterwards God raised him to life^m and allowed him to be seen…Footnote  ^m says  “Lit. ‘raised him on the third day’; stereotype formula of the Christian preaching and faith. It appears as early as 1 Co. 15:4 (a first stage of the creed) with the addition ‘according to the scriptures’. The formula echoes Jon 2:1 (cf. Mt 12:40): see also Ho 6:2. It recurs in Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Lk 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46.”

Verse 23 says: But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle^l in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.” Footnote  ^l says “By blocking the Messiah’s appointed way, Peter becomes an ‘obstacle’ (primary sense of the Greek skandalon) to Christ and becomes, though unwittingly, the tool of Satan, cf. 4:1-10.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Mt 4:10 - Then Jesus replied, “Be off, Satan! For scripture says: ‘You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’

2.       Mk 4:13 - Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?^c Footnote  ^c says “The apostles’ incomprehension of Christ’s works and words is a favorite theme of Mk. 6:52; 7:18; 8:17-18,21,33; 9:10,32; 10:38. With the exception of certain parallel places (Mt. 15;16; 16:9,23; 20:22; Lk 9:45) and of Lk 18:34; 24:25,45. Mt and Lk often pass such remarks over in silence, or even emend them; compare Mt 14:33 with Mk 6:51-52, and see Mt 13:51, Cf. Jn 14:26+.”

Second Title is “Condition of following Christ.”

1.       Mk 8:34-9:1 - 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(v.34). For anyone who wants  to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it (v.35). What gain, then, for a man to win the whole world and ruin his life? (v. 36). And indeed what could a man offer in exchange for his life? (v. 37) 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 (v. 38).” And he said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power’ (Ch. 9, v. 1).

2.       Lk 9:23-27 - 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). What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self? (v. 25). For if anyone is ashamed of me and of my words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels (v. 26). ‘I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God’ (v. 27).

Verses 24, 25 and 26 say: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it^m. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? Footnote ^m says “Paradox. This dictum and those immediately following oscillate between two senses of human ‘life’; its present stage and its future. The Greek psyche, here equivalent to the Hebrew nephesh, contains all three senses of ‘life’, soul’, ‘person’.”

 

Parallel texts of verse 24 are:

1.       Mt. 10:38-39 - Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow in my footsteps is not worthy of me (v.38).  Whoever finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itⁿ (v. 39). 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.”

2.       Lk. 14:24 - ‘…because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet”.’

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

4.       Jn 12:25-26 - Anyone who loves his life loses it; and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for the eternal life.

5.       Mt 10:39 - Whoever finds his life will lose it; anyone who loses his life for my sake will find itⁿ. 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.”

6.       Mt 24:30,34 - And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven;^o then too all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.^p (v. 30). I tell you solemnly, before this generation has passed away all these things will have taken place^t (v. 34). Footnote ^t – says This statement refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and not to the end of the world. In the course of his preaching Jesus probably made the distinction between these two things clearer, cf. 24:1+ and 16:28+.

7.       Mt 26:64  - ‘The words are your own,’ answered Jesus. ‘Moreover, I tell you that from this time onward you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven^u. Footnote  ^u  says “‘The Power’ is equivalent to ‘Yahweh’. At the critical moment Jesus abandons his policy of the ‘messianic secret’, cf. Mk 1:34+, and unequivocally acknowledges - as he had already acknowledged to his intimates, Mt 16:16 - that he is the Messiah. But he goes further and reveals himself, not as the human Messiah of traditional expectation but as the Lord of Ps 110, cf. Mt 22:41f, and the mysterious personage of heavenly origin whom Daniel had seen in vision, cf Mt 8:20+. Henceforth the Jews will not see him except in his glory which will be manifested first in the victory of the resurrection and subsequently in the victory of the Church. Cf 23:39 and 24:30.”

Verse 27 says: For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.ⁿ  Footnote  ⁿ says “‘his behavior’; var. ‘his works’.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 25:31 - When the Son of Man comes in glory,^e escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory (v. 31). Footnote ^e  says “The perspective changes: it is now a question of Christ’s last coming at the end of the world.”

2.       Jb 34:11…that he requites a man for what he does,^c treating each one as his way of life deserves. Footnote ^c  says Classical formulation of the doctrine of retribution. In the NT, this is usually referred to the Last Day.

3.       Ps 62:12…for you, Lord, to be loving; and for yourself repay man as his works deserve.^e Footnote ^e  says “Doctrine of individual retribution taught by the prophets (especially Ezekiel, 14:12+), the wisdom writers and the psalmists, 37:1+.”

4.       Jr 17:10 - I, Yahweh, search to the heart, I probe the loins,  to give each man what his conduct and his actions deserve.

5.       Zc 14:5 - And the Vale of Hinnom will be filled up from Goah to Jasol;^c it will be blocked as it wase^d by the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh your God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^e  Footnote ^c says “Text corr.”; Footnote ^d says  “‘It will be blocked as it was’ Greek; ‘you will flee as you fled’ Hebr.”; and Footnote ^e says  “‘your (thy) God’ corr; ‘my God’ Hebr. ‘with him’ Greek; ‘with thee’ Hebr.”

6.       2 Th 1:7…and reward you, who are suffering now, with the same peace as he will give us,^a when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with the angels of his power. Footnote  ^a says “Paul often compares his own situation with that of the churches he is writing to, cf. 1 Th 2:3; 1 Co 4:8; Ph 1:30, etc.”

The First Reading is taken from Jr 20:7-9.

Verses 7 and 8 say: You have seduced me, Yahweh, and I have left my self be seduced; you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.^d  I am a daily laughing stock, everybody’s butt. Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’ The word of Yahweh has meant for me insult, derision, all day long. Footnote ^d says “The images of seduction and struggle illustrate the power of Yahweh over his prophet.”

Parallel texts of verse 7 are:

1.       Jr 15:10 - Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land. I neither lend nor borrow, yet all of them curse me.

2.       Am 3:8 - The Lion roars: who can help feeling afraid? The Lord Yahweh speaks: who can refuse to prophesy?

3.       Lm 3:14- I have become the laughing-stock of my whole nation, their butt all day long.

Verse 9 says: I used to say, ‘I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name anymore’.  Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could  not bear it.^e Footnote  ^e says “‘bear it’ following Greek.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jr 23:29 - Does not my word burn like fire-it is Yahweh who speaks-is it not like a hammer^l shattering a rock? Footnote ^I  says “Text corr.”

2.       Jb 32:19-20 - I have a feeling in my heart like new wine seeking a vent, and bursting a brand-new wineskin (v. 19).ⁱ Nothing will bring relief but speech, I will op[en my mouth and give my answer (v. 20).

3.       Ac 4:20 - We cannot promise to stop proclaiming what we have seen and heard.

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 12:1-2.

Verse 1 says: Thinks of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings,^a by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God.  Footnote  ^a says “Or ‘in a spiritual way’, as opposed to the ritual sacrifices of Jews or pagans, cf. Ho 6:6. Cf. Rm 1:9.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       1 Th 4:1 - Finally, brothers, we urge you and appeal to you in the Lord Jesus^a to make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live: the life that God wants, as you learnt from us, and as you are already living it.^b Footnote  ^a  says “Paul speaks ‘in’ (v. 1) ‘by’ or ‘in the name of Christ, cf 4:15; 2 Th 3:6,12. His doctrine on moral behavior which is based on the earliest Christian teaching invests ordinary day-to-day life with a new depth: it has the seal of Christ on it, Col 3:18+.”; and Footnote ^b  says “Om. ‘and as you are already living it’.

2.       Rm 1:9 - The God I worship^f spiritually^g by preaching the good News of his Son knows that I never fail to mention you in my prayers. Footnote  ^f says “Lit. ‘I offer worship offered to God, cf. 15:16, like the Christian life itself, since both depend on charity, 12:1; Ph 2:17; 3:3; 4:18, Ac  13:2; 2 Tim 1:3; 4:6; Heb 9:14; 12:28; 13:15; 1 P 2:5.”; and Footnote ^g  says “By spirit (pneuma) Paul sometimes means the highest element in a human being, Rm 1:9; 8:16; 1 Co 2:11; 16:18; 2 Co 2:13; 7:13; Ga 6:18; Ph 4:23; Phm 25; 2 Tm 4:22; cf. Mt 5:3; 27:50; Mk 2:8; 8:12; Lk 1:47,80; 8:55; 23:46; Jn 4:23f; 11:33; 13:21; 19:30; Ac 7:59; 17:16; 18:25; 19:21. This  he distinguishes from the flesh, the lower element (1 Co 5:5; 2 Co 7:1; col. 2:5; cf. Mt 26:41p; 1 P 4:6; Rm 7:5), from the body (1 Co 5:3f; 7:34; cfJm 2:26; Rm 7:24), and from the psyche also (1 Th 5:23+; cf. Heb 4:12; Jude 19); it bears some relationship to nous (Rm 7:25; Ep 4:23) Cf also ‘dispositions of the spirit’ in 1 Co 4:2); 2 Co 12:18; Ga 6:1; Ph 1:27. By choosing this traditional term (Cf. Is. 11:2+) instead of the nous of the Greek  philosophers, the NT can suggest a deep affinity between the human spirit and the Spirit of God that stimulates and guides it, Rm 5:5+; Ac 1:8+. There are many texts where it is hard to tell whether it is the natural or supernatural spirit that is referred to, the personal or the indwelling spirit- cf. e.g. Rm 12:11; 2 Co 6:6; Ep 43:23; 6:18; Ph 3:3 var. Col 1:8, Jude 19, etc.”

Verse 2 says: Do not model yourselves on the behavior of the world around you, but let your behavior change, modeled by your new mind. This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good, what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Rm 8:14-18,26-27 - Everyone moved^h by the spirit is a son of God (v. 14). The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out ‘Abba, Father!’ⁱ (v. 15). The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God (v. 16). And if we are children, we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory (v. 17). I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us (v. 18). The Spirit too comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words (v. 26). And God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means, and that the pleas of the saints expressed by the Spirit are according to the mind of God^o (v. 27). Footnote ^h  says “‘led’ seems inadequate: the Holy Spirit is much more than one who inwardly admonishes, he is the principle of a life truly divine, cf. Ga. 2:20.”; Footnote ⁱ  says “The prayer of Christ in Gethsemane, Mk 14:36.”; and Footnote ^o  says “ Paul insists on the necessity of constant prayer (Rm. 12:12, Ep 6:18, Ph. 4:6, Col. 4:2, 1 Th. 8:17+, 1 Tm. 2:8, 5:5, cf. 1 Co. 7:5) taught by Jesus himself (Mt. 6:5+, 14:23+) and practiced by the early Christians (Ac. 2:42+). Paul is always praying for the faithful, 1 Co. 1:16, Ph. 1:4, Col. 1:3,9, 1 Th. 1:2, 3:10, 2 Th. 1:11, Phm. 4) and asks them to do the same for him (Rm. 15:30, 2 Co. 1:11, Ep. 6:19, PH. 1:19, Col. 4:3, 1 Th. 5:25, 1 TH. 3:1, Phm. 22, Heb. 13:18), and for each other (2 Cor. 9:14, Ep. 6:18, on prayer for sinners and the sick, cf. 1 Jn. 5:16, Jm. 5:13-16. These prayers must ask for growth in holiness but also for the removal of all external (1 Th. 2:18 and 3:10; Rm. 1:10) and internal (2 Co. 12:8-9), obstacles to it; we have to pray too, for the orderly conduct of the country’s business (1 Tm. 2:1-2). Paul lays special stress on prayers of thanksgiving (Ep. 5:4; Ph. 4:6, Col. 2:4, 4:2, 1 Th. 5:18, , 1 Tm. 2:1) for every gift of God (Ep. 5:20, Col. 3:17) and particularly for the food God gives us (Rm. 14:6, 1 Co.10:31, 1 Tm. 4:3-5); he begins all his own letters with a prayer of thanks (Rm. 1:8, etc.) and he wants the spirit of gratitude to pervade all the Christian’s dealing with each other (1 Co. 14:17, 2 Co. 1:11, 4:15, 9:11-22). In liturgical gatherings prayers of thanksgiving and praise must predominate (1 Co.11:14) and these sentiments must inspire the hymns that the Christians compose for these occasions (Ep. 5:19, Col. 3:16). It is the Holy Spirit who inspires the prayer of the Christians and Paul prefers to emphasize this rather than repeat the traditional Wisdom themes, namely the necessary conditions for prayer and its efficaciousness (cf. Jm. 1:5-8, 4:2-3, 5:16-18, 1 Jn. 3”22, 5:14-16) which Paul guarantees by the presence of the spirit of Christ within the Christian, enabling him to pray as a son to his father (Rm. 8:15, 26-27); Ga. 4:6, cf. 6:18; Jude 20), while Christ himself intercedes at the right hand of God (Rm. 8:34, cf. Heb. 7:25, 1 Jn. 2:1). The Father’s response is therefore most generous (Ep. 3:10). Hence Christians are called ‘those who invoke the name of Jesus Christ’ (1 Co. 1:2, cf. Rm. 10:9-13, 2 Tm. 2:22, Jm. 2:7, Ac. 9:14,21, 22:16). On the attitude to be adapted when praying, cf. 1 Co. 11:14-16, 1 Tm. 2:8”.

2.       Ep 4:23 - Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual revolution…

ROCK OF CEPHAS - 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 16:13-20(Gospel), Is 22:15,19-23(First Reading) and Rm 11:33-36 (Second Reading)

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

ROCK OF CEPHAS

“‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ meaning Rock” (Jn 1:42)

The Gospel for this 21^stSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 16:13-20. The first title is

“Peter’s profession of faith; his pre-eminence.” Parallel texts for this title are:

1.       Mk 8:27-30 - Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” (v. 27).And they told him, ‘John the Baptist,’  they said ‘others Elijah’, others again, one of the prophets (v. 28).’  “But you,’ he asked,‘ who do you say I am?” Peter spoke up and said to him, “You are the Christ (v. 29).” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him (v. 30).

2.       Lk 9:18-30 - Peter’s profession of faith^c. Now one day when he was praying alone in the  presence of his disciples he put this question to them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” (v. 18) And they answered, “John the Baptist; others Elijah; and others say one of the ancient prophets come back to life’ (v. 19). ‘But you,’ he said them, “who do you say I am?” It was Peter who spoke up, ‘The Christ of God’ he said (v. 20). But he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone anything about this (v. 21).  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 (v. 22). 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). What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self (v. 25)? 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 (v. 26). ‘I tell you truly, there some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God’ (v. 27). The Transfiguration^e Now about eight days after this had been said, he took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray (v. 28). As he prayed, the aspect of his face changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning (v. 29). Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah (v. 30). Footnote ^c says “Lk has left out a whole section of Mk (6:45-8:26).”;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.”; and Footnote ^e says “One of the narratives in which Lk most widely differs from Mk, It is clear that Lk. had his own source of information (John?).”

Verses 13 and 14 say: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, “Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

Parallel texts of verse 14 are:

1.       Mt 8:20 - Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man^h has nowhere to lay his head.’ Footnote ^h says “With the exception of Ac 7:56, Rv 1:13; 14:14; this title appears only in the  gospels. There is no doubt that Jesus used it of himself, and indeed preferred it to others. At times he uses it to express his lowly state, 8:20; 11:19; 20:28, especially the humiliation of the Passion, 17:22, etc. At others times it is used to proclaim the definitive triumph of his resurrection, 17:9, of his return in glory, 24:30; of his coming in judgment, 25:31. That this title, Aramaic in flavor, could bring together these seemingly  opposed qualities is clear from the following considerations. The phrase originally meant ‘man’, Ezk. 2:1+, and by reason of its unusual and indirect form it underlined the lowliness of man’s state. But the title suggested glory, too. It was used in Dn 7:13+, and later in the Jewish apocalyptic Book of Enoch, to indicate the transcendent figure, heavenly in origin, who was to receive from God’s hand the eschatological kingdom (the kingdom ‘at the end of times’). In this way therefore the title both veiled and hinted at (cf. Mk. 1:34+; Mt. 13:13+) the sort of Messiah Jesus was. Moreover, the explicit avowal in the presence of the Sanhedrin, 26:64+, should have removed all ambiguity.”

2.       Mt 14:2 - and said to his court, “This is John the Baptist himself; he has been risen from the dead, that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.’

Verse 16 says: Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’^d Footnote  ^d says “In Mt Peter acknowledges not only that Jesus is the Messiah but also that he is the Son of God: this second title is not found in Mk and Lk. Cf. also 14:33 with Mk 6:51f. Cf Mt 4:3+.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jn 6:69…and we believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God’^s. Footnote ^s says “i.e. the Messiah, God’s chosen envoy, consecrated and united in him uniquely, cf. 10:36; 17:19. Var. ‘you are the Christ, the Son of God’ or ‘the Son of the living God’, cf. Mt 16:16.”

2.       Mt 4:3+ - and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,^c tell 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.”

3.       Mt 14:33 - The men on the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God’.

Verse 17 says: Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood^e that 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.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Rm 7:5 - Before our conversions our sinful passions, quite unsubdued by the Law, fertilized our bodies to make them give birth to death.

2.       Ep 6:12 - For it is not against human enemies that we have^d  to struggle, but against Sovereignties and the Powers who originate the darkness in the world, the spiritual army of evil in the heavens.^e  Footnote^d says “Var. ‘you have’.”; and Footnote^e says “These are the spirits who were thought to move the stars and, consequently, the universe. They lived in ‘the heavens’, 1:20f; 3:10; 3:10; Ph 2:10, or in ‘the air’, 2:2, i.e. the space between the surface of the earth and the heaven where God lives. Some of them are among the ‘elemental principles of the world’, Ga 4:3. They disobeyed God and want to enslave the human race to themselves in sin 2:2. We used to be their slaves but Christ came to free us, 1:21; Col 1:13; 2:15,20, and if Christians are armed with the power of Christ, they will be able to fight them.”

3.       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.”

Verse 18 says: So I now say to you, you are Peter^f and upon this rock I will build my Church.^g And the gates of the underworld^h can never hold out against it. Footnote  ^fsays “Neither the Greek word petros nor even, as it seems, its Aramaic equivalent kephas (rock) was used as a person’s name before Jesus conferred it on the apostles’ leader to symbolize the part he was to play in the foundation of the Church. This change of name had possibly been made earlier, cf. Jn. 1:42; Mk. 3:16; Lk. 6:14.”; Footnote ^g says “The Hebr. qahal which the Greek renders ekklesia means ‘an assembly called together’; it is used frequently in the OT to indicate the community of the Chosen People, especially the community of the desert period, cf. Ac. 7:38. Certain Jewish groups (among them the Essenes of Qumran) regarded themselves as the chosen remnant of Israel (Is. 4:3+), which was to survive in the latter days. These had also used the term that Jesus now adopts to indicate the messianic community, the community of the ‘new alliance’ sealed with his blood, Mt. 26:28+; Ep. 5:25. By using the term ‘assembly’ side by side with that of the kingdom of heaven, Mt. 4:17+, Jesus shows that this eschatological community (community of the end times) is to have its beginning here on earth in the form of an organized society whose leader he now appoints, Cf. Ac. 5:11+; 1 Co. 1:2+.”; and Footnote ^h says “Greek: Hades: Hebrew: Sheol, the dwelling place of the Dead, cf. Nb. 16:33 +. Here its personified ‘gates’ suggest the powers of evil which first lead man into the death which is sin and then imprison him once for all in eternal death. The Church’s task will be to rescue the elect from death’s dominion, from the death of the body and above all from eternal death, so that it may lead them into the kingdom of heaven, cf. Col 1:13; 1 Co 15:26: Rv. 6:8; 20:13. In this the church follows its Master who died, descended into the underworld, cf. 1 P. 3:19+, and rose again. Ac. 2:27,31.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 28:16 - That is why the Lord Yahweh says this: See how I lay in Zion a stone of witness, a precious cornerstone,  a foundation stone: The believer shall not stumble.

2.       Jn 1:42 - and he took Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked hard at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John; you are to be called Cephas’ meaning Rock.

Verse  19 says: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatsoever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatsoever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.ⁱ

Footnote  ^I says “The City of God, like the City of Death, has its gates too; they grant entrance only to those who are worthy of it. Peter has the keys. It is his function, therefore, to open or close to all who would come to the kingdom of heaven through the Church. ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ are technical rabbinic terms; primarily they have a disciplinary reference; one is ‘bound’ (condemned to) o ‘loosed’ (absolved from) excommunication. Their secondary usage is connected with doctrinal or juridical decisions: an opinion is ‘bound’ (forbidden) or ‘loosed’ {allowed). Of the household of God Peter is controller (the keys symbolize this, cf. Is. 22:22). In that capacity, he is to exercise the disciplinary power of admitting or excluding those he thinks fit; he will also, in the administration of the community, make necessary decision in questions of doctrinal belief and of moral conduct. The verdicts he deliver or the pronouncements he makes will be ratified by God in heaven. Catholic exegetes maintain that these enduring promises hold good not only for Peter himself but also for Peter’s successors. This inference, not explicitly drawn in the text, is considered legitimate because Jesus plainly intends to provide for his Church’s future by establishing a regime that will not collapse after Peter’s death. Two other texts, Lk 22:31f and Jn. 21:15f, on Peter’s primacy emphasize that its operation is to be in the domain of faith; they also indicate that this makes him head not only of the Church after the death of Christ but of the apostolic group then and there.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Mt 18:18 - ‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.^j Footnote ^j says “i.e. ‘outcast’, ‘excommunicate’.”

2.       Is 22:22 - I place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open.

3.       Lk 22:32 - but I have prayed for you, Simon, that your own faith may not fail,  and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers.

4.       Jn 20:23 - For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.

5.       Rv 3:7 - Write to the angel of the church of Philadelphia and say, “Here is the message of the holy and faithful one who has the key of David, so that when he opens, nobody can close, and when he closes, nobody can open:

Verse 20 says: Then he gave his disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ^j. Footnote  ^j says “Vulg. ‘Jesus Christ’.”

Parallel text is Mk 1:34that says: And he cured many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another; he also cast out many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew who he was.ⁱ Footnote ⁱ says “Jesus forbids the news that he is the Messiah to be spread by the devils, 1:25,34; 3:12, by those he cured, 1:44; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26, even by the apostles, 8:30; 9:9. The silence is not to be broken till after his death, Mt. 10:27+. Since the prevailing idea of the Messiah was nationalistic and warlike, in sharp contrast with his own ideal, Jesus had to be very careful, at least on Israelite soil, cf. 5:19, to avoid giving a false and dangerous impression of his mission, cf. Jn. 6:15; Mt. 13:13+. This policy of silence (‘the messianic secret’) is not an invention of Mk’s, as some have claimed, but is in fact Christ’s own, though Mark has given it a special emphasis. With the exception of Mt. 9:30, Mt. and Lk. record the injunction to silence only in passages which are parallel with Mk, frequently omitting it even in these cases.”

The First Reading is taken from Is 22:15,19-23.

Verses 15, 19 to 21 say: Thus says the Lord Yahweh Sabaoth: Now go to the steward, to Shebna, the master of the palace...I dismiss you from your office, I^k remove you from your post, and the same day I shall on my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I invest him with your robe, gird him with your sash, entrust him with your authority; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Footnote  ^k says ‘I’ versions’ ‘he’ Hebr.”

Parallel text of verse 15 are:

1.       Is 36:3,11,22 - The master of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna the secretary and the herald Joah son of Asaph went out to meet him (v. 3). Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the cupbearer-in-chief, ‘Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; do not speak to us in the Judaean language within earshot of the people on the ramparts’ (v. 11). The master of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna the secretary and the herald Joah son of Asaph, with their garments torn, went to Hezekiah and reported what the cupbearer-in-chief had said.

2.       2 K 18:18,26,37 - He summoned the king. The master of the palace, Eliakim son of Hilkiah, Shebna the secretary and the herald Joah son of Asaph went out to him.

Verse 22 says: I place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; should he open, no one shall close, should he close, no one shall open. I drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a throne of glory for his father’s house.^l  Footnote  ^l says Probably for sacrifices or banquets to celebrate a victory of Hezekiah or the inauguration of the fortifications.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Mt 16:19 - I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatsoever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatsoever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.ⁱ Footnote  ⁱ says “The City of God, like the City of Death, has its gates too; they grant entrance only to those who are worthy of it. Peter has the keys. It is his function, therefore, to open or close to all who would come to the kingdom of heaven through the Church. ‘bind’ and ‘loose’ are technical rabbinic terms; primarily they have a disciplinary reference; one is ‘bound’ (condemned to) o ‘loosed’ (absolved from) excommunication. Their secondary usage is connected with doctrinal or juridical decisions: an opinion is ‘bound’ (forbidden) or ‘loosed’ {allowed). Of the household of God Peter is controller (the keys symbolize this, cf. Is. 22:22). In that capacity, he is to exercise the disciplinary power of admitting or excluding those he thinks fit; he will also, in the administration of the community, make necessary decision in questions of doctrinal belief and of moral conduct. The verdicts he deliver or the pronouncements he makes will be ratified by God i heaven. Catholic exegetes maintain that these enduring promises hold good not only for Peter himself but also for Peter’s successors. This inference, not explicitly drawn in the text, is considered legitimate because Jesus plainly intends to provide for his Church’s future by establishing a regime that will not collapse after Peter’s death. Two other texts, Lk. 22:31f and Jn. 21:15f, on Peter’s primacy emphasize that its operation is to be in the domain of faith; they also indicate that this makes him head not only of the Church after the death of Christ but of the apostolic group then and there.”

2.       Rv 3:7 - Write to the angel of the church of Philadelphia and say, “Here is the message of the holy and faithful one who has the key of David, so that when he opens, nobody can close, and when he closes, nobody can open…

3.       Jb 12:14 - What he destroys, none can rebuild; whom he imprisons, none can release.

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 11:33-36.

Verse 33 says: How rich are the depths of God-how deep his wisdom and knowledge-and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods!

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Jdt 8:14 - If you cannot sound the depths of the hearts of man or unravel the arguments of his mind, how can you fathom the God who made all things, or sound his mind or unravel his purposes? No, brothers, do not provoke the anger of the Lord our God.

2.       Jb 11:6…were he to show you the secrets of wisdom which puts all cleverness to shame-you would know it is for sin he calls you to account .^b Footnote ^b says ‘he calls you to account’ corr.; ‘God makes you forget’ Hebr.

3.       Ps 139:6,17-18 - Such knowledge is beyond my understanding, a height to which my mind cannot attain (v. 6). …occured.^j God, how hard it is to grasp your thoughts! How impossible to count them! (v. 17) I could no more count them than I could the sand, and suppose I could,^k you would still be with me (v. 18).^l Footnote  ^j says “Lit. ‘appeared’ conj.”; Footnote ^k says “Lit. ‘when I reach the end’ 3 MSS; ‘when I awake’ Hebr.”; and Footnote ^l says “Either ‘I should still be conscious of God’s presence’; or ‘I should still be faced with the mystery of God’.”

Verse 34 says: Who can ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counselor?”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 40:13 - Who could have advised the spirit of Yahweh, what counselor could have instructed him?

2.       1 Co 2:11 - After all, the depths of a man can only be known by his own spirit, not by any other man, and in the same way the depths of God can only be known by the Spirit of God.

Verse 35 says: Who could give him anything or lend him anything?

Parallel text is Jb 41:3 that says: Who can attack him with impunity? No one beneath all heaven.

Verse 36 says: All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       1 Co 8:6 - Still for us there is one God, the Father, from all things come and for whom we exist; and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, though whom all things come through whom we exist.

2.       Col 1:16-17…for him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, Thrones, Dominations, Sovereignties, Powers - all things were created through him and for him (v. 16). Before anything was created, he existed, and he hold all things in unity.

3.       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.”

SCRAPS FROM THE CHILDREN’S TABLE - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

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

Based on Mt 15:21-28 (Gospel), Is 56:1, 6-7 (First Reading) and Rm11:13-15, 29-32 (Second Reading)

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

SCRAPS FROM THE CHILDREN’S TABLE

“The housedogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps’’ (Mk 7:28)

The Gospel for this   20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 15:21-28 under the title “Daughter of the Canaanite woman healed.” Parallel text is Mk 7:24-30 that says:  He left that place and set out for the territory of Tyre.^g There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognized (v. 24). A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and fell at his feet (v. 25). Now the woman was a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician, and she begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter (v. 26). And he said to her, ‘The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the housedogs’ (v. 27). But she spoke up: ‘Ah yes, sir’ she replied ‘but the housedogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps’ (v. 28). And he said to her, ‘For saying this, you may go home happy; the devil has gone out of your daughter’ (v. 29). So she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone (v. 30). Footnote ^g  says “Add. ‘and Sidon’, cf. Mt15:21.”

Verses 21 and 22 say: Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district^g and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My  daughter is tormented by the devil.’ Footnote  ^g says “Since the woman has left pagan territory it is in Israel that Jesus grants his favor.”

Parallel texts of verse 22 are:

1.       Mt 9:27 - As Jesus went on his way two blind men followed him shouting, ‘Take pity on us, Son of David’.^m Footnote ^m says  “Messianic title, 2 S. 7:1+; cf. Lk. 1:32; Ac 2:30; Rm. 1:3. It was familiar as such to the Jews, Mk. 12:35; Jn. 7:42, and Matthew in particular emphasizes its application to Jesus (1:1; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30p; 29:9, 15) who was slow to welcome the title because it involved a purely human notion of the Messiah, Mt. 22:41-46; cf. Mk. 1:34+. He preferred the more obscure title ‘Son of Man’, 8:20.”

2.       Mt 8:28 - When he reached the country of the Gadarenesⁱ on the other side, two demoniacs came towards him out of the tombs-creatures so fierce that no one…Footnote ⁱ says “The district got its name from the town of Gadara to the SE of the Lake. The Var. ‘Gerasenes’ (Mk, Lk and Vulg. Mt) derives from the name of another town (Gerasa or possibly Chorsia); the variant ‘Gergasenes’ is the result of a conjecture of Origen.”

Verse 23 says: But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, “Give her what she wants”^h, they said, “because she is shouting after us. Footnote  ^h says “Not ‘send her away’ simply: the Greek verb here means ‘let her go with her request granted’ as in 18:27; 27:15.”

Parallel text of verse 23 is Lk 11:8 that says: I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

Verse 24 to 27 say: He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’. But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs’.ⁱ  She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even housedogs can eat the scarps that fall from their master’s table’. Footnote  ⁱ says  “Christ must first devote himself to the salvation of the Jews (‘children’ of God and of the promises) before turning to the pagans who, to the Jewish mind, were ‘dogs’. Much of the sting is taken out of the epithet here by the fact that Jesus is using a term blunted by repeated use; moreover he adopts its diminutive form (little or pet dogs).”

Parallel texts of verse 24 are:

1.       Mt 10:6 - Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.^d  Footnote ^d says “Hebraism common in the Bible: the people of Israel. As heirs to the Choice and Promise, the Jews are to be the first to receive the offer of the Messiah’s saving work; but cf. Ac 8:5; 13:5+.”

2.       Rm 15:8 - The reason Christ became the servant of circumcised Jews was not only so that God could faithfully carry out the promises made to the patriarchs…

Verse 28 says: Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith, Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

Parallel text of verse 28 is Mt 8:10 that says: When Jesus heard this, he was astonished  and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith^b like this. Footnote   ^b  says “The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miracles unless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”

The First Reading is taken from Is 56:1, 6-7 under the title: “Yahweh welcomes converts from paganism”.^b Footnote ^b says  “The oracle probably dates from the period following the return from exile. The author’s perspective is not narrow: he proclaims that foreign proselytes ought to be admitted into the community, on condition that they submit to the ritual requirements of Yahwism.”

Verses 1 and 6 say: Thus says Yahweh: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest. Foreigners who have attached themselves to Yahweh to serve him and to love his name and be his servants-all who observe the Sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant -

Parallel text of Chapter 56, verse 1 are:

1.       Is 45:6…that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that, apart from me, all is nothing.

2.       Is 46:13 - I bring my victory near, already it is close, my salvation will not be late. I will give salvation to Zion, my glory shall be for Israel.

3.       Is 51:6-8 - Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look down at the earth. The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants die like vermin, but my salvation shall last forever and my justice have no end.^d Listen to me, you know what integrity means, people who take my laws to heart: do not fear the taints of men, nor be dismayed by their insults (v. 7). For the moth shall eat them like garment, the grub devour them like wool; but my integrity will remain forever, and my salvation for all generations (v. 8). Footnote ^d says “‘have no end’ corr. following Greek and Lat.”

4.       Ps 106:3 - Happy are we if we exercise justice and constantly practice justice!

Verse 7 says: These I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocaust and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 57:13 - When you cry, let your hateful idols^l save you! The wind will carry them all away, a breath will take them off. But whoever trusts in me shall inherit the land and own my holy mountain. Footnote ^l says “‘hateful idols’ following Targ.; ‘assembled (idols)’ Hebr.”

2.       1 K 8:41-43 - And the foreigner too, not belonging to your people Israel, if he comes from a distant country for the sake of your name (v. 41)- for men will hear your name, of your mighty hand and outstretched arm-if he comes and prays in this Temple (v. 42), hear from heaven where your home is, and grant all the foreigner asks, so that all the peoples of the  earth may come to know every heart,-you alone know the hearts of all mankind-and so they may come to revere you as long as they live in the land you gave to our fathers (v. 40).

3.       Ps 15:1- Yahweh, who has the right to enter your tent, or to live on your holy mountain?

4.       Mt 21:13p  - ‘According to scripture’ he said ‘my house will be called a house of prayer; but you are turning it into a robbers’ den.’

5.       Mk 11:17 - And he taught them and said, ‘Does not scripture say: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples?^a But you have turning it into a robbers’ den.’ Footnote ^a says “Of the Synoptics, only Mk. quotes, no doubt deliberately, these last four words of Isaiah’s text: they foretell the worldwide worship of the  messianic age.”

6.       Lk 19:46  - ‘According to scripture’ he said ‘my house will be called a house of prayer. But you are turning it into a robbers’ den.’

The Second Reading is taken from Rm11:13-15, 29-32.

Verses 13, 14, 15 and 29 say: Let me tell you pagans^e this: Is have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent, But the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them. Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead!^f God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. Footnote  ^e says  “I.e. converts to Christianity from paganism. Thus even as apostle of the gentiles Paul is working for the salvation of his own people (lit. his ‘flesh’).”; and Footnote ^f  says  “This sentence has been variously interpreted. The meaning seems to be that id a comparison may be drawn between the conversion of the pagans and ‘the reconciliation of the world’ (the first stage in the redemption plan), the conversion of Israel will be such a favor from God that it could be compared only with the final resurrection (the second stage). I this is true, Paul is thinking of the general resurrection at the end of time; but he does not say that this is to take place immediately after Israel’s conversion. On the other hand some translate ‘life from those who were dead’.”

Parallel text of verse 29 are:

1.       Nb 23:19 - God is no man that he should lie, no son of Adam to draw back., who feels regret. Is it his to say and not do, to speak and not fulfill?

2.       1 S 15:29  - (And yet the glory of Israel will not lie or go back on his word, for he is not a man t go back on his word.)

3.       Is 54:10…for the mountains may depart, the hills may be shaken, but my love for you will never leave you and my covenant of peace with you will never be shaken, says Yahweh who takes pity on you.

Verses 30 and 31 say: Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because  of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now-and only because of the mercy shown to you-all also enjoy mercy eventually.

Parallel text of verse 31 is Rm 11:11 that says: Let me put another question then: have the Jews for ever, or have they just stumbled?^c Obviously they have not fallen forever: their fall, though, has saved the pagans^d in a way the Jews may now well emulate. Footnote   ^c says “Lit ‘have they stumbled so as to fall (without hope of rising)?’”; and Footnote ^d says “The present unbelief of the Jews is only a false step which God has permitted with a view to the conversion of the pagans, 9:22; 11:12,19,25,30, and ultimately the Jews themselves; for their own good God will make them ‘jealous’, 10:19, of the pagans.”

Verse 32 says: God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       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?

2.       Ga 3:22…but it is not: scripture makes no exceptions when it says that sin is master everywhere. In this way the promise can only be given through faith in Jesus Christ and can only be given to those who have this faith.^m   Footnote ^m says “Justification is a free gift: to receive this gift a person must first recognize that it is not the payment of a debt.”

3.       Rm 3:9 - Well: are we any better off?^e Not at all: as we said before Jews and Greeks are all under sin’s dominion. Footnote ^e says “Disputed translation: some prefer ‘what excuse than can we offer?’ or ‘Are we worse off, then?’”

4.       Rm 5:20 - When lawⁿ came, it was to multiply the opportunities of falling, but however great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater…Footnote ⁿ says “‘law’ without the definite article, i.e. a state of things in which law is the governing factor.”

WALKS ON THE WATER - 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Homily for the 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Based on Mt 14:22-33 (Gospel), 1 K 19:9, 11-13 (First Reading) and Rm 9:1-5 (Second Reading)

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

 WALKS ON THE WATER

“He went towards them, walking on the lake” (Mt 14:25).

The Gospel for this  19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time  (Cycle A) is taken from Mt 14:22-33. The title is “Jesus walks on water.” Parallel texts are:

1.       Mk 6:45-52 - Directly after this he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to Bethsaida,^e while he himself sent the crowd away (v. 45). After saying good-bye to them he went off into the hills to pray (v. 46). When evening came, the boat was far out on the lake, and he was alone on the land (v. 47). He could see they were worn out with rowing, for the wind was against them; and about the fourth watch of the night he came towards them, walking on the lake. He was going to pass them by (v. 48), but when they saw him walking on the lake they thought it was a ghost and cried out (v. 49); for they had all seen him and were terrified. But he at once spoke to them, and said, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid (v. 50)’ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind dropped. They were utterly and completely dumbfounded (v. 51), because they had not seen what the miracle of the loaves meant; their minds were closed (v. 52). Footnote ^e says “Add. ‘on the other side of the boat’, cf. Mt 14:22.”

2.       Jn 6:16-21 - That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the lake and (v. 16) got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the lake. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them (v. 17). The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough (v. 18). They had rowed three of four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming towards the boat. This frightened them (v. 19), but he said, ‘It is I. Do not be afraid.’^c (v. 20) They were for taking him into the boat, but in no time it reached the shore at the place they were making for (v. 21). Footnote ^c  says “Or ‘Do not be afraid’.

Verse 22 and 23 say: Directly after this, he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…

Parallel texts of verse 23 are:

1.       Mk 1:35 - In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to  lonely place and prayed there.

2.       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’.”

Verses 24 to 30 say: while the boat, by now far out on the lake,^e was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night^f he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I!’ It was Peter^g who answered, ‘Lord’ he said ‘if it is you tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord, save me!’ he cried. Footnote  ^e  says “Cf. Mk. 6:47; var. ‘some furlongs from land’, cf. Jn. 6:19.”; Footnote ^f  says “3 to 6 a.m.”; and Footnote ^g says “Matthew deliberately punctuates the narrative section of his ‘eschatological book’ with three episodes featuring Peter: this passage, 16:16-20 and 17:24-27.”

Parallel text of verse 24 is Jn 7:21 that says: Jesus answered, ‘One work I did, and you are all surprised by it.

Verses 31 and 32 say: Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ As soon as they got into the boat the wind dropped.

Parallel texts of verse 31 are:

1.       Mt 8:25-26 - So they went to him and woke him saying, ‘Save us, Lord, we are going down!’ (v. 25). And he said to them, ‘Why are you s frightened, you men of little faith?’ And with that he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and all was calm again (v. 26).

2.       Mt 8:10 - When Jesus heard this, he was astonished  and said to those following him, ‘I tell you solemnly, nowhere in Israel have I found faith^b like this. Footnote   ^b says “The faith that Jesus asks for from the outset of public life (Mk. 1:15) and throughout his subsequent career, is that act of trust and self-abandonment by which people no longer rely on their own strength and policies but commit themselves to the power and guiding word of him in whom they believe (Lk. 1:20,45; Mt. 21:25p,32). Christ asks for this faith especially when he works his miracles(8:13; 9:2p; 22p, 28-29; 15:28; Mk 5:36p;10:52p; Lk 17:19) which are not so much acts of mercy as signs attesting his mission and witnessing to the kingdom (8:3+; cf. Jn 2:11+), hence he cannot work miracles unless he finds the faith without which the miracle lose their true significance (13:58p; 12;38-39; 16:1-4). Since the faith demands the sacrifice of the whole man, mind and heart, it is not an easy act of humility to perform; many decline it, particularly in Israel (8:10p; 15:28; 27:42p; Lk 18;8), or are half-hearted (Mk 9;24; Lk 8;13). Even the disciples are slow to believe (8:26p; 14;31; 18;8; 17:20p) and are still reluctant after the resurrection (28;17; Mk 16:11-14; Lk 24;11,25,41). The most generous faith of all, of the ‘Rock’ (16:16-18), the disciples leader, was destined to the shaken by the outrage of the Passion (26:69-75p) though it was to triumph in the end (Lk 22:32). When faith is strong it works wonders (17:20p; 21:21p; Mk 16:17) and its appeal is never refused (21:22p; Mk 9:23) especially when it asks for forgiveness of sin (9:2p; Lk 7:50) and for that salvation of which it is the necessary condition (Lk 8;12; Mk 16:16, cf. Ac 3:16+).”

Verse 33 says: The men on the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God’.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Mt 4:3… and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God,^c tell 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 16:16 - Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ’ he said ‘the Son of the living God’^d Footnote    ^d says “In Mt Peter acknowledges not only that Jesus is the Messiah but also that he is the Son of God: this second title is not found in Mk and Lk. Cf. also 14:33 with Mk 6:51f. Cf Mt 4:3+.”

The First Reading is taken from  1 K 19:9, 11-13.

Verse 9 says: There he went into a cave^c and spent the night in it. Then the word of Yahweh came to him saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ Footnote  ^c says “The ‘crevice of the rock’ where Moses crouched when God appeared, Ex 33:22.”

Parallel text of verse 9 is Si 48:7 that says: …hearing reproof on Sinai, and decrees of punishment on Horeb…

Verses 11 and 12 say: Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh’. Then Yahweh himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before Yahweh. But Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But Yahweh was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound a gentle breeze.^e Footnote  ^e says “The storm, earthquake, and lightning, which in Ex 19 manifested God’s presence, are here only the heralds of his coming. The whisper of a light breeze signifies that God is a spirit and that he converses intimately with his prophets; it does not mean that God’s dealings are gentle and unperceived-this common interpretation is refuted by the terrible commission of vv.16-17.

Parallel texts of verse 11 are:

1.       Ex 13:22 - The pillar of cloud never  failed to go before the people during the day, nor the pillar of fire during the night.^f Footnote^f  says “In the Pentateuch we find the divine presence manifested in various ways: the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire (‘Yahwistic’ tradition); the ‘dark mist’ and the cloud (‘Elohistic’ tradition); finally coupled wioth the cloud, the ‘glory’ of Yahweh’, 24:16+, a consuming fire which moves as God moves (‘Priestly’ tradition), cf. 19:16+. Mystical theology makes much of these ideas or images.”

2.       Ex 19:16 - Now as daybreak on the third day there were peals of thunder on the mountain and lightning flashes, a dense cloud, and a loud trumpet blast, and inside the camp all the people trembled.

Verse 13 says: And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him, which said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Gn 3:8 - The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in eth garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

2.       Jb 4:16 - Someone stood there-I could not see his face, but the form remained before me. Silence-and then I heard a Voice…

3.       Ex 3:6 - I am the God of your father,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.^e Footnote ^e says “God’s majesty is such that no man can gaze on it and live.”

4.       Ex 33:20  - ‘You cannot see my face’ he said ‘for man cannot see me and live.’^I Footnote ⁱ  says “God’s sanctity is so removed from man’s unworthiness, see Lv 17:1+, that man must perish if he looks on God, cf. Ex 19:21; Lv 16:2; Nb 4:20, or even hears his voice, Ex. 20:19; Dt. 5:24-26 and 18:16. For this reason Moses, Ex. 3:6, Elijah, 1 K 19:13, and even the seraphim, Is 6:2, cover their faces in his presence. The man who remain alive after seeing God is overwhelmed with astonishment and gratitude, Gn 32:31; Dt 5:24, and with awe, Jg 6:22-23; 13:22, Is. 6:5. It is a favor God rarely concedes, Ex 24:11; he grants ‘it to Moses his ‘friend’, Ex 33:11; Nb 12:7-8; Dt 34:10, and to Elijah, 1 K 19:11f, the two who looked on the New Testament theophany, the transfiguration of Christ, Mt. 17:3p. Hence, in Christian tradition Moses and Elijah (together with Apostle Paul, 2 Co 12:1f) are the three pre-eminent mystics. In the New Testament the ‘glory’ of God, cf. 33:18 and 24:16+, is manifested in Jesus, Jn 1:14+; 11:40, who alone has gazed on the Father, Jn 1:18, 6:46; 1 Jn 4:12. Man cannot look on God’s face except in heaven, Mt 5:8; 1 Jn 3:2, 1 Co 13:12.”

The Second Reading is taken from Rm 9:1-5.

Verse1 says: What I want to say now is no pretense; I say it in union with Christ-it is the truth-my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too.

Parallel text is 2 Co 11:29 that says: When any man has had scruples, I have had scruples with him; when any man is made to fall, I am tortured.

Verse 2 says: What I want to say is this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless,

Parallel text is 2 Co 12:7 that says: In view of the extraordinary nature of these revelations, to stop me from getting  too proud I was given a thorn in the flesh,^d an angel of Satan to beat me and stop me from getting too proud! ^e Footnote  ^d  says “Perhaps a disease with severe and unforeseeable attacks; perhaps the resistance of Israel, Paul’s brothers according to the flesh’, to the Christian faith.”; and Footnote ^e says “O. ‘or I might get too proud’. Possibly also the beginning of v. 7 ‘and for fear…make me too proud’ should be read as the conclusion of v. 6. The clause is awkwardly phrased and the text critically uncertain.”

Verse 3 says: I would willingly be condemned b and be cut off from Christ if it could help me brothers of Israel, ^c my own flesh and blood.

Footnote  ^c says “Lit. anathema, a thing accursed, under a ban, cf. Jos 6:17+ and Lv 27:28+.”

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ex 32:32 - And yet, if it pleased you to forgive this sin of theirs…! But if not, then blot me out from the book that you have written.

2.       Ga 1:9 - I am only repeating what we told you before: if anyone preaches a version of the Good News different from the one you have already heard, he is to be continued. 

Verse 4 says: They were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ep 2:12…do not forget, I say, that you had no Christ^g and were excluded from membership of Israel, aliens with no part in the covenants with their Promise,^h you were immersed in the world, without hopeⁱ and without God.^j Footnote ^g  says “I.e. ‘you had no Messiah.’”; Footnote ^h says “The successive covenants made by God with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David etc.; cf. Ex 19:1+; Lv 26:42,45; Si 44-45; Ws 18:22; 2 M 8:15; Rm 9:4.”; Footnote ⁱ  says “The pagans had many gods but not the one true God, 1 Co 8:5f.”; and Footnote ^j says “The wall separating the court of the Jews from the court of the pagans in the Temple, cf. Ac 21:28f.”

2.       1 Th 2:8 - We  felt so devoted and protective towards you, and had come to love you much, that we were eager to hand over to you not only the Good News but whole lives well.

3.       Rm 3:1-2 - Well then, is a Jew any better off?^a Is there any advantage in being circumcised? A great advantage in every way. First, the Jews are the people to whom God’s message was entrusted. What if some of them were unfaithful? Will their lack of fidelity cancel God’s fidelity? Footnote ^a says “There is one further argument in favour of the Jews: if Israel if the people chosen by God to receive the promise, then how can there be any other way to salvation? Later, ch. 9-11, Paul develops at great length the brief answer he gives here: however much humans are unfaithful to the pact, this cannot abrogate God’s promises; indeed the way humans behave only makes the promises more remarkable, a fact however which does not stop God being angry with the sinner (v. 6), or absolve his sin (v.8). The dialogue used here seems it may echo some of Paul’s debates in the synagogues.” 

Verse 5 says: They descended from the patriarchs, and from their flesh and blood came Christ who is above all, God forever blessed.^d Amen. Footnote  ^d says “Both the context and the internal development of the sentence imply that this doxology is addressed to Christ, Paul rarely gives Jesus the title ‘God’ though, cf Tt 2:13, or addresses a doxology to him, cf. Heb 13:21, but this is because he usually keeps this title to the Father, cf Rm 15:6, etc., and considers the divine persons not so much with an abstract appreciation of their nature as with a concrete appreciation of their functions in the process of salvation. Moreover, he has always in mind the  historical Christ in his concrete reality as God mad man, cf Ph 2:5+; Col 1:15+. For this reason he presents Christ as subordinated to the Father, 1 Co 3:23; 11:3, not only in the work of creation, 1 Co 8:6, but also in that of eschatological renewal, 1 Co 15:27f; cf Rm 16:27, etc. Nevertheless, the title “lord’, Kyrios, received by Christ at his resurrection, Ph 2:9-11; cf Ep 1:20-22; Heb 1:3f, is the title given by the LXX to Yahweh in the OT., Rm 10:9,13; 1 Co 2:16. For Paul, Jesus is essentially the ‘Son of God’, Rm 1:3-4,9; 5:10; 8:29; 1 Co 1:9; 15:28; 2 Co 1:19; Ga 1:16; 2:20; 4:4,6; Ep 4:13; 1 Th 1:10; cf Heb 4:14, etc., his ‘own Son’, Rm 8:3,32, ‘the Son of his love’, Col 1:13, who belongs to the sphere of the divine  by right, the sphere from which he came, 1 Co 15:47, being sent by God, Rm 8:3; Ga 4:4. The title ‘Son of God’ became his in a new way with the resurrection, Rm 1:4+; cf. Heb 1:5; 5:5, but it was not then that he received it since he pre-existed not   only as prefigured in the OT., 1 Co 10:4, but ontologically, Ph 2:6; cf. 2 Co 8:9. He is the Wisdom, 1 Co 1:24,30, and the Image, 2 Co 4:4, by which and in which all things were created, Col 1:15-17; cf Heb 1:3; 1 Co 8:6, and have been re-created, Rm 8:29; cf. Col 3:10; 1:18-20, because into his own person is gathered the fullness of the godhead and of the universe, Col 2:9+. In him God has devised the whole plan of salvation, Ep 1:3f, and he, no less than the Father, is its accomplishment (cf. Rm 11:36; 1 Co 8:6 and Col 1:16,20). The Father raises to life and judges, so does the Son raise to life (cf. Rm 1:4; 8:11+ and Ph 3:21) and judge (cf. Rm 2:16 and 1 Co 4:5; Rm 14:10 and 2 Co 5:10). In short, he is one of the three persons enumerated in the Trinitarian formulae, 2 Co 13:13+.”

Parallel text of verse is that says:

1.       Rm 1:3- This news is about the Son of God who according to the human nature he took, was a descended from David.

2.       1 Co 15:28 - And when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will be subjected in his turn to the One who subjected all things to him, so that God may be all in all

3.       2 Co 5:16 -From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh.

Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh,^e that is not how we know him now.

4.       1 P 4:11 -  If you are a speaker, speak in words which seem to come from God;^c if you are a helper,^d help as though every action was done at God’s orders; so that in everything God may receive the glory, though Jesus Christ since to him alone belong all glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. Footnote  ^c says “As in impromptu spiritual prophecies and in glossolalia, cf. 1 Co. 14:2-19; Ac. 11:27 with Ac. 2:4+.”; and  Footnote ^d says “This could possibly refer to liturgical service.”