Commentary
Sunday, 7/7/2013, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Be Happy and Give Praise
Isaiah makes a prophecy about Jerusalem saying, “Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her…exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her…For thus says the Lord: Lo, I will spread prosperity over Jerusalem like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent.”
Isaiah’s prophecy was made during a dark and unhappy period for the Jews. The Kingdom had been divided with the ten northern tribes, Israel, leaving Jerusalem to make their capital in Samaria and the two southern tribes, Judah, remaining in Jerusalem.
Isaiah was telling the Jews to be happy and to give praise because God would restore Jerusalem and that Jerusalem would be bigger and better than before. He went on to say, “As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you…When you see this, your heart shall rejoice and your bodies flourish like the grass; the Lord’s power shall be known to his servants.”
God, as always, made good on the promise which Isaiah announced to the Jews who did return to Jerusalem. But there is more to this prophecy than the city of Jerusalem itself. This is actually a prophecy about Kingdom of Heaven.
When the first Jews returned to Jerusalem in 537 BC, they rebuilt the temple which was later destroyed in 70 AD. Revelations 21:1-27 tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven is the New Jerusalem and that there is no need for a temple because the temple is the Lord God and the Lamb.
The message for us in all of this is to have faith in what Revelations 21 tells us and take the warning which is given there seriously. Then, be happy and give praise.
Paul Tells Us That He Is Marked
In Paul’s final appeal to the Galatians, he says that he will not boast except in the cross of Christ through which the world has been crucified to him, and he to the world. Christ came for our salvation by taking away the sins of the world on the cross. When He took on the burden and suffering of the cross, Christ took on all of our sins. When He died on the cross, our sins died with Him.
Paul said that the only thing that matters is the new creation and not circumcision or uncircumcision. He wrote, “Peace and mercy be to all who follow this rule and to the Israel of God. Paul is telling us that the Kingdom is open to everyone who wants to be there and is willing to follow Jesus so that they can get there; Jews and Gentiles alike.
“From now on, let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my body.” There are two messages in this quote. First, we are all marked with the Holy Spirit in Baptism and our mark is sealed in Confirmation.
Paul was also eluding to the sufferings which he had undergone for his faith by being beaten, stoned, imprisoned, etc. Paul was saying that no more harm could come to him. No matter what they did to him physically, even if they put him to death, because he was marked, his soul was saved. One of the things that we learn from Jesus in today’s gospel is that the devil cannot harm us either.
Let’s Make Satan Fall
Seventy-two disciples were appointed by Jesus to go ahead of Him to towns that He planned to visit. Jesus said that the harvest is abundant but the laborers are few so ask the master to send out laborers. These disciples were being sent out as missionaries (laborers) to proclaim Jesus to the people (the harvest) whom He was going to visit.
Jesus said, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves” He was telling the disciples that their mission would not be easy and that there would be those who would persecute them and try to stop them.
Facing resistance from non-believers and those who simply do not wish to believe is an ongoing problem for anyone who proclaims the Word. They will use any and all means available to stop the Word from being heard. They use politics to keep religion out of our schools. They use every form of media and entertainment to fill our minds with unholy thoughts which lead us to commit sins of lust and greed. And when they ask questions, it is not out of a thirst for knowledge, but an opportunity to argue. These examples are just a tip of the ice burgh so to speak. Later in this gospel, Jesus tells us how to handle such people.
Jesus instructed the disciples to carry nothing with them and to greet no one along the way. This is common practice for missionaries. The idea is that they do not be distracted by any material possessions or by those who may delay them.
The disciples were instructed to offer peace to whatever household they entered. Jesus said, “If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.” Simply put, the disciples were told that they will be welcomed or they will not be welcomed.
Jesus told the disciples to accept the hospitality of anyone who welcomed them so as not to offend them. He said, “Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another.” In other words, the disciples were told to be polite and exercise good manners. You would not expect Jesus to tell them any different would you?
Jesus told the disciples to eat what was given to them and to cure the sick in any town that welcomed them. He also said to tell the people, “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.” But then Jesus said, “Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’”
Shaking the dust off one's feet in those days was an outward expression of protest. It was a way of saying, “I am not wasting my time with you.” So Jesus was telling the disciples to not waste time with non-believers who did not want to listen.
Then Jesus said, “Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.” It is one thing for one to be a non-believer because they have never been told any different. It is one thing for one to do something wrong without realizing that it is a sin. An example of this would be gossiping. Everyone knows that gossiping is not a nice thing to do but not everyone realizes that it is a sin. It is a minor sin, but still a sin because it is a violation of the second Greatest Commandment and it can cause grave consequences to the person being talked about.
However, they are not the people that Jesus was talking about in His warning about the Kingdom. Jesus was talking about the people who know that God exists, and deliberately commit sinful acts but do not want to listen to the Word or have anything to do with church. Jesus was saying that these people are worse than the people who lived in Sodom because they deliberately choose to reject God.
After completing their missions, the seventy-two returned rejoicing and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” Jesus was referring to when Satan was cast out of the Kingdom by Michael and the other angels of God when Satan's pride made him think that he was as great as God. Jesus also said this because, every time a non-believer is converted or someone is turned away from sin, Satan suffers another defeat and falls again.
Jesus continued, “I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’…and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
We have no reason to be afraid because the devil is no match for us when we are with Jesus in faith. We should feel good whenever we have helped someone come closer to Jesus but Jesus tells us to keep our eye on the prize when He tells us to rejoice because our names are written in heaven.
