Scripture Study for
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Amos 7:12–15 / Psalm 85:8 / Ephesians 1:3–14 [1:3–10] / Mark 6:7–13
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Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
Amos has been preaching in Bethel, an important cultic site that featured a golden calf, set up by Jeroboam as a rival cult to Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:26–31), and thus “the king’s sanctuary.” Amaziah addresses Amos as if he were a “professional” prophet whose earns his bread by prophesying. Such prophets were often suspect, since their “prophecies” could be geared to favor whoever paid them. Amos insists that he is not a professional prophet; he had a job from which he was taken away by God to perform the dangerous task of preaching in places like Bethel. The rhetorical point is to affirm that Amos is a genuine, because reluctant, prophet, not one seeking to profit from his task.
Paul begins his letter the Ephesians by bringing into focus the divine plan, which the church has been formed to announce. The language of being “chosen” and called to be “holy and without blemish” recalls God’s creation of Israel. In the case of both Israel and the church, God has redeemed and forgiven because God is rich in grace, but also for a larger purpose, “the mystery of his will,” which is now revealed to be to “sum up all things in Christ.” The church, then, is not a collection of individuals, but a people called forth by God for a purpose, which, when fully known, will lead to the “praise of the glory of his grace.”
Despite the faithlessness he has recently encountered, Jesus now sends the Twelve out with the authority to do the “mighty deeds” he has been able to do for those who have faith. They are taking almost nothing with them, which is both an expression of trust in God’s providence and a sign that they are not seeking profit from their work. This is also why they are told to stay in the same house that welcomes them, rather than to accept any offers they may receive for nicer accommodations—another sign they would be looking out for themselves rather than the Kingdom and the people to whom it is proclaimed.