Scripture Study for

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Understanding the Word

By Dianne Bergant, C.S.A.

Ezekiel pronounces an oracle of salvation employing a fable about a cedar  tree. The tender shoot is destined to be planted on the heights of Israel, the  very place from which the Davidic dynasty ruled. The words of the Lord describe  a reversal performed by God. The twig that was once insignificant and vulnerable will be exalted on a high and lofty mountain. The messianic character of this  image is obvious. The divine force of these prophetic words is underscored in  the very last verse: The Lord has spoken it, and it is done. The transformation of  the tender shoot is but another wonder performed by the sovereign Lord. 

Paul instructs the Corinthians on how to live in a time when, though committed to the Lord, they do not see the Lord face to face. This sermon draws a  clear distinction between this life and the next. It emphasizes the need to live  by faith now, because we cannot live by sight alone. During this life believers  are at home in the body, but away from the Lord. In the next life, they will be  away from the body and at home with the Lord. Paul ends his exhortation with a  sobering thought. At the end of this life, all will stand before Christ to be judged  according to whether or not they did in fact live lives of faith after his example. 

Jesus’ first saying characterizes the reign of God as a seed that takes root,  grows, and produces its plant in some secret place within the earth. The seed  itself may be quite inconsequential, but deep within itself it possesses great  potential. The amazing qualities of a seed are the focus of the parable that  follows. The passage ends with a summary statement about Jesus’ teaching in  parables. They forced his hearers to stretch their imaginations and to make connections that they might not ordinarily make. The presumption was that those  who followed Jesus were always willing or able to do this.

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