Scripture Study for

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Understanding the Word

By Br. John R. Barker, OFM

The books of Kings contain several stories of the prophets Elijah  and Elisha providing for the destitute. During a drought, Elijah  ensures that a widow’s jars of flour and oil will not go empty until the  drought ends (1 Kings 17:9–16). Elisha performs a similar miracle  for another widow, filling all of her vessels with olive oil for her to  sell (2 Kings 4:1–7). Here we have a multiplication of barley loaves.  All of these stories point to the providence of God, particularly for  the needy. The role of the prophets is necessary, however, for it is  through them that God provides for “the widow and the orphan,”  a care that God insists throughout scripture is the job of all Israel. 

In last’s week reading, Paul spoke of the reconciling action of  Christ, who reconciled Jew to Gentile and both to God, creating “in  himself one new person” and bringing peace. Paul now returns to  the theme of unity and peace. The church does not exist for itself but  has a mission to announce God’s plan of salvation in Christ, which  requires that Christians reflect the unifying and reconciling work of  Christ by their behavior toward one another. Others must be able  to see that the church, though made up of very different people, is  “one body” (not a collection of individuals), animated by one Spirit,  motivated by one shared hope in the one God and the one Lord,  Jesus Christ.

For the next few weeks, the Lectionary departs from Mark in  favor of John’s account of the feeding of the five thousand and the  Bread of Life discourse. As Jesus heals the sick, he attracts a huge  crowd, whom he intends to feed. Whereas Philip had noted that they  would never have been able to buy enough to feed all the people,  Jesus feeds them so well that there is plenty of food left over. The  people rightly understand at least one implication of what Jesus  has done, which is that he is no ordinary wonder worker, but “the  Prophet, the one who is to come into the world” (see John 1:9). He  will soon explain to them an even more astounding—and difficult— truth about who he is. 

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