Scripture Study for
Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Joshua 24:1–2a, 15–17, 18b / Psalm 34:9a / Ephesians 5:21–32 [2a, 25–32] / John 6:60–69
<< Back to LECTIONARY RESOURCES
Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
The book of Joshua recounts the entry of Israel into the promised land. Here at the end of the book, after the people have gained the land, Joshua—like Moses before him—admonishes the people to be faithful to the God who has given them the land. And like Moses, Joshua sets a choice before the people (see Deuteronomy 30:19–20). The people insist, as the previous generation had done, that they will serve the God who brought them out of Egypt, and no other gods. The passage goes on the describe a renewal of the covenant between God and Israel, presided over by Joshua, who then sends them to their new homes (24:25–28).
Paul continues to develop for the Ephesians the idea of the church as a reflection of the character of God. Husband and wife also reflect God’s sacrificial love by showing “mutual subordination,” that is, a willingness to serve the other. The church loves Christ, its head, by being obedient to him, and Paul (perhaps drawing on Ordinary Time figures of Israel as God’s spouse), sees in wives a figure of the church. Conversely, husbands—in imitation of Christ—must be willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary for their wives. Together, husband and wife reflect the mutual love of the church and Christ.
The Gospel reading picks up from the passage replaced last week by the Assumption, in which Jesus tells the people that unless they eat his flesh and drink his blood, they do not have life in them (John 6:51–58). Understandably, the response is one of confusion and even distress, as Jesus does not qualify his statement as metaphorical or symbolic. He clearly means exactly what he says. Again we have “murmuring,” an expression of disbelief. Jesus responds by calling once again for belief in what he says and who he is, which itself is a mysterious gift from the Father. This all proves too much for some, who leave. But the rest stay, for they recognize, despite (or because of?) what Jesus has claimed, that he is indeed the Holy One of God.