Scripture Study for
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–8 / Psalm 15:1a / James 1:17–18, 21b–22, 27 / Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23
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Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
The thrust of the book of Deuteronomy is that the Promised Land that Israel is about to enter is a gift to them from God, but one that they accept as part of a covenant relationship. For them to continue to enjoy the land they must be faithful to this relationship (otherwise, there really is no relationship). Thus the first part of the reading stresses fidelity to the covenant. The second part of the reading alludes to the formation of Israel as a people who are destined to introduce their God to the rest of the world by manifesting the wisdom and justice of that God. Thus, fidelity to the covenant is not just to the benefit of Israel, but to the nations as well.
The Letter of James begins with an exhortation to persevere in times of trial and temptation. The author challenges those who claim that their temptations have come from God as a test, arguing instead that what comes from the unchanging God is not testing but “all good giving and every perfect gift.” The greatest of these gifts is new birth in the “word of truth” (the gospel). For this word of truth to bear fruit, however, it must be “done,” that is, acted on and lived by, rather than passively accepted in an abstract or purely intellectual sense. Caring for the vulnerable and avoiding contamination by the values of the “world” (that aspect of reality opposed to God) are ways that we live the word of truth we have received. Just as earlier in Mark’s Gospel questions had been raised about the Jesus’ disciples and fasting (3:18–22), now the Pharisees note that Jesus’ disciples also do not engage in ritual hand-washing before meals. Jesus suggests by quoting from Isaiah that such cleansing can be simply a superficial observance that conceals a failure to observe “God’s commandment.” He goes on to assert that cleaning the outside of the body as a form of purification means nothing if the inside remains defiled by the various sins he lists. These are not purified by washing; only repentance can accomplish that.