Br. John R. Barker, OFM

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

In a passage that would be at home in the prophetic literature, the book of Wisdom speaks of a “just one,” who knows the ways of God and strives to live according to them. This is in contrast to the wicked, who reject any notion of the hereafter and are heedless of divine justice and oppress the poor and the pious (Wisdom 2:1–11). The just one’s reproaches in this regard provoke violent plans. If God really does look out for the just, then God will surely defend them from attack. Thus the wicked seek to prove that the pious man who “boasts that God is his Father” (2:16) is deluded. Neither his piety nor God will protect him from condemnation.

James continues to develop the notion of being “doers of the word” by focusing on internal matters within the Christian community and the cultivation of wisdom. The wise are humble, not given to jealousy or self-advancement, and thus true wisdom (as opposed to earthly/unspiritual/demonic wisdom) promotes peace. James has already admonished his audience to control their tongues (3:1–12); now he exhorts them to control those impulses that lead to provoking others and seeking one’s advantage. Worldly wisdom promotes covetousness and greed, leading to grasping for what one does not have. Those who are doers of the word, who have true faith, ask God for what they want rather than try to grab it from others.

On the way to Capernaum, Jesus continues to teach his disciples that he will be abused and killed but will indeed rise. Given Peter’s halted attempt to reason with Jesus earlier, they are understandably confused: this is not what anyone expects of the Messiah. The disciples also fail to discern the larger meaning, which is that divine power is not made manifest in the same way that human power typically is. Jesus’ followers must learn to adjust themselves to act in accordance with God’s ways, not those of the world. Children, who are essentially powerless and who have not yet reached the age when they are grasping for it, are exemplars of the mentality Jesus seeks to inculcate in his disciples.

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

One of the Servant Songs, this passage from Isaiah points toward a particularly hostile, yet paradoxically fruitful, result of speaking for God. The Servant begins by affirming his fidelity to God in the face of great hostility. The source of his strength in the face of adversity is not the Servant himself, but the God who sent him. The Servant is in the right when he claims to speak for God, because it is God who has “opened his heart that he may hear.” Despite the social and perhaps religious “shame” that is attendant upon his preaching, the Servant is confident not only that he is in the right, but also that those who currently oppose him will come to recognize this.

James continues to speak about being doers of the word of truth, the true form of worship. Faith cannot be limited to hearing and believing this word. Such “faith” is no faith at all and is not saving because it does not conform the individual to God’s will or way of viewing the world. “Works” here means living according to God’s values, which includes “care for orphans and widows in their affliction” (1:27) and fulfilling “the royal law according to scripture: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (2:8). It is a delusion to think that one could have faith without living in accordance with it, which is to say, by “demonstrating” it.

At Caesarea Phillipi Jesus questions his disciples to provoke a response. Jesus indirectly affirms Peter’s response that he is the Messiah by referring to himself as “the Son of Man,” a messianic term. While Peter recognizes who Jesus is, he is unable to fathom or accept the possibility that Jesus’ death and identity are consistent. Peter’s “rebuke” was probably in the form of a denial that such a thing would be necessary, or even possible (if Jesus is the Christ). Jesus rebukes Peter in turn for failing to recognize that God does not work according to human expectations. Nor should those who follow Jesus expect to avoid his fate.

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

The context of the oracle from Isaiah is a time period or an experience of oppression or military conquest. The oracle contains elements common to many oracles of salvation, such as the exhortation to “be strong, fear not.” Such an exhortation responds to a sense of being defeated and abandoned by God, which is how recurrent political and military oppression at the hands of others was likely to be interpreted. Here the prophet assures the people that God has not in fact abandoned them; God is acting now to “vindicate” them and to bring about a change of fortune. This is exemplified by healing—in the human realm afflictions cease, and in the natural realm the infertile desert blossoms.

James continues to develop his thoughts regarding how to be “doers of the word and not hearers only.” One clear manifestation of this is to “keep oneself unstained by the world,” which is to say, to refuse to live according the greater society’s values, such as the elevation of the rich over the poor and the treatment of the poor with contempt. James has already noted that pure religion involves caring for the vulnerable and the poor, who have a special place in God’s heart, and who will inherit the kingdom. This is the opposite of the world’s perspective. Those who would be doers of the word of truth must be prepared to reject the privileges and privileging of the rich and the powerful.

The Decapolis was a group of ten autonomous city-states, most of them east of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus here enters Gentile territory. Yet here also the people have heard of him and immediately approach him with a deaf man for healing. It is unusual for Jesus to be depicted performing a healing ritual (see, though, 8:22–26; John 9:6–7).

Usually he either touches the sick or simply proclaims that they are healed. Jesus was not limited to one approach to healing. The man is cured, the people are amazed, and word spreads. The Decapolis context of all this indicates that the reign of God is being actively extended beyond the ethnic and geographical borders of Israel.

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

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.

Jan 28 2025

Scripture Study for

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.