Br. John R. Barker, OFM

Dec 10 2024

Scripture Study for

Again this week we have the call of a prophet, Isaiah of Jerusalem. The scene is God’s “throne room,” the Holy of Holies in the temple. The fearsome seraphim, whose name means “burning ones,” act here as the agents of God’s purifying action to prepare the prophet for his mission. In the presence of the thrice-holy God, Isaiah recognizes the depths of his sinfulness as well as that of his own people; all of them are “unclean.” The burning of Isaiah’s lips not only prepares him for his role, but foreshadows what God has in store for all of Israel, if they will only allow themselves to be purified by the God who graciously sends this prophet to them.

In his Letter to the Corinthians, Paul has addressed a number of ways in which his audience has failed to recognize or has forgotten important truths about the gospel and the path of Christian discipleship. It is thus fitting that Paul concludes his letter by reminding them of the central and most fundamental truth of the gospel he has preached to them, which is the death and resurrection of Christ. The basic content of the gospel is summed up neatly: Christ died for our sins, but was resurrected, a verification that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God. This central reality was then proclaimed by those who met the risen Christ, including Paul himself, whose own ministry has been nothing but a work of God’s grace.

After announcing his mission to fulfill God’s promises to Israel, Jesus now encounters Simon and other fishermen, who have just arrived home from a disappointing night of fishing. Simon’s response to the command to go back out reveals both a natural tendency to operate according to human expectations (we didn’t catch any fish all night, why would we catch some now?) and openness to something beyond them (at your command I will lower the nets). The result is, of course, symbolic of what Peter and the others will be able to do once they learn to overcome their dependence on human ways of thinking, including the assumption that an imperfect and even sinful person cannot do God’s work.

Dec 10 2024

Scripture Study for

The relationship between Jeremiah and God was never easy. God demanded that Jeremiah give stern warnings and condemnations that brought the prophet pain and hatred. Yet the relationship was profoundly honest and intimate, allowing the prophet at times to express his deep resentment of his calling and even the fact that he had been born (Jeremiah 20:7–18). Here, at the scene of his calling, Jeremiah is told that he has been created to serve as God’s prophet; it is not an optional vocation. God recognizes that this life’s work will be painful for Jeremiah, but God also affirms that the prophet will be faithful to his role in speaking God’s word, because God will be with him.

Paul has been warning the Corinthians that the spiritual gifts they have received have led them to overvalue their own personal worth, taking pride in them and ranking them in importance. The result has been division, the exact opposite of what the gifts are intended to produce. As important as the gifts obviously are, they are a detriment to the community if they are not received and exercised in love. Love leads the individual to seek the good of others, to work for their benefit, and to give way to their needs when possible. The gifts given to the Corinthians are meant to be exercised in love and out of love; otherwise, they are not only wasted but indeed harmful.

In Nazareth, the people are amazed but also confused at Jesus’ announcement that the scriptures are now being fulfilled. This ambiguous response points to the perennial difficulty of recognizing who is a true prophet. Jesus assumes that the people want proof of his claim. Prophets such as Elijah and Elisha were known for working wonders, which were proofs of their authenticity. Rather than accede to this expectation, Jesus provocatively points out that there were times when both prophets helped non-Israelites instead of Israelites. While this reminder points to a central theme in Luke, the universal scope of Jesus’ mission, it infuriates the townspeople, once again illustrating the fact that prophets are often deeply unpopular among their own people.

Dec 09 2024

Scripture Study for

The passage from Nehemiah depicts the renewal of the relationship between God and Israel after the Exile. After hearing Ezra read the entire book of the covenant, the people respond “Amen, amen,” reaffirming their commitment to the covenant relationship. The scene is reminiscent of earlier moments in Israel’s history in which the covenant was established or renewed (Exodus 24:1–8; Joshua 24:1–28; 2 Kings 23:1–3). The event not only represents a fresh start for Israel but also reminds the reader that with God such a fresh start is always possible. This is why the people are to rejoice and feast, for their strength lies not in themselves but in their God.

The gifts given to the Corinthians have led, against the intentions of the Spirit, to division. Human pride has tempted some to set themselves over others, suggesting that some gifts are more important than others. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are a single “body,” whose various parts (those who have received different gifts) are all necessary for its health. At the same time, no single part (gift) can function on its own apart from the others. All gifts are necessary, and none is sufficient unto itself. In the same way, the Corinthians must see themselves as a single organic body whose various parts need each other to be healthy and whole, in the way the Spirit intends.

We commence our reading of the Gospel of Luke with the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus inaugurates his mission in his hometown by announcing that with him the ancient hopes of Israel are being fulfilled. The “year acceptable to the Lord” refers to the jubilee year in which debts were released and any land or other property that had been sold or given away by the poor was returned (Leviticus 25:10–11). This year was ordained by God to restore Israelite society after human nature had led some to “bind” others in debt and even oppression. Thus Jesus announces that in him God has come to release everyone from the effects of human sin.

Dec 09 2024

Scripture Study for

Isaiah’s post-exilic passage focuses on the healing of Israel’s relationship with God, which had been severely damaged by centuries of infidelity, culminating in a period of judgment now coming to an end. This healing will be manifested publicly by the restoration of Jerusalem and the surrounding area. (“Land” signifies the people also.) Just as the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the people had been seen by other nations, so shall the restoration, which the nations will behold as it “shines forth like the dawn,” like “a burning torch.” The land—and Israel—will no longer be known as forsaken or desolate, but as God’s delight and God’s beloved “spouse.”

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul emphasizes the profit and the dangers of the manifold spiritual gifts that God bestows on the church. The Corinthians apparently were well provided with such gifts, but this abundance had led to pride and division. Here Paul notes that the various gifts all come from the same Spirit, which means that they are inherently unified and unifying. Pride is ruled out by the fact that the ability to prophesy or heal or interpret tongues is an unmerited divine gift, not something one has earned or can claim to “possess.” Rather, all are distributed by the Spirit according to the mysterious will of God.

In the Gospels, and especially in John, the “wondrous deeds” of Jesus are “signs” of underlying realities. At the wedding at Cana, when Jesus changes water into wine, it is true that he exhibits charity by “saving the day.” More importantly, his action is also a revelation of God’s abundant generosity and the fulfillment of God’s promises to provide for the people. Water is necessary for life, but wine represents the gifts of God that go beyond necessity. Jesus himself is the perfect and complete manifestation of God’s abundant and joyful gifts to all who accept them. He is the “wine” that God provides for people to give them “abundant life” (John 10:10).

Dec 09 2024

Scripture Study for

In Isaiah’s text from the late exilic or early post-exilic period, the prophet hears a voice from the heavenly council cry out to prepare a path in the desert that lies between Babylon and Judah. The terrain must be made completely flat, to allow the Lord to lead the redeemed exiles back to their ancestral land. The final portion of the reading contains two apparently contradictory metaphors for God. The divine warrior who is returning with his people, who are his “reward” and “recompense” (the Hebrew words often refer to spoils of war) is also the shepherd who carries his charges with tender care. The biblical witness to God envisions the Lord as simultaneously powerful and gentle.

The Letter to Titus urges readers to evaluate every aspect of their lives in light of the gospel, and to live accordingly. When the grace of God appears (in the person of Jesus Christ) in one’s life, that life must change. Whatever “godless and worldly desires” one holds must give way to temperance, justice, and devotion. This is called for, not by a harsh and demanding God, but by a God of kindness, generous love, and mercy. The changes one makes in light of the appearance of Christ in one’s life are part of the transformation that appearance effects as Christ justifies and makes heirs of all those who accept this gift.

We are given no reason in Luke why Jesus went to be baptized by John. Certainly, it is not a question of needing a baptism of repentance. One likely reason is that the baptism by John marks a succession, in which Jesus claims his role, which John has announced and prepared. The opening of the heavens, an eschatological and even apocalyptic event, testifies that Jesus is the expected Messiah, as do the visible descent of the Spirit and the voice from heaven affirming that Jesus is not just beloved of God (others in the Bible, such as Abraham and Daniel were also called beloved), but he is God’s Son, a title that here points especially to Jesus’ role as God’s royal representative on earth (Psalm 2:7).