Second Sunday of Lent
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Transformed
http://www.usccb.org/nab/031206.shtml
Reflection:
I have explained to groups in the past that there is a striking difference between a sermon and a homily. This difference stems from a point of departure. A homily takes a set of scripture passages and extracts a life lesson or point. A sermon starts with the life lesson or point and finds scripture to support it. I'm glad I don't have to do sermons. It strikes me it would be much more difficult to take upon myself the responsibility for determining what a faith community needed to hear at a given point in time than to allow the liturgical year of the Church to feed me scripture in which the choices of lessons are as rich as we see here in at the Second Sunday of Lent.
Looking in general at each of our scripture passages in order we come first to the reading from Genesis. The familiar story of how Abraham is commanded by God to take his son, Isaac, into the wilderness and offer him up as a sacrifice to God. It is clear from this story that the way sacrifice is offered is to slaughter an animal and place it and its blood upon an altar. When God saw that Abraham was going to do as he had commanded, he stopped Abraham and commended him for his loyalty. Instead, Abraham offered a ram, a male sheep, a lamb, in Isaacs place.
The psalmist follows this theme offering a sacrifice and pledging to follow the law of God with the refrain "I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living."
With two examples of faithfulness under our belt we come to Paul's letter to the Romans. While Paul reminds us that God did not spare Jesus, His only Son, we instinctively remember the story of Abraham as well, Abraham was also ready to offer his only son. While Isaac was spared, Jesus became the Lamb of God the sacrifice Abraham did not have to make, God made, sealing the new covenant. Paul reminds us that we have been given a great gift and now stand ready to receive redemption through the risen Christ.
Finally the Gospel of Mark gives us the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus, bringing three of his trusted disciples, goes up to a high place to pray. While he prays he is transformed, "his clothes became dazzling white". He is also joined by two of the Hebrew Patriarchs Moses and Elijah. By being joined by Moses and Elijah, Christ joins the law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The image makes it clear to any who still had any question about Jesus' parentage, he is the Son of God and God tells his disciples "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
The common threads running through our scripture are; first faithfulness to God. First Abraham and then the psalmist (presumably Daniel) cry out to us to be a people faithful to God the Father. The second thread is sacrifice. This thread runs through all three of the readings In Genesis, Abraham is prepared to sacrifice his only son whom he loved in obedience to God. While the symbolism of that sacrifice is vivid, compare it to the symbol of Abraham carrying the wood for the fire with Jesus carrying the wood of the cross for his own sacrifice.
In Romans we here Paul link the story of Isaac and the crucifixion with; "He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?"
I have, of course, been stalling. I ask myself; "What relevance does this have for me? What is my response to the sacrifice of Abraham and Jesus? What does Jesus' transfiguration imply for my life?" There are too many questions to answer in one sitting. I've been thinking about this for three days already.
By going through the readings one by one I find more questions than answers, so let me take just one question. What is my response to the sacrifice of Abraham and Jesus? First we recognize that in both cases we are speaking of a covenant with God to which we are all parties. God pledges his love and protection for us and in response we pledge loyalty and obedience (and love) to him.
Since Lent is a time for introspection, how have we done with our part of the bargain? if you are like me, you've done pretty well sometimes and not so well at other times, depending on the circumstance.
What would it be like if, one by one, I took those attitudes and actions and conformed them to Christ? I suspect I would be transformed. It's worth a try. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture[1] from Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Jerome Biblical Commentary[2]
11 Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied.
2 2 Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you."
1 [1] God put Abraham to the test: to prove the firmness of Abraham's faith in God's promise that through Isaac all the nations of the earth would find blessing; cf Genesis 18:10, 18; 21:12.
2 [2] Only one: uniquely precious, especially loved; therefore the same term is rendered in Genesis 22:12, 17 as "beloved."
(a) (22:1-4). 1-2. The momentous character of what is to follow is emphasized by the simplicity of the introduction and by the burden of the divine command; they recall 12:1-3. The author's mention of a "test" gives the reader a psychological advantage that Abraham did not enjoy. In v. 2a there is a masterful emphasis, in the Hebrew, of what is required of Abraham: lit., "take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac. . . ." The "district of Moriah" ('eres hammoriyyah) is unknown. The name occurs elsewhere only in 2 Chr 3 :1, where Moriah is the mount of the temple. The Gn occurrence may be a later insertion to connect the sacrifice with the temple site, but the ' eres, instead of har, is difficult to explain. The Chronicler may have been influenced by the Gn story. The textual tradition is fluid: the Pesh has 'eres ha'emor (land of the Amorites); the LXX has ten gen ten hypselen (the high land); the V g has in terram visionis (the land of vision). The Pesh reading seems preferable (cf Clamer, op. cit., 312-13). The holocaust was a whole burnt sacrifice, hence the wood of v. 3; it was the perfect and irrevocable offering.
9b Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
10 Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the LORD'S messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
12 "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
13 As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
9-14. Commentators note the detailed description of individual actions as the story reaches its climax. The "angel of the Lord" is identified with Yahweh himself, as the end of v 12 makes clear (see comment on 16 :7-10). The "fear of God" is here perfect obedience. The substituted ram of v. 13 was a usual victim for holocausts (cf Lv 1 :10-13). The name given to the site by Moses (yahweh yir'eh, "Yahweh will see" or "Yahweh will provide") is not the usual type of topographical denomination; it is simply a play on words to express a theological notion. Nor does it agree with the explanation given in the latter part of the verse, where the Niphal form is used (yera'eh, "it shall be provided"). This form can also mean "he [Yahweh] will appear"; it has been suggested (McKenzie, Scr 9,81) that this latter was the original name of the site of a theophany, and from this was derived the later name to explain the patriarch's sacrifice. The vagueness of the present geographical reference may be intended to underline the note of mystery in the whole story. (The "Moriah" of v. 2, whose final element, yah, is the usual abbreviation of Yahweh in personal and place names, may have been connected with the name in v. 14 by assonance.)
15 Again the LORD'S messenger called to Abraham from heaven
16 and said: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son,
17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies,
18 and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--all this because you obeyed my command.''
(b) (22:15-24). 15-19. This addition to the primitive narrative, which had explained the substitution motif or the site of a theophany, agrees with the present orientation of the story and with the general theme of promise running through the patriarchal narratives. The extraordinary faith of Abraham justifies a much more solemn form (God "swears by himself"; cf. Ex 32:13). Paul has taken a phrase from v. 16 to indicate the fullness of revelation in the sacrifice of God's Son (Rom 8 :32). The promise in v. 17C is new; it strikes a nationalistic note, perhaps influenced by 24 :60 where such would be more in place. Also more nationalistic than 12 :3c is the promise of v. 18. Here the Hithpael (hitbark), instead of the Niphal, is used, and the reflexive meaning is intended: "in your seed all the nations of the earth will bless themselves," i.e., Abraham's descendants will be a formula of blessing for others (see comment on 12 :3c).
[1] All biblical references -New American Bible United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000 December 09, 2002 Copyright by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[2] All references to Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc. 1968
Scripture from Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
Jerome Biblical Commentary
10 4 I kept faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted!"
4 [10] I kept faith, even when I said: even in the days of despair, the psalmist did not lose all hope.
Ps 116. A thanksgiving Ps, divided into Pss 114-15 in the LXX and Vg. The life setting is in the Temple (19) where one who has been delivered from dire distress ("death," 3) fulfills his "vows" (14,18) with a "sacrifice of thanksgiving" (tod), accompanied by this Ps. Structure: 1-2, the psalmist acknowledges that Yahweh "has heard"; 3-4, a description of the prayer uttered during distress; 5--9, a lesson (for the bystanders at the sacrifice) how Yahweh "keeps the little ones," as exemplified by the psalmist; la-II, he looks back on his reactions before Yahweh saved him; 12-19, he acknowledges Yahweh as rescuer, as he offers the sacrifice that was vowed. 10. In a second phrase he recalls his trust in God alone, when he was afflicted.
15 6 Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful.
6 [15] Too costly in the eyes of the LORD: the meaning is that the death of God's faithful is grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death. Cf Psalm 72:14. In Wisdom 3:5-6 God accepts the death of the righteous as a sacrificial burnt offering.
15. The meaning is that Yahweh will not let his ','faithful ones" die; they are too "precious" to lose.
16 LORD, I am your servant, your servant, the child of your maidservant; you have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 In the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
16. son of your handmaid: The house born slave, who has absolutely no rights (cf. Ps 86:16).
Scripture from Rom 8:31b-34
Jerome Biblical Commentary
31 8 ("Brothers and Sisters" What then shall we say to this?[1]) If God is for us, who can be against us?
8 [31-39] The all-conquering power of God's love has overcome every obstacle to Christians' salvation and every threat to separate them from God. That power manifested itself fully when God's own Son was delivered up to death for their salvation. Through him Christians can overcome all their afflictions and trials.
31-39. Having discussed the various aspects of the new Christian life in union with Christ and the reasons that give a basis to Christian hope, Paul concludes this section with a rhetorical passage and a triumphant hymn to the love of God that is made manifest in Christ Jesus. No little emotion and some rhythmic phrasing mark the passage. 31. who can be against us?: The terminology is that of a lawcourt, similar to the:: debates in Job or Zech 3. God's salvific plan makes it clear to the Christian that God is on his side (cf. Ps 118 :6).
32 He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
32. did not spare his own Son: Possibly an allusion to Gn 22:16, to Abraham who did not spare Isaac. Paul echoes 5: 5-8 (cf. 4:25; J n 3: 1 6). God the Judge has already pronounced sentence in our favor and there is no reason to expect anything different from him hereafter.
33 Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.
33-35. The punctuation of the phrases of the next three verses is disputed. We prefer to take them all as rhetorical questions (cf. the RSV for a different punctuation). 33. who shall accuse God's elect? Is it God who justifies?: The answer implied, of course, is no. The allusion to Is 50:8-9 makes some commentators take this phrase as a statement, to which the following phrase would be a question in reaction.
34 Who will condemn? It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
34. rather was raised: Note the significant shift of emphasis to the resurrection of Christ (cf. 4:24-25) to which Paul immediately adds a rare reference to the exaltation of Christ (without alluding to the ascension; cf. Eph 4:10; 1 Tm 3 :16). intercedes for us: Paul ascribes to the glorified Risen Christ an activity that continues the objective aspect of man's redemption. Christ still presents his supplication to the Father on behalf of Christians; in Heb 7:25; 9:24 this intercession is linked with Christ's priesthood (a notion absent from the Pauline corpus). In 1 Jn 2:1 Christ appears as the parakletos before the Father, an image that agrees more with his role here.
[1] In the lectionary reading, the phrase "Brothers and sisters" is added by the author and the phrase "What then shall we say to this" is replaced by it.
Scripture from Mk 9:2-10
Jerome Biblical Commentary
2 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
2 [2-8] Mark and Matthew 17:1 place the transfiguration of Jesus six days after the first prediction of his passion and death and his instruction to the disciples on the doctrine of the cross; Luke 9:28 has "about eight days." Thus the transfiguration counterbalances the prediction of the passion by affording certain of the disciples insight into the divine glory that Jesus possessed. His glory will overcome his death and that of his disciples; cf 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Peter 1:16-19. The heavenly voice (Mark 9:7) prepares the disciples to understand that in the divine plan Jesus must die ignominiously before his messianic glory is made manifest; cf Luke 24:25-27. See further the note on Matthew 17:1-8.
(A) The Transfiguration (9:2-9). It is impossible to reconstruct the original event, yet this story is based on some factual occurrence in which for a fleeting moment the disciples recognized the truth of the revelation at Caesarea Philippi: although Jesus' messiah ship involved suffering, he was. truly the glorious Son of Man. The account of this experience, however, draws upon motifs from the Sinai theophany (Ex 24:1S-18; 34:29-30; 40:34-38)-the overshadowing cloud, the mountain, the awesome majesty, Moses' presence, the tent-; also from the apocalyptic appearances of the Son of Man (Dn 7, 8, 10; Enoch 14, 60, 71; cf. 2 Esdras 10:25-33; Ez 1-2)-the vision, Elijah's presence, the fear, the brilliant clothing, the command to secrecy, the conversation. The transfiguration is one of the central Messianic pericopes and shows similarities with Jesus' baptism (the heavenly voice), and with the Gethsemane story (the three disciples, the mountain, the cry "Abba, Father" corresponding to the heavenly voice, "This is my beloved Son," the prominence of Peter, the incomprehension of the disciples).
2. six days later: Although this detail may be symbolic (cf. Ex 24:16), it serves to link the transfiguration with the events of Caesarea Philippi (8:27-9:1) and to corroborate in a dramatic way the Messianic revelation and instruction given there. a very high mountain: An allusion to the Moses motif (Ex 24:12-18; 31:18) showing Jesus to be the new Moses radiant in God's presence on the new Sinai. transfigured: Metamorphosis the profound change in the appearance of the just in the world to come-was an apocalyptic theme (2 Baruch 51 :3-10; Dn 12:3; cf. 1 Cor IS :40-44; 2 Cor 3 :18).
3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
3. his clothes became dazzling, intensely white: White clothing is a frequent apocalyptic image of otherworldly glory (Enoch 46:1; 71:10; Dn 7:9; Mt 28:3; Mk I6:5; Jn 20:12; Acts 1:10) and of the eschatological glory of the saints (Ap 3:4,5,18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9,12).
4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
4. Elijah with Moses: Jesus' interlocutors are usually taken as standing for the Prophets and the Law. Both are connected with Sinai (Horeb)-cf. Ex 19:33-34; I Kgs 10:9-13-and by their presence on the new Sinai they witness to the fulfillment of the OT in Jesus.
5 3 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
3 [5] Moses and Elijah represent respectively law and prophecy in the Old Testament and are linked to Matthew. Sinai; cf Exodus 19:16-20:17; 1 Kings 19:2, 8-14. They now appear with Jesus as witnesses to the fulfillment of the law and the prophets taking place in the person of Jesus as he appears in glory.
5. good to be here: Their joy is explained by what follows. three tents: Or "booths," such as were used at the joyous Feast of Tabernacles. Peter feels that the end time has come when "I will again make you dwell in tents" (Hos 12:9), and wishes to eternalize this experience of God's eschatological presence.
6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 4 then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
4 [7] A cloud came, casting a shadow over them: even the disciples enter into the mystery of his glorification. In the Old Testament the cloud covered the meeting tent, indicating the Lord's presence in the midst of his people (Exodus 40:34-35) and came to rest upon the temple in Jerusalem at the time of its dedication (1 Kings 8:10).
6. did not know what to say: As in Gethsemane (14:40) Peter is lost for words at the mystery of Christ. Mark comments on the naivet of Peter's statement, for, as it turns out (9 :7), Jesus has no need of earthly tents: he is heavenly wisdom embodied (cf Sir 24:48; Wis 9:7-8) and his glory is that which filled the Tabernacle of the wilderness (Ex 40:3S). a cloud: An OT image of God's presence (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 24:1S-16; 32:9) associates the transfiguration with earlier theophanies (Ex 40: 34-4S; I Kgs 8 :10-12) and anticipates the eschatological appearance of God's glory (2 Mc 2:7-8). overshadowed them: An OT image to describe God's dwelling among his people (Ex 40:35). The fact that the disciples too are overshadowed by the cloud shows that, far from being mere spectators, they are deeply involved in the mystery of Christ's glorification as representatives of the new people of God. my beloved Son: As at Jesus' baptism (1:11) the heavenly voice alludes to Is 42: I and designates Jesus as the prophet-Servant of Yahweh. This time, however, the words are addressed to the three disciples, and within the context of the first prediction of the passion they constitute the divine approbation of Jesus' role as the suffering Messiah-Servant. listen to him: Jesus is now the prophet like Moses whose teaching must be heeded under penalty of extermination from God's people (cf. Dt 18 :15).
8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
8. saw no one but Jesus: Elijah and Moses vanish, ceding their place to Jesus alone.
9 5 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
5 [9-13] At the transfiguration of Jesus his disciples had seen Elijah. They were perplexed because, according to the rabbinical interpretation of Malachi 3:23-24, Elijah was to come first. Jesus' response shows that Elijah has come, in the person of John the Baptist, to prepare for the day of the Lord. Jesus must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt (Mark 9:12) like the Baptist (Mark 9:13); cf Mark 6:17-29.
9. as they were coming down: The descent from the mountain and the command to secrecy are elements of the OT theophany-pattern (Ex 32 :15; 34:29; Dn 12 :4,9) and form the conclusion of this pericope. until the Son of Man should rise: Unlike the other injunctions to Messianic secrecy in Mk, this one explicitly foresees the end of it at Christ's resurrection.
10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
10. they kept the matter to themselves: A continuation of the apocalyptic theme of secrecy (Dn 7:28; 2 Esdras 14:8; T. Levi 6:2). (Caird, G. B., "The Transfiguration," ExpT 67 [1955-56] 291-94. Feuillet, A., "Les perspectives propres it chaque EvangeJiste dans les n~cits de la transfiguration," Bib 39 [1958] 281'-301. Kenny, A., "The Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden," CBQ 19 [1957] 444-52. Leon-Dufour, X., Etudes d'Evangile [Paris, 1965] 83-122. MUller, H. P., "Die VerHirung Jesu," ZNW 51 [1960] 56-65. Sabbe, M., "La redaction du recit de la transfiguration," La venue du Messie [RechBib 6; Bruges, 1962] 65-100.)
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Transformed
http://www.usccb.org/nab/031206.shtml
Reflection:
I have explained to groups in the past that there is a striking difference between a sermon and a homily. This difference stems from a point of departure. A homily takes a set of scripture passages and extracts a life lesson or point. A sermon starts with the life lesson or point and finds scripture to support it. I'm glad I don't have to do sermons. It strikes me it would be much more difficult to take upon myself the responsibility for determining what a faith community needed to hear at a given point in time than to allow the liturgical year of the Church to feed me scripture in which the choices of lessons are as rich as we see here in at the Second Sunday of Lent.
Looking in general at each of our scripture passages in order we come first to the reading from Genesis. The familiar story of how Abraham is commanded by God to take his son, Isaac, into the wilderness and offer him up as a sacrifice to God. It is clear from this story that the way sacrifice is offered is to slaughter an animal and place it and its blood upon an altar. When God saw that Abraham was going to do as he had commanded, he stopped Abraham and commended him for his loyalty. Instead, Abraham offered a ram, a male sheep, a lamb, in Isaacs place.
The psalmist follows this theme offering a sacrifice and pledging to follow the law of God with the refrain "I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living."
With two examples of faithfulness under our belt we come to Paul's letter to the Romans. While Paul reminds us that God did not spare Jesus, His only Son, we instinctively remember the story of Abraham as well, Abraham was also ready to offer his only son. While Isaac was spared, Jesus became the Lamb of God the sacrifice Abraham did not have to make, God made, sealing the new covenant. Paul reminds us that we have been given a great gift and now stand ready to receive redemption through the risen Christ.
Finally the Gospel of Mark gives us the story of the Transfiguration. Jesus, bringing three of his trusted disciples, goes up to a high place to pray. While he prays he is transformed, "his clothes became dazzling white". He is also joined by two of the Hebrew Patriarchs Moses and Elijah. By being joined by Moses and Elijah, Christ joins the law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The image makes it clear to any who still had any question about Jesus' parentage, he is the Son of God and God tells his disciples "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
The common threads running through our scripture are; first faithfulness to God. First Abraham and then the psalmist (presumably Daniel) cry out to us to be a people faithful to God the Father. The second thread is sacrifice. This thread runs through all three of the readings In Genesis, Abraham is prepared to sacrifice his only son whom he loved in obedience to God. While the symbolism of that sacrifice is vivid, compare it to the symbol of Abraham carrying the wood for the fire with Jesus carrying the wood of the cross for his own sacrifice.
In Romans we here Paul link the story of Isaac and the crucifixion with; "He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?"
I have, of course, been stalling. I ask myself; "What relevance does this have for me? What is my response to the sacrifice of Abraham and Jesus? What does Jesus' transfiguration imply for my life?" There are too many questions to answer in one sitting. I've been thinking about this for three days already.
By going through the readings one by one I find more questions than answers, so let me take just one question. What is my response to the sacrifice of Abraham and Jesus? First we recognize that in both cases we are speaking of a covenant with God to which we are all parties. God pledges his love and protection for us and in response we pledge loyalty and obedience (and love) to him.
Since Lent is a time for introspection, how have we done with our part of the bargain? if you are like me, you've done pretty well sometimes and not so well at other times, depending on the circumstance.
What would it be like if, one by one, I took those attitudes and actions and conformed them to Christ? I suspect I would be transformed. It's worth a try. Pax
If you wish to comment and are not registered on Myspace, you can email me at miles_jj@excite.com and I will post your response as a comment. Thanks.
Scripture[1] from Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Jerome Biblical Commentary[2]
11 Some time after these events, God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied.
2 2 Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust on a height that I will point out to you."
1 [1] God put Abraham to the test: to prove the firmness of Abraham's faith in God's promise that through Isaac all the nations of the earth would find blessing; cf Genesis 18:10, 18; 21:12.
2 [2] Only one: uniquely precious, especially loved; therefore the same term is rendered in Genesis 22:12, 17 as "beloved."
(a) (22:1-4). 1-2. The momentous character of what is to follow is emphasized by the simplicity of the introduction and by the burden of the divine command; they recall 12:1-3. The author's mention of a "test" gives the reader a psychological advantage that Abraham did not enjoy. In v. 2a there is a masterful emphasis, in the Hebrew, of what is required of Abraham: lit., "take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac. . . ." The "district of Moriah" ('eres hammoriyyah) is unknown. The name occurs elsewhere only in 2 Chr 3 :1, where Moriah is the mount of the temple. The Gn occurrence may be a later insertion to connect the sacrifice with the temple site, but the ' eres, instead of har, is difficult to explain. The Chronicler may have been influenced by the Gn story. The textual tradition is fluid: the Pesh has 'eres ha'emor (land of the Amorites); the LXX has ten gen ten hypselen (the high land); the V g has in terram visionis (the land of vision). The Pesh reading seems preferable (cf Clamer, op. cit., 312-13). The holocaust was a whole burnt sacrifice, hence the wood of v. 3; it was the perfect and irrevocable offering.
9b Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac, and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
10 Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
11 But the LORD'S messenger called to him from heaven, "Abraham, Abraham!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
12 "Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger. "Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
13 As Abraham looked about, he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
9-14. Commentators note the detailed description of individual actions as the story reaches its climax. The "angel of the Lord" is identified with Yahweh himself, as the end of v 12 makes clear (see comment on 16 :7-10). The "fear of God" is here perfect obedience. The substituted ram of v. 13 was a usual victim for holocausts (cf Lv 1 :10-13). The name given to the site by Moses (yahweh yir'eh, "Yahweh will see" or "Yahweh will provide") is not the usual type of topographical denomination; it is simply a play on words to express a theological notion. Nor does it agree with the explanation given in the latter part of the verse, where the Niphal form is used (yera'eh, "it shall be provided"). This form can also mean "he [Yahweh] will appear"; it has been suggested (McKenzie, Scr 9,81) that this latter was the original name of the site of a theophany, and from this was derived the later name to explain the patriarch's sacrifice. The vagueness of the present geographical reference may be intended to underline the note of mystery in the whole story. (The "Moriah" of v. 2, whose final element, yah, is the usual abbreviation of Yahweh in personal and place names, may have been connected with the name in v. 14 by assonance.)
15 Again the LORD'S messenger called to Abraham from heaven
16 and said: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son,
17 I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies,
18 and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing--all this because you obeyed my command.''
(b) (22:15-24). 15-19. This addition to the primitive narrative, which had explained the substitution motif or the site of a theophany, agrees with the present orientation of the story and with the general theme of promise running through the patriarchal narratives. The extraordinary faith of Abraham justifies a much more solemn form (God "swears by himself"; cf. Ex 32:13). Paul has taken a phrase from v. 16 to indicate the fullness of revelation in the sacrifice of God's Son (Rom 8 :32). The promise in v. 17C is new; it strikes a nationalistic note, perhaps influenced by 24 :60 where such would be more in place. Also more nationalistic than 12 :3c is the promise of v. 18. Here the Hithpael (hitbark), instead of the Niphal, is used, and the reflexive meaning is intended: "in your seed all the nations of the earth will bless themselves," i.e., Abraham's descendants will be a formula of blessing for others (see comment on 12 :3c).
[1] All biblical references -New American Bible United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3000 December 09, 2002 Copyright by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
[2] All references to Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc. 1968
Scripture from Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
Jerome Biblical Commentary
10 4 I kept faith, even when I said, "I am greatly afflicted!"
4 [10] I kept faith, even when I said: even in the days of despair, the psalmist did not lose all hope.
Ps 116. A thanksgiving Ps, divided into Pss 114-15 in the LXX and Vg. The life setting is in the Temple (19) where one who has been delivered from dire distress ("death," 3) fulfills his "vows" (14,18) with a "sacrifice of thanksgiving" (tod), accompanied by this Ps. Structure: 1-2, the psalmist acknowledges that Yahweh "has heard"; 3-4, a description of the prayer uttered during distress; 5--9, a lesson (for the bystanders at the sacrifice) how Yahweh "keeps the little ones," as exemplified by the psalmist; la-II, he looks back on his reactions before Yahweh saved him; 12-19, he acknowledges Yahweh as rescuer, as he offers the sacrifice that was vowed. 10. In a second phrase he recalls his trust in God alone, when he was afflicted.
15 6 Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful.
6 [15] Too costly in the eyes of the LORD: the meaning is that the death of God's faithful is grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death. Cf Psalm 72:14. In Wisdom 3:5-6 God accepts the death of the righteous as a sacrificial burnt offering.
15. The meaning is that Yahweh will not let his ','faithful ones" die; they are too "precious" to lose.
16 LORD, I am your servant, your servant, the child of your maidservant; you have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 In the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
16. son of your handmaid: The house born slave, who has absolutely no rights (cf. Ps 86:16).
Scripture from Rom 8:31b-34
Jerome Biblical Commentary
31 8 ("Brothers and Sisters" What then shall we say to this?[1]) If God is for us, who can be against us?
8 [31-39] The all-conquering power of God's love has overcome every obstacle to Christians' salvation and every threat to separate them from God. That power manifested itself fully when God's own Son was delivered up to death for their salvation. Through him Christians can overcome all their afflictions and trials.
31-39. Having discussed the various aspects of the new Christian life in union with Christ and the reasons that give a basis to Christian hope, Paul concludes this section with a rhetorical passage and a triumphant hymn to the love of God that is made manifest in Christ Jesus. No little emotion and some rhythmic phrasing mark the passage. 31. who can be against us?: The terminology is that of a lawcourt, similar to the:: debates in Job or Zech 3. God's salvific plan makes it clear to the Christian that God is on his side (cf. Ps 118 :6).
32 He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
32. did not spare his own Son: Possibly an allusion to Gn 22:16, to Abraham who did not spare Isaac. Paul echoes 5: 5-8 (cf. 4:25; J n 3: 1 6). God the Judge has already pronounced sentence in our favor and there is no reason to expect anything different from him hereafter.
33 Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.
33-35. The punctuation of the phrases of the next three verses is disputed. We prefer to take them all as rhetorical questions (cf. the RSV for a different punctuation). 33. who shall accuse God's elect? Is it God who justifies?: The answer implied, of course, is no. The allusion to Is 50:8-9 makes some commentators take this phrase as a statement, to which the following phrase would be a question in reaction.
34 Who will condemn? It is Christ (Jesus) who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
34. rather was raised: Note the significant shift of emphasis to the resurrection of Christ (cf. 4:24-25) to which Paul immediately adds a rare reference to the exaltation of Christ (without alluding to the ascension; cf. Eph 4:10; 1 Tm 3 :16). intercedes for us: Paul ascribes to the glorified Risen Christ an activity that continues the objective aspect of man's redemption. Christ still presents his supplication to the Father on behalf of Christians; in Heb 7:25; 9:24 this intercession is linked with Christ's priesthood (a notion absent from the Pauline corpus). In 1 Jn 2:1 Christ appears as the parakletos before the Father, an image that agrees more with his role here.
[1] In the lectionary reading, the phrase "Brothers and sisters" is added by the author and the phrase "What then shall we say to this" is replaced by it.
Scripture from Mk 9:2-10
Jerome Biblical Commentary
2 2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
2 [2-8] Mark and Matthew 17:1 place the transfiguration of Jesus six days after the first prediction of his passion and death and his instruction to the disciples on the doctrine of the cross; Luke 9:28 has "about eight days." Thus the transfiguration counterbalances the prediction of the passion by affording certain of the disciples insight into the divine glory that Jesus possessed. His glory will overcome his death and that of his disciples; cf 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Peter 1:16-19. The heavenly voice (Mark 9:7) prepares the disciples to understand that in the divine plan Jesus must die ignominiously before his messianic glory is made manifest; cf Luke 24:25-27. See further the note on Matthew 17:1-8.
(A) The Transfiguration (9:2-9). It is impossible to reconstruct the original event, yet this story is based on some factual occurrence in which for a fleeting moment the disciples recognized the truth of the revelation at Caesarea Philippi: although Jesus' messiah ship involved suffering, he was. truly the glorious Son of Man. The account of this experience, however, draws upon motifs from the Sinai theophany (Ex 24:1S-18; 34:29-30; 40:34-38)-the overshadowing cloud, the mountain, the awesome majesty, Moses' presence, the tent-; also from the apocalyptic appearances of the Son of Man (Dn 7, 8, 10; Enoch 14, 60, 71; cf. 2 Esdras 10:25-33; Ez 1-2)-the vision, Elijah's presence, the fear, the brilliant clothing, the command to secrecy, the conversation. The transfiguration is one of the central Messianic pericopes and shows similarities with Jesus' baptism (the heavenly voice), and with the Gethsemane story (the three disciples, the mountain, the cry "Abba, Father" corresponding to the heavenly voice, "This is my beloved Son," the prominence of Peter, the incomprehension of the disciples).
2. six days later: Although this detail may be symbolic (cf. Ex 24:16), it serves to link the transfiguration with the events of Caesarea Philippi (8:27-9:1) and to corroborate in a dramatic way the Messianic revelation and instruction given there. a very high mountain: An allusion to the Moses motif (Ex 24:12-18; 31:18) showing Jesus to be the new Moses radiant in God's presence on the new Sinai. transfigured: Metamorphosis the profound change in the appearance of the just in the world to come-was an apocalyptic theme (2 Baruch 51 :3-10; Dn 12:3; cf. 1 Cor IS :40-44; 2 Cor 3 :18).
3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
3. his clothes became dazzling, intensely white: White clothing is a frequent apocalyptic image of otherworldly glory (Enoch 46:1; 71:10; Dn 7:9; Mt 28:3; Mk I6:5; Jn 20:12; Acts 1:10) and of the eschatological glory of the saints (Ap 3:4,5,18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9,12).
4 Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
4. Elijah with Moses: Jesus' interlocutors are usually taken as standing for the Prophets and the Law. Both are connected with Sinai (Horeb)-cf. Ex 19:33-34; I Kgs 10:9-13-and by their presence on the new Sinai they witness to the fulfillment of the OT in Jesus.
5 3 Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
3 [5] Moses and Elijah represent respectively law and prophecy in the Old Testament and are linked to Matthew. Sinai; cf Exodus 19:16-20:17; 1 Kings 19:2, 8-14. They now appear with Jesus as witnesses to the fulfillment of the law and the prophets taking place in the person of Jesus as he appears in glory.
5. good to be here: Their joy is explained by what follows. three tents: Or "booths," such as were used at the joyous Feast of Tabernacles. Peter feels that the end time has come when "I will again make you dwell in tents" (Hos 12:9), and wishes to eternalize this experience of God's eschatological presence.
6 He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
7 Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 4 then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
4 [7] A cloud came, casting a shadow over them: even the disciples enter into the mystery of his glorification. In the Old Testament the cloud covered the meeting tent, indicating the Lord's presence in the midst of his people (Exodus 40:34-35) and came to rest upon the temple in Jerusalem at the time of its dedication (1 Kings 8:10).
6. did not know what to say: As in Gethsemane (14:40) Peter is lost for words at the mystery of Christ. Mark comments on the naivet of Peter's statement, for, as it turns out (9 :7), Jesus has no need of earthly tents: he is heavenly wisdom embodied (cf Sir 24:48; Wis 9:7-8) and his glory is that which filled the Tabernacle of the wilderness (Ex 40:3S). a cloud: An OT image of God's presence (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 24:1S-16; 32:9) associates the transfiguration with earlier theophanies (Ex 40: 34-4S; I Kgs 8 :10-12) and anticipates the eschatological appearance of God's glory (2 Mc 2:7-8). overshadowed them: An OT image to describe God's dwelling among his people (Ex 40:35). The fact that the disciples too are overshadowed by the cloud shows that, far from being mere spectators, they are deeply involved in the mystery of Christ's glorification as representatives of the new people of God. my beloved Son: As at Jesus' baptism (1:11) the heavenly voice alludes to Is 42: I and designates Jesus as the prophet-Servant of Yahweh. This time, however, the words are addressed to the three disciples, and within the context of the first prediction of the passion they constitute the divine approbation of Jesus' role as the suffering Messiah-Servant. listen to him: Jesus is now the prophet like Moses whose teaching must be heeded under penalty of extermination from God's people (cf. Dt 18 :15).
8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
8. saw no one but Jesus: Elijah and Moses vanish, ceding their place to Jesus alone.
9 5 As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
5 [9-13] At the transfiguration of Jesus his disciples had seen Elijah. They were perplexed because, according to the rabbinical interpretation of Malachi 3:23-24, Elijah was to come first. Jesus' response shows that Elijah has come, in the person of John the Baptist, to prepare for the day of the Lord. Jesus must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt (Mark 9:12) like the Baptist (Mark 9:13); cf Mark 6:17-29.
9. as they were coming down: The descent from the mountain and the command to secrecy are elements of the OT theophany-pattern (Ex 32 :15; 34:29; Dn 12 :4,9) and form the conclusion of this pericope. until the Son of Man should rise: Unlike the other injunctions to Messianic secrecy in Mk, this one explicitly foresees the end of it at Christ's resurrection.
10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
10. they kept the matter to themselves: A continuation of the apocalyptic theme of secrecy (Dn 7:28; 2 Esdras 14:8; T. Levi 6:2). (Caird, G. B., "The Transfiguration," ExpT 67 [1955-56] 291-94. Feuillet, A., "Les perspectives propres it chaque EvangeJiste dans les n~cits de la transfiguration," Bib 39 [1958] 281'-301. Kenny, A., "The Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden," CBQ 19 [1957] 444-52. Leon-Dufour, X., Etudes d'Evangile [Paris, 1965] 83-122. MUller, H. P., "Die VerHirung Jesu," ZNW 51 [1960] 56-65. Sabbe, M., "La redaction du recit de la transfiguration," La venue du Messie [RechBib 6; Bruges, 1962] 65-100.)
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