Saturday of Week 4 of Lent

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06 April 2019.

1st Reading: Jeremiah 11:18-20

The Just One is led like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter

It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds. But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind, let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.

Responsorial: Psalm 7

Response: Lord, my God, I take shelter in you

Lord God, I take refuge in you;
from my pursuer save me and rescue me,
lest he tear me to pieces like a lion
and drag me off with nobody to rescue me. (R.)
Give judgement for me, Lord;
I am just and innocent of heart.
Put an end to the evil of the wicked!
Make the just stand firm,
you test mind and heart, O just God! (R.)
God is the shield that protects me,
who saves the upright of heart.
God is a just judge slow to anger;
but he threatens the wicked every day. (R.)

Gospel: John 7:40-53

The authorities wonder about Jesus: can he be the Messiah?

When they heard the words of Jesus, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but nobody laid hands on him.
The temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law.. they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” Then each of them went home.

BIBLE

Listening to God’s word

If some Jewish leaders were undecided about Jesus, most of them felt he could not be the promised Saviour of Israel. The same argument raged among the laity, some of whom decided in favour of Jesus. The temple guards spontaneously expressed their admiration for him: “No one ever spoke like that before!” Even today theologians and laity still argue over the identity of Jesus and what legacy he meant to leave behind. Who is Christ? What is the Church? What is needed for salvation? Is there a right and a wrong way to live? Christians are split into many denominations, each quoting the Bible’s authority. Because Lent summons us to more personal prayer and study, we might want to review what guidelines to follow for interpreting the will of God. The prophecy of Jeremiah our text from Saint John offer some help for interpreting Holy Scripture today.
First, as Nicodemus pointed out, we should give the Scriptures a fair hearing, just as we would to each individual person, trying to know the facts before we reject or accept. As we make this effort of patient observation, we must be respectful and show tolerance for differences of opinion. If Jesus’ messiah-ship was a public issue among his people and their religious authorities during his lifetime, we ought not be surprised that theological conflicts continue today.
Jesus never suggested that he or his disciples should abandon their Jewish faith. Rather, he held that God wanted to bring this religion to greater perfection. So he gained the respect of honest people, who valued whatever is good and wholesome. The unlearned temple guards reply to the court theologians: “No one ever spoke like that before!” The Bible ought never be used to make what is good look bad, nor make what is bad look good. Biblical interpretation should be honest and fair. Honest, decent people with a positive attitude toward others, people who are slow to condemn and who are tolerant of other people’s convictions, have the best chance of rightly interpreting the Bible.

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