Jesus is the GOAT

Year B, 17th Sunday Ordinary Time | 2 Kings 4:42-44, John 6:1-15

Although I don’t follow much sports news or discussion, there is a term from this world that I find interesting: “goat”. Goat, spelt just like the animal, is an acronym that stands for the “greatest of all time”. In different sports, fans and commentators argue that a particular athlete is the “goat”. In basketball, some content that LeBron James is the goat. Who should be deemed the greatest of all time in a given sport is hotly debated. What is constant in these debates, however, is that whenever an athlete of extraordinary ability arises, people try to assess his or her talents by comparing the athlete to past stars. For example, LeBron James is compared to Michael Jordan. Some argue that the former is the goat, while other hold it is the latter. Early Christians followed a similar strategy. In trying to explain the life and mission of Jesus, they often compared and contrasted him to famous religious figures of the past.

Inside the Church of the Multiplication (Tabgha, Israel), which marks the place of the miracle described in the Gospel. Note the mosaic of the loaves and fish in front of the altar.

In the Gospels, Jesus is regularly likened to great historical leaders of Israel. In an attempt to describe his extraordinary life and mission, authors often compared Jesus to individuals with whom their audience were familiar. This method of comparison is often described as “typology”1. A kind of typology happens in sports. Remarkable athletes are compared to historic greats we can call “types”. This is only natural as current exceptional athletes share similar talents and skills with past stars. The same process happens in other fields. For example, we might say that because of her powers of deduction and reason, a certain journalist is like a new Sherlock Holmes (the type). Likewise, for the Gospel writers, comparing Jesus to other individuals must have come naturally since Jesus behaved in a way similar to religious figures from Israel’s past. At the same time, Gospel writers inserted certain clues or markers that made the comparison of Jesus with past religious figures more explicit. Unless we are familiar with the Old Testament, many of these typological cues pass by us unnoticed. Typological comparisons are quite common in the Gospels and help us better understand who Jesus is.

This Sunday’s Gospel, taken from John, in which Jesus performs a miracle and feeds the multitude (John 6:1-15), is an important example of typology. To help the reader better understand the person of Jesus and the significance of his actions, the Gospel draws out comparisons between Jesus and religious figures from Israel’s past. The Church gives us a hint at one such comparison with the choice of the First Reading (2 Kings 4:42-44). In the Gospel, Jesus is likely being compared to Elisha as both multiply barley loaves to feed a crowd. This comparison should provoke the reader to consider other ways in which Jesus is similar to Elisha. As a result, readers who know something about Elisha will get to know Jesus better. For example, both Elisha and Jesus are successors to other great figures (Elisha to Elijah and Jesus to John the Baptist). Both Elisha and Jesus are greater than their successors. Both are itinerant prophets who works miracles and have disciples. Both are single and acknowledged to be righteous. Another figure to whom Jesus is compared to in the Gospel is Moses (next Sunday’s readings make the connection explicit). A few clues point to this comparison. Just as Moses would often ascend a mountain to encounter God, at the start of today’s Gospel, Jesus went up the mountain. After the miracle, the people speculate that Jesus is truly “the prophet, the one who is to come into the world” (Jn 6:14). In this, the crowd is expressing the expectation that God would eventually send into the world a prophet who was like Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus' miracle happens at Passover, a feast associated with Moses. Like Moses fed the people with the gift of manna (via God’s intervention), in the Gospel, Jesus feeds the people with bread. This connection is made more explicit later in the chapter (Jn 6:30-32). Further, right after the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee, an event which is reminiscent of the miraculous passage of the people of Israel through the Red Sea. The Gospel today clearly suggests to the reader that Jesus is a new Moses. Jesus brings a new law and works a New Exodus from sin and death. Assuming we catch the clues in the Gospel, the typological comparisons of Jesus to Elisha and Moses help us better understand who Jesus is and what he does for us.

For us Christians, the typology in which Jesus is compared to past religious figures is unlike typologies from sports and other fields in important ways. First, Christian typology is not just about making a comparison, like saying that some athlete has skills that are like those of a past star. Rather, it helps us describe the plan of God throughout history. For us, types in the Old Testament like Elisha and Moses, although of immense and lasting value in God’s plan, prefigure or prepare for Jesus. Who these figures were and what they accomplished is fulfilled in the life and mission of Jesus. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it, “typology indicates the dynamic movement toward the fulfillment of the divine plan when ‘God [will] be everything to everyone’” (CCC 130). Second, although Jesus is compared to various past religious figures, the Gospels make is clear Jesus cannot be adequately described by these types. The Gospel of today hints at this reality. Jesus is a prophet like Elisha but he is so much more. While Elisha fed 100 with 20 barley loaves, Jesus fed over 5000 with only 5 loaves. Jesus is a leader like Moses, but he is so much more. After the people recognize Jesus is a prophet, he withdraws because he knew they were going to make him a king. It does not seem that Jesus is rejecting the title of king. Rather, he withdraws because he does not want to be the kind of king that people expect. In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ brand of kingship is only made manifest on Golgotha. Jesus is a king who suffers and dies for his people. His crown is of thorns; his throne is the cross.

Through the use of typology, the Gospels convey the exceptional nature of Jesus. Unlike typological comparisons in sports, however, in which the identity of the “goat” is up for debate, among Christians there was no argument. Through its use of typology, today’s Gospel challenges us to hold the following truths close to our hearts: 1) Although Jesus is like figures from the past (Moses and Elijah), all comparisons come up short. 2) In God’s plan, Jesus fulfills all the types to which he is compared. 3) Jesus is truly the greatest of all time.

Footnote:

1 For a concise summary of the use of typology in the New Testament, see “Typology” in The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 783-784.

Jesus came to tear down walls

Year B, 16th Sunday OT | Ephesians 2:13-18

During the past US elections, a certain slogan became popular. It was often chanted during political rallies and met with cheers. The slogan is this: “Build a wall! Build a wall!” Although the particular wall in question was to be located between the United States and Mexico, the desire to build walls in general is ingrained within us. We appear to be very good at walling-off others from us, whether it be in the literal or metaphorical sense.

In the Church too there is a tendency to build walls between individuals and groups. Although we rarely state it aloud, we can separate others from us, thinking that they are somehow “less Catholic” than us, or not quite as worthy to be in the Church. We may wall-off people in the Church because they don’t think like us. Maybe they have different political views. Perhaps they have different tastes in Church music or liturgy. Another reason we may create a wall to divide others from us is because they are not part of the right group. In the Church, we are blessed to have so many communities and movements that contribute greatly to the life and mission of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, however, people can separate themselves from those who participate in groups they do not like, often viewing them with suspicion. In addition, those who are members of groups can at times divide themselves from others in the Church who are not part of their particular community. Finally, we may create walls and divide ourselves from others because we perceive that they have wronged us. Perhaps this is the most common reason for building walls in the Church. Unfortunately, we are all too good at creating divisions in the Church.

Through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus tore down the walls that divide his followers. In the second reading today, we heard a wonderful passage from the Letter to the Ephesians (2:3-18). This letter was written to a community in which there existed some significant divisions. It is likely that part of the division was between followers of Jesus who came from a Jewish background and followers of Jesus who came from a Gentile, or non-Jewish, background. The main message of the passage is that neither group should consider itself superior or separated from the other. The two groups, which were divided before the coming of Christ, have now become one. Both are God’s beloved children and are part of the same family. The letter vividly describes the end of separation between Jewish and Gentile followers of Jesus when it explains that Jesus “has broke down the dividing wall of enmity”. Although there is some debate as to what specific wall the letter has in mind, it is likely that the wall in question referred to the dividing barrier that was in the Temple. When the Temple in Jerusalem was in operation, there was a barrier that separated the Court of the Gentile from the inner courts. Although all could visit the former location, only Jews could pass further than the barrier. Therefore, many were excluded from the holiest places of the Temple, where God was thought to be most present. In an an archaeological dig, an inscription from the temple barrier was found. It reads  as follows: “No man of another race is to enter within the fence and enclosure around the Temple. Whoever is caught will have only himself to thank for the death which follows”. For those early Christians who were aware of the barrier within the Temple, the message of the Letter to the Ephesians would have been especially strong. Because of Jesus, now all had equal access to God. In Christ, all are to be united.

Jerusalem Temple Warning Inscription (source)

Because Jesus came to destroy walls that separate his followers, we should actively work to overcome divisions in the Church. It is only too easy to separate ourselves from those who have hurt us and those who think differently than us. St. Ignatius of Loyola gives some helpful advice for maintaining unity among Christians. This saint experienced first hand what it was like to be walled-off from the rest of the Church community. When he was beginning his community, his work was met with suspicion and even outright hostility. Over time, however, his teaching was enthusiastically accepted by the Church. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius gives a powerful principle that can help us maintain unity with our fellow Church members. Namely, we should assume the best possible intent in other people. For example, if someone treats us in a way we think is unfair, instead of assuming that they are motivated by malice towards us, we can assume that we have perhaps misunderstood them, or that they are simply having a bad day. If our fellow Christians behave in a way we find puzzling or think differently than us, rather than immediately thinking they are misguided, we should try to assume that they are motivated by love of the Church. When we are tempted to wall-off and separate ourselves from some individual or group in the Church, our first step should be to always assume that they are motivated by the best intentions rather than the worst. By assuming the worst, we quickly build walls in the Church and cause division. By assuming the best, unity is maintained.

Who is some individual or group in the Church that you have difficulty accepting or getting along with? Today, try assuming that their actions are motivated by the best possible intentions. Jesus’ mission included tearing down the walls that divide us. Let us make sure that we never work against him and build up new walls within the Church.

What kind of messenger?

Year C, 15th Sunday Ordinary Time | Mark 6:7-13

source

Recently, I was at the airport, sitting in a enclosed room, waiting for a flight that had been delayed by a few hours. It was a noisy place! From where I was sitting, I could hear many different voices. A lot of the voices were shouting, bitter, complaining and angry. These voices made my mood worse. I’m sure they had the same effect on many others in the room. Other voices, however, were more positive. There was a mother who was playing with her child, an elderly couple talking about the nice places they went on their trip and polite staff who tried to reassure the passengers that the flight would come soon. These voices were uplifting and made the waiting easier. Each day can feel like being in that airport waiting room. We are surrounded by many voices. Numerous messengers communicate to us. Some of these voices are good and others bad.

There are many messengers who fill the world with darkness by their way of life and with the message they convey. Some examples come to mind. Messengers in the media. Although there are many well-meaning people working in the media, too often the media - whether it be newspapers or news programs on TV - tend to be negative. Only the bad news seems to be reported. Social media has aggravated this tendency. In an attempt to garner more clicks, the stories shared on the internet are becoming more and more sensational. Political messengers. Although there are many dedicated politicians, others live scandalous lives, lie and cheat. Their message seems intent on inflaming the fear and hatred of people, dividing them in the process. Religious messengers. Unfortunately, even in the world of religion there are many negative voices. Some religious leaders, who should be serving their people, use their positions to enrich themselves. For example, you might have heard the story recently about the TV evangelist who tried to convince his congregation to buy him a private jet for 54 million US dollars. This would be his fourth jet!

In stark contrast to the many voices that fill the world with darkness, Jesus sent his twelve apostles to be be messengers who fill the world with love, liberation and healing. In the days before newspaper, TV and internet, information was spread through itinerant, wandering preachers. Jesus and the apostles were these kind of communicators. In the gospel of today (Mark 6:7-13), Jesus lays out clearly what kind of messengers the apostles are called to be. First and foremost, the twelve share in Jesus ministry. Like Jesus, they teach and call people to repentance, that is, to live a life more in accordance with what God would want. The twelve are also given authority over unclean spirits. Instead of bringing more darkness into the world, they receive the power to cast darkness out. Jesus also instructs his apostles “take nothing for the journey” except some mere essentials. They are to have just a walking stick, sandals and the clothes on their backs. In this way, Jesus informs his apostles that their focus should not be on material possessions but rather on their mission. This mission should fill them with a sense of urgency. They should not expect to have financial security but rather should rely on the hospitality of others. In addition, Jesus tells the twelve that when people do not accept them, they should “shake off the dust” from their feet “in testimony against them”. When they are rejected, the twelve are not to respond with violence or anger, but rather with this symbolic action which might represent that those places in which they are not accepted are not part of the true land of Israel. For this reason, they shake the dust of these places off their feet. It shows that those who reject them and Jesus are not part of Israel, that is, God’s chosen people.

Like the apostles, we are sent by Jesus to be messengers who fill others with love, joy and hope and lead them closer to God. Unlike the apostles, we are probably not called to go out as travelling missionaries. In our daily lives, however, Jesus calls us to be messengers like him. How can we do this? Two points stand out. 

First, we need to seriously evaluate our relationship with material possessions. Although we are perhaps not called to poverty like the twelve, we are challenged to put material possessions in proper perspective. Certainly, we need things like a place to live, food, and clothing and should work to get them. However, these things are not ends in themselves. These possessions are tools; they are means of building up God’s kingdom. When we die, Jesus will not ask us what kind of car we drove, the clothes we wore or the phone we had, but rather what we did to spread his message of love to others and how we have helped the needy.  

Second, like the apostles, we are called to engage in a peaceful way with others, especially those who disagree with us. We live in a polarized world where people no longer seem to get along. There is far to much shouting and too many unkind words. Like Jesus, we are called to speak kindly to others, to be patient and to forgive. Each day, we meet many people who are struggling and in need of encouragement. At work or school, we can compliment others when they do something well. If someone is passing through a difficult time, we can listen to them and assure them of our prayers.

Life is very much like that airport waiting room. It is filled with many voices. Many voices drag people down and bring more darkness into the world. Jesus calls us to be messengers who bring love, joy and compassion to others. What kind of messenger will you choose to be?