BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (# 44)
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Sept. 28, 2003
BIBLE READINGS
Nm 11:25-29 // Jas 5:1-6 // Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
The following charming story, “Jesus at the Football Match”, from Anthony De Mello’s book, The Song of the Bird (New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1984)), p.147, helps me to understand today’s Gospel reading (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48) in a humorous vein.
Jesus Christ said he had never been to a football match. So we took him to one, my friends and I. It was a ferocious battle between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders. The Crusaders scored first. Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. Then the Punchers scored. And Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. This seemed to puzzle the man behind us. He tapped Jesus on the shoulder and asked, “ Which side are you rooting for, my good man?” “Me?” replied Jesus, visible excited by the game. “Oh, I’m not rooting for either side. I’m just enjoying the game.”
Indeed, Jesus is not in the habit of taking sides. He is concerned with the good of people and not with trifling issues of party membership or political color. In light of the above story, we can understand why Jesus roots for anyone who does good in terms of service to God’s anawim - “the little ones” mentioned in Mk 9:36-37 – even if that person does not belong to the inner circle of disciples.
In today’s Gospel reading, he recognizes the good work done by “someone driving out demons in his name” (Mk 9:38). He tries to correct the clique tendency and the petty exclusivity of his disciples. John complained about the outsider: “We tried to prevent him because he does not follow us” (Mk 9:38). Jesus’ reply challenges the disciples’ narrow mindedness and parochial parameters: “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Any one who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward” (Mk 9:39-41).
Jesus refutes the immaturity and the petty arrogance of his disciples who try to exclude a “non-member” from doing a ministry to “the little ones” in his name. As the Divine Master, he teaches his disciples to be tolerant and open to others of good will. He also underlines the reward due to the laudable ministry done by anyone who “is not against us” (Mk 9:40). Indeed, charity done to Christian disciples and to all the “little ones” in his name will be graciously rewarded. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly, gives an added insight to this Sunday’s Gospel reading by connecting it to the adage: “The less official the task, the more officious its exercise.” He explains: “The real leader is interested in proper results. The lesser officials are more interested in the manner in which they are obtained and in exercising authority in obtaining them … In all of us there is a tendency to officiousness with regard to possession of truth, especially religious truth. We are tempted to look down on those not of our company, to consider them less favored. But the Word tells us, not to compromise our faith convictions, but to acknowledge that the Spirit blows where he wills.”
Today’s Gospel reading continues to underline the challenges of Christian discipleship. In confronting the evil of causing scandal to others, Jesus appeals to the harsh, traditional imagery of the unquenchable fires of Gehenna (Mk 9:43-48). Harold Buetow graphically explains the meaning of Gehenna: “The figure of Gehenna is a symbol of hell (v. 43) derived from the garbage dump in the dried-up Valley of the Hinnon River below the southwest wall of the city. It had an evil history. Once the site of child-sacrifices to the god Moloch (II Kgs 23:10), in the time of Jesus it was the city dump, and its smoldering fires and billowing acrid smoke consuming the smelly garbage were a symbol of the punishment of the damned.”
In order to avoid this unfortunate destiny and calamity, the disciples must be extremely cautious of giving bad example to anyone. Jesus asserted: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire” (Mk 9:43). Jesus’ remarkable saying is not meant to be taken literally. Physical mutilation will not always work against temptation. Aelred Rosser explains: “The point of the hyperbole here is to emphasize beyond any doubt how important it is to enter the reign of God, no matter what the cost. We are being taught in a very striking way what our hierarchy of values must be. Nothing, absolutely nothing is more important that belonging to the reign of God. Anything that jeopardizes our participation in it must be expunged from our lives.”
Indeed, the Christian disciples need to be purified in their innermost motives. They need to be “salted with fire” (Mk 9:49) and experience the purifying fire of trials by which the faithful become pleasing sacrifices to God and at peace with one another (Mk 9:50). They need to expunge the evils of ambition, intolerance and scandal from their midst. In place of these, they have to make a tough choice for primacy in service, for tolerance and openness to others of good will, and for integrity in their dealing with God’s “little ones”. Those who respond to the radical demands of Christian discipleship with zest and gusto become the salt of the earth. As the good salt (Mk 9:50) of the earth, they continue to inspire people with the liveliness of the Gospel spirit and lead them to yearn for God’s kingdom.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Lord Jesus, at times, our hearts are intolerant. We try to lay exclusive claim to the Reign of God you have graciously shared with us. Help us to realize that the Kingdom is meant for all people of good will in every time and culture.
Assembly: Teach us, O Divine Master, to be receptive to grace. Help us to remember your kind teaching: “There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us” (Mk 9:39-40).
Leader: Lord Jesus, forgive us when we become an occasion of scandal and damnation for God’s “little ones”.
Assembly: Help us to be mindful of your admonition: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea” (Mk 9: 42). Teach us how to treat God’s “little ones” with respect and integrity.
Leader: Lord Jesus, help us to expunge from our lives the evil choices we have made.
Assembly: We wish to make the right choices for the Kingdom. We know that the cost of discipleship is dear, but with your grace, may we have the wisdom to choose the values of God’s Reign. Every day of our life, may we respond more intimately to the radical demands of our discipleship. We trust in you, Divine Master, for in drawing us close to you we shall be “salted with fire” and become the good “salt of the earth”.
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mk 9:39-40)
Prepared by: Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang, PDDM