2 Kings 4:8 – 11, 14 – 16a
Welcome to my annotated commentary on Sunday’s readings. The purpose of my commentary is to give you the background for each reading, a little better understanding of its message and the message that all of the Sunday readings together provide us.
This Sunday, we will hear one of Elisha’s miraculous pronouncements, one of a series of miracles performed at his hand. It prepares us for the Gospel. We haven’t read from 2 Kings for a long time, so let’s place it in context. Recall that 1 and 2 Kings are examples of historical literature, covering the history of Israel and Judah from @ 961 to 561BC., from the time of Solomon to the destruction of Judah. Elisha prophesied from 849 – 786BC in the Northern Kingdom. Remember, however, what “history” means for these people. For the secular world, it was a recounting of the great deeds of their king or emperor or pharaoh. For the Jews, it was a recounting of the great deeds of their ruler – God. To get the fuller picture of Elisha’s prophetic activities, let’s read verses 2 Kings 4:1 – 37. Now, let’s examine more closely the passage we hear on Sunday:
8 One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.
Shunem: (Heb. שׁוּנֵם), city in the Jezreel Valley, at the base of the hill of Moreh. The first mention of it occurs in the list of cities conquered by Thutmosis III (no. 38; 15th century B.C.). In the Tell el-Amarna period (14th century B.C.), the city was destroyed by Labaia, the king of Shechem, and its fields were cultivated by the king of Meggido, using forced labor (el-Amarna Letter 248a, 250). In the Bible, it is described as a city in the territory of Issachar, together with Jezreel and Chesulloth (Josh. 19:18). The Philistines camped there before going to battle against Saul in Gilboa (I Sam. 28:4). Shunem was the birthplace of Abishag, David’s companion in his old age (I Kings 1:3, 15; cf. Song 7:1). In 925BC Shishak overran the city and it is mentioned in his list of conquered cities between Beth-Shean and Taanach (no. 28). In the time of Eusebius, who places Shunem 5 mi. (8 km.) S. of Mt. Tabor (Onom. 158:11), the “house of Elisha” was shown to pilgrims there. In Crusader times, it was a benefice of the abbey of Mt. Tabor. The Jerusalem Talmud mentions R. Justa of Shunem, who lived in c. 400AD (Shek. 1:1, 46a). The biblical site of Shunem is identified with the Muslim Arab village of Sūlim at the foot of the hill of Moreh, 3 mi. (5 km.) southeast of Afulah. Surface pottery on the ancient mound, situated northeast of the village, dates from the Middle Bronze Age to the Arab period. In 1968 the village had 725 inhabitants, increasing to 2,240 in 2002. Field crops and fruit orchards have been the main branches of farming.
9 So she said to her husband, “I know that he is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often,
10 let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there.”
11 Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
12 Then he said to his servant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” He did so, and when she stood before Elisha,
13 he told Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘You have lavished all this care on us; what can we do for you? Can we say a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?'” She replied, “I am living among my own people.”
I am living among my own people: if you read your footnote, you will see that this woman felt secure here so she needed no favor from Elisha. In chapter 8, however, you will read how Elisha saved her from famine by having her leave.
14 Later Elisha asked, “Can something be done for her?” “Yes!” Gehazi answered. “She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years.”
15 “Call her,” said Elisha. When she had been called, and stood at the door,
16 Elisha promised, “This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.”
“Please, my lord,” she protested, “you are a man of God; do not deceive your servant.”
Let’s compare this story with 1 Kings 17:17 – 24. It appears that the purpose of the story, part of which we will hear on Sunday, is to show that Elisha is as powerful a man of God as Elijah had been before him.
The story has a great beginning and gets better as it goes along. This incident is part of the tradition about Elisha the wonder-worker. In this fourth chapter of 2 Kings, Elisha helps a widow whose sons are about to be sold into slavery. He tells her to take the only jug of oil she has and to borrow every container she can from her neighbors. Then, behind closed doors, she pours from her little jug and fills all the vessels the neighborhood could provide, giving her enough to pay the debts and survive with her children.
In today’s passage, we hear of a wealthy and generous woman who not only feeds the prophet when he comes through her town, but even builds an addition to her house for him. She asks for nothing in return, but when Elisha’s servant tells him that the woman is married to an old man and has no child, Elisha promises she will bear a son within the year.
Like Sarah when she heard the angel tell Abraham that they would have a son, the woman asked Elisha not to delude her. While we don’t hear his answer, we are told that she had her son. Then, as if God were a false-hearted giver, the boy, scarcely grown, dies while out in the field with his father. With that, Elisha performed a greater miracle, restoring the child to life by sharing his own warmth and breath with him. These stories reinforce the greatness of Elisha, who received a double portion of the prophetic power that Elijah enjoyed.
For our purposes, however, the portion of the story we will hear on Sunday leads us right into the Gospel message, which refers to receiving a prophet.
Matthew 10:37 – 42
Last Sunday, we heard Jesus instruct his apostles and encourage them in the face of certain danger. This week, we hear him talk very powerfully of the cost of discipleship. Let’s compare it to Mt 4:18-22, 9:9-13, 16:24-25; Mark 8:34-35; Lk 9:23-24, 14:26-27, 17:33.
37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
loves father or mother more: Luke’s “hate” is probably closer to the original Aramaic, since that language was not sophisticated enough at that time to have a way of saying “love more.” This a very challenging admonition and was even more challenging in our Lord’s time when identity to their family was the foundation of their lives. But, it called the followers of his day – and us – to decide between anything that would keep us from unreservedly following Jesus and eternal salvation.
38 and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
whoever does not take up his cross: This is the first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens. The conventional use of the cross by Christians as a symbol of our faith makes it difficult for us to grasp the harshness of this original statement – it must have been horrifying for these new disciples! We do well to reflect on the pain of this form of dying because this is what we will encounter as we fully enter into the journey with Jesus. There is no way to avoid it; it is a requirement of discipleship.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Whoever finds his life will lose it: One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom.
Whoever loses his life for my sake…: This oxymoron assures the disciples that there is no other way in which they can save themselves. One can preserve him/herself only by yielding entirely to Jesus.
40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
41 Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward.
Whoever receives a prophet: those who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly. This was the message of the first reading. The Shunamite woman received Elisha and was rewarded with a son – the OT notion of eternal life, since the Shunamite woman would live on in her son.
42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
A prophet…righteous man…little ones: one who speaks in the name of God; here, the Christian prophets who proclaim the gospel. Righteous man: since righteousness is demanded of all the disciples, it is difficult to take the righteous + man of this verse and one of these little ones (Matthew 10:42) as indicating different groups within the followers of Jesus. Probably all three designations are used here of Christian missionaries as such.
A cup of cold water: in the ancient Near East, much of which was desert, this was a universal sign of hospitality.
Cf. Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”
Romans 6:3 – 4, 8 – 11
We hear some more of Paul’s letter to the community in Rome this Sunday. The section we will hear picks up where we left off last week. It continues Paul’s reflections on the result of Christ’s death and resurrection on the baptized.
3 Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
are you unaware: of course, the Roman Christians have been taught about the effects of their baptism. Paul is merely admonishing them to reflect on the significance of this truth.
Baptized into Christ: Like other Pauline prepositional phrases, this seems to formulate an aspect of the relationship of Christ to the Christian. It connotes a movement of the person to Christ. A Christian is not merely identified with the dying Christ, he/she is introduced into the very act by which Christ died to sin. In the same way, the Christian himself must be “dead to sin.”
baptized into his death: St. Paul reinforces the message we hear in this Sunday’s gospel. Baptism isn’t just an act of cleansing – although it certainly is that – it is also a participation in Christ’s death.
4 We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
We were indeed buried: The ancient custom of immersion symbolized the burial of Christ as he/she is covered with the water and then rises to a new life.
5 For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection: the result of dying is the resurrection!
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
7 For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
8 If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.
If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Paul says it again to reinforce this essential truth of our faith.
9 We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.
10 As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God.
He died to sin once for all: Christ was not raised from the dead merely to publicize his good news or to confirm his messianic character, but to introduce humanity into a new mode of life and give them a new principle of vital activity – the Spirit.
11 Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as (being) dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
as (being) dead to sin: as we share in the death and resurrection of Christ, through which sin and death were overcome, we, too, die to sin. This was the reason for the early Church struggling with the sacrament of penance. They thought that, once you were baptized, you would never sin again. It took centuries to recognize that our sinful nature continues to tempt us even after baptism. Slowly, the Christian Church introduced the sacrament of reconciliation, first allowing it only once in a person’s life and then finally establishing it as a sacrament that could be received throughout one’s life; aren’t we lucky!
living for God in Christ Jesus: The Christian is incorporated into the very body of Christ through the Holy Spirit and thereafter shares in Christ’s vitality.
Today’s message is found in our Lord’s very challenging admonition: to give up anything or anyone who would prevent us from following Jesus. As he called the followers of his day, he calls us to decide between anything that would keep us from unreservedly following Jesus and eternal salvation. St. Paul reinforces this message by reminding us of what happened at our baptism.
Most of us were carried unwittingly to the font, but the question he raises in this Sunday’s reading still holds for us. What difference does it make in our lives that we have been given the name Christian? Why do we bless ourselves with holy water when we walk into church? How differently would we live if we counted ourselves among the “nones” who claim no religious identity, or among the Buddhists, agnostics or even the atheists?
Most of us know good people who do not profess a religious faith yet outshine plenty of so-called believers. What would change if you lost your faith? Would you drop your moral code? What would be harder about life? What would be easier? These questions are the inverse of Paul’s approach in today’s reading.
Paul is telling the Romans that everything – absolutely everything – is different for those who have been baptized. He believes that for those who do not know Christ, death is the measure of all things, and everything comes to naught. As we read in the Book of Job, for them, “Alike they lie down in the dust and worms cover them” (Job 21:26). But, those who have been baptized can “live in the newness of life.” Baptism changes our lives forever, literally!