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.
We hear from the Book of the prophet Zechariah only twice in the entire three-year Sunday readings cycle: on the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time in year C and this Sunday, the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time in year A. So, let’s review who Zechariah is, when he lived and the content of the prophecy of the book attributed to him. As we read in the very beginning of the book, Zechariah received his call in 520BC, the second year of the reign of King Darius I, who was reigned over the Persian Empire from 522 to 486BC. As you will read in 1:1, we can even learn the exact month when Zechariah received his call: October or November of 520BC. If you turn back to the first few verses of the Book of the Prophet Haggai – you will find this book just prior to the Book of Zechariah – you will see that Zechariah and Haggai were contemporaries, the first prophets of the post exilic period. Let’s recall the history of the ancient Israel. Jerusalem was destroyed and the Babylonian Exile started in 587BC. The Persian Emperor Cyrus conquered Babylon and ordered the release of all captive people in 539BC. As we learn in the writings of Nehemiah and Ezra, it took some years for work to begin on the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple; that didn’t get under way until around 445BC. So, Zechariah and his contemporary, Haggai, were prophets in Jerusalem while it was still mostly in ruins. The Emperor Darius I had ordered the rebuilding of Jerusalem but it was just getting underway. This sets the historical stage for the prophet Zechariah and the writings attributed to him.
Because of its great variation in style, content, and language, the Book of Zechariah is widely believed to be a composite work. Made up of First Zechariah (chaps. 1–8) and Second Zechariah (chaps. 9–14), the book has been attributed to at least two different prophets. The prophecies of First Zechariah can be dated to the late sixth century B.C., contemporary with those of Haggai; the oracles of Second Zechariah are somewhat later.
The most striking feature of First Zechariah is a series of visions in which the prophet describes the centrality of Jerusalem, its Temple, and its leaders, who function both in the politics of the region and of the Persian empire and in God’s universal rule. These visions clearly relate to the Temple restoration begun in 520BC, but not completed until much later.
Coming nearly a century later, the prophecies of Second Zechariah are extraordinarily diverse. A complex assortment of literary genres appears in these six chapters, which consist of two distinct parts (chaps. 9–11 and chaps. 12–14), each introduced by an unusual Hebrew word for “oracle.” Despite the diversity of materials, the structural links among the chapters along with verbal and thematic connections point to an overall integrity for Zec 9–14.
Second Zechariah draws heavily on the words and ideas of earlier biblical prophets. The prophet is acutely aware of the devastation that comes from disobedience to God’s word, as had been spoken by God’s prophetic emissaries. Yet, it was now clear in this century after the rebuilding of the Temple and the repatriation of many of the exiles, that Judah would not soon regain political autonomy and a Davidic king. So the various poems, narratives, oracles, and parables of Second Zechariah maintain the hope of previous prophets by depicting a glorious eschatological restoration. At that time all nations will recognize Jerusalem’s centrality and acknowledge God’s universal sovereignty.
As you will read in your footnotes, the two verses that we will hear on Sunday form the centerpiece of chap. 9. The restoration of a royal figure connects the first part of the chapter (vv. 1–8), which depicts the restored land of Israel, with the second part (vv. 11–17), which concerns the restoration of the people Israel.
9 [Thus says the LORD:] Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
a just savior is he,
Meek, and riding on an ass,
on a colt, the foal of an ass.
Your king…a just savior: as you will read in your footnotes, this is a figure of humble demeanor, but riding on a donkey like royalty in the ancient Near East (cf. Gn 49:11; Jgs 5:10; 10:4). The announcement of the coming of such a king marks a departure from the view of the royal figure as a conquering warrior; he would be riding on a stallion, set for battle. New Testament authors apply this prophecy to Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem (cf. Mt 21:4 – 7; Lk 19:29 – 36; Jn 12:14–15). Every Palm Sunday, people ask how Jesus rode an ass and its colt at the same time. This is where the confusion originates.
10 He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
and the horse from Jerusalem;
the warrior’s bow shall be banished,
He shall banish the chariot… horse… warrior’s bow: as a peaceful leader, he will not allow for instruments of war. Instead, as we hear:
and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Dominion: as a peaceful ruler, he will have universal dominion.
Zechariah portrays this mounted king as a peaceful ruler. When he declares that the king will banish horse and chariot he’s reminding people of the Exodus escape when Moses and the Israelites sang, “I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant, horse and chariot he has cast into the sea” (Exodus 15:1). Zechariah’s king has plenty of glory and none of it depends on the trappings of war and domination.
This upside-down understanding of the ruler of Israel prepares us for this Sunday’s Gospel, where we hear Jesus turn upside down the common understanding of those who will best know God.
MATTHEW 11:25 – 30
As we hear this Sunday from the Gospel of Matthew – remember, Year A features Matthew’s Gospel – we hear Jesus teach in the towns and villages of Galilee (cf. 11:1). As you will read in your footnotes, the first three verses are probably taken from Q – remember, this is a source that most scripture scholars believe Matthew, Mark and Luke had access to; unfortunately, it has not survived but the similarity of so many verses in these three gospels make it evident that they had it. The Gospel of Luke presents these verses in 10:21-22. In Matthew’s Gospel, these verses introduce a joyous follow up to a long, negative commentary that Jesus had just made to the crowds on the occasion of a visit by some of John the Baptist’s disciples. To fully understand this Sunday’s gospel passage, let’s read 11:2 – 24. With this as background, let’s now examine Sunday’s reading. It is a rare example of Jesus praying aloud; we are privileged to listen in on his prayer.
25 At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
the wise and the learned… the childlike: As you will read in your footnotes, the wise and the learned are the scribes and the Pharisees, who have rejected Jesus’ preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds. The childlike are those who not so impressed with themselves that they are open to receive Jesus.
26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
Father, such has been your gracious will: Jesus is praying another version of “Thy will be done.”
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father…anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him: the gospel writer is making clear the intimate relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his beloved son and the essential intermediary role of Jesus; we can only get to know the Father through him.
Next, we hear three verses that we’re all familiar with even though they’re found only in Matthew’s Gospel; they offer great comfort and encouragement:
28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Burdened…rest: your footnotes indicate that this refers to the heavy burdens that the scribes and Pharisees place on others without offering any assistance (cf. 23:4). In contrast, Jesus gives us rest and walks with us, as we now hear.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.
Take my yoke… find rest: The yoke Jesus calls us to carry is obedience to his life-giving word; it is here that we will find rest (cf. Jer. 6:16).
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
my yoke is easy, and my burden light: Jesus doesn’t say that we don’t have to work but that he will accompany us in our labors. The work he requires is light and he takes the lead in carrying it out.
The second reading doesn’t usually relate to the first reading and gospel but this Sunday it does. As we hear of God’s reign – a reign of peace – in the first reading and are taught in the Gospel that we must be childlike in our trust in God as we continue to build up his kingdom, we are shown how we are able to do that in the second reading: by allowing the Spirit of God to dwell in us. Let’s prayerfully read this short reading.
Romans 8:9, 11-13
9 But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.
12 Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
On this weekend when we celebrate the Fourth of July, recalling the courageous leaders of our fledgling nation who fought for our freedom, Zechariah’s prophecy invites us to look at the intersection of our civil and religious life and ask what kind of leadership we seek and support. Jesus makes it clear that our understanding of God calls for a humility and simplicity. He then assures us that he will accompany us whenever we feel overwhelmed. We will continue to be called to work for the coming of his kingdom but he is yoked to us in this labor and will lighten our load. And, St. Paul reminds us that we who live in the Spirit of God are given new life by Christ’s Spirit that dwells in us through our baptism.