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.
1 Kings 19: 9a, 11 – 13a
This Sunday, we will hear again from the first book of Kings, as we did two weeks ago. You will recall that it is one of the historical books. 1 Kings was written before the fall of Jerusalem and finally edited shortly after its fall. Let’s examine again the historical setting for this account. Solomon succeeded David as king of Israel. Although he started out being faithful to God, building the Temple to the Lord and using the wisdom God had given him to serve his people well, we saw two weeks ago that, in his old age, he turned to worship false gods. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom was split between Rehoboam, his son, who became the king of the Southern Kingdom, known as Juda, and Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who became king of the Northern Kingdom, known as Israel. Jeroboam, the king of the Northern Kingdom, was succeeded, in turn, by Nadab, Baasha, Elah and Ahab, as you will see on your Biblical Timeline. The account that we will hear this Sunday concerns Ahab and the great prophet, Elijah; you will see that Elijah began to prophecy during the reign of King Ahab. As we read in the first 7 verses of 1 Kings 17, Elijah prophesied and predicted a drought; he then fled for his life. In the following chapters of 1 Kings, we read the well-known accounts of his staying with a widow during the drought and his encounter with the prophets of Baal. Finally, as we will hear this Sunday, he has fled again, this time to escape the wrath of Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. Jezebel was a particularly evil woman, killing the true prophets and even stooping to deceit and murder to obtain land (cf. I Kings 18:4; 21:1-14).
Now, let’s read from the beginning of chapter 19. Elijah’s encounter with God prepares us for the disciples’ encounter with Christ when he walks toward them across the water!
9 There he came to a cave, where he took shelter. But the word of the LORD came to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
10 He answered: “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
11 Then the LORD said, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD – but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake there was fire–but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
a tiny whispering sound: That the Lord was not in the mighty wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but rather in the gentle whisper of the breeze is a lesson for the fiery prophet, and for us! God, in his own way and often without great fanfare, will work his will for Israel – and for us!
13 When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
[A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”]
(11-13) Compare these divine manifestations to Elijah with those to Moses (Exodus 19:20-23; 33:1-2, 18-23; 34:1-7) on the same Mount Horeb (Sinai) (Deut 4:9-15). Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4,17; 33:18-34:9). Remember, Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).
Now, let’s examine this Sunday’s gospel
Matthew 14:22 – 33
This week, we hear the next episode after Jesus feeds the five thousand. You will remember that he had come to this deserted place for some quiet time to pray. The crowds had followed him, however and, moved with pity for them, he cured their sick and then fed them. But, he still needed some time for prayer so we see what he does next.
22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.
23 After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.
went up on the mountain: there are no “mountains” in the immediate vicinity of the lake. This is symbolic language, indicating that Jesus was going somewhere to commune with God, his heavenly Father. Remember, for the people of ancient Israel, God was to be found on a mountain (recall Moses receiving the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai, Elijah seeing God on Mount Horeb). The ancient Greeks thought their gods/goddesses resided on Mount Olympus.
24 Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
few miles offshore: the Greek literally states “in the midst of the sea.”
25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.
The fourth watch of the night: between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. The Romans divided the twelve hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. into four equal parts called “watches.”
walking on the sea: As you will read in your footnotes, the disciples, laboring against the turbulent sea, are saved by Jesus. Throughout the psalms, we read that God is praised for his power over the seas (cf. Ps. 65:8; 89:10; 93:3-4; 107:29). Jesus, God incarnate, demonstrates his power over the waters first by calming them (cf. Mt 8:26) and now by walking on the sea.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
they were terrified. …It is a ghost: It’s important not to mix up this account with the earlier one (8:23-26) when Jesus calms the sea as they feared for their lives because the storm was so violent. It was a common occurrence to have wind pick up overnight in the Sea of Galilee, as the cooler air from the Mediterranean to the west made its way over the land and descended onto the Sea of Galilee. The source for their terror in this account is seeing a ghost. In those days, many sailors died at sea – their boats were small and relatively unstable – so when sailors saw a ghost on the waters, they thought it presaged their own deaths.
27 At once (Jesus) spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
It is I: The Greek, “Έγω ειμι” translates more accurately “I am,” the Greek translation of יהוה. Here, we see identifying himself with God. This is unusual in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus usually uses the self-deprecating term “Son of Man” when referring to himself.
28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
Peter got out of the boat: we often focus on Peter’s faltering faith when he began to sink, but we cannot overlook the great faith he demonstrated by getting out of the boat in the first place!
30 But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
You of little faith: As you will read in the footnote on the phrase: “Why did you doubt?” The verb is peculiar to Matthew and occurs elsewhere only in Matthew 28:17.
32 After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Truly, you are the Son of God: This confession is in striking contrast to the Marcan parallel (Matthew 6:51) where the disciples are “completely astounded.”
The incident, found here and in Mark, is so singular in the synoptic narratives that some scripture scholars propose that this was originally a post-resurrection account, perhaps even a story devised by Mark to speak of the situation of the early Church. By that time, the Church had been portrayed in both literature and painting as a boat. The story can be speaking of the rough seas that the early Church is experiencing. The disciples are struggling to stay in the boat. Peter demonstrates his faith (as he did at the Last Supper) and then falters (as he did before Jesus’ trial) and finally, holding onto Jesus, rises to lead the Church. Jesus is not a “ghost” from the distant past but is still very much present to the Church.
Whether it is historical or allegorical, it speaks powerfully to us whenever we find ourselves buffeted by the storms in our lives. Jesus walks with us and pulls us up by the hand whenever we falter; we just need to follow Peter’s example and call out to him.
For comparison purposes, let’s read Mark’s account (6:45-52). Notice the significant differences:
In Mark’s Gospel:
- Jesus sees that his disciples were being tossed about;
- Jesus intends to pass them by;
- There is no mention of Peter getting out of the boat;
- There is no mention of Jesus’ admonition: “O you of little faith.”
- They are astounded (Matthew uses that phrase in the earlier incident); and
- It concludes with a note that their hearts were hardened and they had not understood the incident of the loaves.
You will recall that the Gospel of Mark emphasizes the Messianic Secret – that is, the theme of Jesus instructing his disciples not to tell anyone about him until he is risen from the dead. This theme also involves the disciples’ slowness to grasp the true identity of Jesus. We see this in Marks’ version of the storm at sea, not in Matthew’s version, where we see another incident where Peter stands out as putting his trust in Jesus – even though he falters – and the disciples recognize Jesus as “the Son of God.”
This is a very good example of where two gospel writers use a similar account to present slightly different messages – very interesting! In both accounts, however, we see Jesus, who has just fed 5,000, shows his power and authority in a new way: walking on water!
Romans 9:1 – 5
We hear a few more verses of Paul’s letter to the community in Rome this Sunday. The section we will hear picks up where we left off last week. Paul has been speaking of God’s love, so clearly demonstrated through the paschal mystery of his only son, Jesus Christ. Now, he reflects the confusion and concern that he and many other Jewish converts have about their fellow Jews who have rejected Christ.
1 I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the holy Spirit in bearing me witness
I speak the truth in Christ: As you will read in the footnotes about this section of Paul’s Letter to the Romans (9:1-11:36), Israel’s unbelief and its rejection of Jesus as savior astonished and puzzled Christians. It constituted a serious problem for them in view of God’s specific preparation of Israel for the advent of the Messiah. Paul addresses himself here to the essential question of how the divine plan could be frustrated by Israel’s unbelief. At the same time, he discourages both complacency and anxiety on the part of Gentiles. To those who might boast of their superior advantage over Jews, he warns that their enjoyment of the blessings assigned to Israel can be terminated. To those who might anxiously ask, “How can we be sure that Israel’s fate will not be ours?” he replies that only unbelief can deprive one of salvation.
2 that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kin according to the flesh.
I have great sorrow and constant anguish… I could wish that I myself were accursed and separated from Christ: In the footnote about verses 1-5, we read that the St. Paul speaks in strong terms of the depth of his grief over the unbelief of his own people. He would willingly undergo a curse himself for the sake of their coming to the knowledge of Christ (Romans 9:3; cf. Lev 27:28-29). His love for them derives from God’s continuing choice of them and from the spiritual benefits that God bestows on them and through them on all of humanity (Romans 9:4-5).
4 They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
5 theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Messiah. God who is over all be blessed forever. Amen.
They are Israelites…God who is over all: As you see in the footnotes, some editors punctuate this verse differently and prefer the translation, “Of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all.” However, Paul’s point is that God who is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah.
In these readings, we are invited to reflect on God’s mighty power, often experienced in the tiniest whisper and experienced in the flesh in Jesus Christ. God used ancient Israel as his chosen people to make himself known but his saving message is for all – including us today! That’s why we read these scriptures: to recognize God’s powerful presence in our lives and, like the disciples, recognize Jesus as truly the Son of God. When we do that, we are able to face the storms of this life – we’re all in the same boat facing the storm of the coronavirus – with strength and inner peace, assured that God is always with us. But, in the midst of a noisy, violent world, we have to strive to hear God’s whisper. Hearing God’s voice demands intention and attention. Let’s give God the attention he deserves. Like Jesus, let’s make sure that we take time in our busy lives to pray. And then, like Peter, let’s pay attention to how God answers our prayers.
Peter and his companions learned that God listens to our pleas. The disciples wanted an end to the storm and Jesus invited them to walk on the troubled water. Rather than meet our expectations, God offers to save us in ways we might think impossible. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Jesuit mystic, is quoted as saying, “What paralyzes life is lack of faith and lack of audacity.” Peter and friends were learning that that faith is an audacious way to live. That’s a bit like deciding to walk on water: half-measures simply won’t do.
It takes faith to put our whole heart into praying “Lord, let us see your kindness and grant us your salvation,” as we do in this Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm. It takes audacious trust to be open, to let go of our expectations and dare to accept the salvation God offers.
So, we need to sing it with all our heart: “Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” See you in September!