Numbers 11:25 – 29
This Sunday, we will hear from the Book of Numbers. As usual, it is a passage that prepares us for the Gospel. And, as has been the case over the past few weeks, it is taken from a book that we have not heard from in a while, so let’s review the who, what, when, where, why and to whom. It is the fourth book in the Torah and derives its name from the Vulgate title, “Numeri” which is taken from the Greek αριθμοι. What word do we see here (arithmetic – to reckon in numbers)? These titles indicate a significant characteristic of the book, which concerns itself with a census of God’s people and shows a special interest in the arithmetic precision regarding such matters as sacrificial offerings, the spoils of war, the days required for purification, etc. The Hebrew name for this book is במדבר (pronounced “bamidbar”) which means “in the wilderness”, the fourth word in the text. This refers to time of wandering in the desert. This title speaks of the transitional nature of the writing, between the escape from Egypt and arrival in the Promised Land. Like the other books of the Pentateuch, it is the result of a compilation of several sources embodying material from different stages of Israel’s history. It is not, in fact, even a book, but rather a collection of historical, legal, and liturgical traditions spanning a period of approximately 1,000 years. It contains elements of the J, E, and P traditions, although the final editing occurred through a P redaction. Although it contains a great deal of historical information, it is important to remember that, for the ancient Israelites, history was the retelling of God’s actions in the world. So, it is a theological reflection on historical events.
The passage we will hear on Sunday is best understood within the context of the first two opening lines of chapter 10 and all of chapter 11. The little section we will hear on Sunday can be compared to Exodus 18:13-27.
25 The LORD then came down in the cloud and spoke to him. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, he bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied.
The LORD then came down in the cloud: God often appeared to Moses in a dense cloud (Ex. 19:9; 24:15-18). A pillar of cloud also became the sign of God’s presence that led the Israelites through the desert (13:21-22). Of course, we are familiar with the a cloud from which God spoke to Jesus, first at his baptism (Mk 1:10) and then at his transfiguration (Mk 9:7).
spirit that was on Moses, he bestowed it on the seventy elders: Moses was recognized as the greatest prophet of Israel (Dt. 34:10-12), but here, we see that God shares this prophetic spirit on 72 others.
They prophesied: as you will read in your footnotes, this prophesying is not in the sense of foretelling the future, but of speaking in enraptured enthusiasm. Such manifestations of mystic exaltation occurred in the early days of Hebrew prophecy (1 Sam 10:10-12; 19:20-22) and in the first years of the Church (Acts 2:6-11, 17; 19:6; 1 Cor 12-14).
26 Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; yet the spirit came to rest on them also, and they prophesied in the camp.
27 So, when a young man quickly told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp,”
28 Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said, “Moses, my lord, stop them.”
29 But Moses answered him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!”
Mark 9:38 – 43, 45, 47 – 48
This week, we continue to hear from Mark’s Gospel. We pick up right from where we left off last week – you will recall that we then heard Jesus foretell for a second time that he was to suffer, die and rise from the dead. As we read the passage, we will see how the reading from Numbers has prepared us for this event since both speak of people doing God’s work without being officially installed in that position. Curiously, this particular incident is reported in Luke (9:49-50) but not in Matthew. It speaks of a problem that arose in the early Church Acts) and that Jesus may have faced himself: what to do when those who are not disciples of his cast out demons in his name? We find this occurring in a number of situations (cf. Acts 8:9 – 24; 13:4 – 12; 19:13 – 20). Notice how the Christian leaders responded. It reminds us that we need to discern between true and false prophets, between magic and allowing the Spirit of God to work through us.
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
39 Jesus replied, “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.
40 For whoever is not against us is for us.
whoever is not against us is for us: Jesus warns against jealousy and intolerance toward others, such as exorcists who do not follow us. The proof is in the pudding. The fact that some unfamiliar person is able to drive out demons indicates that God’s Spirit is alive and active in him/her. Notice the requirement that Jesus includes in his declaration: There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. The teaching in Mark 9:40 is a broad principle of the divine tolerance. Even the smallest courtesies shown to those who teach in Jesus’ name do not go unrewarded.
41 Anyone 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.
Anyone who gives you a cup of water: cf. Mt 10:42; here we see a more expanded explanation of the saying. As you will read in the footnote for Mt 10:41, early missionaries of the Christian community were variously called prophets, righteous men and little ones. Those who received them received Jesus.
42 “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.
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe (in me) to sin: you will recall that last Sunday’s reading described Jesus taking a child and placing it in their midst and declaring: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” So, receiving a little child – one who was considered a no one in those days – was a recognition of God present in everyone. Leading someone astray was, therefore, a very serious evil; this leads to Jesus using a number of examples to demonstrate how serious this evil was. To understand these examples correctly, however, it’s important to remember that these actions – cutting off someone’s hands, plucking out someone’s eyes – as unthinkable as we may consider them to be, were common punishments in those days. You will recall Lv 24:18 and Dt 19:21; this was the law of the land.
43 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.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off: this is the first of three very strong warnings about the consequences of sin.
Gehenna: see the note on Matthew 5:22 regarding Gehenna. This valley of the son of Hinnon (cf. Joshua 15:8), was used for human sacrifice to Molech (cf. 2 Kgs 23:10; Jer 7:30) and later a place where trash was burned. Its continually burning fires came to symbolize the place of torment for the wicked (cf. Mt. 10:28, 23:33).
44, 46: These verses, lacking in some important early manuscripts, are here omitted as scribal additions. They simply repeat Mark 9:48 itself a modified citation of Isaiah 66:24.
45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
48 where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched: cf. Is. 66:24. Jesus quotes the prophet’s description of Gehenna.
James 5: 1 – 6
We hear another section from the letter of James. This section of James’ letter continues with the theme of the transitory character of life on earth. The author points out the impending ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven for judgment on their exploiters (James 5:4-6). The decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth, prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors (James 5:2-3).
1 Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries.
2 Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten,
3 your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days.
4 Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud: Much like today, in those days, the workers in the fields were day laborers who relied on their daily wage to survive and feed their families. The condemnation is aimed at those who are causing the day laborers – righteous ones, as we will read in a moment – to starve to death because they are deprived of their daily wage. Meanwhile, the wealthy ones live in luxury and pleasure:
5 You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter.
6 You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.
You have condemned: as you will read in your footnotes, the author does not have in mind any specific crime in his readers’ communities but rather echoes the Old Testament theme of the harsh oppression of the righteous poor (cf. Prv 1:11; Wis 2:10,12,20).
In 1 Corinthians 12:27ff we read: “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the Church to be, first, apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, mighty deeds. … Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all do mighty deeds? …Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But, I shall show you a still more excellent way… Love.
In today’s readings, we are reminded that God has chosen some for special roles. We also see that some are given these roles even without us being aware of it. But, we all have the most important role of love. This is how we build up the Kingdom of God in our midst and avoid Hell at the end of time.