Jeremiah 31:7 – 9
This Sunday, we will hear from the prophet Jeremiah. As is usually the case, this passage was clearly chosen to prepare us for the Gospel. It contains an oracle of consolation regarding the restoration of Israel, which is fulfilled in Jesus.
Since it has been a while since we heard from the prophet Jeremiah, let’s quickly review the “who, what, when, where, why and to whom” of this book. Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry in 627BC during the reform that King Josiah initiated and ended it somewhere between 582 and 570BC while he was in exile and before he was killed in Babylon. His prophecies can be divided into poetic oracles of judgment against Judah and Jerusalem (chapters 1 – 25), narratives about the prophet along with some sermons (chapters 26 – 45), and oracles concerning foreign nations (chapters 46 – 51). Chapter 52, a historical appendix, provides further information about Zedekiah, the fall of Jerusalem and the exile. As I mentioned a moment ago, the short passage we will hear on Sunday is an oracle of consolation regarding the restoration of Israel, which is fulfilled in Jesus. Scripture scholars believe that it is a prophecy by Jeremiah himself; many believe it to be part of his prophecy while he was in exile in Babylon and some believe it to be an oracle aimed directly at the Northern Kingdom; we’ll see that in a few moments. Let’s begin with verse 1 of chapter 31 to get a good taste of the hopefulness of this oracle.
And now, let’s look carefully at the three verses we will hear on Sunday:
7 For thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel.
For thus says the LORD: whenever we hear the prophet beginning with such a proclamation, we know that he is speaking in the name of the Lord, not in his own name. This is a formal declaration of authority, an assurance that what is about to be proclaimed is truer than any usual word because God’s word contains the power to make the message come true.
Shout with joy: The first command God gives here is shout for joy – not because of what they have done but what God is about to do.
The LORD has delivered his people: this is a new Exodus. Just as God led the ancient Israelites out of their exile in Egypt, now he is to deliver his people out of their exile in Babylon.
the remnant of Israel: here, and below, we will see that the prophecy refers specifically to the Northern Kingdom of Israel – not Judah. You will recall that Assyria had overcome the Northern Kingdom in 722BC. Jeremiah, now in exile in Babylon, is assuring even those tribes of Israel who had been lost for almost 200 years that they would be delivered.
8 Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, The mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng.
land of the north: again, we see a reference to the Northern Kingdom.
the ends of the world: often, when nations were attacked, some would seek refuge away from the place of conflict; we see that today with the Sudanese, the Syrians, the Afghanistani, all those crossing the Mexican border from various Central and South American countries into our country, etc. Jeremiah assures the descendants of the tribes of Israel that God will draw them back, as well.
with the blind and the lame in their midst, The mothers and those with child: notice whom Jeremiah names; not the political or military leaders but the blind and the lame, the children – the least in the eyes of society. Over and over again in Sacred Scripture we see that God has a particular concern for those whom society overlooks.
9 They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first-born.
Mark 10:46 – 52
This week, we continue to hear from Mark’s Gospel, picking up right where we left off last week. It recounts the last miracle found in Mark’s gospel. Remember, last week, we heard about James and John making a request of Jesus. This Sunday, we will hear Bartimaeus, an outcast due to his blindness, making a request of Jesus. We find three very similar accounts in Matthew 9:27-31, 20:29-34 and Luke 18:35-43. After we read Mark’s account, let’s look at them (See the notes on Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34). And, before we read this Sunday’s account, let’s read the earlier account of Jesus healing another blind man, this time in Bethsaida (8:22-26). Notice, this occurs just after Jesus has chastised his disciples because the “have eyes but do not see…” (cf. 8:18-21) and the passages following it up to what we will hear on Sunday contain Jesus’ teachings about his upcoming death and resurrection.
46 They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.
Jericho: At 700’ below sea level, this is the lowest city in the world; a resort town in the time of our Lord, where the well-to-do would escape the cold of Jerusalem, which sat 2,200’ above sea level. It was just 18 miles NE of Jerusalem (a four-hour walk) and, although it was in the desert, it was lush due to the fresh water springs that sprang up in the area. Jesus was rather familiar with the town; it was there that he encountered Zaccheus (Luke 19) and it was the town he mentioned in his parable about the Good Samaritan.
Bartimaeus… son of Timaeus: Timaeus means “honorable.” Is this really his name or is there a message in the use of this name?
47 On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.”
son of David: This is the first time we see this title in Mark’s Gospel; the only other time we see it is as Jesus enters Jerusalem (cf. Mk 11:10). In Matthew’s Gospel, we see it used at the very beginning, at the beginning of the genealogy of Jesus (cf. Mt 1:1) and the two blind men accounts. In all of these instances, its intent is to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David, to audiences that were blind to it.
48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.”
50 He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
He threw aside his cloak: His cloak was his only possession. It kept him warm at night and protected him from the blazing sun in the day. But, he didn’t carry it with him when he went to Jesus; he threw it aside because he was now going to put his trust in Jesus.
51 Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asks the blind man the same question he asked the disciples in last week’s gospel account.
“Master, I want to see.” The blind man’s response is very unlike the disciples’ response. He isn’t looking for power or glory; he just wants to see so he can become part of society again. And, as we hear in Jesus’ response, he does so with strong faith in Jesus.
52 Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.
“Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Is Jesus referring only to the man’s faith in Jesus’ healing power, or in Jesus as the Son of David, the Messiah?
on the way: This phrase, “on the way,” was a code for following the way of the Lord. We see it often in the Gospels: Jesus speaks of his upcoming death and resurrection while he and his disciples are “on the way” to Jerusalem; the risen Lord appears to the two disciples while they are “on the way” to Emmaus and reveals himself to them.
Let’s now compare Mark’s version with the two accounts in Matthew and the one in Luke (Matthew 9:27-31, 20:29-34 and Luke 18:35-43; see the notes on Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34).
Hebrews 5:1 – 6
We continue to hear from the letter to the Hebrews. The verses we will hear on Sunday are taken from a passage in this letter that compares Israel’s historical high priests and Jesus, the true high priest appointed by God as Aaron was. Scripture scholars wonder why liturgists didn’t include the rest of the passage; let’s examine it in its entirety.
1 Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
high priest is taken from among men: The true humanity of Jesus (see the note on Hebrews 2:5-18) makes him a more rather than a less effective high priest to the Christian community. In Old Testament tradition, the high priest was identified with the people, guilty of personal sin just as they were (Hebrews 5:1-3). Even so, the office was of divine appointment (Hebrews 5:4), as was also the case with the sinless Christ (Hebrews 5:5).
To offer gifts and sacrifices for sins: the author is thinking principally of the Day of Atonement rite, as is clear from Hebrews 9:7. This ritual was celebrated to atone for “all the sins of the Israelites” (Lev 16:34).
2 He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness
Deal patiently: the Greek word metriopathein occurs only here in the Bible; this term was used by the Stoics to designate the golden mean between excess and defect of passion. Here it appears to mean rather the ability to sympathize.
3 and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people.
4 No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
5 In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: “You are my son; this day I have begotten you”;
6 just as he says in another place: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek: Melchizedek was the ancient king of Salem (Jerusalem) who blessed Abraham (Gn 14:18-20); like other kings of the time he also performed priestly functions. Here, as in Heb 7, Melchizedek is presented as a type of Christ. And, although Jesus was Son of God, he was destined as a human being to learn obedience by accepting the suffering he had to endure (Hebrews 5:8). Because of his perfection through this experience of human suffering, he is the cause of salvation for all (Hebrews 5:9), a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:10; cf Hebrews 5:6 and Hebrews 7:3).
The author of Hebrews is the only New Testament writer to cite Psalm 110:4, here and in Hebrews 7:17,21, to show that Jesus has been called by God to his role as priest. Hebrews 5:7-8 deals with his ability to sympathize with sinners, because of his own experience of the trials and weakness of human nature, especially fear of death. In his present exalted state, weakness is foreign to him, but he understands what we suffer because of his previous earthly experience.
In this passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, we are assured that Jesus is, indeed, the great high priest appointed by God to offer, at last, a worthy offering for our sins. This is an important message that is part of Jesus’ teaching during his public ministry. His encounter with the blind Bartimaeus offers a contrast with the spiritual blindness of the disciples who, as we heard last week, were more concerned with sharing in Jesus’ glory than recognizing his call to share in his suffering for the salvation of all. As we race toward the end of another liturgical year – the last Sunday in Ordinary Time is just a month away – we learn this weekend about the importance of having eyes of faith in order to experience and share in the saving work of Jesus, the true high priest.