Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 29th August 2021
Lectionary Readings:
Deuteronomy 4 v1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15; James 1 v17-27; Mark 7 v1-8, 14-15, 21-23.
Listen and Obey!
“God will bless you in everything you do, if you listen and obey and don’t just hear and forget.” (James 1 v25b).
The theme of the lectionary readings this week is of obedience to God’s message.
Throughout the ages, God’s prophets have told us how we should live if we want to be children of God and citizens of his kingdom.
The writer of the Book of Deuteronomy acknowledges that God had blessed the nation of Israel with a set of laws that were fairer than those of other nations. (Deuteronomy. 4 v5)
The Psalmist reinforces this emphasis on fairness and justice when he or she suggests that only those who are prepared to obey God’s commands are fit to worship in the Temple.
“Who may stay in the Temple?” “Only those who obey God and do as they should. They speak the truth and don’t spread gossip. They treat others fairly and don’t say cruel things. They show respect for all who worship the Lord. They keep their promises and they don’t take bribes to hurt the innocent”. (Psalm 15 v1a, 2,3).
James the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church in Jerusalem wrote an open letter to all the followers of ‘The Way’ of Jesus, in which he encouraged obedience to God’s message. James linked the traditional Jewish idea that God had blessed the nation of Israel in order to be a blessing to other nations, with the teachings of Jesus, the Messiah.
“God wanted us to be his own special people, and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.” (James 1 v18).
In today’s gospel reading Jesus is confronted by those who considered themselves to be the true interpreters of God’s message. (Mark 7 v1). The ‘teachers of the Law of Moses’ focused their attention on the first five books of the Bible and in particular to God’s teaching as handed down by the prophet Moses. The Pharisees taught obedience not only to the Law of Moses but equally to the ‘oral law’ the interpretation(s) of the ‘Law’ handed down by various learned Rabbis. Jesus viewed ‘oral law’ as ‘man-made’.
Mark tells us that Jesus responded to them by saying,
You are nothing but show-offs! The prophet Isaiah was right when he wrote that God had said,
“All of you praise me with your words, but you never really think about me. It is useless for you to worship me when you teach rules made up by humans.”
You are good at rejecting God’s commands so that you can follow your own teachings!
(Mark 7 v6-7, quoting Isaiah 29 v13).
Jesus was challenging the under-lying hypocrisy of the self appointed ‘experts’ of the Law, by pointing out that obedience to God’s commandments is evidenced by speech and actions prompted by God’s indwelling spirit, the true interpreter of God’s message/will for us.
Bible quotations are taken from the Contemporary English Version.