Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

Today's Gospel reading is an interesting one. Some Pharisees accuse Jesus and His disciples of breaking the Sabbath, implying that He is allowing them to break Exodus 34 which prohibited the reaping and harvesting of grain (with reaping tools) on the Sabbath. In reality, Jesus' disciples were merely hand-picking grain to snack on (which was permitted even on the Sabbath by Deuteronomy 23). Jesus' response is thus especially interesting because He does not correct His adversaries by pointing out such fine distinctions. Rather, He points to His own messianic standing by comparing Himself with King David (a known messianic symbol and figure) who was permitted (by the high priest no less) of eating the bread representing the presence of God which was reserved for priests only. David was not yet king, and was being persued by fellow Israelites (King Saul's men). It was clearly a Sabbath then as well, since the Bread of the presence was available. The high priest Ahimelech provided that sacred bread for them, and that was a clear violation of the Law, and yet the Pharisees surely would not wish to condemn King David nor the high priest for such actions. Jesus, the Messiah, is likewise able to allow His disciples to eat on the Sabbath while they are in the midst of His messianic ministry.

What's more, Jesus mentions Ahimelech's son, the high priest Abiathar, instead of the actual high priest at the time (Ahimelech his father). This is possibly because the scroll containing this portion of Scripture may have been named after Abiathar, so such a detail would help other locate what portion of 1 Samuel Jesus was referring to. But even more striking is Abiathar's fate, which would serve as a warning to the Pharisees who were trying to trap Jesus (just as Saul's men were trying to trap David). It was well known that Abiathar was the last high priest of his line in the Old Testament. Like these Pharisees who were opposing Jesus, Abiathar opposed David's son, King Solomon (referred to as God's son in the Psalms which the New Testament applies to Jesus, another "Son of David" and "Son of God"). For this opposition, Abiathar was banished from Jerusalem. David's royal successor (Solomon) caused Abiathar's line to end. With the coming of David's final successor, Jesus, the role of the Pharisees would likewise come to an end. The fact that this entire passage in Mark occurs within a context (both before and after) where Pharisees are questioning Jesus on a whole host of teachings and actions, strengthens this point.

The relevance of this for us today is a message of hope. When we read today's Gospel reading in light of the first reading, we see that Jesus is for us a sign of hope. The Kingdom of David had apparently been cut off, despite God's promise of an everlasting covenant with the House of David. Jesus is David's heir, and therefore it is through Jesus and His Church that the Kingdom of David survives. Jesus was not a Levite, and therefore not a Levitical priest, and yet, Melchizedek was not a Levite either, and yet still a priestly figure, indeed a royal priestly figure who offered bread and wine. Finally, through Jesus' death and resurrection, God fulfilled the oath He swore to Abraham, and oath alluded to in the first reading today from the Letter to the Hebrews. For the first time, in Genesis 22, God swore an oath by Himself to Abraham to bless Him after the binding of Abraham's son Isaac. In a similar way, Jesus, God's only Son, was bound and sacrificed in the same region of Jerusalem that Isaac was bound (calvary was a hilltop on Moriah where Isaac was offered). And as Isaac was given back to his father alive, so Jesus was brought back to life for the life of the world.

Jesus, then, is our hope. And we too may now eat of the bread of the presence of God, the sacred bread offered at the Sabbath. Let us therefore bring this hope that we share into the world. Let us remember the Eucharist a sign of hope for us. Let's try to think of some way that we can share the hope that we have in Jesus with others. When we encounter others who are struggling with despair, what are some ways we can be a sign of hope for them?

- Jeff Morrow