Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
In the reading for today (Matthew 11:20-24) Jesus addresses the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These are towns where Jesus has preached, performed miracles, and done healings. The basic message to them is that the people in these towns have heard him preach and have been impressed by his miracles, but many people there still have not believed in him. Jesus prophesies that they will ultimately be judged harshly for their lack of faith. Despite these severe words, it seems to me that Jesus does not want to see them condemned. Rather he wants them to accept his message, repent of their sins, and follow a new way of life. So it is with a sense of urgency that Jesus seems to call out to them. His words are not just a warning but also a spur to them finally to do what they are supposed to be doing.
Jesus contrasts Chorazin and Bethsaida, where he has preached largely to Jewish people, with Tyre and Sidon, which are pagan towns. He says that Tyre and Sidon will be judged less harshly than Chorazin and Bethsaida, and he emphasizes Capernaum’s unwillingness to believe by contrasting it to Sodom. What could he mean by this? It occurs to me that what Jesus is saying here is another version of his statement that “much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Luke 12: 48). Those who have been given the law given should recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of that law. And by extension, those to whom God has been revealed in a special way will be required to do more to respond to God.
In our contemporary context as Christians the message is of course considerably different. We have received the doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church, the Bible, the example of the saints, and the moral and spiritual witness of friends and family who have gone before us in faith. We can draw strength from our fellowship with other Christians and we rely on the stirrings of conscience in our hearts. Even more important, we have Jesus bodily present in the sacrifice of the mass. We have been given much. How then do we respond? Who do we say Jesus is? How do we live in response to what has been revealed to us?
Jesus’ words in the gospel reading today present each of us with the chance to ask ourselves whether we have been faithful to the knowledge that we have been given. Do we always respond in a way that is faithful and makes use of the knowledge that we have received, or are we willing to let time pass without responding in a serious way to Jesus?
Joel Schickel