"Something Greater than Solomon is Here"

Today's Mass Readings

The first reading from Exodus today sets up one of the most famous miracles of the Old Testament, namely, the parting of the Red Sea. For years the Israelite people had lived among the Egyptians, only to be enslaved by the Pharaoh because of his jealousy for their prosperity. During this time, many of the Israelites adopted practices of the Egyptians, such as worship of their gods rather than of their own God. Although they were enslaved, the Israelites were accustomed to that way of life. So it’s no wonder that the Israelites complain against Moses in today’s reading. They emphasize that they were perfectly willing to stay and serve the Egyptians, especially if the alternative is being killed by the Pharaoh’s army in the desert to which they had escaped. We see here the rather unsure faith of a people that have been enslaved for generations. Moses, must lead these people into developing a faith that is as sure as his own. The first reading ends by the Lord asserting that the Egyptians will know he is God by the miracle that is about to happen. God will now carry out what he had promised to Moses at the burning bush. This first reading raises several profound questions for us Catholics who today read it. First, how often are we like the Israelite people, who, instead of trustingly accepting God’s gifts as he gives them, doubt that they are gifts? How often do we expect that God will use the easy way to get us out of some mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into? How often do we grumble and complain against God and his leaders when we think things could have done in a manner that would be better for us? Implied in this series of questions is the role that witness plays in our lives as Christians.

The parting of the Red Sea was not simply about rescuing the Israelites (although it was about this). This miracle was also about showing the Egyptians that the Lord is the one and only God. The Lord wants the Israelites and the Egyptians alike to know that He is the only God. God often works through us and our faith in Him to show the world that he is the one true God. The Israelites’ behavior in Egypt – including worshipping Egyptian gods – was a poor witness to the Lord as the one true God. Their lack of faith in God, their doubt that he could save them from death in the desert never would have convinced the Egyptians that the Israelite Lord was the real God. How often do we offer a poor witness to God’s love because of our “worship” of false gods like materialism? How often do we expect the Christian life to be an easy one, where true faith is marked by prosperity?

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus complains that this generation wants a sign. Maybe Jesus is thinking of the parting of the Red Sea and the powerful sign that must have been for the Israelites and Egyptians alike. But Jesus’ life – although it contained many miracles – was not about the dramatic signs sought by the scribes and Pharisees. Rather, Jesus insists that the only sign given is his own death and resurrection. He suggests that the Ninevites and the Queen of the South will condemn those who are seeking a sign from him. Of course, the Ninevites and the Queen of the South were not among the “children of Israel.”

So again we see the theme of God’s inclusion of others. The Lord is the God of the Israelites, the Egyptians, the Ninevites, the Queen of the South. And the sign of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is greater than Jonah or Solomon or even Moses’ dramatic parting of the Red Sea. Let us then, strive to live a Christian life of faith, a life that bears witness to the Trinity, which is the one true God of all peoples.