‘Contains strong language’, the warning given to viewers might be applied to two of today’s readings. The Bible often uses forceful words to stress the importance of listening to God and living the Christian life. And to let us know what God’s love means.
The readings are available online here.
Numbers 11:25-29
This book, one of the first five books of Moses, continues the account of the 40 years spent between Egypt and the promised land, including a census of the tribes which accounts for the name. Moses words here are emphatic, but stronger language had come earlier than this incidence when the people complained that God was not to be trusted to care for them as they made their long exodus across the Sinai desert. Moses had been their intermediary with the Lord, but to ease the burden this had become for him with complaining Israelites, 70 respected men were chosen to help, and they too experienced the powerful, mystic experience of hearing God’s word. Two of the chosen had been on their own at this point, and Joshua did not trust that they too, had received the ‘coming of the spirit’. Moses wish that all could be prophets would be echoed by the words of Joel 3:1-5 of the outpouring of the Spirit on all humans, and the vivid experience of Pentecost as recounted in the second chapter of Acts.
Psalm 18/19:8,10,12-14
This response gives us a moment of quiet reflection between the readings, a song of praise for living with the guidance of the Law which is seen as offering a guide to perfection.
James 5:1-6
This is the last of our selections from this Letter, and characteristic of James’ view of the behaviour of the wealthy, and he uses the same style of strong language that many of the Older Testament prophets used to denounce the oppression of the poor. In our times, every year the gap between the very rich and the rest widens, many making even more money out of many kinds of suffering. Wealth is still admired, praised as an incentive and practices like manipulation of funds and markets which create no real value are rewarded financially while often any deprived people are blamed for their poor condition which is really caused by the actions of wealth seekers.
James, however, insists that God’s judgement is different and while at the present, the rich get away with their oppression there is a different future coming. He writes on behalf of the poor, the needy, and this is the emphasis of the Church’s option for the poor, and we are called to take their side.
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
The disciples of Jesus, like Joshua, are concerned with control of God’s gifts, here the practice of exorcism. Jesus, however, like Moses urges them to be open to all who do good, especially those who have enough faith to call on his name. The rest of this section seems a group of sayings brought together, sometimes by catchwords, some by similarity or comparison.
Jesus uses a small action, one hardly noticed or remembered, to say that even this is something God sees and rewards.
Next comes the opposite – doing harm – with some of the strongest words reported of Jesus, about anyone who persecutes the ‘little ones’. Lost at sea with no burial was horrifying to the ancient world, and being tied to a heavy millstone is a vivid way of expressing the special weight of this sinful action. ‘Little ones’ can be literally children, but is also at times used for disciples: it may not matter which are meant here – both are terrible actions. Today the world sees widespread abuse of children, and while this is also widely condemned, it still calls on disciples not to look away but do all they can to protect them. If we think here of disciples, less recognised as wrongful is destroying someone else’s faith or urging them into sinful actions.
This is followed by stark instructions stressing the seriousness of sin. Jesus often uses hyperbole or exaggeration to make a point, and we are not literally to mutilate our bodies. But while seeing this as an exaggeration, the point Jesus is making must not be forgotten: sin is far more destructive than any bodily harm for it separates one from God. People find it all too easy to excuse their ‘misbehaviour’, and think it is a ‘small matter’. Jesus takes any sinfulness as mattering a great deal, but also in other instructions reminds us God is always ready to forgive – but that means first acknowledging the wrong on our part.
The word translated in the liturgy as ‘hell’ is in the Greek, Gehenna. This was the name of the rubbish dump outside Jerusalem and like many such waste sites even now, there were fires to consume the trash, and worms as part of the natural recycling system. What ‘Gehenna’ suggests to me is not the idea of ‘hell’ as a literal place of torture by demons, but a comparison with sinfulness as a total ‘waste’ – absolutely nothing good comes of refusing to respond to God’s offer of love and forgiveness. We find a rubbish dump repulsive and sin should offend us in the same way.
It is a work of love to stress God’s condemnation of what is seriously wrong, also with reminding people of God’s pardon when repentant – this echoes the wish of Moses that ‘all could be prophets’. There are prophetic words to be spoken in our own time. And are we, too, to speak or act in ways that lead others to God?
Joan Griffith
Suggestions for prayer or reflection
For many of us, discussions of wealth and poverty belong to ‘politics’, and we feel this should be kept separate from ‘religion’ or ‘faith’. But the Letter from James does not hesitate to tackle this social/economic issue. How do you feel about this in your own values and ethics?
In your own life right now, what do you feel is most ‘causing you to stumble’? How can you leave it behind?