By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; Response: Psalm 103:1-4, 6-8, 11; Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Gospel: Luke 13:1-9
Exodus here recounts how the Lord God called and commissioned Moses to be the instrument by which God would rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Exodus 1 describes how the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt. Exodus 2 recalls Moses’ birth and his eventual exile for killing an Egyptian who had violently struck a Hebrew. Moses flees to Midian where he marries a Midianite woman.
Exodus Chapter 3 recounts that Moses led the grazing flock of his Midianite father-in-law to Mount Horeb “the mountain of God.” This is likely another name for Mount Sinai — where God later established a covenant with Moses and the Israelites and gave them the Law.
Moses sees a bush which “though on fire, was not consumed.” Moses is stunned by this sight. From the bush, the Lord calls Moses by name. Moses hears, “I am the God of your father.”
The revised Catholic lectionary will soon correct this. Our current translation incorrectly has “of your fathers” — plural.
God is calling Moses back to his own heritage — the faith of his father. Thus: “I am the God of your father.” Exodus 3 began: “Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian.” Moses is fully immersed in his new life — he has left behind Egypt and his own people. Without the call of God, Moses would have continued living in the manner of his new Midianite family.
The Lord tells Moses, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt.” Moses had himself witnessed this before he had fled Egypt. Moses surely was glad to hear that God would rescue the Israelites from Egypt. But then God says, “Now, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). Moses is not eager to be an instrument of God’s salvation. Moses raises several objections to being involved in God’s plan.
Moses raises the question of God’s name. God instructs Moses to tell the Israelites, “I AM sent me to you.” The Hebrew (’ehyeh/’ahyeh) means either “I am” or “I cause to be.” This is a reference to the name YHWH, which means either “He is” or “He causes to be.” The name seems to emphasize that God is the source of all being. The Greek Septuagint translation (ca. 250 B.C.) is consistent with this interpretation.
The Responsorial Psalm 103 is a “praise psalm” that gives testimony to the good works of the Lord God. The first two verses repeat “Bless the LORD, O my soul.” The psalmist is exhorting himself to bless the Lord. The psalmist recalls all of the times that he has experienced the Lord’s goodness, which moves him to praise the Lord. The psalmist recalls the Lord’s forgiveness, his healing power, and how the Lord “redeems your life from destruction.” This psalm especially speaks to anyone who has experienced suffering and difficulties in life.
This passage from 1st Corinthians compares the Israelites with the Corinthians. Paul says, “Our ancestors were all under the cloud.” In Exodus, the cloud indicates God’s protective presence. Paul recalls how God protected the Israelites from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea.
Paul describes the Israelites as being baptized. This compares the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt by God to a Christian’s deliverance from sin by baptism. Paul also says the Israelites were fed by God with spiritual food and drink. This is an implicit comparison to the Eucharist of Christ’s new covenant — which Paul describes in detail in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29.
Paul says about the Israelites, “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.” This is a warning to the Corinthians that they might likewise suffer the consequences of their sins — despite their baptism and reception of the Eucharist. Paul emphasizes: “These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did” (10:6).
Paul says that the sins of the Israelites “have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.” Thus we must “take care not to fall” — as the Israelites did. Paul observes that “the end of the ages has come.” Paul urgently reminds us that Jesus Christ has brought the kingdom of God. Jesus’ mission is two-fold: to give life and to bring judgment (see John 5:24-29). This is the best of good news. But we must be ready for judgment by Christ while trusting in his mercy.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the people to repentance. He cites two recent events — the death of some Galileans at the hand of Pilate, and “eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them.” Jesus does not say that these were innocent deaths. Instead, he suggests that the people who died were sinners — but that “everyone else who lived in Jerusalem” was equally sinful. Thus the question is not why these people died tragically, but rather why we who survive are allowed by God to live — despite our sins.
Jesus answers this question with a parable about a fig tree that bears no fruit. The orchard owner is tempted to cut it down. But the gardener asks for one year of mercy during which he would cultivate and fertilize the tree in the hope that it will finally bear fruit. So also for us, death is the just consequence for our sins, but God is showing us mercy by giving us time to repent.
There is an urgency to Jesus’ call to repentance. The fig tree has not borne fruit for three straight years. It is now harvest time. The other trees are bearing fruit, but not this fig tree. Jesus’ words indicate that sin prevents us from “bearing fruit” as God wishes us to do. Jesus often uses the time of harvest as a symbol for God’s judgment because harvest requires separating the “good fruit” from the parts of the plant which have no value for harvest.