By Father Paul Nord
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Exodus 19:2-6a; Responsorial: Psalm 100:1-3, 5; Second Reading: Romans 5:6-11; Gospel: Matthew 9:36 – 10:8
The first reading describes a key point in the history of the people of Israel. They arrive at Mount Sinai, where God will form a covenant with them — giving them the Law and the Ten Commandments. Before this, God freed them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 3-12), and God rescued them from Pharaoh’s army at the Red Sea (Exodus 14-15). When they rebelled and grumbled against God, he fed them with manna and gave them water from the rock at Massah-Meribah (Exodus 16-17). Then God led them through the desert toward Mount Sinai.
“While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God.” Moses served as an intermediary between God and the Israelites. On the mountain, God tells Moses to remind the Israelites “how I treated the Egyptians.” God had demonstrated his power by defeating Pharaoh, king of Egypt, forcing him to free the Israelites against his will. God says to the Israelites: “I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself.” The “eagle wings” image dramatizes God’s power and protection of the Israelites.
God freed the Israelites from oppression in Egypt so that he might form an intimate relationship with them. God tells them: “if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people.” As Christ’s disciples, we recognize that God formed a special relationship with the Israelites to prepare for the coming of his son, Jesus the Christ. Through Jesus all earth’s peoples have been offered the opportunity to become God’s sons and daughters, freed from sin and death.
God promised the Israelites: “You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” A priest is a mediator between God and humanity. God’s holiness rightly causes sinful humanity to fear approaching God’s presence. But God chose the Israelites to be his people. He desired them to be “a holy nation.” In this way, they would be witnesses to God’s holiness, the God who vowed to make them “my special possession.”
The Responsorial, Psalm 100, is a praise psalm. Four times the psalm uses the personal name of the God of Israel — “YHWH” — translated as “LORD.” “Know that the LORD is God.” This contrasts the LORD, God of Israel, versus the false gods of the other peoples. As praise, we are commanded: “Sing joyful to the LORD … serve the LORD with gladness.”
The second stanza describes the relationship between the Lord God and the people of Israel: “he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends.” God chose the people of Israel — first through their ancestor Abraham and then through Moses. God freed them from slavery in Egypt through Moses. God commanded Moses to tell the people: “I will deliver you from their bondage. … Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God” (Exodus 6:6-7).
Afterward God formed a covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, giving them the Law. The third stanza praises God’s lasting “kindness” (Hebrew: “hesed”). This describes God’s loving fidelity to his covenant with the Israelites.
Next is St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Paul explains that God has shown his love for humanity by sending Christ to die for our sins. God did this for us even though we were sinners. This is proof of God’s love for men and women.
After discussing God’s past action of redemption through Christ’s crucifixion, Paul addresses the present situation of his readers. “Since we are now justified by his blood” we can be confident that we will “be saved through him from the wrath.” This refers to God’s just wrath, which is a consequence of our sins. This is the necessity that justice be done by God, who is the source of all goodness and justice.
God reconciled us to himself “through the death of his Son” — even “while we were enemies” of God due to our sins against him. But now that we are reconciled with God, “how much more … will we be saved by his life.” For Paul, this is cause for Christ’s disciples to boast in God’s love for humanity. It should cause us to give abundant thanks for salvation in Christ.
In the section preceding today’s Gospel text, Jesus cured the sick and cast out evil spirits. “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (9:35). Jesus announces the good news that God’s kingdom has arrived — a new age in which God’s justice and peace reigns. Jesus’ healing actions and power over evil are proof that he acts with God’s authority.
Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowds “because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Therefore, Jesus commissions his Twelve Disciples to carry forward his mission. Jesus gives his disciples authority to cure illnesses, as he has. Jesus gives his disciples authority over unclean spirits, as he has. In this way, they can heal with his authority. Jesus also charges his disciples to pray for God to send more to join in this work: “ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Jesus’ use of harvest imagery carries an apocalyptic and urgent tone. This age of injustice is ending. This is compared to harvest’s conclusion of the warmer months, in which food can be planted and cultivated. At harvest time, all good produce is collected; anything empty and useless is cast aside. God kingdom, a new age, is dawning!
The names of the Twelve Apostles are given, including “Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.” This foreshadows the events of Matthew 26:14 – 27:10. Jesus sends his Twelve Disciples only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” For now, Jesus tells them not to go to “pagan territory” nor into any “Samaritan town.” Later, Jesus will send them to announce the Gospel to all the world’s peoples.