By Father Paul Nord, Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Jeremiah 38:4-6, 8-10; Responsorial: Psalm 40:2-4, 18; Second Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4; Gospel: Luke 12:49-53
Today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah describes the last days before Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian army in 587 B.C. King Zedekiah was the last king of Jerusalem, but he had little power. He had been appointed by the Babylonians after they had made Judah (with its capital Jerusalem) a “vassal kingdom” with loyalty and taxes due to Babylon. The previous king of Jerusalem, Jehoiachin, had been deposed by the Babylonians and sent into exile in 597 B.C. Many of Jerusalem’s elite had been sent into exile with him. After that, Babylon found it convenient to install Zedekiah, a member of the royal family, as a puppet king.
The context of our reading is that Jeremiah had been proclaiming that Jerusalem would be destroyed by the Babylonians. While the Babylonians were besieging Jerusalem, the Egyptian army had moved toward Jerusalem, causing the Babylonian army to withdraw. Egypt and Babylon were rival great powers, so this apparently motivated the Egyptian maneuver. These events are recounted in Jeremiah 37:5-10. Jeremiah prophesies in 37:9: “Thus says the LORD: Do not deceive yourselves, saying: ‘The (Babylonians) are surely leaving us forever.’ They are not!”
Jeremiah’s prophecy upset many of King Zedekiah’s leading officials. Their complaint against Jeremiah is recorded in today’s reading. Zedekiah’s powerlessness is apparent. “King Zedekiah answered (the officials): ‘He is in your power;’ for the king could do nothing with them.” So the royal officials throw Jeremiah into a muddy cistern as punishment. Fortunately, one court official, Ebed-melech, went to the king and arranged for Jeremiah to be rescued before he died of hunger or thirst. So King Zedekiah both allowed Jeremiah to be thrown in the cistern, and he arranged his rescue. This shows a king who is just trying to keep the peace among his own people as he tries to keep his Babylonian overlords happy. It is a sad picture of Jerusalem’s last days before the Babylonian destruction and exile. But even in those difficult days, the good prophet Jeremiah exhorted the people to be faithful to the Lord God in their suffering and distress.
From Hebrews, these few verses are a powerful exhortation to persevere in our faith in Christ Jesus. It begins: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” The preceding chapter (Hebrews 11) described several Old Testament figures as models of faith in God. Those mentioned include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab and others. The phrase “so great a cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) refers to these persons of faith.
This “cloud of witnesses” should inspire us to be determined to free ourselves from every sin, and to “persevere in running the race that lies before us.” This “race” imagery gives the sense that the Christian life requires endurance over our lifetime. Another powerful image follows: “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” Anyone who has run a race knows that it is essential to maintain focus on the task at hand. Christians are focused on imitating Christ in our every action and word. Thus we must keep our focus on Jesus, as a runner focuses on the goal.
“For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame.” Jesus is offered here as a model for every Christian. Like Jesus, we strive to patiently endure all suffering in this life, as we look with hope to “the joy that lays before (us).” These verses then make the direct comparison of our situation with Jesus: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.” Since our sufferings do not compare to Christ’s sufferings, we are exhorted to “not grow weary and lose heart.”
The letter to the Hebrews was written to some of the first Christians. As the text shows, they were already tempted to grow tired and “lose heart.” For this reason, this letter should encourage us to renew our commitment to keeping our eyes fixed on Christ, as we strive to live faithful lives — like those many witnesses who have come before us.
Today’s Gospel raises questions. We likely prefer to think of Jesus as bringing reconciliation, not division. But Jesus announces, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” To understand Jesus’ statement, let us consider two points. First, the larger context is that Jesus is warning the people to prepare for his own (the Messiah’s) return in judgment at the end of the age. See the text sections which precede and follow — especially Luke 12:35-48 and 12:54-59.
Second, Jesus makes two initial statements that are logically related. Jesus says: “I have come to set the earth on fire,” and then: “there is a baptism with which I must be baptized.” These statements are both followed by Jesus’ urgent desire for these things to happen soon. Concerning the fire, Jesus says: “How I wish it were already blazing!” Likewise, Jesus expresses “anguish” that his baptism will happen soon: “how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!”
These two lines are probably “synthetic parallelism” – Jesus’ “baptism” brings about the “fire” which he foretells. Concerning the “fire,” recall John the Baptist’s statement about Jesus in Luke 3:16: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The fire clearly implies judgment, as 3:17 indicates: “the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Following Jesus separates the just from the unjust. This results in conflict — even within families, unfortunately.
Concerning “baptism,” Jesus describes “a baptism with which I must be baptized.” This is likely a reference to Jesus’ approaching death, which heralds the kingdom of God and its necessary judgment — the fire. In Mark 10:38, Jesus refutes James and John’s request for higher status: “Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” Here, Jesus refers to his death.