Trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã dủ lòng thương xót đến người đàn ông bị tật. đây là điểm đáng chú ý nhất bắt đầu từ việc Chúa Giêsu đã chữa lành cho người đàn ông bị liệt (Marco 2, 1-12.) Điểm tột đỉnh tự nhiên của nó được trở nên rõ ràng trong ba cách.
Thứ nhất, Thánh Marcô đã đặt nơi chữa bệnh là ngay trong đền thờ vào trong ngày Sa-bát, ngay sau khi tuyên bố rằng Chúa Giêsu là Chúa của ngày Sa-bát. Việc chữa bệnh cho người bị tật ở tay là bằng chứng cụ thể và khẳng định rõ ràng là Đức Giêsu là Chúa các Chúa, Vua của của các Vua trên thế gian này
Thứ hai, không giống như đoạn Tin Mừng trước đó, nơi mà những người Pharisêu người đặt câu hỏi với Chúa Giêsu và họ đã tỏ vẻ khó chịu với Ngài, Và bây giờ là lúc mà Chúa Giêsu đã đặt ra câu hỏi nghi vấn cho những người Pharisêu và Ngài đã trở nên giận dữ với họ. Trong khi đối diện với những câu hỏi của Chúa Giêsu, người Pharisêu đã không thể trả lời được gì cả. Ở đây, Chúa Giêsu chứng tỏ cái uy quyền của Ngài, uy quyền của vị Chúa ngày Sa-bát.
Thứ ba, sau khi Chúa Giêsu đã tỏ ra cho mọi người thấy được cái sức mạnh của lòng thương xót của Thiên Chúa bằng cách khôi phục lại hoàn toàn cánh tay tật nguyền của người đàn ông này, những người Pharisêu đã rút lui để tìm cách tiêu diệt Chúa Giêsu. Đây là cách Chúa Giêsu đã dậy cho chúng ta thấy rõ rằng cách sống của Chúa Giêsu là được dẫn đưa đến với cái chết
Mâu thuẫn và thử thách sẽ đến với những ai muốn theo Ngài. Tuy nhiên, đấy vẫn không phải là một vấn đề khó khăn, chúng ta sẽ phải đối diện trong khi cố gắng sống với cuộc sống Kitô hữu, Chúa Giêsu sẽ hiện diện nơi chúng ta và làm việc trong chúng ta. Ngài dám đảm bảo với chúng ta rằng Ngài sẽ sẵn sàng đáp trả với niềm tin của chúng ta một cách quảng đại, Vì nơi Ngài, Ngài đã đến cho những người nghèo khó như một vị Chúa với lòng thương xót của ngày Sa-bát. Lạy Chúa, chúng con cảm tạ ơn Chúa đã cho chúng con thấy được con đường Chúa muốn chúng con đi.
In the Gospel passage, Jesus’ mercy for the man with the withered hand is the climax of the section that began with Jesus' cure of the paralyzed man in Mark 2, 1-12. Its climactic nature becomes evident in three ways. Firstly, the Gospel writer, Mark, places this synagogue cure on the Sabbath, immediately after the statement that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. The cure of the man with the withered hand is concrete proof of Jesus’ claim to Lordship.
Secondly, unlike the previous passages where it is the Pharisees who question Jesus and become upset with him, now it is Jesus who questions the Pharisees and becomes angry with them. In the face of Jesus’ questioning, the Pharisees had nothing to say. Here, Jesus demonstrates his authority as Lord of the Sabbath.
Thirdly, after Jesus shows his merciful power by perfectly restoring the man's hand, the Pharisees withdraw to plot how they might destroy Jesus. It shows that Jesus’ way of life is leading to death.
Today’s Gospel narrative of the healing of the man and the conflicts that Jesus has with the Pharisees demonstrates that it is never easy to be a Lord of the Sabbath.
Lord, thank You for showing me the way.
Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. Mark 3:4–5
How would you answer this question? “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” Objectively speaking, the answer is easy: “Yes!” But subjectively speaking, when we consider the person performing the good deed, it’s easy to let our thoughts, feelings, and past experiences of that person affect our judgment. If we have a grievance toward someone—resulting in anger, jealousy, or envy—our answer might differ from the ideal, as it did with the Pharisees toward Jesus.
Anger is a strong emotional reaction to perceived injustice or injury that, when disordered, can lead to resentment, bitterness, or a desire for vengeance. Jealousy is a fear of losing what we have to another and is rooted in insecurity or pride, leading to a protective but distorted attachment to our own status, relationships, or achievements. Envy is a sadness or sorrow over the blessings or successes of another, often accompanied by a refusal to celebrate their good fortune and a desire that they be deprived of it. These are ugly sins. Sins that filled Jesus’ Sacred Heart with righteous anger and holy grief.
In this Gospel passage, the Pharisees appear to suffer from all three sins. Their anger is evident in their hostile reaction to Jesus’ words and actions, as they see Him as a threat to their authority and influence. Their jealousy manifests in their fear of losing their power and status among the people to Jesus, whose teachings and miracles overshadow their own ministry. Their envy becomes apparent in their inability to rejoice in the man’s healing, resenting instead Jesus’ authority and the attention he attracts. These sins harden their hearts, blinding them to God’s mercy and love that Jesus embodies, and lead them down a path of malice and conspiracy.
When we consider the Pharisees’ negative and sinful reactions, it’s easy to condemn them, thinking we would never react that way. Yet, before we jump to that conclusion, it’s important to examine all the relationships and encounters we have with others.
Jesus embodies every virtue and spiritual gift—mercy and justice, compassion and strength, diligence and docility, humility and majesty, patience and zeal, wisdom and prudence, faith and fortitude, hope and charity. For which of these did the Pharisees manifest their anger, jealousy, and envy? It’s impossible to answer that question because these sins are always rooted in irrationality. The same is true in our lives.
Considering the people we encounter on a regular basis, it’s important to examine whether we struggle with anger, jealousy, or envy. This is often difficult to do because these sins blind us to the truth. When we are angry, we irrationally blame others as the cause of our anger. When jealous, our insecurity leads us to justify our reaction and condemn the one whom we feel is a threat. When envious, our self-concern distorts our ability to see the good in another, preventing us from rejoicing in their success or goodness.
Jesus came to set us free from these heavy burdens. The Pharisees were not happy because these sins dominated their lives. Similarly, we will never find the peace, joy, and happiness we desire until we turn anger into love and forgiveness, jealousy into gratitude, and envy into admiration and rejoicing in the blessings of others.
Reflect today on those people you encounter on a regular basis. Where these sins enter into those relationships, accept responsibility for them, confess them, and pray for virtue to replace them. Our Lord wants us to rejoice with Him, participate in His glorious virtues and spiritual gifts, and receive the overflowing rewards that they bestow.
Most virtuous and gifted Lord, You embody all that is good, all that is holy, and all that flows from Your divine Godhead. When I act more like the Pharisees than like You, open my eyes to the sins of anger, jealousy, and envy. Free me from these heavy burdens by revealing to me the humble truth and filling me with the virtues and gifts You long to bestow. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, when my hand is withered due to sin, move me to seek out the healing grace of your Son in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I trust that he can heal me and restore me to your friendship.
1. A Sandwich of Five Conflicts: After several successes in the opening chapter, Mark narrates a series of five conflicts. In these conflicts, “Jesus encounters rising opposition as the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan come into conflict” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 68). The five conflicts are organized as a chiasm or “sandwich,” meaning that the first and last conflicts are connected, the second and fourth conflicts are connected, and the middle conflict acts as a transition. In the first and final conflicts are marked by healings: in the first conflict (Mark 2:1-12), Jesus healed a paralytic, and in the last conflict (Mark 3:1-6), Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. In the first, the scribes whispered their opposition to Jesus in their hearts. But in the fifth conflict, the opposition is openly hostile. “[T]he reaction is different at the end of each story. In the first story, those witnessing the healing of the paralytic glorify God (2:12). In the fifth story, the Pharisees witness the healing of the man’s withered hand, depart, and conspire with the Herodians to eliminate Jesus” (Huizenga, Loosing the Lion, 108). The five conflicts build up to the plot to kill Jesus for the sin of blasphemy and thus anticipate the finale of Mark’s Gospel.
Sin damages our relationship with God. But hardness of heart is even more damaging because it perpetuates the damage done by sin. And the harder one’s heart, the more permanent the damage.
In the passage above, Jesus was angry with the Pharisees. Oftentimes the passion of anger is sinful, resulting from impatience and a lack of charity. But at other times, the passion of anger can be good when it is motivated by love of others and hatred for their sin. In this case, Jesus was grieved by the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, and that grief motivated His holy anger. His “holy” anger did not cause irrational criticism; rather, it drove Jesus to cure this man in the presence of the Pharisees so that they would soften their hearts and believe in Jesus. Sadly, it didn’t work. The very next line of the Gospel says, “The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death” (Mark 3:6).
Hardness of heart should be greatly avoided. The problem is that those who are hard of heart are usually not open to the fact that they are hard of heart. They are obstinate and stubborn, and oftentimes self-righteous. Therefore, when people suffer from this spiritual ailment, it is difficult for them to change, especially when confronted.
This Gospel passage offers you an important opportunity to look into your own heart with honesty. Only you and God need to be part of that interior introspection and conversation. Begin by reflecting upon the Pharisees and the poor example they set. From there, try to look at yourself with great honesty. Are you obstinate? Are you hardened in your convictions to the point that you are unwilling to even consider that you may be wrong at times? Are there people in your life with whom you have entered into a conflict that still remains? If any of this rings true, then you may indeed suffer from the spiritual ill of a hardened heart.
Reflect, today, upon your own soul and your relationships with others with as much honesty as possible. Do not hesitate to let your guard down and be open to what God may want to say to you. And if you detect even the slightest tendency toward a hardened and stubborn heart, beg our Lord to enter in to soften it. Change like this is difficult, but the rewards of such a change are incalculable. Do not hesitate and do not wait. Change is worth it in the end.
My loving Lord, this day I open myself to an examination of my own heart and pray that You will help me to always be open to change when necessary. Help me, especially, to see any hardness I may have within my heart. Help me to overcome any obstinacy, stubbornness and self-righteousness. Give me the gift of humility, dear Lord, so that my heart can become more like Yours. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. David’s Victory over Goliath: Goliath was a fearsome and experienced warrior who was fully armed and ready for battle. David, on the other hand, was a young and inexperienced shepherd boy. From a human point of view, David had no chance against Goliath. The actions and words of David, however, reveal the depths of his faith in God and his love for God. He was zealous in the defense of God and would not stand still while Goliath committed the sin of blasphemy. David trusted completely in the Lord. He knew that just as the Lord saved him from wild animals, he would save him from the clutches of Goliath. In a way, David’s victory over Goliath prefigures Jesus’ victory over Satan. It is a victory that comes through humility of heart, confidence in God, and obedience to God’s word.
2. The Pharisee’s Hardness of Heart: In the Gospel, Jesus is grieved at the Pharisee’s hardness of heart. Hardness of heart indicates a refusal to welcome God’s merciful love. It means rejecting God’s plan of salvation and trying to usurp the place of God who judges all things rightly. Jesus is angry at the Pharisees just as God the Father is indignant at human evil. Instead of choosing to do good on the Sabbath like Jesus, the Pharisees choose to do evil and conspire to put Jesus to death.
3. Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath: The fact that Jesus cured a man with a withered hand recalls the image of Adam, who by stretching out his hand to take the fruit of the tree in Eden, committed an act of disobedience. The original sin of disobedience withered the hand of humanity and broke communion with God. Jesus is the obedient Son of Adam who cures the withered hand of humanity and restores humanity to communion with God. Jesus heals on the Sabbath and exercises his lordship over the Sabbath by undoing the effects of sin and inaugurating the new creation. He fulfills the original purpose of the Sabbath and brings humanity into communion with God.
No comments:
Post a Comment