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Thursday – Nineteenth week – OT1
Readings: Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17; Mt 18:21-19:1.
1/ First Reading: RSV Joshua 3:7 And the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And you shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant, `When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is to pass over before you into the Jordan. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be stopped from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” 14 So, when the people set out from their tents, to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 And while all Israel were passing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
2/ Gospel: RSV Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” 19:1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
I. THEME: God gives people enough grace so they could fulfill their given mission.
Some people want to protect their sins by saying God commands them to do impossible things, such as: to become perfect, to forgive their enemy or to keep the commandments. They forget that God creates people; He knows well how human beings act and what they need. If God commands people to do impossible things, He no longer is the wise and powerful God.
Today readings want to illustrate that God gives people enough grace so that they could fulfill His given missions. In the first reading, after Moses’ death, God gives Joshua the mission of leading the Israelites into the Promise Land. This is a very difficult mission for him and the Israelites. How could the Israelites fight against the native people to possess their lands? But God shows the Israelites His power and His choosing of Joshua by letting them to cross the Jordan River by feet. This event also reminds the Israelites the Exodus, the crossing of the Red River, so they should believe in God and Joshua. In the Gospel, when Peter asked Jesus how many times he ought to forgive his brothers and sisters; Jesus answered him that he must always forgive. Jesus also says a parable to illustrate the need of always forgiving. People not only have the capacity to do that; but they must also do that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.
II. ANALYSIS:
1/ Reading I: God let the Israelites cross the Jordan River by feet.
1.1/ God gives the leader enough grace so he could fulfill his mission: The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.And you shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant, `When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
God knows how to lead people, especially in difficult situations, isn’t easy; therefore, God prepares the Israelites’ mind and heart so they could believe in Joshua and obey him. He must also show His powerful arm which is also with people so they might have courage to enter the Promise Land.
1.2/ The crossing of Jordan River reminds the Israelites of the crossing of the Red Sea: After receiving God’s revelation, Joshua gathered the Israelites and told them the thing which God is going to do for them. He said, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is to pass over before you into the Jordan. And when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be stopped from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
Like when Moses led the Israelites cross the Red Sea, they also have no ships or any other instruments to cross the Jordan River except to completely believe in God’s powerful arm. He wants to let them know that He is always with and protect them through the presence of the Ark of the Covenant.
Joshua ordered the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of the people. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of the Lord, “were dipped in the brink of the water (the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off; and the people passed over opposite Jericho.”
2/ Gospel: The difficulty of forgiveness
2.1/ How many times one must forgive his opponent? We must be grateful for Peter’s fast reaction and his sincerity; because of him, we had Jesus’ clear explanation about the touchy and very difficult problem to handle.
How many times must we forgive others? A Vietnamese adage said, “The maximum is three times.” The Jewish custom said, “The maximum is seven times.” St. Peter based on the tradition when he asked Jesus, “As many as seven times?” Jesus’ answers have startled us, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
The commentators used to argue with each other, what is Jesus meant of “seventy-seven times?” Some said it is 70 times 7, which equal to 490 times. Others said it is 707 or 777, a huge number. The important point which Jesus wanted to emphasize is that whenever our opponent said that he is sorry, we must forgive him. Many people shook their head and joked: Even the saints in the altar must come down to solve the problem, how can we forgive to those who keep sinning against us? But if we know that to become good is a progress which needs to be practiced many times, we must patiently forgive others.
2.2/ Why must we forgive? Instead of giving the answer, Jesus gave a clear example which can solve many other problems related to forgiveness. He said, “That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.”
The contrast between the two debts and the manner of solving showed the wickedness of the one who was forgiven. The amount he was forgiven is ten thousand talents (tálanton) which is corresponding to 4.8 million dollars (one talent is about 5000-6000 denarii); while the amount his friend owed him was only 100 denarii (about 10 dollars). If we compare the two debts, this amount is so small. We were told of his action toward his friend, “He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt.”
Why did he act as such? Because he thought that no one shall know his action, especially the one who forgave him. But all the things he did couldn’t be hidden from his friends since these people could also be his debtor’s friends. “They were deeply disturbed and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.”
Similarly in our relationship with God, if we refuse to forgive the small sins of our brothers and sisters as the wicked in today passage, how can we expect God to forgive the serious sin which we committed against Him? Therefore, forgiveness isn’t an option, but a duty and the punishment if we don’t, as Jesus warned us: “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
III. APPLICATION IN LIFE:
– We must believe in God’s wisdom and power. When God demands us to do something or to give us a mission, He always gives us enough grace to do the thing He commands or to fulfill the mission He hands on to us.
– God knows of our weakness and limitation; but our strength comes from God, not from us. God’s grace is always acted in human weakness, as St. Paul said, “When I am weak is the time, I feel strong.”