Our Liturgical Context: Today's gospel, Matthew 11:2-11, considers another aspect of the mission of John the Baptizer. John sends his own disciples to Jesus, asking "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus' response is to list his own works: healings, raising of the dead, preaching good news to the poor. Our first reading has a catalog of similar good works, promised and not yet fulfilled.
The Historical Situation: The context of Isaiah's prophecy is very different. As we observed last week, covering an earlier chapter from the same section of Isaiah, the prophet wanted to stir up hope among his people, hope that God would soon intervene dramatically to change their world and their fortunes. The Israelites were languishing in exile. A barren desert lay between their home and the land of their captivity. So Isaiah prophesies several ways that God will relieve all this:
-
First, the wasteland between prison and home will be transformed. That land formation called steppe (pronounced "step" with only one syllable) is, per the American Heritage Dictionary, "a vast semi-arid grass-covered plain, usually lightly wooded [from an old Russian word meaning 'lowland']". Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon were known nice places to which God will conform the hostile desert. For another take on this transformation, see the First Reading and the Lector's Notes for the Second Sunday of Advent, Year B.
-
Then the beaten down exiles themselves will be firmed up for the journey home. The physical infirmities, probably understood as punishment for sin, will be repaired.
-
They'll reach their destination singing and crowned in glory. That goal is Zion, the hill in the center of Jerusalem where Solomon's temple had stood as the triumphant sign of Israel's chosen status. Even now it is a sacred place to Jews, as the news demonstrates almost daily.
Your Proclamation: Now you are prepared to play the prophet in proclaiming this. The beginning of the reading appeals to things these people know and accept (Lebanon, Carmel, Sharon, flowers, song). The rest challenges them to accept things they don't yet believe in: that God can do the unprecedented and unexpected. You should differentiate these sections in your tone of voice. To the implicit question "Why should we be strong and fear not?" you reply emphatically, "Here is your God, who comes with vindication." That's the turning point.
If it will help, think of a situation where you've given or heard a great pep talk addressed to dispirited people. That's what Isaiah was doing.
The Historical Background: The origins of this letter and the situations that prompted its author are controversial. A good description of the various possibilities is in the "Introduction to The Letters to All Christians" in The New Jerusalem Bible (Garden City, New York, USA: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1985, and other publishers in many languages, but not to be found online yet.) Another introduction is here. What puzzles this writer about today's passage is this: the letter of James is so innocent of the theological controversies that occupied Saint Paul, one is led to think that James is a very late letter, just like Sirach and the Book of Wisdom are late entries in the Hebrew canon. (That James is a late book is also apparent from the fact that many Christian communities were late in accepting it as part of the inspired canon; see any introduction to the letter.) But the expectation of Jesus' imminent return did not last very long in the early Church. Even within Saint Paul's lifetime, that expectation waned, and the Apostle's later letters, like the gospels, reflect the conviction that Christians are going to be struggling on earth indefinitely, and need to find ways to be faithful that are not limited to readiness for an early judgment day.
So what is James doing here, invoking a doctrine that must already have been antique? Perhaps it is just a literary device, like any mature writer uses with a mature audience, an allusion to something the mature will certainly remember, even if it's not the most important thing on their minds any more.
But let this not obscure James' timeless point, that frustrated and especially persecuted Christians need to be patient, whether Jesus is coming soon to vindicate them or not. The prophets to whom he points as examples persevered, whether or not they saw in their lifetimes the fulfillment of their hopes.
Your Proclamation: You may try to prepare for proclaiming this by meditating on the promise of Jesus' return in glory. If that doesn't help you identify a bit with the author James, try praying about your need for patience. Many things frustrate us all in our personal, professional, family and community lives. You'll be reading the Word to people with their own tribulations and unmet expectations. Speak to them sympathetically.
The Lectionary selections in the frame at the left, if any, are there for your convenience. The publishers of the page in that frame have no connection, except for membership in the one Body of Christ, with the publisher of this page. Likewise the publishers of the pages on the links above.
Return to Lector's notes home page
Send email to the author.
Last modified: Mon Nov 15 21:39:38 CST 2004
