Saturday of Week 14 of Ordinary Time – First Reading

Commentary on Genesis 49:29-33; 50:15-26

We conclude our reading from the book of Genesis today. We hear Jacob giving his final instructions before his death. He wants to be buried close to his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac with their wives.

Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

We read about this purchase on Friday of Week 13. There Abraham and his wife, Isaac and his wife and Jacob’s wife, Leah, were all buried.

Then Jacob, having given his final instructions to his sons,

…he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

That is, he joined all of his ancestors in Sheol.

With the death of Jacob, the sons were full of trepidation that Joseph would now want to settle his accounts with his brothers for all they had done to him. They pre-empted any vengeful action by sending Joseph a message. They quoted their father as telling them to go to Joseph and beg forgiveness for all the wrong they had done to him:

We beg you, forgive the crime of the servants of your father’s God.

Once again, Joseph weeps on the receiving their message.

They prostrated themselves before him and expressed their readiness to be his slaves. They need not have worried. Their prostration is another example of the prophetic dream which Joseph had shared with his brothers many years previously. And, ironically, in times to come, the Israelites will be reduced to virtual slavery in Egypt and this will trigger the Exodus.

They did not reckon with their brother; Joseph was a much bigger man than they:

Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?

He then tells them that all the evil they planned against him has, in God’s plan, been turned to good and has resulted in the liberation of many people. Joseph then promises to provide for them and all their dependents. It was now the brothers’ turn to be deeply touched by the magnanimity of someone who could, with some justification, have made things very nasty for them. We see here a clear pre-figuring of the teaching and example of Jesus later on. His teaching on the love of enemies, turning the other cheek and forgiving seventy times seven.

This may well be said to be the central lesson of the whole Joseph story. This is a lesson which we can apply to unpleasant experiences in our own lives. As Paul says:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God… (Rom 8:28)

And probably it is only when we love God that we can understand the place of the evil and the tragic in our lives.

From now on, Joseph stays with his own family and lives to be 110 years old, long enough to see many of his grandchildren. It is now his time to leave the world. He tells his brothers he is confident that God will look kindly on them and, in time, bring them back from Egypt to the land he had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in perpetuity.

And finally he asks his brothers to swear an oath that his bones be taken back to be buried with his fathers. This will not in fact happen until centuries later when Moses, mindful of Joseph’s last wish, will take Joseph’s bones with him as the Israelites begin their long trek to the Promised Land (see Exod 13:19). Joseph’s bones were eventually:

…buried at Shechem, in the portion of ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem… (Jos 24:32; also see Gen 33:19)

The last verse of Genesis, which is not in our reading, says:

And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

For the Egyptians the number 110 was seen as the perfect life span and would signify divine blessings on Joseph. Note too that the very last word of the book is “Egypt” and it is the setting for the opening of the next book, Exodus, and the next stage in the history of God’s People. In the coming weeks we will be reading passages from that great saga.

Read more

Saturday of Week 14 of Ordinary Time – Gospel

Commentary on Matthew 10:24-33

We continue Jesus’ apostolic discourse to his Apostles and all those who do the work of evangelisation. He reminds them very clearly that they can expect no better treatment than he himself received as:

A disciple is not above the teacher nor a slave above the master…

All in all, Christians are to show no surprise at violence and abuse against them. But at times, it can be hard to understand. However, if they treated the Master and Lord in this way, his followers can expect no better treatment. If the Master is called the Prince of Devils, how much more those of his family! Remember what Jesus had said earlier:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness… (Matt 5:10)

Much of Jesus’ teaching to his disciples was done quietly and away from the crowds. He frequently told both people he cured and demons not to speak about him. Even his disciples were not to reveal his identity as Messiah. People at that stage were not ready and could have misinterpreted the true meaning of his teaching.

Also, his message could not be fully understood until he had completed his mission through his passion, death and resurrection. Only that would put his teaching into its proper context. But in the course of time, it will be all made public.

Later on it will be the duty of his disciples to deliver the message in its entirety and without fear. The Christian community, although consisting of initiates with a way of life that is not always understood by outsiders, has no secrets. The ‘mysteries’ that Paul and others speak of are truths, previously unknown, which have been revealed. They are not like those of the so-called ‘mystery religions’ of the time or of secretive societies in our own. The message of Christ is to be made known to all in its entirety, even in hostile environments.

Some of those who proclaim the Gospel are going to be threatened even with losing their lives—a fact that is testified to by a long list of martyrs (martyr, Greek for ‘witness’) over the centuries. Jesus is saying that physical death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. It is a reality we are all going to have to face sooner or later anyway. Far worse than physical death is the loss of one’s soul—the death of one’s integrity. There are some values which transcend our physical survival. To betray such a value in order to live a bit longer is to lose one’s soul. Many, many martyrs have clearly understood this.

Jesus is telling us that, even though we may, as he himself did, lose our lives, he will be with us. To be unfaithful to our deepest beliefs and convictions is a fate worse than death. 

Read more