29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (나해 연중 제29주일)


1st Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11

Fourth Song of the Servant of the Lord (Continuation)
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[10] Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when
he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong
his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand; [11] he shall see the
fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righ-
teous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and be shall
bear their iniquities.

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Commentary:

[번역자 주: 오늘의 제1독서에 대한 우리말 번역문은, 여기를 클릭하면 읽을 수 있는, 
매년 성금요일 제1독서(이사야 52,13-53,12)의 해설에 있다].

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번역자 주: 가톨릭 보편 교회의 전례력에 있어 네 개의 "고통받는 종의 노래들"은 다음과 같이 
발췌되고 있다:
(i) 첫 번째 고통받는 종의 노래는 이사야서 42,1-4/9
    (매년 성 월요일 및 매년 주님 세례 축일 제1독서에 포함됨), 
(ii) 두 번째 고통받는 종의 노래는 이사야서 49,1-6
    (매년 성 화요일, 가해 연중 제2주일 및 매년 세례자 요한 탄생 대축일 제1독서), 
(iii) 세 번째 고통 받은 종의 노래는 이사야서 50,4-9/11
    (매년 성 수요일 제1독서, 나해 연중 제24주일 제1독서, 매년 주님 수난 성지 주일  
    제1독서를 포함함), 그리고 
(iv) 네 번째 고통받는 종의 노래는 이사야서 52,13-53,12 
    (매년 성 금요일 제1독서, 나해 제29주일 제1독서를 포함함)에 있다.
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52:13-53:12. This fourth Song of the Servant is one of the most commented on
passages in the Bible, as regards both its literary structure and its content. From
the point of view of structure, it interrupts the hymn-style of chapter 52 (which is
taken up again in chapter 54); the style here is more reflective; the theme, the
value of suffering. In terms of content, the song is unusual in that it shows the
servant triumphing through his humiliation and suffering. Even more than that--he
makes the pains and sins of others his own, in order to heal them and set them
free. Prior to this, the idea of "vicarious expiation" was unknown in the Bible.
The passage is original even in its vocabulary: it contains forty words that are
not to be found elsewhere in the Bible.

The poem, which is very carefully composed, divides into three stanzas: the first
(52:13-15) is put on the Lord's lips and it acts as a kind of overture to what fol-
lows--taking in the themes of the triumph of the servant (v. 13), his humiliation
and suffering (v. 14), and the stunning effect that this has on his own people and
on strangers.

The second stanza (53:1-11a) celebrates the servant's trials, and the good effects
they produce. This is spoken in the first person plural, standing for the people
and the prophet: both feel solidarity with the servant of the Lord. This stanza has
four stages to it: first (53:1-3) it describes the servant's noble origins (he grew up
before the Lord like a young plant: cf. v. 2) and the low esteem in which he is held
as a "man of sorrows". Then we learn that all this suffering is atonement for the
sins of others (53:4-6). Traditionally, suffering was interpreted as being a punish-
ment for sins, but here it is borne on behalf of others. This is the first lesson to
be learned by those who see him "stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted", and
it marks the climax of the poem. Thirdly (53:7-9), the point is made, again that
he has freely accepted suffering and meekly, offers himself as a sacrifice of
atonement (he is like a lamb, like a sheep). His death is as ignominious as the
suffering that precedes it. Finally (vv. 10-11a) we are told how fruitful all this suf-
fering is: like the patriarchs of old (the text seems to imply) the servant will have
many offspring and a long life and be a man of great wisdom.

In the, third stanza (53:11b-12) the Lord speaks again, finally acknowledging that
his servant's sacrifice is truly efficacious: he will cause many to be accounted
"righteous", that is, he will win their salvation (v. 11) and will share in the Lord's
spoils (v. 12).

The fourth song of the servant of the Lord was from very early on interpreted as
having a current application. When the Jews of Alexandria made the Greek trans-
lation of the Old Testment (the Septuagint) around the second century BC, they
tinkered a little with the text to indicate that the servant in the poem stood for the
people of Israel in the diaspora. Those Jews, who encountered huge obstacles in
their effort to maintain their identity in that Hellenistic and polytheistic environment,
found comfort in the hope that they would emerge enhanced, just like the servant.

Jews of Palestine identified the victorious servant with the Messiah, but they rein-
terpreted the sufferings described here to apply them to the pagan nations. The
Dead Sea Scrolls interpret this song in the light of the ignominy experienced by
the Teacher of Righteousness, the probable founder of the group that established
itself at Qumran.

Jesus revealed his redemptive mission to be that of the suffering servant prophe-
sied by Isaiah here. He referred to him on a number of occasions--in his reply to
the request made by the sons of Zebedee ("the Son of man came not to be served
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many": Mt 20:28 and par.); at the
Last Supper, when he announced his ignominious death among transgressors,
quoting 53:12 (Lk 22:37); in some passages in the fourth Gospel (Jn 12:32, 37-38);
etc. He also seems to refer to it in his conversation with the disciples of Emmaus
(Lk 24:25ff) to explain his passion and death. Therefore, the first Christians inter-
preted Jesus' death and resurrection in terms of this poem; evidence of this is the
expression "in accordance with the scriptures" in 1 Corinthians 15:3; the words
"for our trespasses" (Rom 4:25; 1 Cor 15:3-5); the Christological hymn in the Let-
ter to the Philippians (Phil 2:6-11); and expressions used in the First Letter of
Peter (1 Pet 2:22-25) and in other New Testament passages (Mt 8:17; 27:29;
Acts 8:26-40; Rom 10:16; etc.).

Patristic tradition reads the song as a prophecy that found fulfillment in Christ (cf.
St Clement of Rome, "Ad Corinthios", 16:1-14; St Ignatius Martyr, "Epistula ad
Polycarpum", 1, 3; the so-called "Letter of Barnabas", 5, 2 and "Epistula ad Dio-
gnetuin", 9, 2; etc.). The Church uses it in the Good Friday liturgy.

52:14. "Beyond human semblance": this phrase sums up the description given in
53:2-3 and shows the intense pain reflected in the servant's face: the description
is so graphic that Christian ascetical writing, with good reason, reads it as antici-
pating the passion of our Lord: "The prophet, who has rightly been called 'the Fifth
Evangelist', presents in this Song an image of the sufferings of the Servant with a
realism as acute as if he were seeing them with his own eyes: the eyes of the
body and of the spirit. [...] The Song of the Suffering Servant contains a descrip-
tion in which it is possible, in a certain sense, to identify the stages of Christ's
Passion in their various details: the arrest, the humiliation, the blows, the spitting,
the contempt for the prisoner, the unjust sentence, and then the scourging, the
crowning with thorns and the mocking, the carrying of the Cross, the crucifixion
and the agony" (John Paul II, "Salvifici Doloris", 17; cf. idem, "Dives in Misencor-
dia", 7).

53:1. St Paul cites this verse to prove the need for preaching (Rom 10:16). The
verse also underlines the extraordinary degree of undeserved suffering endured by
the Servant. It is sometimes interpreted as a further sign of the humility of Christ,
who, being divine, took on the form of a servant: "Christ is a man of humble
thought and feeling, unlike those who attack his flock. The heart of God's majesty,
the Lord Jesus Christ, did not come with loud cries of arrogance and pride; he
came in humility, as the Holy Spirit said of him: 'Who has believed what we have
heard?'" (St Clement of Rome, "Ad Corinthios", 16, 1-3).

53:4-5. "He has borne our griefs [or pains]": the servant's sufferings are not due to
his own personal sins; they are atonement for the sins of others. "The sufferings
of our Savior are our cure" (Theodoret of Cyrus, "De Incarnatione Domini", 28). He
suffered on account of the sins of the entire people, even though he was not guilty
of them. By bearing the penalty for those sins, he expiated the guilt involved. St
Matthew, after recounting some miraculous cures and the casting out of devils,
sees the words of v. 4a fulfilled in Christ (Mt 8:17). He interprets Jesus Christ as
being the servant foretold by the prophet, who will cure the physical suffering of
people as a sign that he is curing the root cause of all types of evil, that is, sin,
iniquity (v. 5). The miracles worked by Jesus for the sick are therefore a sign of
Redemption: "Christ's whole life is a mystery of "redemption". Redemption comes
to us above all through the blood of his cross (cf. Eph 1:7; Col 1:13-14; 1 Pet 1:
18-19), but this mystery is at work throughout Christ's entire life" ("Catechism of
the Catholic Church", 517).


2nd Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16

Our Confidence is Based on Christ's Priesthood
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[14] Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. [15] For we have not a high
priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every
respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. [16] Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need.

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Commentary:

14-16. The text now reverts to its main theme (cf. 2:17), that is, the priesthood
of Christ. It highlights the dignity of the new high priest, who has passed through
the heavens; and His mercy, too, for He sympathizes with our weaknesses. We
have, therefore, every reason to approach Him with confidence. "The believers
were at that time in a storm of temptation; that is why the Apostle is consoling
them, saying that our High Priest not only knows, as God, the weaknesses of
our nature: as man, He has also experienced the sufferings that affect us, al-
though He was free from sin. Since He knows our weaknesses so well, He can
give us the help we need, and when He comes to judge us, He will take that
weakness into account in His sentence" ("Interpretatio Ep. Ad Haebreos, ad
loc.").

We should respond to the Lord's goodness by staying true to our profession of
faith. The confession or profession of faith referred to here is not simply an exter-
nal declaration: external confession is necessary but there must also be commit-
ment and a spirit of fidelity. A Christian needs to live up to all the demands of his
calling; he should be single-minded and free from doubts.

15. "If we should some time find ourselves sorely tempted by our enemies, it will
greatly help us to remember that we have on our side a high priest who is most
compassionate, for He chose to experience all kinds of temptation" ("St. Pius V
Catechism", IV, 15, 14). In order to understand and help a sinner to get over his
falls and cope with temptation, one does not oneself need to have experience of
being tempted; in fact, only one who does not sin knows the full force of tempta-
tion, because the sinner gives in prior to resisting to the end. Christ never yielded
to temptation. He therefore experienced much more than we do (because we are
often defeated by temptation) the full rigor and violence of those temptations
which He chose to undergo as man at particular points in His life. Our Lord, then,
allowed Himself to be tempted, in order to set us an example and prevent us from
ever losing confidence in our ability to resist temptation with the help of grace (cf.
notes on Matthew 4:1-11 and paragraph).

"There is no man", St. Jerome comments, "who can resist all tests except He
who, made in our likeness, has experienced everything but sin" ("Comm. In Ioan-
nam", II, 46). Christ's sinlessness, often affirmed in Sacred Scripture (Romans 8:3;
2 Corinthians 5:21; John 8:46; 1 Peter 1:19; 2:21-24), follows logically from His
being God and from His human integrity and holiness. At the same time Christ's
weakness, which He chose to experience out of love for us, is a kind of invitation
from God to pray for strength to resist sin. "Let us adore Christ who emptied Him-
self to assume the condition of a slave. He was tempted in every way that we are,
but did not sin. Let us turn in prayer to Him, saying, 'You took on our human
weakness. Be the eyes of the blind, the strength of the weak, the friend of the
lonely'" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Christmas Day, Evening Prayer I).

16. The "throne" is the symbol of Christ's authority; He is King of the living and
the dead. But here it speaks of a "throne of grace": through the salvation worked
by Christ, the compassionate Priest and Intercessor, God's throne has become
a judgment seat from which mercy flows. Christ has initiated for mankind a time
of forgiveness and sanctification in which He does not yet manifest His position
as Sovereign Judge. Christ's priesthood did not cease to operate with His death;
it continues in Heaven, where He forever pleads on our behalf, and therefore we
should have confident recourse to Him.

"What security should be ours in considering the mercy of the Lord! 'He has but
to cry for redress, and I, the Ever-Merciful, will listen to him' (Exodus 22:27). It
is an invitation, a promise that He will not fail to fulfill. 'Let us then with confidence
draw near to the throne of grace, and we may receive mercy and find grace to
help in time of need'. The enemies of our sanctification will be rendered powerless
if the mercy of God goes before us. And if through our own fault and human weak-
ness we should fall, the Lord comes to our aid and raises us up" (St. J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 7).

Gospel Reading: Mark 10:35-45

The Sons of Zebedee Make Their Request
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[35] And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him, and said
to Him, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You." [36] And
He said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?" [37] And they said to
Him, "Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory."
[38] But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you
able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which
I am baptized?" [39] And they said to Him, "We are able." And Jesus said to
them, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am
baptized, you will be baptized; [40] but to sit at My right hand or at My left is
not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." [41] And
when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. [42] And
Jesus called them to Him and said to them, "You know that those who are sup-
posed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise
authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would
be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first a-
mong you must be slave of all. [45] For the Son of Man also came not to be
served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom of many."

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Commentary:

35-44. We can admire the Apostles' humility: they do not disguise their earlier
weakness and shortcomings from the first Christians. God also has wanted the
Holy Gospel to record the earlier weaknesses of those who will become the un-
shakeable pillars of the Church. The grace of God works wonders in people's
souls: so we should never be pessimistic in the face of our own wretchedness:
"I can do all things in Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

38. When we ask for anything in prayer, we should be ready, always, to accept
God's will, even if it does not coincide with our own: "His Majesty knows best
what is suitable for us; it is not for us to advise Him what to give us, for He can
rightly reply that we know not what we ask" (St. Teresa, "Mansions", II, 8).

43-45. Our Lord's word and example encourage in us a genuine spirit of Chris-
tian service. Only the Son of God who came down from Heaven and freely sub-
mitted to humiliation (at Bethlehem, Nazareth, Calvary, and in the Sacred Host)
can ask a person to make himself last, if he wishes to be first.

The Church, right through history, continues Christ's mission of service to man-
kind: "Experienced in human affairs, the Church, without attempting to interfere
in any way in the politics of States, 'seeks but a solitary goal: to carry forward
the work of Christ Himself under the lead of the befriending Spirit. And Christ
entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judg-
ment, to serve and not to be served' (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 3).
Sharing the noblest aspirations of men and suffering when she sees them not
satisfied, she wishes to help them attain their full flowering, and that is why she
offers men what she possesses as her characteristic attribute: a global vision
of man and of the human race" (Paul VI, "Populorum Progressio", 13).

Our attitude should be that of our Lord: we should seek to serve God and men
with a truly supernatural outlook, not expecting any return; we should serve even
those who do not appreciate the service we do them. This undoubtedly does not
make sense, judged by human standards. However, the Christian identified with
Christ takes "pride" precisely in serving others; by so doing he shares in Christ's
mission and thereby attains his true dignity: "This dignity is expressed in readi-
ness to serve, in keeping with the example of Christ, who 'came not to be served
but to serve.' If, in the light of this attitude of Christ's, 'being a king' is truly pos-
sible only by 'being a servant', then 'being a servant' also demands so much
spiritual maturity that it must really be described as 'being a king.' In order to be
able to serve others worthily and effectively we must be able to master ourselves,
possess the virtues that make this mastery possible" (John Paul II, "Redemptor
Hominis", 21). Cf. note on Matthew 20:27-28.

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].