Tuesday

15th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Exodus 2:1-15a

The Birth and Early Years of Moses
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[1] Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of
Levi. [2] The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a
goodly child, she hid him three months. [3] And when she could hide him no
longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with
bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds
at the river's brink. [4] And his sister stood at a distance, to know what
would be done to him. [5] Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at
the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among
the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. [6] When she opened it she saw the
child; and Io, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, "This is
one of the Hebrews' children." [7] Then his sister said to Pharaoh's
daughter, "Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse
the child for you?" [8] And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Go." So the
girl went and called the child's mother. [9] And Pharaoh's daughter said to
her, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your
wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him. [10] And the child grew,
and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son; and she
named him Moses, for she said, "Because I drew him out of the water."

Moses in Midian
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[11] One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked
on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his
people. [12] He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the
Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] When he went out the next day,
behold, two Hebrews were struggling together; and he said to the man that
did the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow?" [14] He answered, "Who made
you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the
Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid, and thought, "Surely the thing is known."
[15] When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses.

But Moses fled from Pharaoh, and stayed in the land of Midian.

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Commentary:

2:1-10. With lots of detail and good psychological insight, the sacred text
recounts the birth and upbringing of Moses, the man whom divine providence
had chosen to be the liberator and leader of the chosen people. What we have
here is not so much chronological or topographical data as information which
profiles the religious personality of the man who was both the guide and the
prototype of the people.

In a masterly way the sacred writer highlights those aspects of his life and
personality which most clearly show Moses to resemble the people and show
divine intervention to be at work. Moses grew up during a period of severe
persecution, but thanks to the good offices of three women (his mother, his
sister and the pharaoh's daughter) he is received into the Egyptian court
and shown every honor. His tranquil childhood reflects the pleasant
lifestyle of the sons of Israel in Egypt prior to the onset of oppression
and persecution.

In this entire account of Moses' birth there is no mention of the names of
his parents (Amram, according to Ex 6:20 his father, and Jochebed, his
mother: Num 26:59) or his sister, Miriam (Ex 15:20). The sacred writer
prefers to concentrate on Moses, making it clear that God takes care of him
in birth and infancy, as he will also do of the people. Even the popular
etymology of Moses' name ("taken from the waters") is an indication of God's
intervention. The name in fact is Egyptian, meaning "son" or "born", as can
be deduced from the names of some pharaohs Tut-mosis (son of the god Tut) or
Ra-rnses (son of the god Ra)--but that does not matter: the important thing
is that Moses is "the first to be saved", just as the Hebrew people is the
first people to be saved, and that God is taking great care of him with a
view to the important mission he has planned for him.

2:1-3. The Hebrew term translated here as "basket" is the same one as used
for the Noah's "ark" (cf. Gen 6: 14-9, 18, where it occurs 27 times). What
we are told about the basket links Moses to Noah and his salvation from the
waves of the flood Which occurred so much earlier and in such dramatic
circumstances. After the flood, mankind was reborn; now a new people is
being born.

2:10. According to Egyptian law an adopted son had the same status as any
other son. The text stresses that the pharaoh's daughter made him her son.
In this paradox we can once again see God's providence at work: the child
whom the Egyptians should have put to death is raised to great dignity,
given the best of educations and thereby groomed for his future mission.
Extra-biblical documents show that during this period the pharaohs trained
select foreign youths for posts in their civil service. However, although
Moses spent his early years in the pharaoh's palace, he received from his
true mother not only physical nourishment but also the faith of his
ancestors and love for his people.

Origen, whom many Fathers follow, interprets this wonderful story in an
allegorical sense: Moses is the law of the Old Testament, the pharaoh's
daughter is the Church of Gentile background, because her father was wicked
and unjust; the water of the Nile is Baptism. The Church of the pagans
leaves her father's house, that is, leaves sin behind, to receive cleansing
water, that is Baptism, and in the water she finds the law of Moses, that is
the Commandments. Only in the Church, in the royal palace of Wisdom, does
the Law acquire complete maturity. "So," the ancient Christian writer
concludes "even if the pharaoh were our father, even if the prince of this
world had begotten us in works of evil, by coming to the waters we receive
the divine law, [...] We have a Moses great and strong. Let us not see
anything mean in him..., for everything in him is greatness, sublimity and
beauty. [...] And let us ask our Lord Jesus Christ to show us and make known
to us this greatness and sublimity of Moses" ("Homiliae In Exodum", 2,4).

2:11-15. This is Act One in the calling of Moses. Because he carries out
God's will he has to leave the pharaoh's palace, where he had a comfortable
and easy life arid go out into the unknown. In this he is doing what the
patriarchs did: first Abraham and then his descendants had to leave their
homeland and their family (cf. Gen 12:1ff). The leader-to-be of Israel kills
an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew; and later he tries to make peace
between two Hebrews. Freeing his people from oppression and slavery, and
bringing about peace and unity among them are two of the goals of Moses
mission. Here again the sacred writer, over and above the details of events
(about which he makes no moral judgments) is building up his theological
profile Moses and indicating the scope of his mission.

The same points are made when Moses is referred to in the New Testament. For
example, according Stephen's reconstruction of these events in the Acts of
the Apostles, Moses forty years of age at this time and "mighty in his words
and deeds"; his intervention on behalf of a member his people was,
presumably, inspired by high ideals: "He supposed that his brethren
understood that God was giving them deliverance by his hand" (Heb 7:25). The
Letter to the Hebrews adds that "by faith Moses [...] refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to share ill-treatment with
the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered
abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt,
for he looked to the reward" (Heb 11:24-26). However, his own people
rejected him, and the pharaoh condemned him to death, furious at the killing
of one of his overseers and fearful lest it signal an uprising of Hebrew
slaves. Another forty years had to pass before Moses was actually given his
mission (cf. Acts 7:30). On the basis of all these testimonies, St Cyril of
Alexandria goes as far as to compare this episode of Moses' life with the
Incarnation of Christ: "Do we not say that the Word of God the Father, who
took on our condition, that is, became man, in some way went away from
himself and became anonymous? [...] He, left therefore to see his brothers,
that is, the sons of Israel. For to them belong the promises and the
patriarchs to whom the promises were made. And so he said, 'I have been sent
only to the lost sheep of Israel.' But, on seeing that they were subject to
a heavy and intolerable tyranny, he chose to set them free and to make them
see that they could hope for deliverance from pain of any kind" ("Glaphyra
In Exodum", 1,7).

2:15 It is not at all clear where Midian was. The Bible often refers to
Midianites, who were descendants of Abraham (cf. Gen 25:1-4) and were
therefore related to the Israelites; we meet them as traders who used to
travel from one place to another (cf. Gen 37:36; Num 10:29-32); who engage
the Hebrews in battle (Num 25:6-18 31:1-9) and are roundly defeated by
Gideon (Judg 6-8). At the end of time, as the third part of the book of
Isaiah announces, they will come to do homage before the Lord (Is 60:6). But
none of this information tells us where exactly this place Midian was.
Modern scholars are inclined to situate it somewhere in the Sinai peninsula,
a desert region where people sought refuge who wanted to evade the Egyptian
authorities.

Moses' flight into the wilderness is also part of his God-given mission,
according to the interpretation in the Letter to the Hebrews: "By faith he
left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king; for he endured as
seeing him who is invisible" (Heb 11:27).


(II) 1st Reading: Isaiah 7:1-9

The sign of Immanu-el
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[1] In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, son of Uzziah, king of Judah, Rezin
the king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah the king of Israel came up to
Jerusalem to wage war against it, but they could not conquer it. [2] When the
house of David was told, “Syria is in league with Ephraim,” his heart and the
heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.

[3] And the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go forth to meet Ahaz, you and Shear-jashub
your son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the Ful-
ler’s Field, [4] and say to him, ‘Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let 
your heart be faint because of these two smouldering stumps of firebrands, at 
the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. [5] Because Syria, 
with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has devised evil against you, saying, 
[6] Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, 
and set up the son of Tabe-el as king in the midst of it,” [7] thus says the Lord 
God:

It shall not stand,
and it shall not come to pass.
[8[ For the head of Syria is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
(Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be broken to pieces so that it will
no longer be a people.)
[9] And the head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe,
surely you shall not be established.”

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Commentary:

7:1-12:6. This series of oracles and narratives is usually known as the “Book of
Immanuel”, because its climax is taken to be the mysterious announcement of
a Messiah-Saviour, called “Immanu-el”, which means “God-with-us” (7:14). This 
“book” is one of the most interesting parts of First Isaiah. Some scholars include
in the “book”, as its introduction, the prophet’s vision of God in majesty, and the
account of Isaiah’s calling (6:1-13).

The Immanuel prophecy begins with the announcement of a God-given “sign” of
salvation -- the “virgin” who will conceive and hear a “son” (7:1-8:22). The “son” is
described in such a way that he seems to he no ordinary human child (8:23-9:6).
Paradoxically, the joy of salvation that has just been proclaimed is then im-
mediately clouded by announcements about the wrath of God, the collapse of
Samaria and the Assyrian threat to Jerusalem (9:7-10:19). But, as often happens
in Isaiah, we are told that a “remnant” will he saved, a “shoot from the stump of
Jesse” (11:1), that is, a descendant of David on whom “the Spirit of the Lord will
rest” (11:2), and that a kingdom of righteousness and peace will emerge and the
exiles will return home (10:20-11:16). This leads the prophet to intone a short
psalm of thanksgiving (12: I-6).

7:1-9. After the account of Isaiah’s vocation, where we heard that a hardened 
heart is unable to hear the word of the Lord (cf. 6:9-10), we are now given evidence
to that effect. Isaiah has a meeting with King Ahaz, in which the king is in two
minds as to what to do in the face of pressure to join the coalition against the
Assyrians made up of Israel (here also called Ephraim), whose capital was Sa-
maria, and Syria (Aram), the capital of which was Damascus. Verse 6 mentions
Tabeel, about whom nothing more is known; he may have been a senior official
in the Southern kingdom who was in favour of joining the coalition. The prophet’s
message warns Judah that it should put its trust in God, believing in his word,
and not try to take refuge in any political alliance, be it with the Syrians and Eph-
raimites, or with Assyria. It ends abruptly with the threat that if Ahaz and his
supporters fail to listen, their downfall will soon follow (vv. 7-9). The narrative says
that a son of Isaiah is present at his exchange with Ahaz -- Shear-jashub (v. 3),
a name full of symbolism, for it means “a remnant shall return”. The presence
of this son implies, in some way, that God will ensure the permanent survival
of the people: there will always be some, a remnant, who will come back to the
Lord and recover what has been lost (cf. 10:20-22).


Gospel Reading: Matthew 11:20-24

Jesus Reproaches People for Their Unbelief
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[20] Then He (Jesus) began to upbraid the cities where most of His mighty
works had been done, because they did not repent. [21] "Woe to you,
Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in
sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the
day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. [23] And you, Capernaum,
will you be exalted to Heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For
if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have
remained until this day. [24] But I tell that it shall be more tolerable on
the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

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Commentary:

21-24. Chorazin and Bethsaida were thriving cities on the northern shore of
the lake of Gennesaret, not very far from Capernaum. During His public
ministry Jesus often preached in these cities and worked any miracles there;
in Capernaum He revealed His teaching about the Blessed Eucharist (cf. John
6:51ff). Tyre, Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, the main cities of Phoenicia--all
notorious for loose living--were classical examples of divine punishment (cf.
Ezekiel 26-28; Isaiah 23).

Here Jesus is pointing out the ingratitude of people who could know Him but
who refuse to change: on the day of Judgment (verses 22 and 24) they 
have more explaining to do: "Every one to whom much is given, of him will
much be required" (Luke 12:48).
　

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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].