18TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

Taking  the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

Mt 14: 13-21

The news of the death of John the Baptist is followed by a ‘withdrawal’. But this withdrawal is followed by a revelation of the power and authority of Jesus. The scene of this revelation is the desert. There Jesus not only healed the sick but fed the people as well.

The miracle recalls two similar OT miracles: the manna in the wilderness (Ex 16); and Elisha feeding a hundred men (2Kgs 4:42ff).

Christians saw in this miracle an anticipation of the Eucharist (26:26ff). John brings this out more clearly in his gospel (Jn 6).

But bread has other meanings. In 15:26 Jesus uses bread as a symbol of salvation. In Is 55:2f it is used as a symbol for life and truth.

At the beginning it was said that the miracle revealed something about Jesus. Matthew presents Jesus as a prophet like Moses. He is the messiah who gives eternal life and who brings new food, the sign of the age to come.

There is evidence that some Jews expected the messiah to repeat the miracle of the Manna. In the first century we find this writing: “And it shall come to pass at that self-same time that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat it in those years, because these are they who have come to the consummation of time (that is, the messianic age). See also Rev 2:17.

v. 13. When Jesus heard of it, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by him-self…

We find similar a expression in 24:12. Other ‘withdrawals’ of Jesus may be found in 2:14 and 22; 12:15; and 15:21.

‘Eis eremon topon” is literally ‘to a desert place’. It is translated as ‘desert’ or ‘wilderness’. It is interesting to note that it is the same word that is used in Ex 16 which describes the miracle of the manna.

v. 14. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.

The compassion of Jesus is mentioned in three other places: 9:36; 15:32; and 20:34.

In Mark’s gospel (6:34), the compassion of Jesus resulted in him teaching the crowd. Why does Matthew replace that with curing the sick? Because Matthew believes that the crowds do not understand Jesus and therefore, Jesus was unsuccessful in ‘teaching’ them.

v. 15. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."

The disciples suggest this course of action because they doubt the power of Jesus. They have little faith.

v. 19. And he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.

In Jewish families, the father said the grace before meals by taking a loaf of bread, thanking God for the gift of food, breaking the loaf, and giving each person present a piece of it to eat.

“Blessed” here means “blessed God”, that is, praised God and thanked him for food. It is not the bread that is blessed.

See Acts 27:35f.

v. 20. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over --twelve wicker baskets full.

‘Were satisfied” (echortasthesan) is the same word used in the Beatitudes of the messianic feast in the kingdom: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (5:6).

The feeding in the desert is the sign of the Kingdom.

About the food left over, see 2 Kgs 4:44.

v. 21. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

“Not counting women and children” is also found at the end of the other feeding story (15:38).

Someone calculated the total number of people the Jesus feed to be from 20,000 – 30,000 people.

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field.

Mt 13:44-46

The parables of the hidden treasure and of the fine pearl form a pair. It is possible that originally Jesus related them one after the other and were preserved as is by tradition. Both parables speak of the joy of the disciples.

v. 44. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Hiding valuables in the ground was normal in Palestine especially in times of invasion. If the owner were killed or died before he recovered his property, it would remain until someone found it.

The man who found the treasure must have been poor because he had to sell everything he has to buy the field.

The disciples have also found a treasure because they have found the King who is to reign and they have been adopted as his brothers.The King is hidden at present, and their secret is at present covered up – no one else knows what they know. They are leaving everything to follow him, but without any complaint.

We find Jesus speaking about treasure in heaven in two other places. The message is the same.

The disciples were told in 6:19ff to lay up treasure for themselves in heaven, that is, to look to God for their reward, and not to men. Their treasure is to inherit the earth, and to share God’s rule over it; but it is given to those who are poor and meek (5:3.5).

Later on in the gospel, Jesus will invite the young man to sell all (in so doing, he will have treasure in heaven) and then follow him (19:21).

vv. 45-46. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

The second parable as we have seen forms a pair with the first one. As in other pairs, the characters are contrasted. In the first parable, the main character was a poor man. Here it is a rich merchant. Still he must sell all to have enough money to buy this exceptionally valuable pearl. The first man found the treasure by chance. The second found the pearl after a diligent search. The disciples are to see to it that the claims of the Kingdom are total. Enlightened self-interest dictates a total response.

Pearls were, with gold, the most valuable things in the ancient world and even sometimes more in demand than gold.

In 7:6 pearls were mentioned and as here they stand for the Kingdom of Heaven.

16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.

Mt 13:24-30

The explanation for speaking in parables and the explanation of the parable of the Sower are followed by three more parables. These three parables are also spoken to the disciples and the crowds.

The first of these three parables may be called the Parable of the Weeds of the Field. This parable contrasts two kinds of seeds in much the same way that the Parable of the Sower contrasts good soil with unfruitful ground.

As with all the parables, we may ask three questions:

• What does the parable mean at this point in the gospel? It may have the same meaning as found in 12:33ff. It is about the good tree and its good fruit and the bad tree with its bad fruit.

• What did it mean in the life of the Church? The Church’s explanation may be found in 13:36ff. The judgment is coming at the end of this age when the wicked and the righteous will be separated and each will receive his just deserts.

A more restricted interpretation would be: the disciples are the good seed while the scribes, Pharisees and unbelievers are the weeds, sown not by God but by the evil one. As the farmer leaves wheat and weeds together until the harvest, so God will leave the Church and the synagogue side by side in this world until the end of the age.

• What did it mean when Jesus used it? The key is found in vv. 29f. The disciples must wait until God brings this age to an end, and leave the separating of men to him and his angels. See also 1Cor 4:5.

v. 24. He proposed another parable to them. The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

This method of introducing a parable is a translation of an Aramaic expression and it means: “It is the case with the Kingdom of heaven as with a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

vv. 25-26. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.

Weeds is “zizania” in Greek. This type of weed is called “bearded darnel”. In their early stages they so closely resembled the wheat that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. The grain of bearded darnel is slightly poisonous. It causes dizziness and sickness and is narcotic in its effects. Even a small amount has a bitter and unpleasant taste.

v. 27. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'

Jesus has been called the householder, that is the master of the house and his disciples are his servants (or slaves) (10:24f).

vv. 28-29. He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them.'

Deliberately sowing weeds in another man’s field is a crime in Roman law and therefore, punishable. In India an enemy is known to make this kind of threat: “I will sow bad seed in your field.”

When the wheat and the darnel produced heads of grain, it was easier to distinguish one from the other. But by this time their roots were so entwined that the darnels could not be weeded out without tearing the wheat out with them.

v. 30. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."

Darnel was dried and used for fuel.

The householder’s words echo the threat of St. John the Baptist (cf. 3:12). In fact, in Greek the words are identical.

15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path…. Some fell on rocky ground…. Some seed fell among thorns….

Mt 13:1-9

Matthew 13:3b to 13:52 constitutes the third section of teaching. It is a collection of parables and their explanation.

This section like the other four has an introduction which describes the setting. The scene is Jesus sitting in a boat on the lake of Galilee. The crowds are standing on the beach and Jesus is speaking to them in parables.

The mention of the crowds is important. They are there in contrast to the disciples. Jesus speaks to the crowds and the disciples in parables. But only the disciples understand him but only upon hearing the explanation of Jesus. These stand for those to whom God has given the ability to know the secrets of the Kingdom. The crowds, on the other hand, are those to whom it has not been given (Mt 13:11).

This passage has a parallel in Mark (4:1ff). But while Mark states that Jesus taught the crowds, Matthew is content to say that he told them many things in parables. This is because the crowds do not understand and therefore, it cannot be said that Jesus “taught” them.

v. 1. On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.

“On that day” links this teaching section with the previous narrative section of Chapters 11 and 12. In that section the present generation of Jews are condemned for having refused to repent. And it is because of this refusal that Jesus speaks to them in parables.

The sea is the Sea of Galilee.


There are seven parables in this chapter. The first parable contrasts the see which never grows and bears fruits with the seed which is fruitful.

The first four verses describe the seed which is wasted on bad ground. One verse describes the seed which is fruitful because it falls on good soil. Nevertheless, the fruitful seed makes up for the waste.

We find the idea of fruitfulness in Mt 3:8 where John commanded the Pharisees to bear fruit. Later on Jesus would say that the test of the tree was its fruit (Mt 12:33ff). In the parable of the sower and the seed, the fruitless ground stands for the Pharisees who have not believed in Jesus. In contrast, the good soul is the disciples who do the Father’s will (Mt 12:50). This is the meaning which the parable has at this point in the gospel.

But because the Pharisees and the disciples themselves are representative figures standing for believers and unbelievers, a wider interpretation will be given in Mt 13:18ff. In those verses what we have is the Church’s application of the parable. It is no longer about faith and unbelief but about the different degrees of faith in the disciples themselves.

Biblical scholars find a third set of interpretation. And it is how Jesus may have understood the parable when he used it. He may have wanted to contrast the wasted seed with the abundance of the final harvest. If this were the case, then Jesus may be saying that although God does not seem to be at work in the world and does not seem to be King, nevertheless, his Kingdom is coming and when that happens, he will make up for all the apparent failures and disappointments that have gone before.

vv. 4-7. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path…. Some fell on rocky ground…. Some seed fell among thorns…. 

In Palestine, sowing preceded plowing. The sower could not tell what ground was like at the time of the sowing, that is, whether there was any depth of earth.

v. 8. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Grain in Greek is “karpos” which was previously translated as fruit (Mt 3:8ff; 7:16ff; and 12:33).

The quantities “a hundredfold, sixty, thirty” are far higher than even in a good year. Seven and a half was the average. Ten was good. The incredibly high number serve to underline the point of the parable: the immense richness of the Kingdom when it comes (original meaning) and later, the fruitfulness of the disciples.

v. 9. Whoever has ears ought to hear.

The disciples and the readers of the Gospel have been given ears to hear by God (Mt 13:16); they are commanded to use their gift of understanding which comes from the faith that has been given to them by God.

14th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A)

My yoke is easy, and my burden light.

Mt 11:25-30

v. 25. At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of hea-ven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.

Rather than see in it a “sapiential” language related to Sir 51 or with Prv 8; Si 24 and Wis 6-8, it seems preferable to link it to “apocalyptic” language as found in the book of Daniel. While the wise men were unable to interpret the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (Dn 2:3-13), the mystery was revealed to Daniel who has invoked the God of heaven (2:18-19.28) and who praised God for giving him wisdom (2:23). He speaks of the kingdom established by God himself (2:44).

In Matthew the little ones are the disciples (Mt 10:42) to whom these things have been revealed (Dn 2:29). The mystery referred to is the kingdom of heaven (Mt 13:11).

v. 26. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.

Literally: Yes, O Father, for it is thus pleasing to you. This expression recalls the voice of the Father at the baptism of Jesus (3:17) and Is 42:1 cited in Mt 12:18.

v. 27. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

“All things” refer to the kingdom and its secrets. The words are better situated in the apocalyptic tradition (Dn 2:22.28-29; 7:10-27) rather than within the sapiential tradition (Sir 24. 51) and Hellenistic tradition.

It is one of the three passages (with 21:37 and 24:36) where Jesus affirms in-directly his unique relationship with God, his Father (cf. Mk 14:36; Lk 2:49; 24:46; and Jn 20:17).

v. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

The image of the yoke, already known in the OT (Jer 2:20; 5:5; and Hos 10:11), is commonly understood in Judaism as the law of God, written and oral (Sir 6:24-30; 51:26-27). This yoke is not always felt as heavy and painful. The joy of the yoke was known in Judaism (Sir 51:26-27).

Here, in the same perspective of the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), begun with the announcement of the happiness of the reign of God, Jesus contrasts his liberating interpretation of the law against the legalism of Judaism. He does so because Jesus communicates to men, together with a renewed law, the joy of the Kingdom.

CORPUS CHRISTI (A)

And the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.

Jn 6:51-58

v. 51. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

The last section of this discourse is about the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Even if the Johannine style of this passage is generally acknowledged , it is not impossible that these verses may have been added later to the chapter or on the contrary, that John may have added here a very old tradition.

Here “flesh” means every things that belongs to the reality of the human being, with all his possibilities and limitations (1:14; 3:6; 8:15; 1Jn 4:2).

Perhaps John has preserved an independent liturgical tradition that translated literally the Aramaic word “bistra” which Jesus would have used at the Last Supper. John insists on the salvific value of the incarnation.

John has preserved in his own way the traditional formula which expresses the salvific dimension of the death of Jesus. There is a connection between the fact that Jesus is the source of eternal life and the fact of his death. And for this reason he talks about the bread that he shall give (10:11.15; 11:50-52; 15:13; 17:19; 18:14; 1Jn 3:16).

v. 53. Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you."

One finds here that greater portion of the themes developed in the preceding sections and in retrospect, the development of these sections take on a Eucharistic meaning.

v. 54. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

The literal translation of “eat” is “masticate” and “chew with the teeth”. John uses a vocabulary that is particularly realistic in order to describe participation in the Eucharist. In so doing he puts the readers on guard against the Docetist interpretation of the ministry of Jesus. According to Hebrew custom the food taken at the paschal meal should be chewed carefully.

The Son of man came down from heaven and will go up to heaven and those who believe in him and participate of the sacrament will share in this heavenly life that is in him. The Eucharist is the leaven of the resurrection for those who believe (6:39.40.44; 5:21-29).

v. 55. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

At the Last Supper the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, fulfills eminently the purpose of the bread and drink which is to ensure life.

v. 57. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

To live is to enter into communion with the Son and therefore, with the Father. This exchange, done in mutual knowledge and love, is assured in a stable and definitive way. The Eucharistic banquet is at the present time is a privileged sign of this communion.

TRINITY SUNDAY (A)

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

Jn 3:16-18

v. 18. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not be-lieve has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

For Judaism and many New Testament texts the final judgment is awaited as the end of history. For John instead, judgment has taken place when a man finds himself before Christ and in a particular way, before the cross (16:11) and rejects that revelation (3:19-21)

Faith in the name of the Son consists in acknowledging and in invoking with trust the power of the person of the Son. The name manifests the person (2:23; 3:18; 1 Jn 3:23; and 5:13). Faith is adherence to Christ acknowledged as Son of God and as revealer.

PENTECOST

And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Acts 2:1-11

v. 1. When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.

The Jewish feast of Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after Passover. It com-memorates the covenant of Sinai between God and Israel. Crowds of Jews from many countries congregated in Jerusalem. This was the scene for the first outpouring of the Spirit from Jesus (2:33). This gift manifested itself with a kind of outburst of many languages.

In Luke the preaching of Jesus began at Nazareth (Lk 4:16-30). Here the apostolic preaching began in Jerusalem (1:8).

v. 2. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.

This is probably the same place as 1:13-14. There the apostolic group gathered and prayed.

v. 3. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.

The tongues of fire evokes the same source of power which grants the gift of speaking in languages and of expressing oneself with a new language.

v. 4. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

The phenomenon which is produced certainly evokes “glossolalia” o “speaking in tongues”. The apostles express themselves in the manner of the ancient prophets (Nm 11:25-29; 1 Sam 10:5-6; and 1 Kgs 22:10).

In any case Christians seized by the Spirit in the early Church (10:46; 19:6; and 1Cor 12-14) spoke in a state of frenzy (2:13). But speaking in other languages is meant to make themselves understood in the language of other peoples. This point is very important to the author of Acts. The gift of the Spirit re-establishes here the unity of language which was lost at the tower of Babel (Gn 11:1-9) and prefigures the universal dimension of the mission of the apostles (1:8).

v. 5. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.

These are not only the pilgrims going to Jerusalem for the Pentecost but also Jews coming from all parts of the world who had come to stay permanently in Jerusalem.

v. 10. Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome….

These nations enumerated more or less from east to west with Judea as center probably represents the whole of the inhabited world.

v. 11. “…both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

Converts. Here and in 6:5 this term designates those men who, wirhtout being Hebrew by birth, were joined to the chosen people not only through the observance of the Law but have also accepted circumcision.

ASCENSION

And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.

Mt 28:16-20

v. 16. The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.

Matthew does not identify the mountain just as he does not identify the mountain of the transfiguration (17:1) and the mountain of the third temptation (4:8)

v. 17. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

The mention of doubt is surprising, especially after stating that the disciples worshipped Jesus. It does not correspond to the recognition of the Lord, as often happens in the classic scheme of the stories of the apparitions (Lk 24:11.37-44; Jn 20:25-27 and Mk 16:11.13-14).

Some critics instead see in it a clarification added to a tradition which presented the encounter of the living Lord with his disciples in the form of an epiphany, simila to the eschatological announcement of Dn 7:14.

One can also translate as follows: They who have doubted (not Jesus but the words of the women).

v. 18. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

He who on the mountain of the temptation has refused to receive from the devil dominion over the kingdoms of the earth (4:9-10), proclaims that he has reveived it from God (Dn 7:14); nay more, he received dominion over heaven and earth, in conformity with the belief of the primitive church (Acts 13:33; Rom 1:4; Phil 2:5-11; and 1Tim 3:16).

v. 19. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…

These nations are not only the pagans but also the Jews (24:9.14; and 25:32). In contrast to his way of acting during his public life (10:5-6.23; and 15:24), Jesus now fulfills the prophecy of Is 42:6; 45:18-20; and 49:6.

“In the name of…” means that a personal relationship is established with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is an indication that the Trinity was already known in the early church (1Cor 12:3-5; and 2Cor 13:13). The baptismal formula was probably derived from the practice of the early church (Didache).

v. 20. “…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

With these words the Risen Christ takes up and fulfills the figure and the promise of the divine presence in the OT (Ex 3:12; Jer 1:8; Is 41:10 and 43:5; Mt 1:23). He does not only guarantee particular gifts (Lk 24:48 and Jn 20:22), or an enduring presence (Mt 18:20) but an effective assistance all days, even during persecution. In this sense the presence of Jesus is similar to that of the Paraclete of John (Jn 14:16; and16:7-11).

6TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (A)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

Jn 14:15-21

v. 16. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always.

The single Greek word “parakletos” has many meanings. Its juridical meaning is one who is called to help and defend the accused. He is a defense attorney (or advocate). Related to this role are the roles of consoler and intercessor (or mediator).

In the NT the expression does not appear elsewhere but in John. At times it refers to the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16.26; 15:26; and 16:7). At other times, it refers to Jesus (1Jn 2:1).

Some interpreters believe that the expression can be understood by looking at the use of the verb “parakaleo” in the NT (Acts 2:40 and 1Cor 14:3). In these passages the Christian is called to remain firm in the midst of difficulties.

In John, however, the juridical sense dominates: the Spirit helps the disciples who are being persecuted by the world (Jn 16:4-15).

“Always”. The gift of the Holy Spirit is given without time limit. He (the Holy Spirit) assures the disciples of continuing communion with Christ who has gives him to them (Mt 28:20).

v. 17. The Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit, given by him who is the truth, helps the disciples to grow in knowledge (Jn 16:13) and to be his witness (Jn 15:27).

The Spirit of truth is opposed to the spirit of error (1Jn 4:5) and to the lying spirit (Jn 8:44) that rules the world.

v. 19. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. 

There is another possible translation: “You will see me alive and you also will live.”

While the world, left to its own means of knowing, will be unable to see Jesus beyond his death (Jn 7:34; 8:21), the disciples will experience the presence of the Risen Christ and share his new life, as well as those who will believe on the basis of their testimony.

This knowledge and participation in the life of the Risen One already constitutes eternal life for John.

v. 20. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.

“On that day” is a recurring expression in the OT to designate the coming of the eschatological age (Is 2:17; Jr 4:9; Zc 2:15). The end time begins with the elevation and resurrection of Jesus in which believers participate. This participation is still open to further fulfillment.

Only the relationships which unite the disciples to Jesus allow the discovery of the reality of the relationship with unites Jesus to the Father.

v. 21. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

The one who loves Jesus is the one who knows the commandments of Jesus and puts them into practice with constancy (know-practice). We find other examples of such doublets in Jn 12:47 (listen-observe) and in Jn 5:24 (listen-believe).

This obedience is the expression of love and of faith. It permits one to know in a concrete manner the love of the Father through the manifestation of Christ.

Another translation for “observing” the commandments is “keeping” them.

4th SUNDAY OF EASTER - A

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

Jn 10:1-10

There are two parables in this gospel periscope:

• First parable (Jn 10:1-5) – There is the shepherd who enters in the normal way because he has received the mission on behalf of the flock. The parable compares him to those who wish to dominate the flock for their own profit. These are the Pharisees.
• Second parable (Jn 10:7-10) – It comments on the declaration of Jesus as the door or gate.

v. 1. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.

At night the sheep are gathered together into a fold surrounded by a low wall and watched over by a guard.

v.3. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

There are two groups of people in Israel. The first are those who belong to shepherd. They listen to him and only to him. The second are those who do not respond to Jesus because they neve belonged to him.

v. 6. Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

In the mind of John speaking in parables is the means of revelation proper to the earthly mission of Jesus. They cannot truly be understood except through faith and in the light of the final revelation which is the moment of the elevation of Jesus and the giving of the gift of the Spirit.

v. 8. All who came [before me] are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

Jesus is not talking about the prophets of the OT but of those men in both the Jewish and Gentile worlds who pretend with their own ways to bring to men salva-tion and knowledge of things divine.

v. 9. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.

The theme of door or gate which gives access to heavenly things was common in the Hebrew tradition and in the synoptic.

• In solemn wonder he cried out: "How awesome is this shrine! This is nothing else but an abode of God, and that is the gateway to heaven! (Gn 28:17)
• Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. (Lk 13:24)

In John Jesus himself through his incarnation is the place of discovery and reception of things divine. This is the meaning of the second parable.

Jesus saves from death and from all that brings destruction to man.

Because the disciples have been saved, they find freedom and security.

v. 10. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

While the false saviors seek to disperse and destroy, Jesus has as his mission to fill his disciples and make them participants in the life of the Father.

3nd SUNDAY OF EASTER (A)

And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

Lk 24:13-35

v. 13. Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus.

Luke wants to show how Jesus leads these two disciples who had lost their faith in him following the scandal of the cross found it again through knowledge of Scriptures.

v. 16. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.

All the resurrection stories present Jesus as initially unrecognizable. He looked different.

The two disciples were unable to recognize Jesus until he had introduced them into the mystery of his death and resurrection by means of the Scriptures.

v. 18. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?"

The two travelers take the stranger to be a pilgrim for the Passover feast.

v. 19. And he replied to them, "What sort of things?" They said to him, "The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.”

The disciples still consider Jesus as only a prophet.

v. 21. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place.

The hope of the disciples was dashed by the actions of the religious authorities of Jerusalem and by his crucifixion. Moreover three days have gone by and God has not yet intervened on behalf of his prophet.

v. 26. Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?"

“But first he (the Son of Man) must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation” (Lk 17:25).
Luke is the only New Testament writer to speak explicitly of a suffering Mes-siah. The idea of a suffering Messiah is not found in the Old Testament or in other Jewish literature prior to the New Testament period.

v. 27. Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures.

Moses (that is, the Law) and the Prophets constitute the essential books of Scriptures. These are read during worship at the synagogue.

v. 29. But they urged him, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

This insistence is in keeping with Palestinian hospitality. Many commentators have also concluded that the two travelers had arrived home.

v. 30. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.

Jesus probably reproduced here his actions at the Last Supper.

Luke here makes use of Eucharistic language. He might want to tell his readers that at the breaking of the bread (Eucharist) they also meet the Risen Lord whom the two disciples met on their way to Emmaus.

Frank Doyle, SJ sees all the elements of a good Eucharist in the Emmaus story:

• There is the encounter between the Lord in the guise of an ordinary person, any person, even a total stranger. The very gathering of the Eucharistic community is an encounter with the Lord. The community is already the Body of Christ.
• There is the Introductory Rite where the two disciples express their disillusion-ment and sense of hopelessness and helplessness as they walk the road to No-where.
• There is the Liturgy of the Word as Jesus breaks open the Scriptures, explains its full meaning with regard to himself and leaves their hearts on fire with evangelising enthusiasm.
• There is also the remembering of the sacrificial death of Jesus which is at the heart of every Eucharist.
• There is the breaking of the one loaf of bread by which the community recognises the living presence of the Lord in each one and the unity that binds them together as the Body of Christ.
• Finally, there is the desired conclusion of every Eucharist - the urge to go out and share the experience of knowing and loving Jesus as Lord and inviting others to share that experience.

v. 34. "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"

This event is mentioned in the ancient list of appearances found in 1Cor 15:15.

2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER (A)

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

Jn 20: 19-31

v. 19. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."

The first day of the week is Sunday. This event occurred on the evening of Easter Sunday, that is, on the day Jesus rose from the dead.

The doors were locked and yet Jesus was able to enter the room. The resurrected body of Jesus was no longer bound by the laws of physics. It has been glorified or transformed. Hence, the stone covering the tomb was rolled back not to let Jesus get out of the tomb but for the women and the disciples to be able to enter and see the empty tomb.

The disciples had reason to hide out of fear. They could be next to be arrested.

Peace be with you is a typical greeting among Jews. But the peace that Jesus bestows is different. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you” (Jn 14:27). The peace that he bestows is the bounty of the messianic blessings which includes gift of salvation.

v. 20. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The dis-ciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

The body of Jesus was a glorified body, transformed by the resurrection. Jesus became unrecognizable. He had to show them his wounds (nail marks and the wound at his side) to identify himself.

Regarding the joy of the disciples, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you” (Jn 16:22).

v. 21. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

Jesus was sent by the Father. He can be called the apostle of the Father. Now Jesus sends his disciples, making them his apostles. Jesus now entrusts his mission to them.
They are to proclaim and live the message of Jesus. They are to call others to membership in the community of believers in Jesus.

v. 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit."

This is St. John’s version of the Pentecost event described in the Acts of the Apostles. It was as if the apostles were “confirmed” in the mission that has been entrusted to them.

The act of breathing on them recalls the creation of man in Genesis. “The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being” (Gen 2:7). The Holy Spirit brings about what St. Paul calls a new creation, and the putting on of the new man. “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor 5:17). “And have put on the new man, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator” (Col 3:10).

Pentecost not only marked the coming of the Holy Spirit but also the birth of the Church. Hence, this was also John’s version of the birth of the Church.

v. 23. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave the Sacraments of Eucharist and Ministerial Priesthood to his disciples. Now the Risen Lord gave to his disciples the power to forgive sins, the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

v. 25. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

The disciples were not ready to believe in the Resurrection. It belies the accusation that the Resurrection was an invention of the apostles.

v. 26. Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them.

The meeting with Thomas takes place a week later, on this very day the second Sunday of Easter.

v. 28. Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas made an act of faith. What is significant is that no one in the gospels has ever made this act of faith in Jesus. And this act of faith was not the result of seeing. For he could see Jesus but he could not see God. It was faith that made him see God in Jesus (that Jesus was God).

v. 29. Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

These words were spoken by Jesus more for later disciples than for Thomas. For while Thomas at least saw Jesus, we who came later and all those who would come after us would not even have that privilege.

Advisory

This will be a very busy month for me. I might not be able to post every week. Please refer to the posts of previous years.

4TH SUNDAY OF LENT - A

I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Jn 9: 1-41

v. 2. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

In ancient times there was a common belief that sin results in physical sickness. In the case of sickness from birth, some rabbis attribute it to the sin of the parents. Others attribute it to the child himself in the course of his development in the womb.

v. 3. Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.

Jesus rejects the current belief without proposing another. Instead he affirms the fact of his infirmity and assures this man that he will be made whole (cured). By doing so, Jesus will perform a sign that will show his divine origin and invite men to receive the true light.

The passage from blindness to vision symbolizes the transition from unbelief and death to faith and life. In this sense the blind man (the only one blind from birth in the NT) may be considered to be the prototype of those who will arrive to faith.

v. 4. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

“WE have to do the works…” seems to indicate that the Christian community is speaking here and declaring that its actions is a prolongation of the action of Christ.

The life span and activity of a person is often compared to a day of work. In the same way the activity of Jesus who is the light of the world may be compared to a day.

v. 5. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

The salvific activity of the Father is manifested in Jesus for the good of all men. He is the only possibility of salvation.

v. 6. When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes.

In ancient times it was believed that saliva possessed curative powers. (Marahil ito ang dahilan kung bakit ang laway ay ginagamit para pagalingin ang isang batang na-usog.) Jesus makes use of this familiar gesture.

v. 7. And said to him, "Go was in the Pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

The Pool of Siloam is found in the city. John who gives great importance to the theme of mission suggests an etymology: As the water of the Pool of “Sent” (Siloam) gives sight, the Messiah “who was sent” brings the light of revelation. It is very possible that this passage was used in the baptismal liturgy.

v. 14. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a Sabbath.

Except for cases of grave danger, it was forbidden to cure on the Sabbath.

v. 35. When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The man who was cured has reached the highest point of his testimony and suffered persecution. He prefigures the situation in which the Church will find itself.

Jesus meets him and reveals himself to him as the Son of Man, that is, he who comes down from heaven in order to gather all men and elevate them to a participation in the life of God.

v. 39. Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind."

The mission of Jesus brings about a reversal of situations. The blind who has faith in Jesus are cured and arrive at knowledge of revelation. On the contrary those who believe themselves enlightened do not have the capacity to see he who brings the light of salvation. They remain always in darkness and in perdition.

3rd SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

Jn 4:5-42

v. 6. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon.

The meaning of the Greek words is that Jesus was so tired that he sat down without selecting any special place to sit. This is significant because John among the evangelists emphasizes the divinity of Jesus and yet he is not afraid to record his human limitation (11:33. 35. 38; 19:28).

v. 7. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

Obviously she was not from Sychar. This underlines her position as the repre-sentative Samaritan just as Nicodemus had been the representative Jew.

v. 9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Sama-ritan woman, for a drink?" (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.)

The sentence “For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans” may either be a comment of the evangelist in which case the parenthesis would be correct. It may, however, be a part of the woman’s reply to Jesus, in which case, it should be within the quotation marks.

v. 10. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

The gift of God can be taken to mean the “living water” soon to be mentioned. But in the OT it is a metaphor for the help given by God to men. It is a more common metaphor in Rabbinic writings. There it is used for the Torah (Law of God). If this is so, then the sense of Jesus’ reply would be: If only she (and the Samaritans) understood the Torah, then they would realize who Jesus was and so they would come to him for living water which he alone could give.

v. 11. (The woman) said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cis-tern is deep; where then can you get this living water?

“Sir” is a term of respect. This already indicates that the woman is already on her way to being enlightened as to the true identity of Jesus.

In v. 6 the word for “well” may also be translated as “spring”. Here it is really “cistern” because the water here is not living (that is, not fresh) as the water coming from a mountain stream. The religion of Samaria is like the water stored in a cistern.

v. 12. Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?"

The word used for “flock” can also mean “slaves”. The point is that what Jacob left was sufficient for freemen, for slaves and beasts. Can Jesus improve on that? The answer is yes. The salvation brought by Jesus is sufficient for the world.

v. 13. Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again."

Jesus contrasts the drink that can only quench the thirst for a short time and then needs to be repeated with the drink which drunk only once quenches all thirst for good. This reminds us of the OT sacrifice which needs to be repeated daily and the sacrifice of Christ (NT) which was offered only once and yet is efficacious always and everywhere.

v. 15. The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

The woman does not yet fully understand Jesus; but it seems equally clear that she realizes that the conversation is moving to places where her own personal and her national religious life will be challenged.

v. 16. Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back."

First, she will have to bring her husband and then from Christ she will be able to draw living water. A commentator suggests that Jesus was actually speaking at two levels. He was not only thinking about the man she was cohabiting with. He was also talking about her Samaritan religion (= husband). The woman, of course, understood that Jesus was only speaking about her husband.

v. 17. The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.'

The woman tries to evade the incursion of Jesus into her private life by saying she has no husband. But Jesus persists in talking about her husband. Of course, he also had the Samaritan religion in mind. He asserts that her religion is empty because it is not wedded to the one true God.

v. 19. The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet."

The supernatural knowledge of Jesus leads her to conclude that he was a prophet. Now it was the duty of the prophet to denounce any adultery on the part of God’s people. And she felt that it was to this that the conversation what was leading to.

Also she might be suspecting that Jesus was no ordinary prophet. Jesus could be THE prophet that Dt 18:15 was talking about.

v. 20. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem."

The mountain cannot but be Gerizim. At the same time, dialog cannot be taking place on that mountain. No doubt John had in mind the symbolic character of the conversation taking place between Jesus and the woman.

v. 21. Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

Jesus already foresees that some Samaritans will come to worship the Father and these like some of the Jews will do it through Jesus himself.

v. 22. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.

The Samaritans accepted the Pentateuch but without they remain ignorant for they are without the divine commentary written on the recorded history of Israel and without the writings of her inspired religious writers.

v. 23. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.

A scholar rephrases “in spirit and truth” into “in Spirit which is the truth.” Truth as used by John often means “reality”.

The Spirit is not some vague spirituality. He is the power that filled and pos-sessed Christ and wrought the works of God in him.

v. 24. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."

God is not just one of the beings that inhabit the spirit world. He is not just one member of the clan of spirits.

v. 25. The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Anointed; when he comes, he will tell us everything."

“He will tell us everything” may be re-worded as “He will reveal all things by his teaching of the truth”.

v.40. When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

Testimony (of the woman) is adequate to bring men to Christ. But this must give way to personal experience and communion with the Lord.

The Jesus whom men met in Galilee, Samaria and Judea is the same as the risen Lord that men can meet in any time or place. And it is the concern of John, the synoptics and St. Paul and the rest of the NT writers to affirm that the this Jesus of history is the same as the Christ of faith.

v. 42. And they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world."

The universal mission of Jesus is once again affirmed as it was affirmed in the encounter of Jesus with Nicodemus (Jn 3:16).

2nd SUNDAY OF LENT (A)

And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

Mt 17: 1-9

Today’s passage recalls the story of Jesus’ baptism. In both there is a voice; in both the voice says: This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased (Mt 3:17). Both are epiphanies or manifestations of Jesus. They belong to the other manifestation stories of Jesus such as the manifestation to the magi. Epiphany stories about holy men are common in ancient writings. In these stories the veil that hides the invisible and the future is pushed back for a moment in order to reveal what is hidden.

The story of the transfiguration of Jesus may be the earliest epiphany stories about Jesus, older than the Baptism of Jesus, the Visit of the Magi and the Visit of the Shepherds.

Some have suggested that that behind the Transfiguration story was really the story of the appearance of the Resurrected Christ which tradition had somehow misunderstood. Others offer the opinion that behind the Transfiguration was a mystical experience that we encounter in the lives of the Saints.

In the Transfiguration story what is revealed is the glory of the Son of Man when he comes at the end of the age (Mt 16:27f). In Mt 26:17ff he will take the same three disciples to reveal something to them again. This time it is the meaning of his death and resurrection, which is his obedience to the Father’s will.

v. 1 - After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

After six days – The precise note of time links this paragraph (Transfigura-tion) with the previous sayings – Jesus foretells his death and resurrection (Mt 16:21-23) and the cost of discipleship (Mt 16:24-28).

Precise notes of time are something unusual in the Synoptic gospels with the exception of the account of his last days in Jerusalem and of the Passion.

The mention of six days may allude to Ex 24:16ff where it is written: “The glory of the LORD settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.”

Peter, James and John seem to form the inner circle of Jesus’ apostles. He brings them with him in Gethsemane (Mt 26:17) and to the healing of Jairus daughter (Mk 5:37).

v. 2 - And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.

Metemorphothe means ‘changed, transfigured’. Paul spoke of this event in 2 Cor 3. He used the same word in order to speak of the change Christians are undergoing now and which will be completed at the end of this age (2Cor 3:18).

The face of Jesus shines just as when the Kingdom comes, the righteous will shine like the sun (Mt 13:43).

His garments become white as light. The book of Revelation describes the army of angels who will accompany Jesus at the end of the world has arrayed in fine linen, white and pure (Rev 19:14).

v. 3 - And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him.

Moses and Elijah appear. The Jews believed that they were taken up to heaven and did not go down to Sheol, the abode of the dead. They were expected to return to earth before the Messiah. They embody the Law and the Prophets. They are also the two witnesses described in Rev 11:3ff.

v. 4 - Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

In Matthew the disciples address Jesus as Lord. Only Judas Iscariot calls him Master (Rabbi).

Peter may want to make permanent a vision that was meant to be temporary.

v. 5 - While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."

The cloud is a sign of divine presence in Exodus.

Overshadowed (epeskiasen) is used of the cloud covering the tent of meeting in Ex 40:35.

The declaration of the voice is similar to that made at his Baptism (Mt 3:17).The voice of God from the bright cloud tells the disciples that Jesus is the Son, the fulfillment of the OT expectations. He is the one to be heard by men because he is the Judge on the last day.

v. 6-7 - When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

This is similar to the experience of Daniel (Dan 10:5-12).

v. 9 - As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

The disciples are not to speak of the glory of the Son of Man which they have seen until after the resurrection. At that time they will preach it to the Church to warn and to encourage.

In Matthew this is the fifth and last time when Jesus commands them to keep silent. Mt 8:4 is an instance when Matthew commands silence .

1ST SUNDAY OF LENT - A

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

Mt 4: 1-11

The only words of Jesus which Matthew has so far recorded is found in 3:15 (Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.). It means that Jesus must fulfill scriptures.

In this section Jesus speaks three times and each time he uses the phrase “it is written”, that is, it is written in the scriptures (Old Testament). Jesus responds to the testing of the devil by citing scriptures which he must fulfill.

The devil begins his first two sayings with the words “If you are the Son of God…” This harks back to the voice from Heaven at the Baptism of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son” (3:17).

The three responses of Jesus all come Deuteronomy. They refer to the testing of Israel in wilderness after their crossing of the Red Sea. Matthew may have had this event in mind when he wrote about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. He might have also had in mind the crossing of the Red Sea when he wrote about the Baptism of Jesus.

The words “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights…” is similar to the words of Moses in Deuteronomy. “Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments” (Dt 8:2). Now the words “tempt” and “test” are the same in Greek. Matthew might want to tell us that Jesus is re-living the experience of Israel in his own life and that where Israel failed, Jesus is victorious.

This assertion is further strengthened by later events. For example, the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes is an allusion to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai.

v. 1. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

The desert or wilderness was believed to be the home of evil spirits. Jesus is, therefore, taken directly to the headquarters of evil.

v. 2. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.

The fasting of Jesus and his hunger paves the way for the first temptation, the satisfaction of his hunger.

v. 3. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, com-mand that these stones become loaves of bread."

At his Baptism, the voice from Heaven identifies Jesus as his Son.

If God can raise from stones children to Abraham (Mt. 3:9), then he can surely change those stones into bread.

v. 4. He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"

The reply of Jesus comes from Dt 8:3. The complete verse is as follows: “He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does man live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.”

The story of the Manna in the desert is found in Ex 16:1ff. The temptation of Israel was to doubt the power of God to provide for his people. The response of Jesus to this temptation was affirming his faith in the care of God for his creatures (Mt 6:25).

vv. 5-6. Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

The holy city is Jerusalem.

The second temptation comes from the response of Jesus to the first temptation. If God cares for his people, then they will come to no harm. Therefore, let Jesus throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and thus prove the truth of the promise made in Ps 9:11-12 (For God commands the angels to guard you….) .

The use of the title Son of God in order to tempt Jesus is also found at the Crucifixion (Mt 27: 40. 43).

v. 7. Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"

The second reply of Jesus comes from Dt 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD, your God, to the test, as you did at Massah.” Massah means proof or testing. The incident is related in Ex 17:1-7 (The place was called Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD in our midst or not?").

Jesus refuses to test his Father by calling for angelic assistance. Cf. Mt 26:53.

vv. 8-9. Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."

Cf. Jn 12:31; 16:11; 2 Co 4:4; 1 Jn 5:19 about the devil as ruler of this world.

v. 10. At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"

The third reply of Jesus comes from Dt 6:13. But read the whole passage (Dt 6:13-15).
Jesus does not commit the sin of worshipping other gods. He, therefore, receives from the Father what the devil promises and more (Mt 28:18).

“Get away, Satan!” We find something similar in Mt 16:23. There Peter tempts Jesus to avoid the crucifixion. In both passages, Jesus is being tempted to take a path different from the one pointed out by the Father. He refuses and is rewarded (Phil 2:5-11).

v. 11. Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Jesus is victorious ove the devil and is, therefore, exalted above the angels (Heb 1:6).