Reflection on Scripture

Scripture for Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time, May 13, 2008.
James 1:12-18. Psalm 94: 12-15, 18-19. Mark 8:14-21. Lectionary # 336.

Both Mark and James continue to give us the experience of biblical
wisdom which is well known to us from the Writings of the Hebrew Scriptues
especially in Proverbs, and in the deuterocanonical book Wisdom. Many
creative genres are apparent in this form of biblical literature and both
Mark and James are displaying their familiarity with these forms of
encouragement, challenge, and common sense. Today they focus on moral
behavior in James, while in Mark Jesus uses seven questions to prompt his
sluggard disciples into going a bit deeper into their comprehension of the
things of God. James treats of sufferings, trials, temptations, the urge
of passion, as well as the down to earth reality of sin itself. His wisdom
is a way through, around, or over all of these situations we all face in
life. Respect for God's laws and precepts is how we show our love. Some
people show their love by their actions, others only by their words. We
need both if we are to love God according to the experience of inspired
wisdom. Our Psalm is filled with wisdom and the response and verse
following it show us that it confirms what James is telling us: "Happy the
man you instruct, O Lord, whom by your law you teach, giving him rest from
evil days." (Psalm 94:12-13). Here is a commentary from the Jewish
interpretation of these verses: "The sufferings which the human being is
called upon to endure may be accepted by him in an understanding of Divine
Providence. If one accepts the experience in that spirit, happy and blessed
is that person." (Soncino, Psalm, p.310). This is the same spirit which
James has in his opening chapter. This is Hebrew Wisdom! and we Christians
would do well to live it and learn more about it.
Jesus is Wisdom personified. Wisdom teachers ask a lot of questions.
A recent Jesuit scriptural and spiritual writer wrote that Jesus asks one
hundred questions in the Gospels, but only answers three of them. That
would be a good way of reading the Gospels the next time to get a different
slant on who Jesus is as Wisdom. Today's passage has Jesus asking a volley
of seven questions of his sluggard like disciples. They manage to answer
two of them! Now seven shows us a completeness in thought for the Hebrew
mind of Jesus so his questions are meant to get them to be wholesom
disciples not lazy ones. Perhaps, we can try to answer all seven of them
and see how we are able to do with the questions asked of his disciples.
Maybe answering as many as we can and then seeing how we have answered
them. Wisdom Jesus is speaking and questioning. Be attentive! Amen.