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| “Balaam's Ass” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1626 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a
When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe,
the spirit of God came upon him,
and he gave voice to his oracle:
The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of a man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;
your encampments, O Israel!
They are like gardens beside a stream,
like the cedars planted by the LORD.
His wells shall yield free-flowing waters,
he shall have the sea within reach;
His king shall rise higher,
and his royalty shall be exalted.
Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle:
The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,
the utterance of the man whose eye is true,
The utterance of one who hears what God says,
and knows what the Most High knows,
Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,
enraptured, and with eyes unveiled.
I see him, though not now;
I behold him, though not near:
A star shall advance from Jacob,
and a staff shall rise from Israel.
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Commentary on Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a
This section of the Book of Numbers deals with the Israelite encounters in Moab. Within this context are set four oracles of Balaam, a seer called by the Moabite King Balak to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5). God’s intervention and ultimate conversion of Balaam causes the curses to become blessings.
This passage contains parts of the third and fourth oracles. The third oracle (v.2-7 above) sees the ultimate victory of Israel. This victory can be also seen as the final victory of the faithful in the New Jerusalem. The fourth oracle (v. 15-17a above) foresees the victory of Israel over its neighbors. The imagery, “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel,” is also seen as predicting the rise of the star that heralds the coming Messiah.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” be made known. This request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. In the first strophe of this hymn, we hear support for our belief that God answered the prayers of our ancient ancestors. Their trust was justified. The song continues as an individual prayer asking for guidance and salvation.
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Gospel: Matthew 21:23-27
When Jesus had come into the temple area,
the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him
as he was teaching and said,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
And who gave you this authority?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me,
then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things.
Where was John’s baptism from?
Was it of heavenly or of human origin?”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd,
for they all regard John as a prophet.”
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
He himself said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
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Commentary on Mt 21:23-27
Jesus has made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem and has purged the temple of money-changers. He now encounters the chief priests in the first of five controversies. Referring to his purging the temple, they ask: “By what authority are you doing these things?”
The exchange of question and counter question that follows exposes the Jewish leadership as being incompetent to fulfill one of their basic duties, discerning true and false teachers. When asked about John the Baptist, they reply, “We do not know.” By their inability to decide about John, the most prominent figure in their day, they display their incompetence and free Jesus from submitting to their judgment. (“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”)
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Reflection:
Scripture gives us some interesting points to ponder. In the book of Numbers we meet a rather obscure figure in Balaam. He is, according to ancient texts, a mystic and seer. When the Israelites conquered the neighboring Amorites, the King of Moab, Balak, summons Balaam, and asks that he put a curse on the Israelites so the fate of the Amorites does not befall Moab. Ultimately God turns the intent of Balaam to his own purposes, and his curses become a blessing; so much so that in his final oracle, God shows him a glimpse of a distant future. A star rises in the east, one that three kings will see in Persia and follow to a small town called Bethlehem.
From Balaam’s story we see not only a distant image of that star, but something even greater. We see how nothing is impossible for God. We see how even the plans of God’s enemies can be turned to blessings. In seeing this, we are given one more reason to have hope and peace in the face of seemingly overwhelming situations. God, indeed, is our shield and our rock. We rejoice in the knowledge that he is always with us.
In the Gospel from St. Matthew, we find Jesus, predicted by that ancient star, already well into his ministry on earth. He has taken up his role and authority and progressed from itinerant preacher to God’s authority on earth. In the very heart of religious authority in Jerusalem, he challenges those responsible for presenting God’s face to the people. He challenges them and finds them incompetent. They are unable to see what all of the people in the region have easily grasped, that St. John the Baptist was a great holy man, a prophet, sent by God with an important message. In fear, they cannot expose their lack of faith. Worse, the fear they feel is not that they have failed in their most sacred task, but that they will lose power if they confess to what they must know to be true.
With an emotion as close to contempt as the Lord of Love can show, Jesus rejects their authority and resigns himself to the knowledge that those in power are in darkness and cannot bear to look at the light. He understands the consequences of their failed faith as do we. We see his authority, his majesty, and his power. We rejoice in the knowledge that he promised to come again so that everyone might be saved by the loving hand of God.
On this day of rejoicing we pray that Christ might have authority over our hearts and minds as we go about our daily tasks. We pray that his light and peace might shine out from us, so that all we meet might see in us the light of the distant star he brings and be drawn to its warmth.
Pax
[1] The Picture is “Balaam's Ass” by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, 1626.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
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