Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR B SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR - 19.1.03 1 Sam 3,3-10.19; 1 Cor 6,13-15.17-20; Jn 1,35-42 Jesus sets up a School (Part One) A School of discipleship. In today’s Gospel, John reports the earliest story of Jesus calling people to follow him and thus enroll them in his school. We refer to these as "Call-Stories". They are important: as indeed all convinced Christians believe to have been called to, trained in, and become disciples in Jesus’ School. The Mission Statement of our Dioceses expresses this same conviction when it says: "We are a community of "Disciples’... committed to extend God’s Kingdom: so, we proclaim, respond, love, celebrate, educate, serve, & seek unity". In the Bible there are many ‘Call-Stories’ where people are asked to become Jesus’ followers. Indeed, in ancient times -before and after Jesus- a system of ‘calling for disciples’ was widely used by Founders of Religious Movements, Rabbinic Schools and Schools of Philosophy. All ‘Call-Stories’ meant to highlight the excellence of the Teacher, the loftiness of the teaching, the quality of the school and the promise of success in the pupil or follower. These insights were clearly spelled out in the jargon, used by such schools: discernment, discipline, discipleship, disciple... These words, in their original Latin culture, were part of the school and education language: The Latin words: discere, discernere, disciplina, discipulus... have to do with the process of learning. In it, the pupil was taught how to pick one option out of many (discernere), to learn (discere), through repetitive methods , and slowly train (disciplina) the pupil, to become a learner (discipulus). Wherever such ‘call-stories’ are told -in Old Testament, (Elijah and Elisha 1King 19) or in Classical Pagan Antiquity (Socrates & Xenophon or Crates & Xeno), or in the Gospels- there are always some extraordinary events connected with the ‘calling and following after’. What is unique about the Gospel callings is that the initiative comes exclusively from Jesus, while the prospective disciple is expected to respond immediately & unconditionally. Uniqueness of Jesus’ School. Rabbinic Schools ran much like our private schools today: people enrolled, if they could afford it, support themselves & cope with the teaching, lodge and even live-in with the teacher. Here (as in all contemporary pagan schools), the initiative was taken by the prospective pupils. In contrast, Jesus was a unique teacher, portrayed as a wondering philosopher and preacher. Prospective candidates did not enrol instead they were personally sought after and called by Jesus. Indeed, there are several stories of people who did volunteer to follow Jesus, and not even one was successful: yes, not one individual who ever volunteered in the Gospels, became a successful disciple of Jesus. In today’s Gospel, John is making clear this point and on it he is consistent throughout his Gospel (John 1,35-51; 6,65; 10,3-5;14,26-28; 15,16; 21,20-22). Today’s anecdote describes the sudden call of individuals engaged in the ordinary affairs of life; & their immediate response is characterized by a sudden willingness to follow. John draws immediate attention on Jesus as the only, divine, ideal Master & Teacher. Like the wise teachers of antiquity, Jesus gathers his disciples into a school and lives in close relationship with them. To them he says: ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you’ (Jn 15,16). Unlike the ‘cryptic’ account given by Mark (1,16-20), John likes to expand: he gives the description of a setting, a longer dialogue and a sequence of events, in order to disclose the divine character of Jesus: a divinely appointed Teacher, Master, Saviour. Next week will follow, Mark’s ‘Call-Story’ and the theory behind Jesus’ School". ______________________________________ |
