Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR B SECOND SUNDAY - 15.1.06 1 Sam 3,3-10.19; 1 Cor 6,13-15.17-20; Jn 1,35-42 Enrolling in Jesus’ School Rabbinical
Schools at Jesus’ time. Today’s story is from John’s Gospel. It provides a glimpse into the
‘Schools’, that operated at the time of Jesus. These ‘Schools’ were run
by Jewish Rabbis, and aimed not at teaching literacy & numeracy; but at
forming disciples into a proper, convinced Jewish life-style. In daily
conversation, the word ‘Rabbi’ meant, & means still today, a Jewish
Clergyman, or a Jewish leader with responsibility over a congregation (Mt.
8,19). But in Jewish culture, ‘Rabbi’ has a loftier role. Literally, the
word Rabbi means ‘my great one’ & it stands for the word ‘Teacher’.
The more talented ‘Rabbis’ were ordained to teach & explain to Jews
their “Halakhah” = Jewish Law or Torah, or way-of-life (‘way-to-walk’).
Another word for Rabbi was ‘Rabbani’ = also meaning ‘my great one’; Mary
Magdalen shouted it at the resurrection scene (Jn. 20,16). There were -before,
during & after the time of Jesus-, some famous Rabbis, who established their
famous Torah-Schools, v.g. Schools of Hillel & Shammai. At the time of
Jesus, a great Rabbi was ‘Gamaliel’, the first to be given the title
‘Rabban’ =‘our great one’. Of him the ‘Mishnah’ says: ‘When Rabban
Gamaliel died, the glory of the Torah ceased, & purity & modesty
died”. In one of his speeches, St. Paul boasts that before he converted to
Christianity, he had trained at the School of Gamliel (‘I am a Jew, educated
at the feet of Gamaliel in every depth of the Torah & in the way of our
ancestors’ - Acts 22,3). Gamaliel is also the respected Rabbi who warned the
Sanhedrin not to act rashly against the followers of the Messiah Jesus (Ac.
5,34-39)... Years later, around 90AD, a Rabbinical Academy of Jewish learning
was established at Jamnia. Rabbi,
where do you live? At
the start of John’s Gospel, two disciples address Jesus as ‘Rabbi’, after
hearing from the Baptist that He is ‘the lamb of God’. One of them then (his
name is Andrew) tells his brother Simon (Peter), that they have found the
Messiah. Soon after Jesus is addressed as ‘Rabbi, Son of God & king of
Israel’ (Nathanael) & soon still, He is addressed as ‘Teacher who comes
from God & performs signs’ (Nicodemus). The details of today’s Gospel
are worth studying. First, Jesus notices the disciples following him & asks
the important question: what do you want? Then the disciples respond with
a another question. Knowing they are speaking to a teacher, who runs his own
school, they hope to be invited at his school and perhaps be fortunate to listen
to some of his teachings... So they ask: Rabbi, (=teacher) where do you live?
Jesus then simply welcomes them saying: come & see; which implies a number
of affirming vibes: come & feel at home - follow your inner search -
perceive, understand & respond - satisfy your thirst for God... So the
disciples did indeed go & see where Jesus lived; they even stayed the rest
of the day with him: till four in the afternoon! Soon they became convinced that
they had found the Messiah, which means the Christ. It was normal for a teacher
to establish a school at his home, where students could gather around him, and
spend time with him, and listen to his teachings. But Jesus did a lot more: He
invited them not just to come & see & listen, but also to share in his
very life & mission. They quickly recognized that Jesus is the greatest
teacher. And soon as they left, they gave witness to Jesus, by drawing other
people to Him: ‘We have found the Messiah’, Andrew said to his brother
Peter. Lesson: When we search for the
Lord, is it we who really do the searching? Or isn’t it rather the Lord who
gives a yearning & calls - finds - welcomes us? ______________________________________ |
