St. Benedict's Monastery, Arcadia
Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR B THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY - 5.11.06 Dt 6,2-6; Hb 7,23-28; Mk 12,28b-34 Jesus’ Halakah & Mitzvah (wayfaring & commandment) Sh’ma
Israel, Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai echad. Thus
reads the Great Jewish Prayer, the famous ‘Mitzvah’ (=command). It means:
‘Hear o Israel the Lord (is) our God, the Lord (is) one’. Mark says that
Jesus taught the ‘Great Prayer’ of his Jewish culture, called “Sh’ma”,
quoting Deut. 6,4-5. Even today, it is still recited each morning & evening
by devout Jews. They write it on a slip of paper & place it inside the
‘Mezuzah’ (=a small box next to the front door), & so each time they
walk in & out they touch the ‘Mezuzah’ as a way of praying their
‘Great Prayer’. Mark shows how all rabbinical schools operated at Jesus’
time. He does not simply describe a debate between Jesus & his opponents. On
the contrary, he presents a clash of schools, which takes place in the top
‘classroom’ of the time, namely in the famous temple of Jerusalem. Jesus was
known to be a Rabbi with his own school of discipleship, & we the disciples
of all time are pupils at his school. Rabbinic
Schools were based on a system of “Sh’eilah”, where a “question” was
put to the teacher, who was issuing an authoritative answer, based on God’s
‘Mitzvot ‘, viz. the commands written in God’s Law, the ‘Torah’. So,
the scene is set in the greatest class- room (the temple of Jerusalem), &
here, one after the other, top teachers from the top opposing schools of the
time, viz. Sadducees, Pharisees, Torah-Teachers (= Scribes), put their question
(Sh’eilah) to Jesus. Sadly however, each question (“Sh’eilah”) was meant
to trap Jesus & prove him to be a fake. Jesus uncovers their hidden motives
& gives his teaching, to
confound them, but even more to teach us what we need for our life. Jesus is our
greatest teacher with authority behind. Then, no one dared to put a
“Sh’eilah” to him. Jesus,
a teacher with authority (s’mikhah). Mark writes the final events of Jesus’ life, so we
may learn & become better disciples. In these events, Jesus’ opponents
play the role of con-firming our conviction. When all is said & done, we are
the privileged pupils at Jesus’ school: as such we must listen, pay attention
& learn. We are the ones that must keep God’s commands (‘Mitzvot’) -
proclaim His greatness - love & obey Him first & above all - love one
another. In the Jewish language, the word commandment is ‘Mitzvah (plural is
Mitzvot)’. When a Jewish boy
becomes a young adult he undergoes the special ritual of
‘Bar-Mitzvah’, which makes him ‘a Son of the Law’, one who obeys
God’s commands (Mitzvot) that are found in God’s law, the Torah. But again,
we disciples of Jesus, are the true “sons of God’s discipline”, who choose
joyfully to live-out God’s Great Command, to love God first & above all
& love our neighbour as ourselves. Mark is ever so skilful in placing hidden
meanings into special symbols, places or words. This section takes places in the
temple of Jerusalem, (the greatest class-room), immediately after Jesus has
expelled the money changers, & after his triumphant march in Jerusalem. It
was at this point that the Temple Authorities confronted Jesus & asked by
whose order (the word here is “s’mikhah”), he had expelled
the money changers. They -as indeed all the leaders or elite of the
Jewish people- weren’t impressed by Jesus’ line of action, nor by his
replies & responses. We however, as disciples of Jesus, know that these
‘orders’ had been foretold in the Torah & are part of God’s build up
towards the final event of our salvation in the cross & resurrection. Jesus
is under an ‘order’ (= s’mikhah) & authority (=s’mikah) from God
himself: he is appointed by God as the Messiah - Lord & Saviour - For us and
for all time , He is our Great & only Teacher: by word, deeds & example. ______________________________________ |
