Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time Yr 1 2025

Peter H. Davids

Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 3 months ago

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There is a type of common theme in our readings. The first, based on God’s ownership of the land and his assigning it to families, set a period of 49 years as the limit of how long the land’s use could be sold to another, a period that ended with the ram’s horn sounding on the Day of Atonement and co-terminus with the release of Israelite slaves. This is based on the recognition of God and seems to have ended with the start of the monarchy. The second shows Herod fearing Jesus was John released from the death, for in his grasping for higher authority he had married his brother’s wife and John had reminded him of God’s law. While Herod had only imprisoned John due to his status in the eyes of the people, Herodias his wife saw John as a threat and used Herod’s rash oath before his nobles to pinion him between the people’s love of John and his shame before his nobles and shame won out and John lost his head. The eventual result would be Herod reaching too far and losing all and going into exile, for he has ignored God. So recognize God as the owner of all who will enforce the universal destination of goods in his time. We are only stewards. And recognize that when we grasp at goods, whether honor or wealth or whatever, end up prey to the release of the sword (jer 34) as Ps 49 says. Look on the rich and powerful with such eyes.

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Transcript

Title

Jubilee

Outline

Our readings today seem strange together, but there is a common theme

The first reading is the year of Jubilee

Now that is very fitting for this year, for we understand this as a spiritual Jubilee, a year of return or liberty spiritually. In Leviticus it is based on the truth that the land belonged to God and that he had allotted portions to families. While one in dire necessity might speak of selling the land, in reality one was only selling the use of the land (for it was agricultural land and so houses in cities were exempt). On the Day of Atonement of the 50th year the yabal or ram’s horn (from which they derives yubel or Jubilee) was blown and possession of the land reverted to the family to whom God had allotted it. It made it hard to have permanent poverty or slavery (since it was also a Sabbath year when Israelite slaves were released). It was a type of economic renewal based on God’s ownership of the land. But while it may have been observed before the monarchy, it was not observed during the monarchy until Jer ch 34, when an attempt was made and then revoked. Therefore there was a concentration of wealth during the monarchy and a loss of consciousness of God.

The second is the story of Herod Agrippa I and John the Baptist.

Herod hears of Jesus and views him as John the Baptist released from the dead, a form of Jubilee from death. That was bad news for Herod, for John has pointed out that Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife Herodias, an attempt to advance status and perhaps territory on both Herod and Herodias’ parts, did not accord with Herod’s claimed submission to God’s law. Mark’s gospel tells us that Herod used to call for John and listen to him during this prison time, for he viewed him as a prophet. But in the end Herodias puts Herod in a bind when on his birthday he forgets prudence and unwisely tries to display his magnanimity and importance to Herodias’ daughter (and the daughter of Philip) and she asks for the head of John the Baptist now, here, on a platter. Caught between shame in the eyes of the important folk and shame in the eyes of the people who revered John, Herod grants her wish. He proclaims a type of liberty or release to the sword, as Jer ch 34 also says, but says as a punishment. In the end Herodias’ pushing Herod to ask Rome for higher authority will end them both in exile, without territory.

So what do we learn?

Recognize God as the owner and yet provider of all that you have: all position, rank, abilities, etc. He does want and will enforce the universal distribution of goods in his time. We hold our goods as stewards following his laws. The reassignment system of the Dominicans can help you with this.

Recognize also what happens when we grasp at goods, whether honor or wealth or property or whatever. We end up prey to the release of the sword, or death: as Psalm 49 says, “In his riches man lacks wisdom: he is like the beasts that are destroyed.” Keep that in mind when hearing of the rich and powerful of this world.

And God be with you.

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