JESUS MORE THAN A HUMAN PERSON
The author of 2 Timothy asks Timothy to learn from Paul how to bear persecution and difficulties. He assures Timothy that the persecutors will be punished. Then, he asks Timothy to hold on firmly to the faith and to the sacred writings that express it. The Scriptures are inspired by God and like a handbook for a life of faith.
Using a rabbinic form of argumentation, Jesus states that he is more than a descendant of David. No king would have addressed his son as Lord. The Savior is more than a human being. Early Christianity understood this title of “Son” and “Lord” in the divine sense.
First Reading: 2 Timothy 3:10-17
You’ve been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, troubles, sufferings—suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They’re as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse.
But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
Gospel: Mark 12:35-37
While he was teaching in the Temple, Jesus asked, “How is it that the religion scholars say that the Messiah is David’s ‘son,’ when we all know that David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said,
God said to my Master,
“Sit here at my right hand
until I put your enemies under your feet.”
“David here designates the Messiah ‘my Master’—so how can the Messiah also be his ‘son’?”
The large crowd was delighted with what they heard.
Prayer
Lord our God,
the person who laid down his life
to save us from our human limitations
and to let us live in your world
is your own Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Give us the true wisdom
to accept him as the Lord of our lives
and your presence among us.
Let him lead us to you,
our God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Video available at: bibleclaret.org
