THE DISCREET SERVANT TO THE PROMISED LAND!
The prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, scolds those who have exploited the poor. God will punish them by having their possessions divided among the pagan invaders. Jesus is presented today as the servant of God who brings healing to the people without drawing attention to himself: He brings God’s tender care to people. He respects and heals what is little and brittle.
First Reading: Micah 2:1-5
Doom to those who plot evil,
who go to bed dreaming up crimes!
As soon as it’s morning,
they’re off, full of energy, doing what they’ve planned.
They covet fields and grab them,
find homes and take them.
They bully the neighbor and his family,
see people only for what they can get out of them.
God has had enough. He says,
“I have some plans of my own:
Disaster because of this interbreeding evil!
Your necks are on the line.
You’re not walking away from this.
It’s doomsday for you.
Mocking ballads will be sung of you,
and you yourselves will sing the blues:
‘Our lives are ruined,
our homes and lands auctioned off.
They take everything, leave us nothing!
All is sold to the highest bidder.’”
And there’ll be no one to stand up for you,
no one to speak for you before God and his jury.
Gospel: Matthew 12:14-21
He replied, “Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a ravine, wouldn’t, even though it was a Sabbath, pull it out? Surely kindness to people is as legal as kindness to animals!” Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out and it was healed. The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus.
In Charge of Everything
Jesus, knowing they were out to get him, moved on. A lot of people followed him, and he healed them all. He also cautioned them to keep it quiet, following guidelines set down by Isaiah:
Look well at my handpicked servant;
I love him so much, take such delight in him.
I’ve placed my Spirit on him;
he’ll decree justice to the nations.
But he won’t yell, won’t raise his voice;
there’ll be no commotion in the streets.
He won’t walk over anyone’s feelings,
won’t push you into a corner.
Before you know it, his justice will triumph;
the mere sound of his name will signal hope, even
among far-off unbelievers.
Prayer
Lord our God,
you gave us Jesus, your Son,
as the wise and perfect servant
of you and of the people.
Put your Spirit on us too,
that like him and with him
we may bring your healing and justice
to the weak and the dispossessed,
without calling attention to ourselves,
that people may see that what we give them
is your tender care as taught us
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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