A Sign of Contradiction

Homily for Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Earlier in St. Luke’s Gospel, the prophet Simeon describes Jesus as a sign of contradiction. We see that contradiction here as Jesus upbraids the Pharisees - not just for their refusal to accept his words, but for their opposition to God’s prophets throughout the ages. Instead of enthusiastically embracing God’s redeeming and liberating word and generously sharing it with others, Jesus accuses them of using it as a control mechanism by which they maintained their power and authority. Here at the midpoint of St. Luke’s Gospel, a line is drawn in the sand as the hostility of the Pharisees to Jesus and his followers becomes evident to all. From now on they will search for a reason to trap Jesus and stifle his message.

Why were they so hostile? As St. Paul points out in his Letter to the Romans, the Pharisees did not want to see their status as God’s chosen people extended to others. They maintained that righteousness came to those who obeyed the Law; namely, the covenant law of Mount Sinai which was brokered by Moses. Jesus has come with the message of God’s abundant love and mercy for all peoples. No longer was that love and mercy for the chosen people alone. It is now open to all. As St. Paul will later recognize in his own life and ministry, this was a challenging teaching for many Jews to accept. Since they were used to their unique privilege and identity, having to share it with the Gentiles was a bitter pill to swallow.

This truth is central to the Gospel; this love and mercy is a gift from God, never earned, simply embraced. Yet there are always some who seek to limit and control it or to use it for their own ends. Like those who persecuted and killed the prophets of old or opposed John the Baptist, Jesus, and later Paul, they prefer to quibble over trifles, paraded their own righteousness, and limit God’s message. Righteousness does not come through obedience to the law or to any human power; it comes from faith in Christ Jesus and his Gospel.