July 3, 2022, Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

At first glance there doesn’t seem to be much in common between the passage from Isaiah and the Gospel of Luke for today. But these readings do share one theme which demonstrates to us the preparations that God has made in the world as a part of His plan of salvation.

The theme of the First Reading (Isaiah 66:10-14c) seems complex because of the level of symbolism it contains. This passage was written as a message of hope for the Israelites who were returning from their captivity in Babylon. They were coming home to a land which had been devastated and a temple which had been destroyed. But the LORD tells them to rejoice because the nation will be renewed through God’s efforts.

This delight is compared to a young infant joyful over the milk coming from his or her nursing mother. This nursing mother is identified as the nation of Jerusalem itself overflowing with the wealth of a torrent river. And the people of Israel will be like “nurslings carried in her arms and fondled in her lap” (66:12b). Although the city is in a state of ruin, once renewed the Israelites will have hearts that rejoice and lives that flourish as God’s chosen people.

This time of the Israelites’ return from exile in 538 BC is known as the post-exilic period. During this era the Jewish expectation of a messiah coming to liberate them was very high. For they once again faced difficulties and unrest from first the Greeks, and later the Romans. In fact, the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament written during this time period recognizes the coming of a savior stating: “And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire— see, he is coming! says the LORD of hosts.” (Mal. 3:1b).

This post-exilic period and the hope of independence of Jerusalem held many challenges for Israel for decades, especially during the Greek occupation of Judea. As a result, major centers of Judaism grew in areas outside of Judea, including Babylon, Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch in Syria. By the time of the first century and the Roman occupation of Judea, large Jewish centers had sprouted in many areas of Palestine and beyond.

The temple, which was decimated under Alexander the Great, was recaptured by the Jews under Judas Maccabeus in 164BC. Under Maccabean control, the temple was restored and reconsecrated, which is marked by the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Although many skirmishes occurred with the Romans for a number of years, the recognition of Herod Antipas as king of Judea by the Romans brought relative stability to the area as he continued the work on the Temple from 4BCE until 40AD. Freedom of worship was maintained by the Romans and the Jews were able to attend their synagogues and even the temple in Jerusalem.

There were no books added to the Old Testament in the last three centuries BCE. However, other Jewish writings depicted the hope of a messiah in different forms. Some expected a priest and others a king in the line of David, while others looked forward to a new Moses, or a prophet like Elijah. During this time period, the first century AD, Jesus came on the scene. However, he did not fit the description of any of the types of messiahs which were expected by the Jewish people.

Although through his ministry and Paschal Mystery, Jesus fulfilled all of the roles of king, priest, and prophet, he was recognized most as being a teacher, or rabbi. Once he began his ministry of preaching and healing, news of Jesus spread rapidly all over Galilee. But he also needed to develop a strong presence throughout the areas of Judea to the south, thus he invoked help from certain of his followers, a story which brings us to today’s Gospel (Lk. 10:1-12, 17-20).

In this passage, Jesus is traveling toward Jerusalem with his disciples, and he has just completed a large amount of missionary activity which has brought belief to many of his followers. He has performed a number of healings – demonic possession (Lk. 4:13-44), a lame man on a stretcher passed through a roof by his friends (Lk. 5:12-26), the servant of a centurion (Lk. 7:1-17), and a woman with a hemorrhage. He has also raised a young girl from the dead (Lk. 8:40-56), spoken about the kingdom of God, preached about the Beatitudes, and delivered a number of other teachings (Lk. 6:17-49).

All of this has taken place in the northern territory of Galilee, in Capernaum and the surrounding areas, and now Jesus has chosen seventy-two of his disciples to travel ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intends to visit. He feels the need for some preparation for his activities because, “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few” (Lk. 10:2). He instructs these men not to carry a money bag, nor sandals and tells them to rely solely on the hospitality of those who accept them (Lk. 10: 1-8). He also gives them the power to cure the sick and to preach the kingdom of God (Lk. 10:9-10).

The seventy-two go out and then return to Jesus elated at their success. They rejoice, telling Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name” (Lk. 10:17). And Jesus responds, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky” (Lk. 10:18), indicating that the seventy-two have successfully paved the way for Jesus to complete his mission to Jerusalem.

This small bit of history, including the success of the seventy-two, has shown us how God had worked through the people of Israel, in conjunction with Jesus, to carry out His promise of salvation made to their ancestor Abraham years before. After the end of the Second Temple Period and the final destruction of the Temple (70AD), Christians continued to preach the completion of the salvation of God through the workings of Christ, who they recognized as being the long-awaited Messiah. And over thousands of years, numerous wars and conflicts, and the loss of their independence and the temple, the Jews had resided almost continuously in Jerusalem throughout the centuries.

Paradoxically, the devastation of Israel at the hands of their enemies brought much of the Jewish religion – a strict monotheistic theology, the ethical codes of Judaic law, prophetic messages for the oppressed, and psalms of sorrow, hope and joy – to other parts of the world, as the Jews dispersed. Moreover, they remain staunch in their faith looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, which for Christians will be the return of Jesus. As St. Paul declares, “And when all things shall be subdued unto him (God the Father), then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28).