20260120 THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM IS INCALCULABLE
20 January 2026, Tuesday, 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Samuel 16:1-13 |
Jesse's youngest son David is anointed king
The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you go on mourning over Saul when I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel replied, ‘How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and then I myself will tell you what you must do; you must anoint to me the one I point out to you.’
Samuel did what the Lord ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling to meet him and asked, ‘Seer, have you come with good intentions towards us?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
When they arrived, he caught sight of Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed one stands there before him’, but the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.’ Jesse then called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, ‘The Lord has not chosen this one either.’ Jesse presented his seven sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen these.’ He then asked Jesse, ‘Are these all the sons you have?’ He answered, ‘There is still one left, the youngest; he is out looking after the sheep.’ Then Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he comes.’ Jesse had him sent for, a boy of fresh complexion, with fine eyes and pleasant bearing. The Lord said, ‘Come, anoint him, for this is the one.’ At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him where he stood with his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord seized on David and stayed with him from that day on. As for Samuel, he rose and went to Ramah.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):20-22,27-28 |
I have found David, my servant.
Of old you spoke in a vision.
To your friends the prophets you said:
‘I have set the crown on a warrior,
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
I have found David, my servant.
‘I have found David my servant
and with my holy oil anointed him.
My hand shall always be with him
and my arm shall make him strong.
I have found David, my servant.
‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.”
And I will make him my first-born,
the highest of the kings of the earth.’
I have found David, my servant.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Open my eyes, O Lord, that I may consider
the wonders of your law.
Alleluia!
Or: | cf.Ep1:17,18 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 2:23-28 |
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath
One sabbath day, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’
THE COMING OF GOD’S KINGDOM IS INCALCULABLE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 SM 16:1-13; PS 89:20-22,27-28; MK 2:23-28]
In the Gospel, we read of the controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees. To appreciate the concern of the Pharisees, we need to understand the background and the importance of the Sabbath. How did the observance of the Sabbath become so central to the life of the Jews?
During the exilic and post-exilic periods, the Law–namely, the Pentateuch–was elevated above the Writings and the Prophets. The Law of Moses was taken very seriously, as were the regulations governing the Sabbath. A key point of reference is the prophecy in Jeremiah, where the Lord said: “If you listen to me and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but keep the sabbath day holy and do no work on it, then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited forever” (Jer 17:24f). In other words, the perfect observance of the Sabbath Law was linked to the coming of God’s kingdom and the redemption of Israel. During the time of Jesus, this tradition was given further refinement, as it was believed that if the Jews were to fulfil the Sabbath Law perfectly, it would usher in the Kingdom of God. Indeed, by the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had expanded and meticulously detailed the teaching on Sabbath observance, connecting strict adherence to the Law with Messianic hope.
Thus, the issue at hand goes beyond a mere casuistic interpretation of the Sabbath Law. If the scribes and Pharisees, in their attempt to apply the Sabbath Law, went into specific details and instructions on what it meant to observe or to break the Sabbath, it was because, at all costs, the keeping of the Sabbath Law was considered critical for the coming of God’s kingdom. Hence, the scribes sought to determine what constituted work on the Sabbath–for example, how much weight one could carry, how far one could walk, and what kinds of work or errands were permitted under the Sabbath Law. In a nutshell, they sought to define what qualified as “work” on the Sabbath. Of course, some things had to be done for life to continue. In this instance, however, they judged that the disciples of the Lord, by plucking ears of corn, fell into the category of work. Hence, they were deemed to be breaking the Sabbath Law. They were seen as having violated the tradition of Moses and as acting outside the ambit of the Law. Clearly, the Law of Moses stipulated: “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall rest” (Ex 34:21).
The crux of the scandal lies not merely in the violation of the Sabbath tradition, but in the significance of the Sabbath itself. How could Jesus, who claimed to be the preacher of the coming of God’s Kingdom, break the Sabbath Law and allow His disciples to do so as well? This would appear to be a contradiction, since the coming of God’s Kingdom was believed to require the perfect observance of the Sabbath Law. The rule of God was expected to appear on earth only when the Sabbath Law was faithfully kept. Consequently, it was inconceivable–at least from this perspective–that the nearness of the Kingdom of God proclaimed by the Lord could be true, since He Himself did not observe the Law in the same way as the scribes and the Pharisees. In other words, Jesus would have been regarded as a fraud.
To add salt to the wounds, Jesus’ response was uncompromising and even scathing. He drew from the example of David, who “in his time of need, when he and his followers were hungry, went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering, which only the priests are allowed to eat, and gave some to the men with him.” This, of course, was unlawful, as David was not a priest and was therefore forbidden to eat the bread on the altar. However, eating the bread may not have been the worst thing David did. He also lied to obtain the bread from the priest, claiming that he was on a mission sent by King Saul and that the bread was for his men, when in reality it was for himself as he sought refuge in Gath. Furthermore, it was not even Abiathar but Ahimelech, Abiathar’s father, who gave the bread to David. As a consequence, when King Saul heard of it, he ordered the killing of eighty-five priests and had them put to the sword–men, women, children, and infants, along with oxen, donkeys, and sheep (1 Sm 22:18f).
Jesus had a dual purpose in using this illustration to make His point about how the Kingdom of God would come. By citing this example, He showed that David himself broke the law and was not punished for it–his case was treated as an exception. At the same time, however, the incident also revealed that because of David’s failure to keep the law, an entire Israelite village and their priests were executed. This served as a sharp rebuke to the Scribes and Pharisees, who championed the Kingdom of David as a model for their hopes of a restored Davidic Kingdom in first-century Judaism. The conclusion, therefore, is that neither mere observance of the Sabbath Law nor its violation could determine the coming of God’s Kingdom.
As if that were not enough, the Lord went on to make an astounding claim when He declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath. He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so the Son of Man is master even of the Sabbath.” Earlier, Jesus had made a similar claim when He healed the paralysed man who was lowered through the roof on a stretcher. Speaking to the scandalised scribes, He said, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up, take your mat, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the paralytic– “I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home” (Mk 2:9-11).
In calling Himself the Son of Man, Jesus was drawing from the Book of Daniel, where the Son of Man is an eschatological figure given authority by God to judge all at the end of history. Of course, the title “Son of Man” could also simply refer to a human being, not necessarily God. Implicitly, however, Jesus was alluding to the fact that He had been given authority not only over the Sabbath but over all creation. His very presence signifies the nearness of the Kingdom of God. He comes not merely to judge, but, more importantly, to forgive sins. His coming brings salvation to all who receive Him.
In the final analysis, we are saved not by our perfect observance of the Law, but by our acceptance of Christ’s mercy and compassion. St. Paul speaks of justification by faith alone, through God’s grace: “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. They are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood” (Rom 3:21-26).
Truly, the coming of God’s Kingdom is beyond calculation. This is what the selection of David as king in the first reading teaches us.David was chosen not because of his merits, nor because he was the eldest. Indeed, throughout the history of salvation, God’s sovereignty is evident in His choice of leaders. Over Cain, He chose Abel; over Esau, He chose Jacob; and among David’s brothers, He chose the youngest, David. Similarly, Jesus chose unlikely candidates to be His apostles, including St. Paul. As the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Our entry into God’s Kingdom, therefore, is not determined by living a perfect life on earth or by perfectly obeying His commandments, but by our humility in recognising His Lordship over us, and in gratitude, respond to His love by doing our best to love and serve others according to the grace given to us. After all that we have done, the Lord reminds us: “Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'” (Lk 17:10) Indeed, we cannot merit the Kingdom of God; we can only receive it like a child. As the Lord said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Jesus also warned us of the surprises of the Kingdom of God: “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you” (Mt 21:31).
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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