20200717 CONFLICTING INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
17 July, 2020, Friday, 15th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading
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Isaiah 38:1-6,21-22,7-8 ©
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The Lord hears Hezekiah's prayer and heals him
Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, ‘The Lord says this, “Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live.”’ Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this prayer to the Lord, ‘Ah, Lord, remember, I beg you, how I have behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what is right in your eyes.’ And Hezekiah shed many tears.
Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, ‘Go and say to Hezekiah, “The Lord, the God of David your ancestor, says this: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will cure you: in three days’ time you shall go up to the Temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. I will save you from the hands of the king of Assyria, I will protect this city.”’
‘Bring a fig poultice,’ Isaiah said, ‘apply it to the ulcer and he will recover.’ Hezekiah said, ‘What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of the Lord?’ ‘Here’ Isaiah replied ‘is the sign from the Lord that he will do what he has said. Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining sun go back ten steps on the steps of Ahaz.’ And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.
Responsorial Psalm
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Isaiah 38:10-12,16 ©
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The canticle of Hezekiah
You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
I said, ‘So I must go away,
my life half spent,
assigned to the world below
for the rest of my years.’
You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
I said, ‘No more shall I see the Lord
in the land of the living,
no more shall I look upon men
within this world.
You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
‘My home is pulled up and removed
like a shepherd’s tent.
Like a weaver you have rolled up my life,
you cut it from the loom.
You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
‘For you, Lord, my heart will live,
you gave me back my spirit;
you cured me, kept me alive,
changed my sickness into health.’
You have held back my life, O Lord, from the pit of doom.
Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps26:11
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
Or:
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel
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Matthew 12:1-8 ©
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The Son of Man is master of the sabbath
Jesus took a walk one sabbath day through the cornfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The Pharisees noticed it and said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath.’ But he said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone? Or again, have you not read in the Law that on the sabbath day the Temple priests break the sabbath without being blamed for it? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Man is master of the sabbath.’
CONFLICTING INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
Whilst all Christians might accept that the Bible is the Word of God, or the Jews, the Torah including the Prophets and the Writings, yet we all differ in how the Word of God is to be interpreted. In the first place, scripture scholars and theologians from different Christian traditions cannot even agree on the inerrancy of the bible and the extent of the inspiration of scriptures. In today’s first reading, we have a case in point. The verses 7-8 have been placed after verses 21-22 in our lectionary because it makes better sense and flow. Otherwise, the verses would be disjointed due to the editorial mistake of the scribe. So there can be editorial, scientific and historical errors in the bible. The inerrancy of the bible refers only to the theological message and the truths that the bible wants to teach.
Beyond biblical hermeneutics, we have differing interpretations of the scripture texts. Take for instance, the observation of the Sabbath Law. It is one of the Ten Commandments given by God. “Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work.” (cf Ex 20:8-11) The law is clear about keeping the day holy, consecrating it to the Lord and that no work is to be done. However, it does not spell out exactly what it means to consecrate the day to the Lord, how much time is to be given to worship, and what are the things that one does that would be considered work. This is where the scribes and the theologians would have to extrapolate from the basic law and apply to the specific situations of a person’s life. The scribes provided 39 situations in which one could break the Sabbath Law by working.
Stating the principle is one thing, but applying it to every concrete situation can be rather contentious and ambiguous. As in today’s gospel, the Pharisees noticed that the disciples picked ears of corn and ate them. In their assessment, they have broken the Sabbath Law since they were involved in the work of harvesting, winnowing, threshing and preparing a meal. But there are other scripture texts that permit the hungry traveler to pluck the ears of corn to eat so long as they do not use a sickle. (Dt 23:25) Applying it to our situation today, we have the same difficulties as well. The commandment, “You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13) is a principle accepted almost by all of humanity. But how do you define murder? Is war permissible? Is it right to kill someone to defend oneself? Is the death penalty right or wrong? Is euthanasia a work of mercy or is it killing? Why can’t a person commit suicide when he finds his life unbearable? What about abortion? When is the fetus a life, at birth or at conception? Different Christians from different traditions will interpret this principle differently. This is equally true for other commandments, whether it is the use of sacramentals, statues, observance of filial piety, divorce and remarriage.
So how should we interpret the laws? Firstly, we take note of a wide and a narrow interpretation. Some people apply the law literally, according to the letter. They are fundamentalists who apply the law to everyone irrespective of the situation, the context and the human need. This was the way the religious leaders during the time of our Lord interpreted the Law of Moses. Such a narrow interpretation, whilst fulfilling the letter of the Law, might contradict the intention and the spirit of the Law. This is why the Lord insists that more than just a mere obedience to the Sabbath Law, we must understand the real intention of the Law, which is to keep the day holy by worshipping Him and not be preoccupied with making profits by working. Observing the Spirit of the Law is even more important than just obeying the letter of the law. For as the Lord said, “The Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath.” (Mk 2:27) As a principle it is faultless, but how we apply this principle in real situation is another issue. The spirit of the law can be interpreted widely or narrowly.
Secondly, Jesus tells us that glorifying God is more important than observing the Sabbath Law. The Sabbath Law was instituted so that people would give glory to God and give a place to God in their lives. It is not so much about doing work that is the issue, but whether we make time to honour Him and give glory to Him. Jesus gave the example of the priests in the Temple. “Have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath day the Temple priests break the Sabbath without being blamed for it?” The rituals and sacrifices offered at the Temple required personnel to keep the Temple clean, slaughter and prepare the animals for sacrifice, etc. The priests were permitted to do all these without breaking the Sabbath Law because such works were meant to glorify God. This is why even among Christian churches and within the Catholic Church herself, how we observe the Sabbath Law differs across different Church traditions. During the Covid-19, Catholics are exempted from Sunday Mass obligation, but they have to continue to keep the day holy and consecrate themselves to God by making time for prayer, for worship and for the family.
Thirdly, in the application of the Law, there are exceptions to the rule. This is because not all laws can fit into every specific situation. In this instance, Jesus highlighted the incident when King David broke the liturgical laws by taking the holy bread from the Tabernacle. “Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God and how they ate the loaves of offering which neither he nor his followers were allowed to eat, but which were for the priests alone?” (1 Sm 21:1-9) No Jew would fault David for breaking the Law. They were permitted simply because human needs come first. The hunger of man must first be satisfied. The love of God does not preclude the love of man. Indeed, both must go together. However, in the case of human need, mercy takes precedence over liturgical laws or any other law. The Lord insists. “If you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.”
Again, this principle of exception to the rule is well said. However, concretely, when do we apply the exceptions to the rule? Is exception the rule itself? So how do we apply this principle of exception to the rule in the case of the divorced and remarried seeking to receive Holy Communion, same-sex couples wanting to be married and receive the sacraments, permission for childless couples to go through IVF to conceive a child, terminal patients to undertake euthanasia? When do we bend the law to accommodate the weaknesses of our fellowmen? When do we give in and compromise on the application of the laws in specific situations. If we compromise all the time, the law is in-executable.
There are so many different churches even though all of us profess belief in the scriptures as the Word of God. With so many diverse and contradictory interpretations, one can only rely on the authority of the Church because whilst the authority of the scriptures is acknowledged, no one can agree on how the Word of God is to be interpreted. In the final analysis, it is the authority of the Church, the Christian community that interprets the Word of God authoritatively and the members subscribe to it in faith. This authority is given to the Church simply because as Jesus said, “the Son of Man is master of the Sabbath.” Jesus, as the Wisdom of God and the Word of God, provides us the new context for interpreting the scriptures. This authority is given to the Church when He said, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:18f) The Church must continue to dialogue with the peoples of the current age, reread the Word of God in today’s context, find the true spirit of the laws and apply them accordingly. It is a process that never ends as the Church needs to grow in understanding of the Word of God. (cf Dei Verbum, 8)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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