By Tony Joe:
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 24:37-44
Today's Bible Verse Explained (Commentary / Homily) - Saint Mathew 24:37-44
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
In today's Gospel passage recorded by St. Mathew, Jesus is seen giving hints about the moral complacency of the world in general, as well as about the importance of nurturing secret virtues, in the backdrop of the end of the world and the Final Judgement by the Son of Man.
Note the four things that Jesus is finding fault with - eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage.
The obvious question that arises in our hearts is - "Who can live without any of these four?"
No, we can't, and Christ knows it more than any of us. And that makes it clear to us that He was meaning something else.
Watch the tone of His words again; and it will become clear that the issue was not just about these four activities, but total immersion in these four tasks with scant regard for anything else.
What really are these four activities - eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage?
A little meditation would reveal that 'eating' here refers to whatever the world has decided as essential for life, and which, at the same time, is very enjoyable too. In other words, basic stuff for human consumption that are enjoyable like internet, social networking, television, games, and, of course, eating. The problem with such things is that they can be seriously overdone.
And what is 'drinking' in this context? It refers to whatever is intoxicating to each one of us - career, entrepreneurship, sex, wealth, power, domination, fame, and, of course, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. The challenge here is that we are totally slave to such masters.
'Marrying' in this context refers to our latent search or roving eyes for a seemingly better partner, rather than working painfully on nurturing our relationship with our carefully chosen life partner with whom we even have kids. Those with such roving eyes are likely to have it throughout their lives, with their longing for such unreal relationships dominating their lives.
Lastly, 'giving in marriage' refers to the dominating anxieties of parents regarding their kids' education, health, security, finances, future etc. Even those who learn to limit the above three activities would invariably fall slave to this last one. The world is full of such people, totally focused on the future of their kids, so much so that they don't have any idea of their own future, let alone the future of their society or the world.
Jesus found fault with these four purely material activities, as people immersed in them, have no time left to appreciate God, thank God, adore God, and help their needy neighbours as themselves.
For such people, where is the time or resources left for doing charity, spreading the Gospel, and living the Gospel as an example so that others will take to Jesus?
Similar was the situation in Noah's time, and similar would be the situation during the end of the world, Jesus warns. Everyone except Noah was taken by shock at the unprecedented flood.
That is why He says, "For you do not know on which day your Lord will come."
However, Christ is not only speaking about the end of the world here, but the ends of each one of us, our deaths.
Since we can't repent or do any good after our death, the end of the world defaults to the date of our death.
Together with this grave warning, Jesus provides hints about how some people would miraculously escape the wrath of the Final Judgement.
While today's reading from St. Mathew provides two examples to illustrate this point, the nearly identical recording of this teaching by St. Luke provides three examples.
These mysterious examples show that the world won't be able to know beforehand who all will be saved, and that when God judges finally, it will surprise all.
Two in one bed, and one chosen and the other left out. Two women preparing meals, and only one chosen, and the other left out. Two men in field together, but only one chosen by God.
All these examples point to only one thing - they were looking similar, and doing similar works. Anyone human would think that if one among a couple is chosen, the other would also be a natural selection. After all, they shared a bed, a life, and a similar set of values!
But for God, something else too is important, which is the love with which the adoration of God and care for neighbours were done.
In other words, we may even see scenarios like this - a pastor and his wife sharing a bed, and God choosing the woman for the love with which she assisted her husband's work, but shunning the pastor for his greed for fame and his reluctance to do charity!
Indeed, looks - and reputation too - can be deceiving!
The hidden and greater meaning here is that while humans hide their sins and display their virtues, God will do the opposite by unravelling the sins and by rewarding only the hidden virtues.
No comments:
Post a Comment