Some years ago I was driving
through the back hills of Ohio with my son, and we passed a billboard in a
farmer’s field that read: “God has a Judgment Day coming!”
My son asked me if the farmer
who had placed the billboard in his field was Catholic or Protestant. I suggested he probably was a
Protestant. My son asked why Catholics
didn’t put up billboards like that. I
theorized that perhaps fewer Catholics owned farms close to the highway, or
maybe they were less convinced that announcing the coming judgment was really
an effective means of evangelism.
Billboards announcing
judgment day are not a part of American Catholic culture. Nonetheless, the Readings for this coming
Sunday affirm the truth of that well-meaning farmer’s sign. God does
have a day of judgment coming. Is
that good news or bad news? It would
depend, I suppose, on whether we have suffered injustice or committed it.
Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
and the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.
[These verses are numbered
Mal 3:19-20 in the New American Bible (following the Hebrew), but Mal 4:1-2 in
the Revised Standard Version (following the Vulgate).]
This Sunday is a celebration
of endings. It’s almost the end of the
Church year. We contemplate the end of
the world. And this reading is from the
end of the last prophet, Malachi.
There is little doubt that
the Book of Malachi was written during Judah’s “Persian Period” (537–334 BC). The Second Temple seems to be reconstructed
and functioning (Mal 1:6–2:9), which would place the ministry of Malachi after
Haggai and Zechariah (i.e., after 520 BC).
On the other hand, there is no mention of Nehemiah (c. 444-420 BC), and
his reforms seem not to have been implemented yet, because mixed marriages with
Gentiles (among other issues) are still a pressing problem (Mal 2:11; cf. Neh
13). Therefore, Malachi is almost
universally dated within 500-450 BC.
Those who are impressed with Malachi’s similarity in language and
concepts with Haggai-Zechariah tend to date the book toward 500 BC, while those
who place more weight on the similarity of social pathologies addressed in
Malachi and Nehemiah tend toward 450 BC.
As is the case with some
others of the Twelve (Joel, Obadiah, Habakkuk), the superscription of Malachi
provides no other information about the prophet other than his name. Moreover, since “malachi” means “my
messenger” in Hebrew, it is not clear whether it is a personal name or a
title. The Septuagint, for example,
translates the superscription: “The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by
the hand of his angelos (=“angel” or
“messenger”)” (Mal 1:1 LXX). Therefore,
some believe the book is anonymous, and “Malachi” is simply a title given to an
unknown prophet. St. Jerome endorsed a
minor Jewish tradition that the unknown “messenger” was Ezra, but other minor
Jewish traditions identified him with Zerubbabel or Nehemiah.
A note on the versification
of Malachi: The Masoretic Text and Septuagint both divide Malachi into
three chapters, whereas the Vulgate adopts Mal 3:19-24 as a fourth chapter (Mal
4:6). Thus, English translations that
follow the Hebrew versification (NAB, JPS) end with Mal 3:19-24, whereas those
descended from the Vulgate tradition (KJV, RSV, etc.) end with Mal 4:1-6.
The main stream of Jewish and
Christian interpretation has understood “Malachi” as the name of the prophetic
author, whether a given name or a “pen name.”
The book is most naturally understood as recording, in abbreviated form,
the prophet’s dialogical preaching and rebuke of the people of Judah (Mal
1:2–3:15) and Jerusalem in a specific time period (c. 500-450 BC), which
resulted in a communal repentance on the part of the more religiously faithful members
of the populace (Mal 3:16). Thus, it
appears to be rooted in the historical events of a prophet’s ministry, and not
simply a literary creation.
The main body of Malachi
consists of six disputations between
the LORD and Israel (Mal 1:2–3:15). The
topics of the six disputations between God and Israel may be stated as
questions:
(1)
Does God really love Israel? (1:2-5)
(2)
Do priests and people do well to offer blemished sacrifices? (1:6–2:9)
(3)
Do Israelite men do well to divorce their wives and marry Gentiles? (2:10-16)
(4)
Will God ever execute justice on the wicked? (2:17–3:5)
(5)
Should the people shortchange the LORD in tithes and offerings? (3:6-12)
(6)
Is it truly vain to serve God? (3:13-15).
After the disputations there
is a very short historical narrative about a group of pious Jews (“those who
feared the LORD”) who took heed of the prophet’s message and wrote a kind of
covenant renewal document entitled “a book of remembrance” (3:16). The remainder of the book (3:17–4:6) consists
of four words of consolation and instruction to this repentant remnant:
(1)
they will be God’s possession [3:17-18] and
(2)
will be vindicated on the Day of the LORD [4:1-3] (This is our Sunday Reading.) In the meantime,
(3)
they should diligently observe the law of Moses [4:4] and
(4)
watch vigilantly for Elijah’s arrival as harbinger of the Day of the LORD
[4:5-6].
Thus
the structure of Malachi is as follows:
Being the last of the
literary prophets, Malachi also shaped the messianic and eschatological hopes
of Second Temple Judaism, especially the epilogue of the book, from which this
Sunday’s Reading comes (Mal 3:17–4:5). The
exhortation of Mal 4:4 to “remember the Law of Moses” during the period of
waiting for the Messiah served to summarize the message of the Twelve Minor
Prophets, and in a sense, the whole prophetic corpus, thus aligning it with the
teaching of the Torah. In this way, the
two divisions of the ancient Jewish canon, the Law and Prophets, are read as
complementary rather than competing.
Diligent observance of the Mosaic law became the religious agenda for
pious Jews up to the coming of Christ, and remains the agenda for observant
branches of Judaism to this day.
Now let’s look carefully at
the passage read for this Sunday. The
prophet proclaims the coming day of judgment of the LORD, which has two
different consequences: it will be a day of wrath for “the proud and all who do
wickedness” (literally from the Hebrew), but a day of consolation for those who
“fear my Name.” For them, the “Sun of Righteousness
will rise with healing in his wings” (literally from the Hebrew). Our Lectionary translation fails us today by
speaking of the “healing rays” of the sun, when the Hebrew uses the image of
“wings” (Heb. kanaphîm). It’s important to keep to the literal Hebrew
here, because it allows us to see a connection with other parts of the Bible,
such as this passage from Matt 23:37/Luke 13:34:
“O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to
you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers
her brood under her wings, and you
would not!”
Jesus is the Sun of
Righteousness who will rise with healing in his wings, and he longs to gather
Jerusalem under those wings of healing.
However, Jerusalem will refuse, and that is the point of our Gospel
Reading below, which concerns the judgment that will fall on unrepentant
Jerusalem in AD 70.
However, since Jerusalem is
the center of the earth, the destruction of that city portends the destruction
of the world. And so Malachi’s prophecy
may be taken not only with reference to the judgment on Israel’s capital, but
also with reference to the end of the world.
If we wish to escape being set on fire like stubble, we must “fear the
Name of the LORD.” That name is now
“Jesus”:
Phil. 2:9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Heb 1:3 [Jesus Christ] reflects the glory of God and
bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of powe.
… having become as much superior to angels as the Name he has obtained is more
excellent than theirs.
The image of receiving
healing from the wings of Jesus is one of great comfort. We who take refuge in Him realize all too
well our own sins and brokenness. We
have been “proud” and done “wickedness” ourselves—so what is the difference
between us and those who end as “stubble”?
Sometimes only that we flee to the LORD rather than from him, because we
know we need healing.
R.
(cf. 9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.
The relationship of the psalm
to the rest of the liturgy is clear: it is a song of praise to God for his
imminent arrival as the judge of the earth.
Brothers and sisters:
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
You know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day
we worked, so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you,
we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,
neither should that one eat.
We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a
disorderly way,
by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.
Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly
and to eat their own food.
St. Paul’s exhortation here
directly addresses Christians who were using the expectation of the end of the
world as an excuse to quitting working and live at the expense of others. St. Paul describes them with a Greek phrase
which corresponds very closely to this English rendering: “they are not busy,
but busybodies.”
What St. Paul teaches here is
an important corrective or balance to the general Christian teaching on
charity. It is a work of mercy to feed
the hungry; yet this work of mercy becomes perverted when it enables sloth on
the part of the recipient. Then we
become “co-dependent enablers”—at least, that was the buzzword when I was in
ministry back in the nineties.
The goal of the Christian, so
far as it depends on him, should be economic independence: not to be a burden
on others, but to produce a surplus that can help others.
Speaking to crowds in the
Italian city of Lampedusa some years ago, Pope Francis spoke of the dignity
that work provides to the human person.
It could transform the efforts of the Church in the area of social
justice if we focused on the concept of providing work, and therefore dignity
and long-term support, rather than merely immediate relief of physical needs. I
wish more of our thinking about responding to poverty would take into account what
Pope Francis said in his exhortation to young people, Christus Vivit:
I
ask young people not to expect to live without working, depending on others for
help. This is not good, because “work
is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth,
human development and personal fulfilment. In this sense, helping the poor
financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs.”
Yet in many developed
countries, helping the poor financially is not a “provisional solution” but has
become institutionalized, and serves to perpetuate an unhealthy, impoverished subculture
of dependence, especially in our cities.
This is not good for anyone, least of all for those who grow up in those
environments. Yet policy-makers refuse
to look at the situation with clear eyes and make the necessary, and sometimes
difficult, decisions that would change the situation. One of the best things church agencies could
do for the disadvantaged is help them become employable, and teach a healthy
lifestyle that takes marriage for granted as a pre-requisite to child-bearing
and child raising.
There has to be a balance in
the Christian life between keeping our eyes on heaven and be faithful to our
duties here and now. Looking forward to
the the return of Christ should give us hope and encouragement, but not produce
sloth and laziness. There are some persons who become overly concerned about
the unfolding of the events of the end times.
This happens both in Protestant and Catholic circles, expressed as the
Tim LaHaye “Left Behind” series or in sensational books about various
eschatological Marian apparitions. Concern about such things becomes disordered
when people spend more time trying to figure out the sequence of events of the
last days than actually growing in holiness in the present through a life of
prayer, mortification, and faithful fulfillment of one’s duties.
While some people were speaking about
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here—
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings,
Jesus said, "All that you see here—
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
Jesus obviously speaks here
about the total destruction of the Herodian Temple in AD 70 (that is, the
Temple begun by Herod the Great and finished in AD 66). Many people raise the question of the
so-called Wailing Wall in Jerusalem: were not the stones of the Wailing Wall part
of the Temple, and does this disprove Jesus’ prophecy? Actually, the Wailing Wall was part of the
retaining wall constructed to provide a large level plaza for the Temple and
its courts. The wall was not part of the
Temple itself. The Temple proper was
located a little north of the present Muslim shrine of the Dome of the Rock,
and nothing of it remains.
Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered,
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them,
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
Jesus describes here the events
leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus records
the fearful natural signs in the sky and on the earth that preceded this
catastrophe in his work The Jewish War.
At the same time, Jerusalem
was the Holy City, the center of the earth, the navel of the cosmos, a
microcosm of the Temple of the Universe.
As Josephus writes:
“For
if anyone do but consider the fabric of the tabernacle, and take a view of the
garments of the high priest, and of those vessels which we make use of in our
sacred ministration, he will find … they
were every one made in way of imitation and representation of the universe (Jewish Antiquities 3:180).
So what happens to Jerusalem
in AD 70 is a type and sign of what will happen to the whole universe. Therefore our Lord’s words are also rightly
taken as applying to the end of the world.
"Before all this happens, however,
they will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors
because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
Here Jesus prophecies things
we find fulfilled in the Book of Acts, when, during the AD 50’s and 60’s, the
Apostles were seized, persecuted, handed over to synagogues and prisons, led
before kings and governors, and some put to death. All these things took place before the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. At
the same time, these persecutions have been characteristic of the Church
throughout history, and will recur in a particularly intense way just before
the Second Coming.
“You will be hated by all because of my
name.”
The hatred of those around us
is particularly hard for Christians to bear, because we desire their love and
conversion intensely. We bear others no
ill will, but because we will not comply lifestyles and beliefs we know to be
false, harmful, and contrary to God’s will, we provoke resentment of
others.
But not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
Since Jesus acknowledges that
some will be put to death, his statement “not a hair on your head will be
destroyed” cannot be taken in a simple sense, to the effect that no physical
harm will come to those persecuted for their faith in Christ. Rather, “Not a hair on your head will be destroyed”
must be understood as an eschatological statement, that no ultimate damage will
be sustained by the Christian because his entire body will be restored at the
resurrection. Thus we tie in the theme
of resurrection, which dominated last week’s Readings.
Perseverance is a form of the
virtue of fortitude, an ability to endure under the stress of pain and
hardship. Let’s pray at this Mass for
God to grant us the perseverance we are going to need to endure the persecution
that is brewing for us in this culture, in order that we remain faithful to the
end and receive back our bodies at the resurrection, without a single hair
missing.
***
Get a fascinating new view on the New Testament with my new book, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
Come see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the holy sites of Our Lord with me this June 14-23! Sign-up is here: www.JohnBergsma.com/pilgrimage
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***
Get a fascinating new view on the New Testament with my new book, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity
Come see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the holy sites of Our Lord with me this June 14-23! Sign-up is here: www.JohnBergsma.com/pilgrimage
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