Following the Babylonian exile, the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple and their community of faith. King Darius, ruler of Persia, was instrumental in supporting this work. A pagan king can sometimes be an instrument of divine will, perhaps getting it right when God’s own people can’t seem to follow the prophetic instructions given to them.
The people of Israel had formidable tasks ahead of them – not only building physical structures but also rebuilding a culture of devotion that had likely been eroded while they lived among the Babylonians. We see people gathering and temple sacrifices being implemented again, along with the celebration of the Passover.
The memory of their history, preserved and transmitted through rituals and through the collective attitudes and practices that could once again be observed in a place of their own, made this gathering very special. Benevolence from King Darius (and others in his dynasty) made this possible, but even that benevolence was surely motivated by God. One can imagine the sense of wonder and rejoicing as this restoration unfolded before them, gathered together as one people again under the divine kingship of the Living God.
Today’s gospel from Luke tells us of another gathering, this time a gathering around our Lord as he was teaching. Jesus’s own mother, along with some kinsmen, appeared on the scene. They could not get to Jesus through the crowd who had assembled to hear him! When Jesus is told of this situation, one might have expected him to give instructions to make way for them. After all, they are his family! Instead, Jesus surprises us with his response: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
I see this not as a rebuke to his family, but as an invitation to the rest of us. Recall that Jesus had also taught the people not to follow the examples of those who teach the commands of God, but do not do them. (See Matthew 23). It is much better to do what one is taught than to merely teach or say the right things without doing them. And perhaps even worse is one who presumes to teach wrong things and who also does them!
The people of Israel suffered exile for not following what they had been taught, but they also received mercy and deliverance. Our Lord reminds us that we, too, are called to be in his family, to have close and tight kinship bonds that are unbreakable. We expected Jesus to do something for his family because of the strength of that relationship, but he used this moment to teach us that we can have this relationship, too, by following him and doing what he teaches.
Lord, help us to listen, and then to do what is right because of our relationship with you. Help us to love and honor our families, but also the greater family into which we are adopted through faith, made possible by your Holy sacrifice. Thanks be to God.
Edward Morse
Ed Morse is a professor of law who holds the McGrath North Endowed Chair in business law at Creighton. University School of Law. He and his wife Susan are Catholic converts. Together, they operate a family cattle farm in rural Western Iowa.
Writing these reflections over the past fifteen years has helped me to learn and grow in faith. Sometimes it has also chastened me by reminding me of the constant need to practice what we have learned as we live out our faith journey together. I am grateful for feedback and encouragement from my fellow travelers.
