The First Reading and the Psalm for this Sunday show us how much the ancient Israelites rejoiced in the law they had received from God. The Mosaic Law or the Torah, as the law code God had given them through Moses was called, had two main functions.
One was highly practical. Many of the precepts of the Mosaic Law provided protection for the Israelites amid the harsh vicissitudes of ancient desert life. The other function of the law was to set the Israelites apart from the nations around them. By following the law, the Israelites could not blend in with the surrounding cultures, which had various depraved customs, such as child sacrifice and perverted religious rituals.
The law served to protect the Israelites from destructive and self-destructive behavior. Whenever the Israelites abandoned the law, they fell into great evil, which led to horrific consequences. That is one reason why God insisted on their obedience to the law, for their own protection.
Israel's relationship with the Mosaic Law illustrates the nature of divine law. Laws that are founded on God's law keep us away from things that would destroy us. They provide protection from evil and lead us into God's infinite love.
The Mosaic Law helped the Israelites have a special relationship with God, which served as the preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Initially, the Israelites expected the Messiah to be an amazing human leader, greatly blessed by God. But God had other plans. He himself became incarnate and came among us as one of us. God entered into our world and established the most intimate possible relationship with humanity, between the Creator and all of creation.
In the Gospel reading for today, we see the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, where he reads a passage from the Book of Isaiah associated with the coming of the Messiah. After reading the text, Jesus states that the passage is at long last being fulfilled, meaning that the Messiah has come.
After leading a quiet life among his contemporaries, Jesus now explicitly announces that the messianic age has begun. At the wedding at Cana, which we saw in last week's Gospel reading, Jesus goes further. By transforming water into an abundance of wine, he fulfills one of the signs of the coming of the messianic age, thereby showing to his contemporaries that he himself is the Messiah.
The passage from Isaiah that Jesus reads in today's Gospel reading highlights key elements of the new messianic age. The year acceptable to the Lord is the new age of his reign. Through the redemptive grace of Christ, God's law will once again rule in all of the universe. The Kingdom of God, which will be fully established in the New Jerusalem, will be ruled entirely by God's love.
The recovery of sight by the blind points toward the perfection of the New Jerusalem, the remade world, where there will no longer be any physical suffering. The recovery of sight has a spiritual meaning too. After millennia of spiritual blindness, all people will come to know and understand the great love of God.
The messianic age also ushers in a new time of liberation. Through the sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross, humanity is freed from the bondage of sin. All that has divided each of us from God can now fall away. Society too will be reorganized according God's vision for humanity. The poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden are lifted up. All are equal in the sight of God.
The Second Reading for this Sunday expands on the message that all are equal before God. The community of believers is the Body of Christ. On the one hand, while living on this earth, we need a sense of hierarchy, in order for society to function in an orderly manner. The Church, as an institution existing in human society, also needs a hierarchical structure, with duly established positions of authority in order to function. On the other hand, each part of the Body of Christ is equally important. No matter how small or how lowly our role in the Body of Christ may seem, we are all indispensable. Let us therefore embrace the particular gifts and mission Christ has given to each of us. Let us live our lives for Christ, knowing that each of our lives is indescribably precious to God.
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The readings for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C are:
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: The Basilica of the Announciation in Nazareth (c) 2016 by Zoltan Abraham.