August 27, 2010

Commentary

22nd Sunday - C
Luke 14:1, 7-14

"The people there were observing him carefully"

Reading the first sentence of the Gospel passage, we find the common equation in the life of Jesus: Jesus + Sabbath + to dine + Pharisees = troubles.

And it's not accidental.

As St. Luke tells us, "the people there (at the home of the leading Pharisee) were observing him carefully." The sentence can also be translated as "they kept him under close scrutiny" with a sense of "hostile preparedness." Luke uses the same verb in 6:7 and 20:20 to describe the Pharisees' hostility toward Jesus. [1]

Any human encounter with such an attitude cannot be positive. The people who oppose Jesus give him no chance to prove himself. Nor do they give themselves any chance to see Jesus as he is. They only see him with their own preconceptions.

Do I enter any relationship in my life with the same attitude? Do I label people and fail to see beyond my prejudice?

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[1] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke. Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991; p. 226.

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