Not by the Sword or Spear

January 23, 2008

Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle is the LORD'S, and he shall deliver you into our hands." I Samuel 17:47

Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. Mark 3:4

Piety

Let us pray. Father, send us into the battles of our day with your Son at our side. Strengthen us to rely upon the unlimited power of his love, rather than on our own limited means, to secure victory for you. Give us the faith to stretch out our weak and shriveled hands in order to have Jesus place his blessings in our palms. Send the Spirit to offer us the gift of fortitude so we can hold onto that grace for life. Amen.

Study

Just three days into the second week in ordinary time and not even four weeks since the joyful birth of the Lord, the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees has already started to boil over. With this latest argument about the Sabbath, the Pharisees start plotting against Jesus.

The forces of good and evil play out their conflict today in both readings. Jesus, of the House of David, takes on the Goliath power of the Pharisees. The religious leaders ally themselves with the political leaders to plot the downfall of one, single, solitary man who apparently threatens the foundation of religious and political life -- Jesus.

“It is not by the sword that the Lord saves,” foreshadows the end game of this conflict in Gethsemane when Jesus instructs Peter to “put away your sword.”

So the seeds are planted for the victory by Jesus. However, just as David could not avoid the confrontation with the Philistine, Jesus must play out this conflict to the bitter end. He, like David, will go up against a strong enemy to save lives but not through the use of the sword.

Action

How do we win our arguments? By shouting? By getting pushy? By resorting to violence?

Jesus shows us how to calmly turn the tables on those who were against him. He allowed them to see him do good works first. Not only did the Pharisees ignore God’s word that “This is my beloved son,” but they also ignored the miraculous signs that Jesus performed in their presence.

What conflict are you facing? How can you plan to win that conflict via peaceful means?

You think that is not possible? Tell that to Lech Walesa and the Solidarity trade union of Poland. Tell that to Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Tell that to Martin Luther King, Jr. of Atlanta, Selma and Birmingham. Tell that to Jesus of Nazareth.