Scripture Reflection, September 27, 2009: The God of Surprises

Scripture Readings:
Numbers 11: 25-29
Psalm 19
James 5: 1-6
Mark 9: 38-43, 45, 47-48

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So often in the Scriptures God is revealed as the God of Surprises. Sarah and Abraham are told that they will have a child (Gen 17-18), even though they are well beyond childbearing years. Each of them laughs at the message, but it proves to be true. Samuel is sent to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king (1 Sam 16). Jesse’s older sons are passed over in favor of the youngest, David, who is out tending the sheep. He wasn’t even considered to be a “contender” for the office. Saul, the fierce persecutor of Christians, is stopped in his tracks by the risen Christ and soon becomes Paul, the dauntless proclaimer of the gospel. God keeps us on our toes with his surprises.

The Scripture readings for this Sunday also contain that element of surprise. They remind us that God does not confine his activity to humanly authorized channels. In the reading from the Book of Numbers the gift of the Spirit that had been given to Moses is also poured out on seventy elders so that they may share the burden of leading a cantankerous group of people through the desert. But an element of surprise enters into the picture. Two men who were not part of the original group of elders also receive this gift and they, too, begin to prophesy. Joshua, Moses’ assistant, objects to this unexpected development and asks Moses to put a stop to it. The answer that Moses gives is classic: “Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!” Moses is not about to try to rein in the gifts of God’s Spirit. The desire that he expresses in his answer to Joshua is believed by Christians to have been fulfilled at Pentecost.

Something similar happens in the gospel story for this Sunday. The disciples continue their journey to Jerusalem with Jesus. As they go they are being instructed in the demands of discipleship, and they are discovering that following Jesus is not quite as easy as they first expected. They are beginning to grapple with the mystery of the cross. In this charged atmosphere, they witness a “strange exorcist” – someone who is casting out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, but who is not his follower. We might expect Jesus to repudiate this person, since he is not part of the circle of Jesus’ disciples who are being instructed by the Master. This seems to be out of order, and John asks Jesus to put a stop to it. But, like Moses in the desert, Jesus shows a remarkable tolerance toward this unknown person. He answers John, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” Apparently Jesus does not restrict the power of God that is available in his own name to the circle of his own followers.

Joshua in the reading from Numbers, and John in the gospel, seem to want everything to be orderly. In their minds there is a proper order to the way in which God works in the world, and this order should be respected. All of us need and want a sense of order in our lives. We need predictability and structure. In the Church, too, it is also important to have structured authority, established ways of doing things, with designated persons for certain roles of leadership. In fact, the Church has in place an entire system of canon law to facilitate this order. But if all of the focus of believers is put on order and structure, we can sometimes miss the manifestations of the Spirit of God in the community of faith and in the world. This has sometimes happened in the Church when, for example, the gifts of the laity were ignored or minimized and all the attention was focused on the activity of the ordained. The Second Vatican Council tried to address this distortion, teaching that all of the baptized have gifts that are essential for the well-being of the Church and its mission in the world. The recent document of the United States Bishops, Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord (2005), celebrates the contributions of many men and women who serve as lay ministers in the Church. While order and structure have their place in the life of the Church, our identity as the Body of Christ means that the Holy Spirit has been poured out on every believer and that the particular gifts (charisms) bestowed on each person are of vital importance for the entire community. There is no such things as a “spectator” or a “sideline” Catholic; all are called to be active contributors.

In a globalized world of religious pluralism, this Sunday’s readings also invite us to recognize that the action of the Spirit of God (who is also the Spirit of Jesus) is not limited to the Church or to the wider body of Christians. As Catholics we believe that God’s Spirit is present and on the move throughout the world. The Second Vatican Council taught that “the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery” (Gaudium et Spes 22). In speaking about non-Christian religions, this same council said that the Church “has a high regard for the life and conduct, the precepts and doctrines which, although differing in many ways from her own teaching, nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all people (Nostra Aetate 2). Here at Catholic Theological Union we have had a number of Jewish and Muslim students in recent years. Teaching and getting to know several of these students has been a source of inspiration for me. Their personal goodness and strong sense of God’s presence in their lives has shown me something about the breadth of the activity of God’s Spirit in the world.

As we approach the Lord’s table this Sunday, let us pray to be more attuned to the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit. May we be open to the gifts that the Spirit has given to each of us and willing to contribute those gifts for the good of the Church. May we recognize the movements of the Spirit in our daily lives and be open to the presence of this Spirit in those who may be different from us in their religious perspective or faith tradition.

Fr. Robin Ryan, cp