Don’t Be Childish
Introduction
“If you had only paid attention to what I have said,” complains the Lord through the prophet, for God wants our own good. Jesus complains that there are people who behave in a childish way when John the Baptist preaches repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah: they are like girls who refuse to dance when the flute plays joyful tunes or boys who refuse to mourn when people are weeping. The Lord is among us and asks for commitment so that we can lead the world to life, justice and happiness. What is our faith worth, if we do not practice it?
1 Reading: Isaiah 48:17-19
Thus says the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go. If you would hearken to my commandments, your prosperity would be like a river, and your vindication like the waves of the sea; Your descendants would be like the sand, and those born of your stock like its grains, Their name never cut off or blotted out from my presence.
Responsorial Psalm: PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
R. (cf. John 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night. R.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers. R.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes. R.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Lord will come; go out to meet him!
He is the prince of peace.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”
Commentary
“Sometimes you just can’t win.”
“If you don’t like the message, then shoot the messenger.” “To get the desired idea across, put a ‘spin’ on it.”
Some attitudes never change. What was true in Jesus’ time is true in our time. The DSS of Nigeria would go any length to arrest and detain activists (Sowore). Court order or no court order. Jesus’ opponents would stop at nothing to trip him up, to catch him in a contradiction. They did not like John the Baptist, so they labeled his asceticism madness. Jesus’ conduct, on the other hand, was not ascetical enough—eating and drinking in public made him dissolute at best. The best way to deal with an undesirable message is to slander the messenger.
Time, however, has proven the truth of the gospel message, and there is a lesson to be learned there. There are many times when the truth flies in the face of our own convictions. What is called for is quiet discernment, not instant rejection. Before we discredit what is said or who says it, honest assessment is called for. Often it seems easier to find a way out rather than face the truth.
At Jesus’ trial, Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” It is a question that has broad currency in our time. From politics to commercial interests, we increasingly wonder what are the facts. Bending the truth to make it fit is all too common. There are times when churchmen in authority follow the same path. And to be quite honest, there are times when we do the same. We are inclined to bend the facts to make things appear in a better light.
The scriptures speak often of the primacy of truth. Jesus is referred to as the truth in John’s Gospel. Today Isaiah tells us that the Lord will unfailingly lead us to what is good. It is a path that leads to a flowing river and dashing waves.
In an age of obscurity and doubt, where there are more questions than answers, we pray for personal transparency. What you see is what you get.
Lord, enable us to speak the truth in love.
Blessing
We should not be like the fickle children who pay no attention to what is good for them. May the Lord dispose us to do what is right and good always, even when it is inconvenient. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!