Reading 1
Ez 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20
King Darius issued an order to the officials
of West-of-Euphrates:
“Let the governor and the elders of the Jews
continue the work on that house of God;
they are to rebuild it on its former site.
I also issue this decree
concerning your dealing with these elders of the Jews
in the rebuilding of that house of God:
From the royal revenue, the taxes of West-of-Euphrates,
let these men be repaid for their expenses, in full and without delay.
I, Darius, have issued this decree;
let it be carefully executed.”
The elders of the Jews continued to make progress in the building,
supported by the message of the prophets,
Haggai and Zechariah, son of Iddo.
They finished the building according to the command
of the God of Israel
and the decrees of Cyrus and Darius
and of Artaxerxes, king of Persia.
They completed this house on the third day of the month Adar,
in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
The children of Israel–priests, Levites,
and the other returned exiles–
celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.
For the dedication of this house of God,
they offered one hundred bulls,
two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs,
together with twelve he-goats as a sin-offering for all Israel,
in keeping with the number of the tribes of Israel.
Finally, they set up the priests in their classes
and the Levites in their divisions
for the service of God in Jerusalem,
as is prescribed in the book of Moses.
The exiles kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
The Levites, every one of whom had purified himself for the occasion,
sacrificed the Passover for the rest of the exiles,
for their brethren the priests, and for themselves.
Gospel
Lk 8:19-21
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”
Meditation: Luke 8:19-21
My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it. (Luke 8:21)
Did Jesus really reject his relatives? Was he really telling Mary to let him be? No more than he really wanted his followers to pluck out their eyes or cut off their hands. Jesus often used exaggeration to teach his listeners an important point. In Jewish culture, family bonds were vital to a person’s identity, social standing, and even legal status. Without these connections, you were alone and adrift in the world.
Because he seemed to be publicly denying his own family, Jesus got the crowd’s attention. He knew that he was doing a new work here, and he wanted to spell it out for them clearly. He was forging a new path for Israel, showing them how closely related he was to Yahweh. To be in Jesus’ clan, to be united to him as family, means to listen attentively to the word of God and then to take action. It’s not enough to know what God’s will is. We must also embrace his will with all that we are, acting on it in our day-to-day lives.
Of course, Jesus’ mother already had this attachment to God, and many of his relatives would follow him into the Father’s embrace after his death and resurrection. The question for his listeners was whether they wanted to do the same thing. Was a relationship with God attractive enough for them to want to direct their whole lives toward doing his will?
Remembering that Jesus often used exaggeration to make his point, let’s examine our relationship with God. Are we hearing his word and acting on it? Let’s also examine our relationship with our family. We shouldn’t use this passage as a loophole to distance ourselves from difficult relatives. In fact, embracing God’s will is the surest path to healing and unity. It is the best way to purify our love. God wants to guide all of us into life-giving relationships so that we are truly free to follow him and build his kingdom!
“Holy Spirit, teach me to place Jesus first in my life so that he can form me in his image and equip me for service. Purify the love I have for anyone or anything else so that nothing keeps me from him.”
Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20; Psalm 122:1-5
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