Reading 1 Is 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. (see 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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
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. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Gospel Mt 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."
Meditation: Matthew 11:16-19
“To what shall I compare this generation?” (Matthew 11:16)
Jesus was a hot-button issue among the scribes and Pharisees. Some of them came to him with an open mind, but many more gave him real problems. Opposing him at nearly every turn, they cooked up schemes to spoil his reputation and corner him in his theology.
So what was their problem? Essentially it was spiritual tunnel vision. They loved the Scriptures zealously, but when Jesus claimed to be the One Scripture was pointing to, they couldn’t take it. They were so set in their preconceptions and expectations that even his miracles couldn’t sway them. They looked for any excuse to dismiss him: He was possessed by a demon; he spent too much time with prostitutes and drunkards; he broke the Sabbath.
But these Jewish elders weren’t the only ones with tunnel vision. At different points in our spiritual journey, each of us faces the challenge of stretching our expectations and confronting areas in our lives that run contrary to God’s word. We all need to accept the fact that God doesn’t always act or speak in the way we think he should. And that’s the way it should be. Jesus promised that he would “make all things new”—and that includes our minds, our hearts, and our patterns of behavior (Revelation 21:5).
So take some time today to reflect on how the Lord may be leading you to a fuller understanding of who he is and the person he has called you to be. Give him the freedom to show you how you may be resisting him. Let him show you if you have any tunnel vision about him and his calling.
It’s good to know that in many ways, we are less like these scribes and Pharisees and more like Jesus’ apostles. After all, we already believe in Jesus. We already love him and want to please him. We may have areas of resistance in our hearts, but so did his followers. And just like them, the more we get to know Jesus and his ways, the more we will become like him. This Advent really can become a season of grace and transformation for all of us!
“Lord, help me to recognize when you are speaking to me. Thank you for making all things, even me, new.”
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