All prophets on deck

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today warn us of intolerance and presuming that we have all the answers.

All the answers

In the passage from the Book of Numbers the Spirit on the Elders falls unexpectedly on Eldad and Medad.

* [11:25] They prophesied: in the sense, not of foretelling the future, but of speaking in enraptured enthusiasm. Such manifestations are mentioned in the early days of Hebrew prophecy (1 Sm 10:10–12; 19:20–21; Jl 3:1) and in the first years of the Church (Acts 2:6–11, 17; 19:6; 1 Cor 12–14).

The Letter of James offers a warning to the rich.

* [5:1–6] Continuing with the theme of the transitory character of life on earth, the author points out the impending ruin of the godless. He denounces the unjust rich, whose victims cry to heaven for judgment on their exploiters (Jas 5:4–6). The decay and corrosion of the costly garments and metals, which symbolize wealth, prove them worthless and portend the destruction of their possessors (Jas 5:2–3).

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus declares that those who are not against Him are for Him.

* [9:38–41] Jesus warns against jealousy and intolerance toward others, such as exorcists who do not follow us. The saying in Mk 9:40 is a broad principle of the divine tolerance. Even the smallest courtesies shown to those who teach in Jesus’ name do not go unrewarded.

Dr. Rabbi David Frankel  discusses the successful challenge to Moses’ control over prophecy in the Book of Numbers.

God approves of Eldad and Medad who refuse to go out to Moses’ tent (see Exodus 33:7—1). He rewards them with the bestowal of His spirit not because of their excessive humility but specifically because of their spiritual audacity. And He gives them of His spirit directly, without the mediation of Moses at his tent. God allows them to prophesy in the midst of the camp because God ultimately endorses the spiritual freedom and pluralism that they seek to promote.
Moses, himself, recognizes this ideal and resists Joshua’s call to imprison the “rebels.” No single party should attempt to hold a monopoly on the divine spirit, or place restrictions on its freedom of expression. The ultimate ideal, Moses recognizes, is that each individual Israelite becomes his or her own prophet, receiving the spirit directly from God and expressing it openly inside the camp.

We must learn, then, to emulate the great the spirit of Moses. Instead of bemoaning the spiritual diversity introduced by Eldad and Medad, he expressed the wish that it spread throughout the nation. Like Moses, we must learn to respect religious diversity. We must indeed encourage its free expression and humbly attempt to learn from every teacher. In the wise words of Rabbi Yanai: “whoever learns Torah from [only] one Rabbi will never find blessing in his study” (b. Avodah Zarah 19).[5]

A Bible Commentary, produced by the TOW Project, asks us to consider “Does the way I live enhance or diminish the lives of poor people?

James also condemns those who “have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure” (James 5:5). The question of what constitutes living in luxury and in pleasure is also complex, but it confronts many Chris­tians in one way or another. James’s chief concern in this passage is the well-being of the poor, so the most relevant question may be, “Does the way I live enhance or diminish the lives of poor people? Does what I do with money help lift people out of poverty or does it help keep people impoverished?”

Business leaders must be especially diligent about paying their work­ers fairly. An analysis of what constitutes fair pay is beyond the scope of this discussion,[2] but James’s words “the wages you have kept back by fraud” (James 5:4) are an accusation of abuse of power on the part of these particular wealthy landowners. The workers were owed wages, but the rich and powerful found a way out of paying them without incurring punishment by the legal system. The rich and powerful often have means to subvert the judiciary, and it’s astonishingly easy to exercise unfair power without even recognizing it. Abuses of power include misclassifying employees as independent contractors, inaccurately registering workers in a lower skill code, paying women or minorities less for doing the same job as others, and using children for jobs so dangerous that adults refuse to do them. Misuse of power can never be excused just because it is a so-called standard practice.

Tamora Whitney shares that the people who should be stopped are the ones who are leading others to sin, not the one who are helping others. Don Schwager discusses the deadly sin of envy and quotes Encouraging good works done in Christ, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D. The Word Among Us Meditation on Numbers 11:25-29 notes that to everyone’s surprise, the Spirit fell upon Eldad and Medad, even though they were not at the “ordination.” Friar Jude Winkler, OFM Conv, comments on the prophecy in the camp. We can't be jealous when they don’t match up to our expectations. Friar Jude comments that unlike Origen who took the Gospel literally, Jesus wants us to make choices. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, writes it’s not surprising that the history of the three monotheistic religions, in their first few thousand years, has largely been the proclaiming of absolutes and dogmas. In fact, we usually focus on areas where we can feel a sense of order and control—things like finances, clothing, edifices, roles, offices, and who has the authority. In my experience, I observe that the people who find God are usually those who are very serious about their quest and their questions. When we presume we know fully, we can be very arrogant and goal-oriented. When we know we don’t know fully, we are much more concerned about practical, loving behavior.

When we speak of God and things transcendent, all we can do is use metaphors, approximations, and pointers. No language is adequate to describe the Holy. As an early portrait of Saint John of the Cross illustrates, we must place a hushing finger over our lips to remind ourselves that God is finally unspeakable and ineffable. Or, like the Jews, we may even refuse to pronounce the name YHWH.

Those who know God are humble about their knowledge of God; those who don’t really know God, often speak in platitudes and certainties (about which they are not really certain).
References


(n.d.). Numbers chapter 11 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/numbers/11
(n.d.). James chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/james/5:17
(n.d.). Mark chapter 9 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/9
(n.d.). Eldad and Medad Prophesied in the Camp: A Successful Challenge to .... Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://thetorah.com/eldad-and-medad-prophesied/
(n.d.). Oppression of Workers (James 5:1–6) | Bible Commentary | Theology .... Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/general-epistles/james-faith-works/oppression-of-workers-james-51-6
(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 30, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 30, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/