Knowing the Whole Story

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary contain a theme of assumptions about the nature of the Divine and the role of God in the lives of humanity. The Wisdom of Sirach presents the understanding that the Lord God protects the Hebrew people against the tribes which would bring harm. This understanding that the Divine honours promises to peoples may be extended in the texts from Isaiah to be understood as promises for all nations. The psalmist makes the appeal to God that the people will be attended to in their need because of the nature of God. God cannot be against the nature of forgiving, compassionate Shepherd. Commentators have identified this theme in the very familiar Psalm 23. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus announces for the third time that the scenario of His ‘triumph’ in Jerusalem would be humiliation by the Gentiles and death at the hands of the authorities. The final prediction of rising from the dead is almost unnoticed at the end of His announcement. The failure of people to take in the “whole story” is daily occurrence. We do hear what we want to hear. One aspect of obedience and being a follower of Christ is to ‘listen’. Did James and John know the whole story as they assented to Jesus fate in following the Will of the Father? Jesus does not take pains to ensure that they “fully understand” what they need to do. The value of “full understanding” is over stated for at least two reasons which are presented today. (1) “Full understanding” may be beyond our cognitive ability at the time and (2) the disciple needs to move forward in the relationship with the Divine through faith and trust. There is no other way for Creator and creature to collaborate intimately.