For: Monday, December 14, 2020
3rd Week of Advent
Memorial: St John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor
From: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a
Balaam's Third Oracle (Continuation)
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[2] And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, [3] and he took up his discourse, and said,
"The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
[4] the oracle of him who bears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:
[5] how fair are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
[6] Like valleys that stretch afar,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
[7] Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall be in many waters,
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted."
Balaam's fourth oracle
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[15] And he took up his discourse, and said,
"The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
[16] the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:
[17] I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not nigh:
a star shall come forth out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel."
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Commentary:
24:3-9. This third oracle consists not so much in words placed by God on Balaam's lips, as in the vision given to him, which shows the splendor of Israel (expressed in images of luxuriant scenery); it also alludes to a victorious king and recalls, once more, deliverance from Egypt.
24:15-24. The three blessings are followed by four oracles about nations – Israel, Amalek, the Kainites and Asshur. The first tells about the coming of a king symbolized by a star and a scepter (v. 17). In the ancient East stars were considered to be gods and goddesses. This passage of Numbers may contain a reference to David and his star: in fact, from very early on this text was given a messianic interpretation; Jewish traditions link the coming of the Messiah with the appearing of a star -- cf. some Aramaic translations (targumin) of this text. In St Matthew's Gospel there is mention of a star in the episode of the Magi who came to adore Jesus (cf. Mt 2:1-12). And in the second Jewish revolt against Rome (132-135 AD), a famous Jewish teacher, Rabbi Akiha, changed the name of the Jewish leader of the rebellion from Ben Kosheba, to Bar Kokheba, that is, "son of the star" -- another indication of the connection between the star and the expected Messiah.
The Fathers interpreted the star that Balaam speaks about, as being the one the Magi saw. From this they went on deduce that the Wise Men came from Mesopotamia, which was where Balaam came from.
The Authority of Jesus is Questioned
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[23] And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" [24] Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you a question; and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. [25] The baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' [26] But if we say, 'From men,' we are afraid of the multitude; for all hold that John was a prophet." [27] So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."
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Commentary:
23-27. When the chief priests and elders ask "By what authority are you doing these things?" they are referring both to his teaching and to his self-assure public actions -- throwing the traders out of the Temple, entering Jerusalem in triumph, allowing the children to acclaim him, curing the sick, etc. What they want him to do is to prove that he has authority to act in this way or to admit openly that he is the Messiah.
However, Jesus knows that they are not well-intentioned and he declines to give them a direct answer; he prefers to put a question to them that forces them to make their own attitude clear. He seeks to provoke them into examining their consciences and changing their whole approach.