Matthew 14:1-12

Leviticus 25:1, 8-17

Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 7-8

Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus

and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist.

He has been raised from the dead;

that is why mighty powers are at work in him.”

Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison

on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,

for John had said to him,

“It is not lawful for you to have her.”

Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people,

for they regarded him as a prophet.

But at a birthday celebration for Herod,

the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests

and delighted Herod so much

that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.

Prompted by her mother, she said,

“Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

The king was distressed,

but because of his oaths and the guests who were present,

he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison.

His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl,

who took it to her mother.

His disciples came and took away the corpse

and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I hear the stories of how the innocent are persecuted by the wicked. Your servant, John the Baptist, suffered because he called Herod to repent from sin. Your Son, Jesus, suffered to save us from sin and death. Strengthen me in times of suffering so that I may attain your glory.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Book Four in the Gospel of Matthew: Book Four of the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 14-18) focuses especially on the merciful dimension of the Kingdom. The first two chapters (14-15) ramp up the tension between Jesus and his opponents that was highlighted in Matthew 11-12. The increasing opposition is seen in the execution of Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist. As well, “the Pharisees castigate Jesus over ritual handwashing and Jesus in turn upbraids them, the disciples worship Jesus, and a pagan woman wins exorcism for her daughter. There is an ever-increasing chasm between those who follow and those who oppose Jesus – the disciples and pagans, on the one hand, and the would-be teachers of Israel, on the other – which will culminate in Jesus’s founding of the Church as a new Israel, a remnant from within Israel, in chapter 16” (Huizenga, Behold the Christ, 265). Unlike the kingdoms of the world, Jesus’ “kingdom of heaven” is based on mercy. “The foundational mercy for the whole kingdom is the mercy of the king, who forgives every one of us the enormous debt of our sin. Having experienced God’s forgiveness, we practice forgiveness toward others” (Bergsma, New Testament Basics for Catholics, 56).

2. The Old Jubilee in Israel: As we continue to read from the first five books of the Bible in the First Reading, it is noteworthy that we only read from Leviticus twice. Yesterday, we read the laws concerning the celebration of the yearly feasts – Passover and Unleavened Bread in the spring, Pentecost at the beginning of summer, and the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall. Today, we read the laws concerning the celebration of the Jubilee year. Leviticus 25:1-9 commanded that the Israelites observe every seventh year as a year of rest, a Sabbath year, when they would not sow or reap but live off the fullness of God’s provision. Leviticus 25:1-=55 commanded that the year after the seventh Sabbath year, the fiftieth year, would be special: this was the Jubilee Year (see Bergsma, Jesus and the Jubilee, 43). Unlike regular years, which started in the spring on the first day of Nisan, the Jubilee year began on the Day of Atonement in the fall. Thus, the liberation of the Jubilee year began with the spiritual liberation from sin. During the Jubilee Year, any Israelite who was in debt or enslaved because of debt would be set free. And any ancestral land that was sold to pay off a debt was restored. The Jubilee set the people free: free from debt, free from slavery, free from agricultural obligations. The people were freed, redeemed, and restored so that they could worship the Lord in their families. The sad thing was that Israel rarely practiced the Sabbath Years and the Jubilee Year (see Bergsma, Jesus and the Jubilee, 44-49).

3. The New Jubilee in the Church: What the prophet Isaiah promised was that the Messiah would announce the Jubilee Year and act as a redeemer by freeing captives (Isaiah 61:1-2). The Messiah would “proclaim the final jubilee year of human history and make atonement for God’s faithful remnant, thus releasing them from the debt of sin and their bondage to Satan and ushering in the era of God’s kingdom on earth” (Bergsma, Jesus and the Jubilee, 69). The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus, the Messiah, to proclaim the Jubilee. It was also the Spirit who was the actual agent of two of the main responsibilities of the Messiah: he was to forgive the debt of sin and free God’s people from Satan’s power. “All the goals of the jubilee are fulfilled by the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit forgives our sins, grants us freedom from the tyranny of Satan, institutes us as children of God and members of his family, and initiates us into the fullness of God so that we become ‘partakers of the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4). For that reason, the Jubilee 2025 is a highly appropriate time for individuals and communities to enter more deeply into the life of the Holy Spirit” (Bergsma, Jesus and the Jubilee, 111).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you know my trials, sacrifices, and suffering. Help me to face my trials and temptations with courage and your grace. Help me to offer up my sacrifices to the Father through you. Help me to persevere through suffering so that I may attain eternal glory with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Living the Word of God: Over six months of this Jubilee Year 2025 have passed. How have I experienced God’s mercy? Do I easily forget that this is a Jubilee Year? If so, why? How can I live the second half of the Jubilee better?