In Which Jesus Tells a Pun
Nov. 30: Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle
Once again, sorry I’m late!1 Say a prayer for my punctuality, and maybe tomorrow’s will be sooner.
Reading I
Rom 10:9-18
Brothers and sisters: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what was heard from us? Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for Their voice has gone forth to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
So many citations! In just this short passage, Paul quotes from Isaiah, Joel, Isaiah, Isaiah again, and the 19th Psalm. He wants you to know he’s not just pulling stuff out of his bum. He’s quoting books that every educated, God-fearing Jew of the time would recognize.
And yet! “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all.” Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles. He was a devout Jew, so devout that he started out persecuting Christians before his conversion. If Jesus was willing to accept that guy, he’s willing to accept you, too.
Paul’s writings are the reason why we don’t have to convert to Judaism before becoming Christians, but he still serves as a reminder that the Jews are the Chosen People. It is through them, and the Hebrew Testament, that we find Christ, and through Christ, God the Father.
So, go a step further. “How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?” That someone can be you.
Responsorial Psalm
19:8, 9, 10, 11
R. (10) The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. (John 6:63) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The judgments of the Lord are true, and all of them are just.
or:
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
This is part of the same Psalm Paul quotes above, but not the same verses. The law and words of God referred to here are, naturally, the Torah. Don’t forget that not only Paul, but Jesus himself cites scripture regularly. The Old Testament wasn’t just thrown out; the words are still more precious than gold and sweeter than syrup.
Alleluia
Mt 4:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you don’t read Tomics, you should.
Gospel
Mt 4:18-22
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.
I am forever amazed and perplexed that this “fishers of men” pun works across several languages and centuries. Today’s Hallow daily reading used a different translation (“Follow me, and I will make you fish for people”); I actually stopped and rewound to make sure I heard them right. What translator wanted to ruin the punchline like that?
Anyway, the important thing here is today is the feast of St. Andrew. He is one of the first Apostles; the first in John’s Gospel. Which brings up an interesting point about the different Gospel accounts. Here and in Mark, Jesus simply calls Andrew and Simon (Peter), and the drop everything to join him. But in Luke, Jesus has performed miracles leading up to their calling, which explains why they’re so willing to believe in Him. Lastly, in John, Andrew is a disciple of John the Baptist, until John points to Jesus and says “Behold, the Lamb of God.” At which point, Andrew transfers his discipleship from one rabbi to another.
So does this mean one of these stories is true, and the rest are lies? They contradict each other, so they can’t all be true, right?
Not necessarily. There are lots of ways to resolve apparent contradictions. In this case, for example, John may be describing the brothers’ first encounter with Jesus, while Mark, Luke, and Matthew are describing the actual call. Details and context may be included or excluded, depending on the point the writer is trying to make.
Mark and Matthew are emphasizing Jesus’ power and influence, whereas Luke is trying to write a more historical narrative to a curious non-believer, Theophilus. This specific incident simply isn’t relevant to John’s telling at all.
But the over all point, and inspiration of St. Andrew, is that these two uneducated fisherman knew enough to drop what they were doing and follow Jesus, the great teacher and teller of puns.
My dad said he’s adding this to his morning devotional, but he’s in the Eastern time zone, so I’m basically a day behind. Sorry, dad!