Evil Generation; the Family of Jesus (MT:12:43-50)

COMMENT

Matthew 12:43-45

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From: William J …
To: Donald ….
Sent: Tue, 20 July, 2010 21:24:43
Subject: Mtt 12: 47 omission / Joseph Ratzinger

Dear Father Donald,

… (Pope Benedict -referring directly to verse 47).

While reading (Joseph Ratzinger's) Pope Benedict's book, "Jesus of Nazareth", and relating to this passage, he has a very interesting comment (on which he expands, page 112ff, having written on the Sermon on the Mount). He writes of Israel's view of the Fourth Commandment anchoring the heart of the social order, the rationale for Israel's social existence, saying that this is exactly the connection that Jesus calls into question (when Jesus is "told that his mother and brothers are outside"... referring directly to verse 47). Pope Benedict writes that while the Torah presents a very definite social order, discipleship of Jesus offers no politically concrete program for structuring society, saying that Jesus' new interpretation of the fourth commandment affects not only the parent-child relation, but the entire scope of the social structure of the people of Israel. His analysis is very penetrating... but it is his inclusion of verse 47 that weights in favour of the inclusion for me of the missing verse!

You have caused my reading of the Gospels to have become an altogether more inquiring and more rewarding experience!

… in Our Lord,

William

PS. Later: Thank you for the extract from "Sacra Pagina"'s commentary on Matt 12: 43ff. It will be brilliant to have these beside me... soon! I love the extract, especially the conclusion, both as to the 'inclusion' of verse 47 and as to the 'omission', or break, in the Lectionary's readings. What this emphasises for me (as does Pope Benedict's writings) is the of the Gospel narratives that at first glance appear almost disparate. How open and responsive I need to become to sense and appreciate the continuity of the Gospel narrative.

W …

Sacra Pagine Series Volume 1

"The most confusing, ignored, and problematic passages in the Synoptic Gospels".

Richard Rohr, OFM, certainly articulated the problem.

The most confusing, ignored, and problematic passages in the Synoptic Gospels.

Richard Rohr, OFM certainly articulated the problem. It still looked beyond a pschological explaination.
Happily William has found the excellent resolution to not only Mt. 12:43-45 but to a beutifull comprehensive account of 12:43-50 by Fr. Harrington of Sacra Pagina.Happily William has found the excellent resolution to not only Mt. 12:43-45 but to a beutifull comprehensive account of 12:43-50 by Fr. Harrington of Sacra Pagina.

SACRA PAGINA

The Gospel of Matthew pp. 190-193

30. This Evil Generation; the Family of Jesus (12:43-50)

30. This Evil Generation; the Family of Jesus (12:43-50)

43. "When an unclean spirit goes forth from a person, it travels through waterless places seeking rest, and it does not find it. 44. Then it says: 'I will go back to my house from which 1 came forth.' And it goes and finds it unoccupied and swept clean and put in order. 45. Then it goes and brings with itself seven other spirits worse than itself, and it enters and dwells there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. And so it will be for this evil generation."

46. While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to him. 47. Someone said to him: "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to you." 48. He answered and said to the one speaking to him: "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49. And he stretched out his hand to his disciples and said: "Behold my mother and my brothers. 50. For who- ever does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

Notes

43. an unclean spirit: The whole speech of Jesus in Matt 12:25-42 has been Occasioned by the exorcism of a demon in Matt 12:22. The idea that the wilderness ("water­less places") was the abode of demons appears in Isa 34:14-15; Lev 16:10. Jesus was tested by the devil in the wilderness (see Matt 4:1-11).

44. unoccupied: Only Matthew adds this qualifier to the following two qualifiers. Its presence provides a preliminary image to "swept clean and put in order," suggesting that the emptiness of the house calls out for the arrival of a new tenant.

45. the last state: The eight devils now occupying the house will be harder to expel than the one demon was previously. So the situation has become much worse.

for this evil generation: The concluding sentence, found only in Matthew, applies the story to the generation of Jesus. It suggests that the exorcisms done by Jesus were only an interlude and promises that worse things will happen. The Lukan context (Luke 11:23-26) uses the story in an individual context (see Luke 11:23), not in the historical context indicated by Matthew.

46. his mother and brothers: The term "brothers" (adelphoz)has been interpreted in several ways: the blood brothers of Jesus born of Mary and Joseph; the half-brothers of Jesus, the children of Joseph's prior marriage; or the cousins of Jesus based on the fact that "brother" can cover a wide range of relationships. It is doubtful that Matthew knew the tradition about the perpetual virginity of Mary (see Matt 1:25).

47. Someone said: Some important ancient manuscripts omit the entire verse. The best argument for its inclusion is verse 48, which demands something like verse 47; -its omission could be explained by its similarity in wording to verse 46. An argument against its inclusion is Matthew's tendency to omit whatever does not move the story along. But Matt 12:47 merely repeats what has already been said in 12:46.

48. his disciples: By his words and actions Jesus redefines membership in his family.

He also defines discipleship as doing the will of his heavenly Father (see Matt 12:50). By omitting Mark 3:20-21 Matthew avoids the suggestion that Jesus' family ("those around him") thought that he was mad. In Matthew the family func­tions more as a literary foil than as a solid opposition to Jesus.

Interpretation

From the perspective of sources and literary forms the last two texts in Matthew 12-the story about the return of the evil spirit (12:43-45) and the statement about the true family of Jesus (12:46-50)-have little in common. The first text (12:43-45) is a parable-like narrative based almost entirely on Q (see Luke 11:24-26). Matthew's distinctive contribution comes in the application contained in the final sentence: And so it will be for this evil generation. "This comment takes the parable out of its mysterious realm and offers an interpretation, or at least an application: The exorcisms done by Jesus provide only a temporary respite from demon possession; an even worse period is in store for "this evil generation." At the same time, Matthew's comment expresses an alienation, or even separation,' on Jesus' part from "this evil generation" (see Matt 12:39).

The second text (Matt 12:46-50) is a pronouncement by Jesus about his true family; it is based on Mark 3:31-35. As in Mark, it expresses an aliena­tion, or even separation, on Jesus' part from his own family. When placed beside Matt 12:43-45 as the climax of a section devoted to the rejection of Jesus (Matthew 11-12) and leading into an exploration of the reasons for Jesus' rejection (Matt 13:1-52), the statement about Jesus' true family (Matt 12:46-50) takes on a pivotal significance. Matthew has joined the two texts on the basis of their content. Both concern Jesus' alienation and separation from "this evil generation" and from his earthly family.

The biblical background for these texts is the theme of the people of God; see D. J. Harrington, God's People in Christ: New Testament Perspectives on the Church and Judaism (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1980). The basic shape of God's relation to Israel remains the same throughout its history: It is the result of God's gracious offer of election, is communal in nature, and takes the form of a covenant between God and Israel. But in post-exilic times there was a tendency to narrow down who in Israel really continues this special relationship with God. Only those who avoid marriages with non-Iews, or observe circumcision or Sabbath regulations, or belong to the right group count with respect to this special relationship. The destruction of the Jeru­salem Temple and of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 made this relationship even more problematic, for the major unifying religious institution-the Temple-no longer existed. And so a major matter of debate in Jesus' time was the iden­tity of the people of God. It was an even more controversial issue in the time when Matthew wrote his Gospel.

The message of Matt 12:43-50 to Matthew's community as it tried to de­fine itself vis-à-vis other Jewish groups after A.D. 70 would have been some­thing like the following: The exorcisms performed by Jesus were only an interlude or temporary victory; this “evil generation" will see an even worse infestation of demons (Matt 12:43-45). The true family of Jesus (=the Church as the people of God) is made up of those who do God's will (Matt 12:46-50). Here there may also be a criticism of a Christian group that took its leadership from Jesus' family. Matt 12:43-50 distinguishes the community of Jesus from “this evil generation" and the blood relatives of Jesus. It reduces membership in the community of Jesus to one simple requirement: doing the will of God.

The idea of the Church as the family of Jesus joined together by its dedication to doing God's will remains a powerful theme. It must, however, remain faithful to the premise that God's will has been expressed in the Scriptures and in the example of Jesus. It must also face the fact that in fami­lies there are often problems, crises, and conflicts. The Church as the fam­ily of Jesus should not be allowed to degenerate into vagueness or romanticism.

Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.