From: Ezekiel 12:1-12
The exiles’ departure
[7] And I did as I was commanded. I brought out my baggage by day, as bag-
gage for exile, and in the evening I dug through the wall with my own hands; I
went forth in the dark, carrying my outfit upon my shoulder in their sight.
[8] In the morning the word of the Lord came to me: [9] Son of man, has not the
house of Israel, the rebellious house, said to you, ‘What are you doing?’ [10] Say
to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem
and all the house of Israel who are in it.’ [11] Say, ‘I am a sign for you: as I have
done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity.’ [12] And
the prince who is among them shall lift his baggage upon his shoulder in the dark,
and shall go forth; he shall dig through the wall and go out through it; he shall co-
ver his face, that he may not see the land with his eyes.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
12:1-14:23. Up to this point, the warnings to Jerusalem have been given by way
of symbolic actions (chaps. 4-5) and chilling prophecies (chaps. 6-7), and the vi-
sion of the outrages committed in the temple (chaps. 8-11). However, neither the
people living in Jerusalem nor the exiles seem to accept that a catastrophe is
about to happen. In this section of the book Ezekiel speaks out against the peo-
ple and their refusal to believe by announcing that King Zedekiah is to be depor-
ted forthwith (chap. 12) and then by condemning the false prophets who deceive
the people by giving them false hopes (chap. 13); he also criticizes pagan beliefs
(chap. 14). These oracles are designed to move the listeners’ hearts and to get
them to put all their trust in the Lord: he can help them in their exile. That is the
import of the phrase that recurs in this passage: “You will know that I am the
Lord.”
12:1-28. The date of the last deportation, which happened in 587 BC (cf. 2 Kings
25:8-21), is announced by five oracles or symbolic gestures, each beginning with
the wording, “The word of the Lord came to me” (vv. 1, 8, 17, 21, 26). The first
two centre on the detention and deportation of King Zedekiah (vv. 1-16), the next
one on the poor circumstances of the exiles (vv. 17-20), and the last two focus
on how soon these two events will be brought about (vv. 21-28). The symbolic ac-
tions of the prophet are well designed to prove to his listeners the truth of what
he says.
12:1-16. The first symbolic action (leaving with an exile’s baggage) is calculated
to provoke feelings of depression; the deportation that they fear will indeed take
place. “Exile” is mentioned six times in five verses; “in their sight”, five times;
and “rebellious house” twice. The preparations are made in daylight; but the ac-
tual leaving is shameful: it takes place at night, the face veiled, without looking
back at the city.
Ezekiel’s symbolic action stands for what will happen to King Zedekiah (v. 10: cf.
2 Kings 25:2-7), who is not mentioned here by either name or title of king. He is
called “the prince in Jerusalem, not “prince of Judah”, to indicate that catastro-
phe will befall the city and its inhabitants.
“I will spread my net over him, and he shall be in my snare’ (’v. 13): the net meta-
phor indicates that deportation is a kind of enslavement. And the use of the first
person underlines once again the fact that it is the Lord himself who is the cause
of the deportation. Insistence on this helps to strike a very positive note: if God is
the cause of the punishment (exile), he too will deliver his people when their im-
prisonment comes to an end.
The importance of a remnant escaping (v.16) lies in the fact that they will bear
witness to their sins and punishment before pagan nations — so that the latter
too may acknowledge the Lord. This positive interpretation of the exile is a fea-
ture of the book of Ezekiel.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Matthew 18:21-19:1
Forgiveness of Injuries. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
[23] “Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished
to settle accounts with his servants. [24] When he began the reckoning, one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; [25] and as he could not pay,
his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and
payment to be made. [26] So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord,
have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ [27] And out of pity for him
the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
[28] But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants
who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what
you owe.’ [29] So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience
with me, and I will pay you.’ [30] He refused and went and put him in prison till he
should pay his debt. [31] When his fellow servants saw what had taken place,
they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had
taken place. [32] Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked ser-
vant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; [33] and should not
you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ [34] And in
anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. [35] So
also My Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your
brother from your heart.”
[19:1] Now when Jesus finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and
entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan[.]
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
21-35. Peter’s question and particularly Jesus’ reply prescribe the spirit of under-
standing and mercy which should govern Christians’ behavior.
In Hebrew the figure of seventy times seven means the same as “always” (cf.
Genesis 4:24): “Therefore, our Lord did not limit forgiveness to a fixed number,
but declared that it must be continuous and forever” (Chrysostom, “Hom. on St
Matthew”, 6). Here also we can see the contrast between man’s ungenerous,
calculating approach to forgiveness, and God’s infinite mercy. The parable also
clearly shows that we are totally in God’s debt. A talent was the equivalent of six
thousand denarii, and a denarius a working man’s daily wage. Ten thousand ta-
lents, an enormous sum, gives us an idea of the immense value attaching to the
pardon we receive from God. Overall, the parable teaches that we must always
forgive our brothers, and must do so wholeheartedly.
“Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the
very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense that you can suffer from them
is nothing compared to what God has pardoned you” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”,
452).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.