Weekly Bible Study - Ezekiel 2:2-5 ▪ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ▪ Mark 6:1-6

5 July 2015
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

If we think doing God’s work is easy, we may be doing the work of someone else! Ourselves? "He who must not be named"? (LOL. In case the quotes aren't enough to clue you in, I'm not talking about Voldemort. Nor Sauron or THE ONE RING. Just what they symbolize!).

Jesus promised the disciples joy and life, but also the cross. The central figures of our three readings have something to say about that!

Ezekiel is sent to the rebellious Israelites who seem unconcerned about their impending demise. God sends a "steely" guy to confront their obstinacy.  Relying not on his own power, Ezekiel is first filled with the Spirit. He cannot accomplish his mission otherwise. He knows that given their hardness of heart, it will take the power of God, not his own power, to loosen the grip of rebellion. The very last line of our reading bears a message for all who witness to the faith: “They shall know that a prophet has been among them.”

God did not make things easy for Paul either. In today’s letter he writes of a mysterious “thorn in the flesh” about which scholars continue to be puzzled. Whether it was a human opponent, a temptation, or an ailment, this thorn served as a reminder to Paul of the true source of his power. Many readers of this letter have found encouragement in its familiar line: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” What propelled Paul in his ministry was the reality that it was God’s power at work within him and not his own.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus experiences something of a thorn in the flesh. His own people begin to question his power and authority based on his humble origins. Certainly this exalted teaching can’t come from the carpenter’s son! Amazed at their lack of faith, he will move on. While Jesus has clearly demonstrated the power of the Father at work within him, the people have not been empowered within their own hearts to believe.

As we witness in many ways to our own faith, will t"they know that a 'prophet' has been among them?

The author, Ms. Barbara Gawle, leads Bible studies at her parish, Incarnation Church of Wethersfield, CT. She is a CBS graduate and the 2012 recipient of the Biblical School's highest award, the Lawrence Boadt Memorial Medal.