CCC Cross Reference:
1 Sm 19:1-14 2583
Mk 3:10 1504
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Back to Servant of the Word '10
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Reading 1
1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7
When David and Saul approached
(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
“They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship.”
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.
Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul’s son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
“My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know.”
Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
“Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the Lord brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?”
Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore,
“As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.”
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.
Responsorial Psalm
56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13
R. (5b) In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Gospel
Mk 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Ephesians 3:8 – 12
I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 55(56):2-3,9-14
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
(are they not written in your book?)
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear;
what can mortal man do to me?
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you have rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
Gospel John 15:9 – 17
Jesus said:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know his master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me: no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you is to love one another.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Thursday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7
Saul's Jealousy of David
------------------------------------
[6] As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs and with instruments of music. [7] And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." [8] And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?" [9] And Saul eyed David from that day on.
David Flees
-----------------
[1] And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. [2] And Jonathan told David, "Saul my father seeks to kill you; therefore take heed to yourself in the morning, stay in a secret place and hide yourself; [3] and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; and if I learn anything I will tell you." [4] And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Let not the king sin against his servant David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; [5] for he took his life in his hand and he slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?" [6] And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death." [7] And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
18:6-16. Saul's admiration of David after the defeat of Goliath soon turned into envy and jealousy. The more the people's regard and enthusiasm for David grew (to the point of composing a chant in his honor: cf. 21:12; 29:5), the more jealous the king became. Saul's attempt on David's life (cf. 19:9-10) confirms Saul's malice and baseness. The key to this episode is provided by the text: "The Lord was with (David) and had departed from Saul" (v. 12; cf. 18:28). David's successes (18:5, 14-15) are due to his skill but above all to God, who protects him.
19:1-24. David's flight from the court of Saul allows the writer to include some episodes (not interconnected) which serve to highlight the difference between the baseness of Saul, and David's generosity and shrewdness. At a formal government meeting (vv. 1-7) Saul proposes that David be killed. The only opposing voice is that of Jonathan, who stands up for his best friend. Friendship triumphs. Then in an informal situation at home Saul's viciousness leads him to throw his spear at his shield-bearer, but David proves too quick. These two episodes are repeated -- the first, at greater length in chapter 20, and the second, almost word for word, in 18:10-11. The sacred writer includes them here in passing, the more to contrast the two men.
The third episode takes place in David's own house (vv. 11-17). Michal, his wife, cleverly arranges a trick to help David escape and frustrate her father's plans. Saul can see that even his own daughter has abandoned him and is on David's side. On the "image" ("teraphim"), see the note on Judges 17:5.
The last event (vv. 18-24) also has its parallel (10:10-12); both passages justify the popular saying recorded in v. 24: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" However, in this context the episode is a sort of legal suit in which Samuel is the witness and God the judge the verdict is in David's favor, and Saul is condemned. Samuel who in his time anointed both of them and later came out in favor of David and against Saul (cf. 13:13-14), can now see that the Lord himself with his spirit is thwarting the evil intentions of Saul and preventing him from reaching David's base. At Gibe-ah (cf. 1 Sam 10:9ff) a prophetical ecstasy was a method the Lord used to make known his plans for Saul, but now, here at Ramah, the ecstasy paralyzes Saul, leaves him naked for a whole day and prevents him from doing away with David. This is the final proof, solemnized by the presence of Samuel that David is the one who enjoys the Lord's protection, whereas Saul has been rejected.
*********************************************************************************************
From: Mark 3:7-12
Cures Beside the Sea of Galilee
-----------------------------------------------
[7] Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea [8] and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing all that He did, came to Him. [9] And He told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him; [10] for He had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon Him to touch Him. [11] And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." [12] And He strictly ordered them not to make Him known.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
10. During our Lord's public life people were constantly crowding round Him to be cured (cf. Luke 6:19; 8:45; etc). As in the case of many other cures, St. Mark gives us a graphic account of what Jesus did to these people (cf. Mark 1: 31,41; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; John 9:1-7, 11, 15). By working these cures our Lord shows that He is both God and man: He cures by virtue of His divine power and using His human nature. In other words, only in the Word of God become man is the work of our Redemption effected, and the instrument God used to save us was the human nature of Jesus--His Body and Soul--in the unity of the person of the Word (cf. Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium", 5).
This crowding round Jesus is repeated by Christians of all times: the holy human nature of our Lord is our only route to salvation; it is the essential means we must use to unite ourselves to God. Thus, we can today approach our Lord by means of the sacraments, especially and pre-eminently the Eucharist. And through the sacraments there flows to us, from God, through the human nature of the Word, a strength which cures those who receive the sacraments with faith (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, "Summa theologiae", III, q. 62, a. 5).
*********************************************************************************************
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. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
1 Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7
When David and Saul approached
(on David’s return after slaying the Philistine),
women came out from each of the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,
singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and sistrums.
The women played and sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought:
“They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.
All that remains for him is the kingship.”
And from that day on, Saul was jealous of David.
Saul discussed his intention of killing David
with his son Jonathan and with all his servants.
But Saul’s son Jonathan, who was very fond of David, told him:
“My father Saul is trying to kill you.
Therefore, please be on your guard tomorrow morning;
get out of sight and remain in hiding.
I, however, will go out and stand beside my father
in the countryside where you are, and will speak to him about you.
If I learn anything, I will let you know.”
Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him:
“Let not your majesty sin against his servant David,
for he has committed no offense against you,
but has helped you very much by his deeds.
When he took his life in his hands and slew the Philistine,
and the Lord brought about a great victory
for all Israel through him,
you were glad to see it.
Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood
by killing David without cause?”
Saul heeded Jonathan’s plea and swore,
“As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed.”
So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him.
Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.
Responsorial Psalm
56:2-3, 9-10a, 10b-11, 12-13
R. (5b) In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, O God, for men trample upon me;
all the day they press their attack against me.
My adversaries trample upon me all the day;
yes, many fight against me.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
My wanderings you have counted;
my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?
Then do my enemies turn back,
when I call upon you.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. In God I trust; I shall not fear.
Gospel
Mk 3:7-12
Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples.
A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing,
a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem,
from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan,
and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd,
so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases
were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him
and shout, “You are the Son of God.”
He warned them sternly not to make him known.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Ephesians 3:8 – 12
I, who am less than the least of all the saints have been entrusted with this special grace, not only of proclaiming to the pagans the infinite treasure of Christ but also of explaining how the mystery is to be dispensed. Through all the ages, this has been kept hidden in God, the creator of everything. Why? So that the Sovereignties and Powers should learn only now, through the Church, how comprehensive God’s wisdom really is, exactly according to the plan which he had had from all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why we are bold enough to approach God in complete confidence, through our faith in him.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 55(56):2-3,9-14
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
Have mercy on me, God, men crush me;
they fight me all day long and oppress me.
My foes crush me all day long,
for many fight proudly against me.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
You have kept an account of my wanderings;
you have kept a record of my tears;
(are they not written in your book?)
Then my foes will be put to flight
on the day that I call to you.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
This I know, that God is on my side.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I shall not fear;
what can mortal man do to me?
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
I am bound by the vows I have made you.
O God, I will offer you praise
for you have rescued my soul from death,
you kept my feet from stumbling
that I may walk in the presence of God
and enjoy the light of the living.
In God I trust: I shall not fear.
Gospel John 15:9 – 17
Jesus said:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.
This is my commandment:
love one another, as I have loved you.
A man can have no greater love
than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends,
if you do what I command you.
I shall not call you servants any more,
because a servant does not know his master’s business;
I call you friends,
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me: no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit,
fruit that will last;
and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name.
What I command you is to love one another.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Thursday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time
From: 1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7
Saul's Jealousy of David
------------------------------------
[6] As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs and with instruments of music. [7] And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." [8] And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?" [9] And Saul eyed David from that day on.
David Flees
-----------------
[1] And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. [2] And Jonathan told David, "Saul my father seeks to kill you; therefore take heed to yourself in the morning, stay in a secret place and hide yourself; [3] and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; and if I learn anything I will tell you." [4] And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Let not the king sin against his servant David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; [5] for he took his life in his hand and he slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?" [6] And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death." [7] And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
18:6-16. Saul's admiration of David after the defeat of Goliath soon turned into envy and jealousy. The more the people's regard and enthusiasm for David grew (to the point of composing a chant in his honor: cf. 21:12; 29:5), the more jealous the king became. Saul's attempt on David's life (cf. 19:9-10) confirms Saul's malice and baseness. The key to this episode is provided by the text: "The Lord was with (David) and had departed from Saul" (v. 12; cf. 18:28). David's successes (18:5, 14-15) are due to his skill but above all to God, who protects him.
19:1-24. David's flight from the court of Saul allows the writer to include some episodes (not interconnected) which serve to highlight the difference between the baseness of Saul, and David's generosity and shrewdness. At a formal government meeting (vv. 1-7) Saul proposes that David be killed. The only opposing voice is that of Jonathan, who stands up for his best friend. Friendship triumphs. Then in an informal situation at home Saul's viciousness leads him to throw his spear at his shield-bearer, but David proves too quick. These two episodes are repeated -- the first, at greater length in chapter 20, and the second, almost word for word, in 18:10-11. The sacred writer includes them here in passing, the more to contrast the two men.
The third episode takes place in David's own house (vv. 11-17). Michal, his wife, cleverly arranges a trick to help David escape and frustrate her father's plans. Saul can see that even his own daughter has abandoned him and is on David's side. On the "image" ("teraphim"), see the note on Judges 17:5.
The last event (vv. 18-24) also has its parallel (10:10-12); both passages justify the popular saying recorded in v. 24: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" However, in this context the episode is a sort of legal suit in which Samuel is the witness and God the judge the verdict is in David's favor, and Saul is condemned. Samuel who in his time anointed both of them and later came out in favor of David and against Saul (cf. 13:13-14), can now see that the Lord himself with his spirit is thwarting the evil intentions of Saul and preventing him from reaching David's base. At Gibe-ah (cf. 1 Sam 10:9ff) a prophetical ecstasy was a method the Lord used to make known his plans for Saul, but now, here at Ramah, the ecstasy paralyzes Saul, leaves him naked for a whole day and prevents him from doing away with David. This is the final proof, solemnized by the presence of Samuel that David is the one who enjoys the Lord's protection, whereas Saul has been rejected.
*********************************************************************************************
From: Mark 3:7-12
Cures Beside the Sea of Galilee
-----------------------------------------------
[7] Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea [8] and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing all that He did, came to Him. [9] And He told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him; [10] for He had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon Him to touch Him. [11] And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." [12] And He strictly ordered them not to make Him known.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
10. During our Lord's public life people were constantly crowding round Him to be cured (cf. Luke 6:19; 8:45; etc). As in the case of many other cures, St. Mark gives us a graphic account of what Jesus did to these people (cf. Mark 1: 31,41; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; John 9:1-7, 11, 15). By working these cures our Lord shows that He is both God and man: He cures by virtue of His divine power and using His human nature. In other words, only in the Word of God become man is the work of our Redemption effected, and the instrument God used to save us was the human nature of Jesus--His Body and Soul--in the unity of the person of the Word (cf. Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium", 5).
This crowding round Jesus is repeated by Christians of all times: the holy human nature of our Lord is our only route to salvation; it is the essential means we must use to unite ourselves to God. Thus, we can today approach our Lord by means of the sacraments, especially and pre-eminently the Eucharist. And through the sacraments there flows to us, from God, through the human nature of the Word, a strength which cures those who receive the sacraments with faith (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, "Summa theologiae", III, q. 62, a. 5).
*********************************************************************************************
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. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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