Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?

Exploring the meaning of the titles we hear in the Scriptures for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

WORD OF FAITH: A breakdown of each week's upcoming Sunday readings to better understand the Word of God at Mass.

Titles have a way of describing to others who we are and what we do. One may have the title of mother or father, son or daughter, brother or sister, friend or acquaintance. These titles tell us who we are in relation to others. The titles we have define what we do in relationship to and with others. Ezekiel is given the title son of man to define his prophetic ministry. Paul begins his greeting to the Corinthians with the title apostle of Christ, which defines the afflictions he would have to accept in his life and ministry. Mark gives Jesus the title Son of God in the prologue of the Gospel, which tells us everything we need to know about who Jesus is and what he will do for humanity. What is the depth of the meaning of these titles and other titles we hear in the Scriptures for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time for the Christian faithful?

Ezekiel was sent to the people of Israel who were in exile in Babylon and many of them felt they did not need God since God, in their view, abandoned them. Ezekiel was rejected and humiliated for the prophetic message he brought to the people. He was speaking out against a corrupt generation who had turned away from God. The title son of man separates and delineates the divine from the human. The prophet has a responsibility to speak God’s word of truth to a rebellious people so that they will know that the prophet was among them. Ezekiel’s message of reproach to Israel caused by her unfaithfulness would change to a message of salvation and restoration. A message that would be understood by the early apostolic Church as the promise of the coming Messiah.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians begins with a greeting from Paul, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” (2 Cor. 1:1) The title of apostle, as understood by Paul, meant that he must suffer affliction. Paul was sent to the Gentiles to proclaim the good news. As he was having success in his evangelization as he went on three different missionary journeys, he was also inwardly suffering. He speaks about the thorn in his side in the Second Reading from Second Corinthians 12:7-10, “Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ ” Paul, in his greatest moments of elation, as he succeeded in bringing people to faith, was also humbled by this thorn. The thorn in his side was a constant reminder of his need for Christ.

Throughout this liturgical year, we have been hearing the cycle B Gospel from Mark proclaimed. The prologue of the Gospel of Mark introduces us to Jesus simply and profoundly, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mk. 1:1) The prologue proclaims in these few short words, the good news of salvation; from the mighty words and deeds of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God who was crucified and resurrected. Understanding these Marcian titles for Jesus are essential for proclaiming the good news. 

Only the Evangelist Mark identifies Jesus as a carpenter. The Gospel of Matthew identifies Jesus as the carpenter’s son. (Mt. 13:55) The Evangelist Mark is saying something particularly important by identifying Jesus as a carpenter. Jesus is not seen by the people who are familiar with his background as a man who has performed mighty deeds or a man who possesses great wisdom and knowledge. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets and the words he speaks and the mighty deeds he performs will bring Jesus to the cross.

The carpenter will fashion the cross that he will be crucified on by his own prophetic words. His mighty deeds of Jesus as a priest will cause him to spread his arms on the cross. As the son of man, Jesus will take up his kingship and those words will hang on the cross with Jesus, “King of the Jews.” The rejection of Jesus in his own native place is a foreshadowing of the rejection of Jesus by the religious officials at his trial. The rejection of the religious officials was a foreshadowing of the rejection of Jesus by future generations. To avoid the pitfalls of the rejections of Jesus by past generations, we must follow the exhortation from Psalm 123, “Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.”