Humility to Receive and Keep the Keys – to Remain as Servant Leaders with Authorities “ 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

 There are some important themes to be reflected from the scripture readings of the 21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A (Isaiah 22:19-23; Psalm 138:1-3,6,8; Romans 11:33-36; Matthew 16:13-20):

1. ·        Identification of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Gospel)
2. ·        Shared authorities, symbolized with the keys (Gospel, First Reading) and expressed as “binding and loosing” (Gospel)
3. ·        Humility to be commissioned and to serve with authorities (First Reading, Responsorial Psalm)
4. ·        Wisdom and knowledge of God, too great for us to fathom alone (Second Reading)

Of course, these themes need to be connected as we reflect and apply to our life of faith.

The First Reading (Isaiah 22:19-23) reminds us that we must remain humble and faithful to serve with authorities. It is a story about Shebna, who served as King Hezekiah’s comptroller, and Elaikim, who replaced Shebna by God’s choice, as prophesized to Isaiah. In commissioning Elaikim, God placed the key of the House of David (Isaiah 22:22) on his shoulder. With this key, Elaikim received the authorities as the comptroller for king of Judah.

The sins of Shebna had ruined Jerusalem (Isaiah 22:1-18). To save this holy city, God replaced Shebna with Eliakim, giving him authorities, expecting him to perform better than his predecessor. However, Eliakim eventually disappointed God as he, too, failed (Isaiah 22:25).

The depiction of Elaikim in Isaiah 22 may draw a parallel to Peter in the Gospel Reading for the 21^st Sunday (Matthew 16:13-20) and the 22^nd Sunday (Matthew 16:21-27). Jesus gave Peter the authorities, symbolized with the keys to the Kingdom, to lead his Church (Matthew 16:18-19). However, Peter disappointed Jesus as he did not understand why the Messiah had to die in Jerusalem (Matthew 16:21-23).

When Peter correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), the Father in heaven revealed it to him (Matthew 16:17). However, when he was on his own, Peter was not able to understand how the Messiah, whom he identified with Jesus, would accomplish his salvific mission through his death and resurrection, as addressed in the 22^nd Sunday Gospel Reading (Matthew 16:21-27).  Though Jesus promised to share his authorities with him, Peter disappointed Jesus as he was not yet able to fully know who Jesus really is as the Messiah, without God’s revelation to him.

As Elaikim failed, even receiving the authority as King Hezekiah’s comptroller (the key to the House of David) from God, so did Peter, whom Jesus gave the authorities (the keys to his Kingdom) (Isaiah 22:20-25; Matthew 16:17-23).  Without God’s backup, even receiving the authorities, a God-commissioned leader may fail. Therefore, we need not just be but to remain humble and faithful in order not to fail and disappoint God, who entrusts us to be servant leaders to carry on Christ’s mission, by virtue of the Sacrament of Baptism and our oath through the Sacrament of Confirmation.

As Paul reminds us in the Second Reading (Romans 11:33-36), God’s wisdom and knowledge are far beyond our power to understand. So, Paul praised the supremacy of God’s wisdom and knowledge. And God only reveals His wisdom to the humble (Matthew 11:25 cf. Proverbs 11:2). Therefore, we must remain humble so that God can reveal His wisdom to us. Likewise, God may also share His authorities only to those who remain humble. And, as we remain humble, God reveals His wisdom to us. Thus, with God’s revealed wisdom, we are able to do the right things for God, who entrusts us.  And, in the Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8), David praises God for being so kind to the humble, reminding that our humility not only qualifies us to serve as God’s servant leaders without failure, as His revealed wisdom and abundant kindness, so that we can remain worthy to bind and loose with the keys, in accordance with His will.

To be worthy to receive the keys to bind and loose (to receive the authorities to exercise) in connection to the Kingdom, we cannot rely on our own wisdom but to have God’s revealed wisdom and kindness. For this, we need to be and to remain humble all the time so that we will not fail as God’s servant leader – as the apostles of Christ’s one holy catholic apostolic Church.