This is the last of our readings from the book of Joshua (Joshua 24:14-29). It is an immediate continuation of yesterday’s daily passage as Joshua gives his final words to the tribes gathered at Shechem. Having reminded them of all that God did for them from time immemorial down to the present, Joshua urges the people to fear the Lord and to serve him truly and sincerely. ‘Fear’ here means to trust, worship, and serve in a spirit of deep respect for the immensity of God. There is no place for fear, in the ordinary sense, before our loving God. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” (1 John 4:18)
They are to get rid of the gods that their polytheistic ancestors worshiped in those days when they lived beyond the Euphrates in Mesopotamia and later in Egypt. Joshua tells the people that, if they find serving God is not to their liking, they can make up their own minds as to which gods they do want to serve. As for Joshua and his family, they will serve God.
With one voice, the people affirm their allegiance to God: “Far be it from us to desert God and serve other gods!” It was God who brought them and their forebears all the way from Egypt, a place of slave-labor; God who worked all those great wonders before their very eyes; God who kept them safe among all the different people whose land they passed through. It was God who drove out the established nations so that they could take over the land. “We, too, shall serve God, for he is our God.”
Joshua, however, is skeptical. He warns them against over confidence. He tells them that fidelity to God’s service is not easy, and therefore those who take such solemn obligations on themselves must be ever vigilant against human weakness. Time will show just how attractive the Canaanite gods will be to the Israelites. Joshua warns them that they must remember that God is a holy God, a jealous God who will not tolerate their misdeeds and sins. He warns them that if they desert God and turn again to the gods of other peoples, that “He will bring suffering on you again and, in spite of all he did for you in the past, He will destroy you.
But again, the people insist, “No! God is the one we mean to serve.” To which Joshua replies, “You are now witnesses to yourselves that you have chosen to serve God!” They cry out with one voice, “We are witnesses.” In that case, retorts Joshua, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel. This was a direct challenge. It is likely that some of them did have around them other gods represented by idols of wood and metal, which could easily be thrown away and destroyed – if they were sincere.
Our reading concludes with Joshua making a solemn covenant between God and the people and lays down a statute and ordinance for them that was written in the Book of the Law of God and on a large stone set up as a memorial. “This stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us; therefore, it shall be a witness against you if you deal falsely with your God.”
The stone was the sixth memorial erected in the land to remind Israel of what the Lord had done for them through his servant. To these memorials were added the perpetual ruins of Jericho (Joshua 6:26). Thus, the promised land itself bore full testimony to Israel (seven being the number of completeness), how she had come into possession of the land, and how she would remain in the land only by fulfilling the covenant conditions. The land shouted its own story.
Joshua then dismissed the people, everyone to their own tribe. Joshua’s work was done. He died at the venerable age of 110, just 10 years younger than his superior and mentor, Moses. It was also the age at which Joseph died. Joshua was buried at Timnath-Sera, which lay in the highlands of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash (and about 30 km north of Jerusalem). We are also told, though not in today’s reading, that the mummified remains of Joseph, that had been brought all the way from Egypt at the time of the Exodus, were now buried in Shechem, near the borders between the two Josephite tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, fulfilling Joseph’s final request before he died (Genesis 50:25).
With the death of Joshua, the great epic of the Exodus is complete, and the people are in their Promised Land, committed to serving God faithfully as his people forever. As we shall see, it will not quite work out that way.
The narrative in today’s Gospel (Matthew 19:13-15) is frequently depicted in paintings, evoking thoughts of innocence, nurturing, and caring. We may think of Christ blessing innocent children and encouraging us of being a blessing to them. We may think of the Kingdom of God promised to those who keep some sort of innocence. While such thoughts are appropriate, they do not highlight other meanings and messages implicit in this narrative of Christ praying for children.
Throughout the Old and the New Testament, references to children are frequently used to refer to those who have no power, who need others to protect them, and who will not survive unless someone cares for and nurtures them. In the Sacred Scriptures, children often stand for the weak, powerless, marginalized and disenfranchised in society. In this context, the Gospel narrative today is not primarily a sentimental story about innocence but is part of the social teaching of Christ.
We should not be like the Apostles in this Gospel, who did not permit the weak and powerless to get closer to Christ and receive his blessing. Instead, Jesus tells us that we should facilitate the marginalized to receive Christ’s blessing, supporting them through our prayer and social engagement.
Such an understanding allows us to connect this Gospel story to the first reading. God has liberated Israel from Egypt; He has shown His blessings to the underdog in the Egyptian society. The people of Israel recognized that God liberated them and, when asked by Joshua, “decide today whom you will serve,” they answered, saying, “far be it from us to forsake the Lord for the service of other gods. For it was the Lord, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery.” The enslaved Israel was liberated by God. Similarly, Christ promises to the weak, the powerless, and the marginalized – the children in the Gospel – liberation from whatever makes their life difficult and cumbersome. He promises them ultimately the Kingdom of God.
Let us pray for the Church to be committed to protecting the weak, supporting the powerless, and improving the well-being of the marginalized. Let us pray for ourselves that we recognize the weak, powerless, and marginalized around us, welcome them into our lives, and use our prayer, skills, and expertise to improve their well-being.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!