2 Samuel 11: 4-10, 13-17; Psalm 51; Mark 4: 26-34
Today we hear the terrible sin of David, not only the adultery with Bathsheba but the deliberate setting up her husband either to take the credit for her pregnancy ( he, honoring the abstinence of his soldiers, refuses to lie with her), or to be stationed at the front line of battle. David abuses power over a woman and over a man. The psalm, attributed to David even when scholars believe he is not the sole author of the book of psalms, claims: “Against you only have I sinned.” Wrong! Sin affects the whole community. A thousand years later, Jesus will be the innocent victim of an abuse of power by both Roman and Jewish authorities. How can we ever have believed that such an injustice could be God’s will?!
Many people, believers and non-believers, are asking: What kind of God allows a tsunami or an earthquake to destroy life so randomly? Why do the innocent suffer? How do you wrestle with that question? Show your problems and solutions to Jesus and then listen to him.
Deepen our trust in your steadfast love, God of justice and peace. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Make us one, one in solidarity with all who suffer.