All things belong to God Nm 11:25-29; Ps 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14; Jas 5:1-6; Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Today’s readings revolve around different ways people try to gatekeep their social positions. “Gatekeeping” is a term used to refer to a way to control access to something. More significantly, it often refers to a way to exclude others from becoming a part of a group that is seen to have some special status. In the reading from the Book of Numbers, Joshua is concerned that two men other than Moses have been given his special ability of prophecy (Nm 11:28). God had given the men this gift (11:25-26), but Joshua felt it should be restricted to Moses. The text tells us that Joshua had been Moses’ aide since his youth (11:28). Because of this, Joshua might expect to step into Moses’ special role one day. Thus, he might feel he should be the only one to receive Moses’ gift of prophecy. Moses responds, making it clear that there is no hoarding or gatekeeping God’s gifts (11:29). The reading from the Letter of James focuses on those who hoard wealth — including the wealth of others. Those who deny their workers their due will have a lot to answer for (Dt 24:15; Mal 3:5). By hoarding the wealth owed to others, they are also gatekeeping their own place in society. They are deciding who is worthy of receiving the wealth that belongs to God, as the Book Haggai 2:8 reads, “Mine is the silver and mine the gold.” Just as Moses’ gift of prophecy belonged to God, material wealth also belongs to God. The reading from Mark echoes much of the story we read about Moses today. Rather than being overjoyed to see others doing good works in Jesus’ name, the disciples are upset that someone who is not part of the inner circle is casting out demons. Much like Moses before him, Jesus reminds them of what really matters: that God’s gift of healing is spreading around to those who need it. This reading is especially interesting for Christians in the modern world, where there are so many different denominations. It is not uncommon to hear of Christian groups speaking ill of each other or denying another group’s claim that they are Christian. A common is attitude expressed is, “If they don’t follow Jesus the way I do, then they are not really Christians and should be condemned.” We have a story right here in the Gospels that encourages us to think differently. No one has a monopoly on God’s gifts of love, healing and salvation. We humans do not get to decide or control anything. That responsibility belongs to God. All we can do is decide who we want to be. All we can control is our own behavior. God is the one, true judge, from whom all good things come. This is a very important lesson, and it is one that many have not learned. We see this all time. Catholics and Protestants have a long history of antagonizing each other — gatekeeping who are the true followers of Jesus. There is also a long history of Christian men gatekeeping leadership roles, excluding women as well as men that do not fit their respective cultural ideal of what a man should be. Within Catholic circles we see a lot of gatekeeping around the Eucharist, as well. It is important to have some sort of order and established system to ensure smooth functioning, and to keep dangerous or malicious people from achieving positions of power. However, I think it is also important for us to keep the lessons from these stories in mind. Remembering these stories can help us to make sure we are not restricting God’s gifts from those who need them. We must remember that all things belong, in fact, to God. Those who forget this, and spend their lives trying to withhold from others what God has freely given, will have a lot to answer for one day.
About the Author Kate Oxsen is an assistant professor of Old Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union.