The Book of Daniel, chapter 13 - Susanna.
1
In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim, 2 who married a very beautiful and
God-fearing woman, Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah; 3 her parents were
righteous and had trained their daughter according to the law of Moses. 4 Joakim
was very rich and he had a garden near his house. The Jews had recourse to him
often because he was the most respected of them all. 5 That year, two elders of
the people were appointed judges, of whom the Lord said, “Lawlessness has come
out of Babylon, that is, from the elders who were to govern the people as
judges.” 6 These men, to whom all brought their cases, frequented the house of
Joakim. 7When the people left at noon, Susanna used to enter her husband’s
garden for a walk. 8When the elders saw her enter every day for her walk, they
began to lust for her. 9 They perverted their thinking; they would not allow
their eyes to look to heaven, and did not keep in mind just judgments. 10 Though
both were enamoured of her, they did not tell each other their trouble, 11 for
they were ashamed to reveal their lustful desire to have her. 12 Day by day
they watched eagerly for her. 13 One day they said to each other, “Let us be
off for home, it is time for the noon meal.” So they went their separate ways.
14 But both turned back and arrived at the same spot. When they asked each
other the reason, they admitted their lust, and then they agreed to look for an
occasion when they could find her alone.
15 One day,
while they were waiting for the right moment, she entered as usual, with two maids
only, wanting to bathe in the garden, for the weather was warm. 16 Nobody else
was there except the two elders, who had hidden themselves and were watching
her. 17 “Bring me oil and soap,” she said to the maids, “and shut the garden
gates while I bathe.” 18 They did as she said; they shut the garden gates and
left by the side gate to fetch what she had ordered, unaware that the elders
were hidden inside. 19 As soon as the maids had left, the two old men got up
and ran to her. 20 “Look,” they said, “the garden doors are shut, no one can
see us, and we want you. So give in to our desire, and lie with us. 21 If you
refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was here with you and that
is why you sent your maids away.” 22 “I am completely trapped,” Susanna
groaned. “If I yield, it will be my death; if I refuse, I cannot escape your
power. 23 Yet it is better for me not to do it and to fall into your power than
to sin before the Lord.” 24 Then Susanna screamed, and the two old men also
shouted at her, 25 as one of them ran to open the garden gates. 26 When the
people in the house heard the cries from the garden, they rushed in by the side
gate to see what had happened to her. 27 At the accusations of the old men, the
servants felt very much ashamed, for never had any such thing been said about
Susanna. 28 When the people came to her husband Joakim the next day, the two
wicked old men also came, full of lawless intent to put Susanna to death. 29 Before
the people they ordered: “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife
of Joakim.” When she was sent for, 30 she came with her parents, children and
all her relatives. 31 Susanna, very delicate and beautiful, 32 was veiled; but
those transgressors of the law ordered that she be exposed so as to sate
themselves with her beauty. 33 All her companions and the onlookers were
weeping.
34 In the
midst of the people the two old men rose up and laid their hands on her head.
35 As she wept she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord
wholeheartedly. 36 The old men said, “As we were walking in the garden alone,
this woman entered with two servant girls, shut the garden gates and sent the
servant girls away. 37A young man, who was hidden there, came and lay with her.
38When we, in a corner of the garden, saw this lawlessness, we ran toward them.
39We saw them lying together, but the man we could not hold, because he was
stronger than we; he opened the gates and ran off. 40Then we seized this one
and asked who the young man was, 41but she refused to tell us. We testify to
this.” The assembly believed them, since they were elders and judges of the
people, and they condemned her to death. 42 But Susanna cried aloud: “Eternal
God, you know what is hidden and are aware of all things before they come to
be: 43 you know that they have testified falsely against me. Here I am about to
die, though I have done none of the things for which these men have condemned
me.” 44 The Lord heard her prayer. 45 As she was being led to execution, God
stirred up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel, 46 and he cried aloud:
“I am innocent of this woman’s blood.” 47 All the people turned and asked him,
“What are you saying?” 48 He stood in their midst and said, “Are you such
fools, you Israelites, to condemn a daughter of Israel without investigation
and without clear evidence? 49 Return to court, for they have testified falsely
against her.” 50 Then all the people returned in haste. To Daniel the elders
said, “Come, sit with us and inform us, since God has given you the prestige of
old age.” 51 But he replied, “Separate these two far from one another, and I
will examine them.” 52 After they were separated from each other, he called one
of them and said: “How you have grown evil with age! Now have your past sins
come to term: 53 passing unjust sentences, condemning the innocent, and freeing
the guilty, a although the Lord says, ‘The innocent and the just you shall not
put to death.’ 54 Now, then, if you were a witness, tell me under what tree you
saw them together.” 55 “Under a mastic tree,”* he answered. “Your fine lie has
cost you your head,” said Daniel; “for the angel of God has already received
the sentence from God and shall split you in two.” 56 Putting him to one side,
he ordered the other one to be brought. “Offspring of Canaan, not of Judah,”
Daniel said to him, “beauty has seduced you, lust has perverted your heart. 57 This
is how you acted with the daughters of Israel, and in their fear they yielded
to you; but a daughter of Judah did not tolerate your lawlessness. 58 Now,
then, tell me under what tree you surprised them together.” 59 “Under an oak,”
he said. “Your fine lie has cost you also your head,” said Daniel; “for the
angel of God waits with a sword to cut you in two so as to destroy you both.” 60 The whole assembly cried aloud, blessing
God who saves those who hope in him. 61They rose up against the two old men,
for by their own words Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness. They
condemned them to the fate they had planned for their neighbour: 62 in
accordance with the law of Moses they put them to death. Thus was innocent
blood spared that day. 63 Hilkiah and his wife praised God for their daughter
Susanna, with Joakim her husband and all her relatives, because she was found
innocent of any shameful deed. 64 And from that day onward Daniel was greatly
esteemed by the people.
Meditation: When accusations are brought against
you, how do you respond and where do you turn for help? The Book of Daniel
tells the story of Susanna, a godly woman who loved God and his word. She was
unjustly accused of adultery by two elder judges who had tried to seduce her.
Since adultery was a serious offense punishable by stoning to death, the law of
Moses required at least two witnesses, rather than one, to convict a person.
Susanna knew she had no hope of clearing her good reputation and escaping death
apart from God's merciful intervention. Daniel tells us that she looked up to
heaven and cried out to the Lord for his help (Daniel 13:35). The two elders
who wanted to sin with her had done just the opposite – they hid themselves from God's sight
and they kept their secret sin hidden from the people as well. They brought
false charges against her in revenge for her refusal to sin with them. God in
his mercy heard the plea of Susanna and he punished the two elders for giving
false witness.
Unjust
accusations against Jesus
The Gospel
accounts describe how Jesus had to face unjust accusations made by the
Pharisees, the ruling elders of Israel. They were upset with Jesus' teaching
and his healing on the Sabbath. They plotted what charges they might bring
against him in order to arrest him and bring him to trial.
They wanted
to not only silence him, but put him to death for his claim to be the Messiah.
They accused him of blasphemy because he claimed that have authority equal with
God.
In chapter 8
of John's Gospel, we hear the account where Jesus publicly proclaims in the
Temple at Jerusalem that he is the "light of the world" (John 8:12).
Jesus spoke these words around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known
as the Festival of Lights. This statement must have made a striking impression
on the Jews who had gathered in Jerusalem for the occasion.
For eight
nights the great candelabras which stood in the Temple courtyard lit the
Jerusalem skyline with a blaze of dazzling light. Jesus' statement very likely
came at the end of the Festival when the great lights where extinguished. In so
many words, Jesus says he is the one true light which no one can extinguish or
diminish (see John 1:4-5). He is the true light not only for God's chosen
people Israel, but for all peoples and nations as well.
Many of the
scribes and Pharisees reacted with shock and disbelief when they heard Jesus
describe himself as light of the world and light of life (John 8:12). In the
Gospel of John we hear seven "I am" statements from the lips of
Jesus: "I am the Bread of Life" (John 6:35), "I am the light of
the world" (John 8:12), "I am the Gate" (John 10:9), "I am
the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11), "I am the Resurrection and the Life"
(John 11:25), "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6), "I
am the Vine" (John 15:5). Jesus also emphatically stated, "Truly I
say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). When Moses asked God to
reveal His name. God responded by saying, "I AM WHO I AM"
(Exodus
3:13-14). When the Pharisees heard Jesus says "I am the light", they
clearly understood that Jesus was making a claim which only God could make. The
word light in Scripture was especially associated with God. The Lord is my
light (Psalm 27:1). The Lord will be your everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19).
When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me (Micah 7:8).
The scribes
and Pharisees demanded that Jesus produce signs and witnesses to prove his
claim. But the testimony and signs which Jesus gave did not satisfy the
religious rulers because they had already determined in their own minds that he
needed to be eliminated since his teaching did not agree with their own view
and interpretation of the law of Moses (John 5:39-46).
Their
judgment was based on wrong assumptions and an evil intention to put Jesus to
death. Jesus stated that his authority was not based on human knowledge and
perception but on the knowledge and revelation which came from God. Jesus'
rightfully claimed that his authority came from his heavenly Father (John
5:19,21,26-27,36; John 8:28). No one could do the mighty works which he did and
speak with such authority unless it had been given to him by the Father.
The light
Jesus came to give us
What did
Jesus mean by the expression I am the light of the world and light of life
(John 8:12)? The light Jesus came to give is the light of God's revelation His
beauty, truth, wisdom, and power. God's light exposes the darkness of sin which
is often hidden and sometimes even unknown to us. His light brings healing,
pardon, and restoration as well freeing us from the burden of guilt and the
scars of sin's effect on us, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. We need God's
penetrating light to shine into our innermost being so he can remove wrong
patterns of thoughts, attitudes, and hurtful desires. Sin clouds our vision of
what is good and right and leads us down the wrong path. God's light shows us the
way that leads to peace, joy, and true happiness and fulfilment. The light
which the Lord Jesus offers produces in us abundant life and great fruitfulness.
Just as natural life depends on light for energy, warmth, and growth (without
it nothing could live or grow), so the light of heaven produces abundant and
fruitful spiritual life for those who receive it.
The light
which Jesus gives enables us to walk freely and confidently without stumbling
in the darkness of sin and unbelief. His light warms our heart to the truth of
God's love and it opens our vision to the reality of God's kingdom. Do you walk
confidently in the light of God's truth and love?
"O
gracious and Holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek
you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon
you, and a life to proclaim you; through the power of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Saint Benedict of Nursia, 480-547 AD)
The
following reflection is courtesy of Presentation Ministries (c) 2013. Their
website is located at presentationministries.com
BATH AND BODY
"She
decided to bathe." —Daniel 13:15
Today's
first reading is more than a story of good triumphing over evil. It's an Old
Testament preview of Baptism. When Susanna enters her bath (Dan 13:17-18), she
is surrounded by the powers of evil, as represented by the two corrupt elders.
Susanna is immersed in a dilemma of whether to save her life by yielding to
evil or to cling to holiness and purity at the cost of her life (Dan 13:22).
Susanna rises from her bath determined to trust in God, saying to the evil
judges, "It is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to
sin before the Lord" (Dan 13:23). Susanna rose from the waters of her bath
free, pure, and victorious over the kingdom of darkness. As we are baptized, we
emerge from the waters redeemed and uncondemned (see Rom 8:1). Most of us were
baptized as infants. We can't remember emerging from the waters free and
victorious. In her wisdom, the Church therefore calls us to regularly renew our
Baptisms. This makes our Baptism new and alive for us. Just as important, it
challenges us to live our Baptism in a new, holy, and faith-filled lifestyle.
In a few weeks, you will renew your Baptism at Easter Vigil and/or Easter
Sunday Mass. As Susanna did, make the decision to entrust your life completely
to the Lord. Prepare now to renew your Baptism. Reject sin and Satan. Hunger
and thirst for holiness (Mt 5:6). Refuse to compromise with the kingdom of
darkness in any way, even if you must endure persecution for holiness' sake
(see Mt 5:10). Choose to be pure as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:3).
Prayer: Jesus, you gave up Your body for me
(Lk 22:19). I give up my body for You. Be glorified in my body (1 Cor 6:20).
Promise: "The Lord is my
Shepherd...Beside restful waters He leads me; He refreshes my soul." —Psalm 23:1-3
Praise: St. Cyril encouraged catechumens:
"Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go
straight along the road to eternal life."
By the way, I am interested to know how many people actually read these reflections so if you would kindly make a comment at the end or even click on Like, I would appreciate it. Thank you!
