Away with you, Satan!

 

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be temped by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "

 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:

    'He shall give His angels charge over you,'

and,

    'In their hands they shall bear you up,

    Lest you dash your foot against a stone.' "

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "

 

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

 

- Matthew 4:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, sarom heying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

  Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be temped by the devil.  My study Bible explains that to be tempted means to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  It is the Holy Spirit who leads Jesus into the wilderness after His Baptism to be tested by a struggle with the devil.  (In St. Mark's Gospel, the Greek literally reads that the Spirit "throws" Jesus into the wilderness.)  My study Bible remarks that we who are baptized in Christ need not be defeated by temptations because we also are aided by the Holy Spirit.  It says explains that the wilderness is a battleground, an image of the world -- both the dwelling place of demons and also a source of divine tranquility and victory.  

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. In the whole of today's reading, Jesus effectively reverses the falling to temptation of Israel in the wilderness.  The Israelites were tested for forty years in the wilderness, and proved disobedient and disloyal.  My study Bible explains that God humbled them by first letting them go hungry and then feeding them with manna to help them learn to be dependent on Him (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).  Here in today's passage, Jesus is tested with hunger for forty days, but He does not sin.  All of His answers to Satan are from Deuteronomy, and all call for loyalty to God -- which Jesus' life and righteousness exemplify.  My study Bible adds that Jesus fasted to overcome temptation, and in so doing gives us an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  It's not the hunger of His flesh that controls Him.  Instead, He controls His flesh.  The Lord's fast of forty days is the foundation of the forty-day Lenten fast in the Church before Holy Week, and also of a traditional fast before Christmas.  

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "  Here the devil challenges the relationship of Christ to the Father.  If You are the Son of God isn't simply a taunt to Jesus, but it also calls into question the Father's declaration at Christ's Baptism (see yesterday's reading, above), challenging Christ's faith and obedience.  The devil, my study Bible says, wants Jesus to act independently and to detach Himself from the will of God the Father.  In Christ's divine nature, it notes, He shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit; He can do nothing of Himself (John 5:30), separately from God the Father.  But in Jesus' humanity, He has free will, and therefore at all times He must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father. Jesus responds to the tempter by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3.  By rejecting this first temptation, Jesus is rejecting an earthly kingdom.  He also shows us not to pursue earthly comfort alone in the "food which perishes" (John 6:27).  My study Bible remarks that while Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam -- Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word, which gives human nature the power to conquer Satan. 

 

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, / Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  The holy city is Jerusalem.  Again, the devil tries to shake Christ's confidence and loyalty to God the Father, saying "If You are the Son of God . . .. "  My study Bible says that as Christ had defeated the devil through the power of the Scriptures, Satan now vainly tries to use the Scriptures to put God's power of protection to the test.  The devil is quoting from Psalm 91:11, 12. 

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' "  Again, Jesus quotes from the book of Deuteronomy and the story of Israel's temptations in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 6:16).  My study Bible explains that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD.

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.  My study Bible comments that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  It says that in the devil's test, Jesus was being asked to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  The devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  Here, Christ is refusing the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world, as my study Bible notes.  Jesus quotes again from Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 6:13, 10:20; see also Joshua 24:14, referring to the same event).

How do we worship the devil?  Does the devil come to us and claim that if we worship him, he will give us all that we want?  Well, it might not happen in this clearly declarative way in people's experience (that would be quite frightening to witness), but temptations come nonetheless, and in ways that we can all relate to through the examples here.  If we pay close attention to our prayer lives, we might find that we are prompted in deep prayer to a kind of humility that doesn't make sense in terms of "the world's" logic.  In the world, we are constantly tempted -- particularly on the internet -- to conform and aspire to all kinds of images and acquisition of things that will impress others, declare us to be "good" or "superior" in some sense, perhaps even "great" in terms of achievement or the things we have.  There are numerous studies regarding, for example, internet use and young people in terms of the depression caused not through isolation alone, but through the endless feed of impossible images to acquire for oneself.  This is particularly true when it comes to body image for young women.  These are all forms of temptation that ask us to turn away from the heart -- and concerns about the state of our hearts -- to outward acquisitions that will favorably impress others or give us a sense of being acceptable on purely worldly terms.  Great skill, hard work, beauty in whatever form (such as dance, art, music), are all wonderful things to enjoy.  But at the expense of devotion to God, to what is truly good for us, even to the place of our communion with God where we'll find true identity (and not something patched together from what the world is offering today), none of these things are worthwhile in the sense that they take us off the path of our own righteousness and love of God.  The communion with God of the heart is the place where from which Christ speaks for all of us when He expresses His loyalty to the Father.  It is in this place where we find the One who loves us and knows us better than we know ourselves, and who can teach us who we are and what we need to pursue in life and even in the world.  This is the place where we learn both love of God and proper love of neighbor.  The themes we have encountered so far in our readings in St. Matthew's Gospel which have begun this week all center on what constitutes righteousness.  Jesus exemplifies the love and loyalty to God -- lived faithfulness -- that define what it means to be truly righteous.  When we have the humility necessary to understand that we need this guidance, then we can find Christ who has lived and experienced this world for us first, to show us His light so that we can walk in it through a world filled with temptations to  false and misleading ways in life.  They may look good, but don't deliver.  Above all, we will find the love that anchors it all in a deep sense of being truly cared for.  Let us trust in Him and His way for us.  Let us note how all the things offered to Christ are things that would make Him "great" on worldly terms.  But His loyalty to the Father comes first, and the greatness of Christ is what will be accomplished through humility, loyalty, and love.

 

 

 

Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

 

The Baptism of Christ (Theophany), 15th century, Kythera.  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece (photo by the author)

 

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.

 

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 

- Matthew 3:13–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

  Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  My study Bible notes here for us that Jesus does not need purification.  By making the purification of humanity His own, Jesus would wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  So, in this light, Christ's baptism was necessary for the fulfillment of God's righteous plan of salvation.   It quotes from St. Gregory of Nyssa, "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  My study Bible reminds us that the Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation (Genesis 1:2).  Now, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove  to anoint the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  Jesus does not become the Son of God on this day; He is revealed to all as the Son of God on this day.  The Holy Spirit has always rested on Him.  In the Orthodox Churches, the feast day of Epiphany (meaning manifestation or revelation in Greek) or Theophany (a manifestation or "showing" of God), is celebrated on January 6th.  It commemorates this day, and points to the age to come.  In the earliest days of Christianity, the Church celebrated both Nativity (Christmas) and Christ's Baptism together on this day; in the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, that tradition continues today.

 

  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  This is a quotation from Psalm 2:7, "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  My study Bible asks us to note how the Baptism of Jesus reveals the great mystery of the Trinity -- the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, the Incarnate Son is baptized.  

In the Baptism of Jesus, as my study Bible indicates, we can see that Christ takes on all the life of humanity, and, as Son, reveals that He is here to heal the world with holiness and grace.  The quotation from St. Gregory of Nyssa teaches us to understand how to see the Baptism of Jesus.  Although He does not need this baptism, for He has no sin, He is here in the world in order to restore humanity to God, and takes on everything that we are -- even all the creation in this natural body of water, the river Jordan -- and undergoes the transformation He will ask all of us to undergo.  To be "buried" in the water is symbolic of death, and we know that He is destined for death and Resurrection also, so that we may follow.  As He is covered in this water, He sanctifies and makes holy the waters of the world for Holy Baptism for all the rest of us.  So Jesus' public ministry, His first public act, begins here, with this revelation of the Trinity and His identity as Son, His participation in all the things that He will ask of us, so that we can follow Him.  Even as the Holy Spirit descends upon Him, revealing His identity as Son, so we also may become "sons of God" through adoption by baptism and chrismation, receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.  All of this is made possible through Christ's ministry, and especially His voluntary death and Resurrection, the final and ultimate forever sacrifice offered to all of us in the Eucharist, so that we may participate in His life and righteousness, and be with Him.  Let us note how righteousness has figured already in these beginning readings of Matthew's Gospel (see the commentary from Monday and Tuesday).  Christ's righteousness is voluntary obedience -- faithfulness -- to God in all things.  In that faithfulness is love and loyalty.  He gives us the light of His life, so that we may follow in that light (John 8:12).  Let us note in the icon above, all the life of the world, in the life in the water, the disciples who observe and will distribute the New Covenant, John the Baptist the final and greatest prophet of the Old Covenant, even the "old man" under the water (Colossians 3:8-11), locks and keys that keep us in bondage, even the ax laid to the trees in judgment.  For Christ came for the life of not only humanity but all of creation (John 6:51).  In His righteousness of faithfulness, He fulfills His mission, so that we may follow and do the same, playing our own role in the redemption and renewal of the world through faithfulness.

 

 

For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones

 

 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

 

- Matthew 3:7–12 

 

Yesterday we read that in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"  Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 

 

  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"  My study Bible explains that Sadducees were members of the high-priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple as well as the internal political affairs of the Jews.  In a sense, therefore, they were a type of aristocratic class.  They denied the resurrection of the dead and they had no messianic hope beyond this life.  The Pharisees, it notes, on the contrary, formed a lay religious movement.  This movement was focused on the study of the Law (or Torah) and strict observance of its regulations.  They believed in the resurrection of the dead and also cherished a messianic hope.  However, they taught that righteousness is achieved on the basis of one's works according to the Law, and my study Bible adds that they believed the Messiah would be simply a glorious man.  John the Baptist's title for them here, brood of vipers, will later be used by Jesus as well (Matthew 12:34; 23:33).  My study Bible explains that this title is a description of their deception and malice, and being under the influence of Satan -- vipers being an image of the character of the demonic.

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance . . . "  My study Bible comments that repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance, a way of life which is consistent with the kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:22-25).  If a fruitful life does not follow, it notes, sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are of little use.  So, therefore, in many Orthodox icons of the Baptism of Christ, there is an ax portrayed chopping a fruitless tree (in the image given by John the Baptist here in verse 10).  

 

 ". . . and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."  This warning is a memorable play on words in Hebrew:  from these stones (Hebrew 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Hebrew banim).  My study Bible adds that God will not admit fruitless children into God's house, but adopts other children from the Gentiles.   This is John's warning to the religious leaders.

"And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  See the commentary at verse 8, above.  Fire here is a reference to divine judgment, my study Bible notes (see Isaiah 33:11, 66:24; Ezekiel 38:22, 39:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).  See also fire in the next verse.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."  My study Bible comments that Christ baptizes in the fire of the Holy Spirit, the power and grace of God which is divinely poured out on all believers at baptism.  Note how fire figures also in the verse above.  Furthermore, my study Bible tells us that in the culture of John the Baptist, a slave would carry the sandals of the king.  Therefore, what John is saying here is that he is lower than a slave of Jesus.  John's inability to carry the sandal of Christ also has another meaning -- carrying someone else's sandal once meant to take someone else's responsibility (Ruth 4:7).  Used here, it tells us that John is declaring he could not have carried the responsibility that Christ does -- and that the Law could not redeem the world as Christ has come to do.  John the Baptist himself is a figure of the Law, in that he is considered to be the last and greatest prophet of the Old Testament.

 

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  A winnowing fan was used to separate the threshed wheat from the chaff, the nourishing grain from the inedible parts of the plant.  This is a metaphor for divine judgment, which will separate good from evil.

Fire figures largely and in seemingly different ways in today's reading.  Let us first note that fire is an image of energy.  If we turn to the story of the Burning Bush in Exodus 3 we see a bush consumed with fire.  But the bush, as Moses observes, is not consumed; it is burning but the fire does not actually burn the bush.  "And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn ' " (Exodus 3:2, 3).   Out of this burning bush that does not actually burn in the fire comes the voice of the Lord to Moses.  The fire energy renders the place holy, as the "angel of the Lord" tells Moses, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5).  The Lord gives Moses instructions, and tells Moses the Name of the Lord:  "I AM WHO I AM." And the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:14).  So this energy of fire, of the "angel of the Lord" and the voice of the Lord guiding Moses, is an energy that consecrates, out of which God speaks and encounters God's servant Moses, and although it is burning, it does not consume the bush.  In today's reading, John the Baptist speaks of fire in these senses, and in another:  the fire of judgment.  The fire of judgment is the same fire of the Burning Bush, but that same fire has an effect on soul and spirit:  it is a purifying fire.  It burns that which cannot stand in its energy, and sustains that which can receive it and find compatibility with it.  In a similar passage to today's reading, Luke 3:16-17, my study Bible comments about Christ's baptism as John the Baptist prophesies here, that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4, in which we note the tongues of fire that appeared on the apostles).  It is moreover a declaration of the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn.  But we must note that this fire is one -- it is the same power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  John the Baptist preaches repentance for the people -- and the religious leaders -- to prepare for a new age ushered in by the Messiah, the Christ who is coming, bringing the kingdom of heaven which is at hand (see yesterday's reading, above).  This new age is brought to us with Christ's Incarnation, and John the Baptist prepares the people for His public ministry, ushering in what are truly the "end times" which will culminate in the judgment at the end of the age.  Let us for now be assured that it is the same fire of love, of the mercies of God, that judges, burning that which cannot stand in it, vivifying and renewing all of creation to be brought into the Kingdom.  May we cherish this gift for faithfulness that leads us on the path to such a joyful reconciliation, through a world that so remarkably needs it.   John tells the religious leaders of his time, "For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."  The power of God is life absolute.  Let us ask for the power of God to raise us up as children to Abraham, to teach us to live that same faithfulness of Abraham, the living stones about whom St. Peter will so effectively preach (1 Peter 2:4-5).

 

 

Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight

 

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make His paths straight.'"

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 

 

- Matthew (1:1-17) 3:1–6 

 

 In today's lectionary reading we are given Matthew 1:1-17 as a parenthetical beginning.  Matthew begins his Gospel by giving us the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the history and lineage of His birth.  Let us consider some significant factors and meanings to the genealogy given here in Matthew.  Jesus means "O Lord, save," which refers to His role as Savior.  Christ means "Anointed One," giving us the Messiah, the One who is filled with the Holy Spirit (see John 1:33).  My study Bible reminds us that although the Son alone became a human being, God the Father and the Holy Spirit work in Jesus Christ to save us.  Matthew's genealogy begins by referring to Jesus as the son of David, the son of Abraham -- David being the greatest king of Israel and prototype of the royal Messiah, and Abraham the father not just of all Jews, but of the "people of God," whose faithfulness was accounted as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).  My study Bible comments that Matthew's genealogy reveals that the Son of God so identifies with the human condition that He takes it all on Himself and become part of it.  It notes for us that Christ's ancestry includes both righteous and wicked people, faithful kings and murderers, Jews and Gentiles, kings and peasants.  

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  My study Bible comments that the wilderness of Judea is the barren region descending from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  The preparation for the Savior's ministry begins with John the Baptist's call to repent.  Repentance, which accompanies faith, is a total about-face.  The word in Greek means literally "change of mind," or more generally, to turn around.  My study Bible characterizes repentance as a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  It is the needed first step in the way of the LORD.  Moreover, my study Bible adds, it is accompanied by the confession of sins and the act of baptism (see the final verse in today's reading), and followed by a life filled with fruits which are worthy of this change (see verse 8, part of tomorrow's reading).  The Gospel quotes from Isaiah 40:3, which appears in this "beginning" of the story of Christ's ministry in all four Gospels (see also Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4; John 1:23).  

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  My study Bible explains that John's ascetic life conformed to that of the Jewish sects such as the Essenes, who lived in the wilderness and whose purpose was to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God.  John's clothing was typical of a prophet, and most clearly resembled that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  The monastic movement in the early Church, my study Bible adds, was patterned after John manner of life. 

 

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.   My study Bible says that the confession of sins is essential to baptism under both the Old Covenant and the New.  But John's baptism was a sign only of repentance and the forgiveness of sins.  It did not confer the power of total regeneration nor adoption as a child of God as does Christian baptism (see verse 11).  

As noted above, Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ begins by noting Christ as a son of David.  This is another title for the Messiah ("Son of David").  In fact, in several places in Matthew's Gospel, people use this title in addressing Jesus; see Matthew 9:27, 15:22, 20:30.  But perhaps for today it's important to place a focus on the true beginning of the genealogy, which starts with Abraham, the father of all Jews, the first patriarch.  As we commented already, Genesis 15:6 tells us of Abraham, "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."  This is highly important, because as patriarch of all Jews (and even of faithful people to come out of the Gentiles), Abraham is not accounted as righteous by God because he followed and kept the Law or Torah perfectly.  This is long before the Torah existed, and before Moses was born.  Abraham is the father of all the faithful because of his own faithfulness.  He responded to God's call to him by being faithful in what God asked him to do.  It is as profoundly simple as that.  David also is the epitome of a faithful king.  If we look at both of these men, however, we do not see perfect men.  We see people who have failed on occasion, and who have sinned.  All of this is important because these ancestors of Christ have nonetheless lived their faith, they have exercised what many would call "faithfulness" by living that faith, and thus righteousness is reckoned to them -- as it can and must also be reckoned to us.  In John's chapter 6, after being fed by Jesus in the wilderness, the people seek to make Him their king, and they pursue Him.  But He turns to them and tells them that they're simply after Him because He gave them food.  He teaches them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  They then ask Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answers, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  In Greek, that word for "believe" does not simply convey an intellectual idea we agree with.  It is, at its root, a word meaning trust.  This trust is what faithfulness is all about -- a loyalty to God, a deeply willingness to please and obey the things of God.  This is what true faith and faithfulness and trust is all about.  Jesus asks the people to put their trust in Him, and to live that trust.  As my study Bible's comments allude in speaking of the baptism of John the Baptist, John comes into this beginning of Christ's ministry in the world to prepare the people for the Messiah, and John teaches them repentance, giving them a baptism of repentance.  This is to turn and to face the Lord and receive Him.  But Jesus will give us Holy Baptism, so that we may receive the Holy Spirit, the Helper or Counselor, the great gift to us of help for our own faithfulness, so that we might be righteous in the same way as the patriarch Abraham, and by adoption become "sons of God."  Faithfulness remains the thread that carries us through all the Bible, and to Christ, making us a part of His family tree by adoption.  St. Paul uses the analogy of an olive tree in Romans 11, to speak to those believing Gentiles who've been "grafted on" to a cultivated tree from a wild one -- meaning they who once did not live in obedience and faithfulness to God now may pursue and live such faithfulness.  Let us consider the faithfulness that runs all through this tree, how we become "children of God," and a part of the people of God.  Let us remember that it is lived faithfulness and trust in Christ that constitutes righteousness in the sight of God, as we go through Matthew's Gospel.  St. John the Baptist does his part in this great economy of salvation; he is faithful to the part God gives him to play.  May we all choose to do likewise.

And these signs will follow those who believe

 

"The Ascension of our Lord" by John La Farge, 1888 [mural painting]. The Church of the Ascension in the City of New York.  (Note the reddish tint in Christ's robes.)

 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into the all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

 

- Mark 16:9–20 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  Once again, we observe that this news that Christ is risen is so far beyond the context of what the disciples know and expect that they did not believe Mary Magdalene.  This is despite the fact of Christ's repeated predictions that He would rise after three days.   Of today's entire reading, my study Bible reports that there are two early manuscripts which do not contain this section of Mark's Gospel (Mark 15:9-20).  But nearly all other manuscripts ever discovered have all of these verses.  They are canonized Scripture, and they are considered by the Church to be inspired, authoritative, and genuine.  

 

 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  That Christ appeared in another form teaches us about the resurrection.  My study Bible comments that our Lord's resurrected body transcends not only physical space and time, but also appearance.  It notes that He was sometimes recognizable to His disciples, while at other times He was not.    This seems to be a possible reference to the story told in the Gospel of Luke of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  Note again that the rest did not believe them either.  

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into the all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned."  This is known as the Great Commission.  It is our Lord's final commandment given on earth.  My study Bible comments that it is to be lived out in the Church until Christ's return.  To make disciples, it says, cannot be done in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  The power of the Resurrection is not only for Christ Himself, but it is given to all believers for Christian life and mission. 

"And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  New tongues is a reference to the ability to speak in languages that one has not learned in order to edify others in worship (1 Corinthians 14), as well as to preach the gospel (Acts 2:1-11).   To take up serpents, my study Bible says, is a reference primarily to spiritual battle against demons (Luke 10:19).  So, therefore, Christ is promising to deliver believers from the powers of sin.  This would also include certain physical protection.  For example, St. Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-6), and according to tradition, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) was forced by unbelievers to drink poison and survived.  Nonetheless, my study Bible adds, while God's grace can protect believers from both physical and spiritual harm, to test God by deliberately committing harmful acts against oneself is a grave sin (Deuteronomy 6:16; Matthew 4:7).  

So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.    The Ascension of Christ is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  My study Bible comments that this event fulfills the type given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11) and marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation.  At the Incarnation, it notes, Christ brought His divine nature to human nature.  Then, in the mystery of the Ascension, Christ brings human nature to the divine Kingdom.  He reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, which reveals His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the entire angelic realm.  At Vespers of Ascension, an Orthodox hymn declares, "The angels were amazed seeing a Man so exalted."   In some icons of the Ascension, Christ's white robes have a red tint to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and the ascent of that life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 24:7-10).  

Jesus speaks of these signs among believers:  "In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  If we take a close look at these things, they are fundamental outcomes of the coming of the Holy Spirit.  In John's Gospel, in Christ's Farewell Discourse (His final teaching to the disciples, John 14 - 17), Jesus says the following about the coming of the Holy Spirit, whom He calls the Helper here:   "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.  And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."  If we look carefully, we see Jesus explicitly speaking about issues of truth and of judgment.  To cast out demons is part of this work, to speak with new tongues in order to edify and to teach and to spread the spiritual truth of the gospel, is to participate in this work.  To take up serpents is, as my study Bible says, an image of protection against the demonic;  and that would include the powers of sin and of evil.  To drink poisons is related to the demonic and the image of a serpent or venomous snake:  certainly this can also apply to lies, false doctrines, heresies, all kinds of things counter to the truth of the gospel and in opposition to the things that are truly good for human beings to take in.  What is poisonous or venomous is that which destroys life, leading to death -- and the powers of death are associated with evil and with all that is in opposition to the good, to Christ who is the Prince of life (Acts 3:14).  To lay hands on the sick, and to help them to recover, is to correct the things that ail human beings.  Spiritually it is parallel not simply to bringing the good of the gospel, but to correcting the things that do harm, the poisons, the errors and the lies, misleading half-truths, all the ways in which the life of the world is diminished and harmed, and death comes into the life of the world.  Let us note that Jesus does not use the word "poison" or "venom" here, but the word deadly, indicating by what action we understand something is bad for the life of the world.  So, therefore, Christ's Ascension, and His final teaching to the disciples -- and therefore to all of us -- is all about the effects of the Holy Spirit, and the work and action of the Holy Spirit, which is to correct, to reprove, to bring judgment, and even to identify what is evil and harmful to life in order to bring protection for the good and the life-giving.  Let us consider the powerful truths here which are given to us as signs that must accompany faith and all that must happen in the work of faith in His name. 

 

 

Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!

"White Angel" with Holy Myrrhbearers at Christ's Tomb, c. 1235.  Fresco, Mileseva Monastery, Serbia

 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 

- Mark 16:1-8 

 

Our previously posted reading (from Thursday) described the events of the Las Supper.  In Mark's Gospel, this took place on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb.  On this day, Jesus' disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born." And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

 

  Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  My study Bible comments that, because Christ died so close in time to the Sabbath, the burial customs of the Jews could not be completed.  So, these faithful women (who had followed and supported His ministry even from Galilee; see Luke 8:1-3) went as early as possible to complete the rites of burial.  Another note tells us that in patristic literature, some teach that Mary the mother of James was the wife of Alphaeus, and this James was one of the Twelve (Luke 6:15).  But the majority hold that this Mary is the Virgin Mary, as she was the stepmother of another James, who is called "the Lord's brother" in Matthew 13:55; compare with Mark 15:40, 47.  Also, my study Bible says that many teach that Salome was the wife of Zebedee, the mother of James and John.  

And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  My study Bible comments that the stone had been rolled away not to make way for the Lord's exit from the tomb, for in His resurrected body, He needed no such accommodation (John 20:19).   Instead, this stone was rolled away to allow the witnesses -- and us -- to look in and see that the tomb was empty.  

And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  The specific mention of Peter, my study Bible says, reveals a special care for the one who had denied Christ.   My study Bible quotes Theophylact, who comments that Peter would have said of himself, "I denied the Lord, and therefore am no longer His disciple.  The angel's command is a promise that Peter is forgiven.  

So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.  My study Bible explains that they said nothing to anyone doesn't mean these women never said anything, but rather that they kept silent until Jesus appeared to them (verses 9-11, which follow today's reading).

Here is a wonderful paradox to contemplate:  the greatest news ever given to humankind is given to these women who come to the tomb:  "He is risen!"  And there is even more powerful news for these women who have followed and supported Christ's ministry, only to see Him crucified:  "He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."   But how do we see these women responding?  Do they leap and rejoice at this greatest of good news?  No, they respond with fear.  In fact, they are so afraid that they say absolutely nothing to anyone.  They trembled and were amazed, and they were afraid.  The Gospels truly reveal to us much more about human nature than we're usually prepared to accept.  In this time of myriad upon myriad of stories available through all forms of media at all times present to us, we still might find this response entirely paradoxical and unpredictable.  The stories we tell one another do not necessarily reflect the reality of human nature -- and the human-divine encounter -- that we're shown in the Gospels.  We would do well to pay attention to this, for it helps us to understand ourselves and our limitations, and additionally the struggle for faith as a lifelong journey.  In the Old Testament, there are a series of what we could call "landmark" encounters with God of one form or another.  There is the stunning story of Moses at the Burning Bush, and in that fire of God's energy, there is God's voice, and God even naming God's name, "I AM" (Exodus 3:14).   As this article points out, for the earliest centuries of Christianity (and for Eastern Christianity in general), these encounters with God are encounters with Christ the Lord, the One who became Incarnate for us, who was given a form that human beings could see, the Logos.  But in this story of the Resurrection, the encounter of these women with the angel gives us a dimension of an encounter with God that we perhaps have either forgotten, or watered down, or discounted for various reasons in the modern world.  That would be related to a healthy "fear" of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7), and the meaning of the word "awe" as in "awesome" (Merriam-Webster definition).  Of course this great good news is entirely unexpected, but also perhaps unfathomable -- even though Jesus prophesied His rising after three days many times.  But an encounter with the risen Lord, as many descriptions in the Gospels emphasize, is one of real "otherness," for want of a better word.  It is something so far outside of our experience and expectations that a natural response is fear, because there is what we might call a boundary-less unknown made present to us.  We cannot define the "ends" of God; we don't know where God ends and begins, and we can't circumscribe or classify all aspects of this real aspect of God.  This is why, so often, Eastern theology in particular will describe God more in negative terms (what we know God is not) than positive ones (what God is).  (This is called Apophatic as opposed to Cataphatic theology).  In other words, we can speak more authoritatively as to what God is not, than to what God is.  The message of the angel is so disconcerting because these women have no idea what to expect of this God -- the Lord who has risen and will meet them in Galilee.  And as we ponder the meanings of Easter and Resurrection, we should consider for ourselves how much there is to this risen Lord that we know nothing about -- for God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, is beyond our capacity to fully know, describe, or define.  And yet everything we know of Christ the Lord has been an act of love for us, to encounter us, to even become one of us.  And after the Resurrection, we also have Christ in the Eucharist, even to the point of becoming a part of us on levels we can't determine.  It would take evolution and blossoming of the Church to know what expression all of this would take in the world, the expansion of the communion of saints, the uncountable things that have their root in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and in the Resurrection -- and all of that is unfolding still.  But for these women, who knew Him so well, who had followed Him and supported His ministry even from Galilee, the angel's words open up an encounter too far outside of experience to be anything but stunning, frightening, to the point of making them tremble and stay silent.  We might be better off to understand that in some ways this is the proper response to God, because it takes into account the vastness and unlimited quality of God, which we forget about all too often.  The shocking nature of the angel's words reminds us that God remains unpredictable and surprising, the ultimate "wild" thing we can't control nor fully define.  And yet, we are to worship with awe, and be grateful for the gifts we've been given, and all that may yet come.

Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God

 

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  

 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

 

- Mark 14:12–25 

 

Yesterday we read that while Jesus was in the temple, following a confrontation with the religious leaders regarding His authority, He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "  

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  My study Bible notes that while the synoptic Gospels (such as here in St. Mark's Gospel) date the Crucifixion on the first day of Passover, John dates it on the Preparation Day, the day before Passover.  So, in the synoptic tradition, the Last Supper covered in today's reading is the Passover meal.  In John's Gospel, however, Jesus, as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), dies at the same time the Passover lamb(s) were being slain in the temple.  My study Bible says it's not possible to know which one is historically accurate, but both traditions are accurate theologically; the Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (synoptic tradition), and Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being killed (John's tradition).

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.   My study Bible explains that these two disciples are Peter and John (see Luke 22:8).  

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."   My study Bible notes that Christ emphasizes both that His betrayer is one of the twelve, and also that he is one who dips with Me in the dish, not so much in order to identify the person.  Rather, this emphasizes the level of betrayal; His betrayer is one of His closest friends (see Psalm 55:13-15).  

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."   My study Bible comments that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal takes away neither Judas' moral freedom nor his accountability.  It says that for God, all things are a present reality; God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them. 

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."    To give thanks has as its root the Greek word eucharist.  My study Bible says that this immediately came to refer to both the Liturgy and the sacrament of Holy Communion.  Before the end of the first century, an early manuscript called the Didache ("Teaching") makes reference to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  My study Bible adds that in AD 150, St. Justin said of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  Jesus says, "This is My body."  In the Orthodox Church it has always been accepted that Christ's words are true, (quoting St. Justin) "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus." 

 

Today's lectionary reading skips ahead in St. Mark's Gospel from the the one we read in yesterday's reading, from chapter 12 to chapter 14.  But it is, nevertheless, remarkable and interesting that we go from a focus on the parable of the vinedressers (who failed to deliver the harvest of vintage to the vineyard owner) to Jesus' statement in today's reading that He will "no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  In light of the discussion of the parable in yesterday's reading and commentary, we might yet again consider what "the fruit of the vine" means here.  Is Jesus talking about literal wine, or the fruit of the vine in the Kingdom?  Or is this yet another reference to the spiritual fruits which go to make possible the time of the New Jerusalem, the cosmic wedding feast of Bride and Bridegroom, of God and God's people?  These sort of "coincidental" occurrences and overlaps within Scripture (such as today's reading echoing an element of yesterday's from a different chapter) invite us to think more deeply about the language and concepts give to us by Christ, and to seek to understand what He has given us -- even the questions He invites us to ask.  It's also quite startling to look at the details invoked in today's reading.  When the disciples Peter and John ask about preparing the Passover, Jesus replies with very detailed instructions:  "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" ' Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."   Not only is this remarkable in terms of wondering how Christ not only knew but had planned all of the detailed instructions, but how it is related to the note in my study Bible regarding Judas' accountability for his choice.  To remind, let us repeat the contents of that note in my study Bible:  that divine foreknowledge of the betrayal does not take away Judas' moral freedom or his accountability.  This is explained by saying that for God, all things are a present reality; that in fact, God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.  Both Christ's minutely detailed instructions regarding preparations for the Passover (including what words to say, that the man will be carrying a pitcher of water, that they will be shown a large upper room), and His apparently detailed understanding of where Judas has been and what he has already done (in Mark 14:10-11, the verses just prior to today's reading) fall into this pattern.  The Gospel once again shows us that Christ is divine by revealing these details of His knowledge, even as we're given to understand that God's foreknowledge of all things as present reality does not take away responsibility from Judas.  It reminds us that every detail of our lives, of our days, our choices, our actions, even our words are known to God and are included in Christ's knowledge of us (see, for example, Matthew 10:30; 12:36).  In the context of today's reading, it is clear that Christ knows precisely where He is going (to His Passion) and how that is going to unfold.  As we journey this week toward Christ's Passion, death, and Resurrection, let us remember this knowledge about our Lord and Savior, even as we prepare to participate in it and live it with Him in our worship services, and especially through the Eucharist.  In keeping with the subject of yesterday's commentary, let us, moreover, with Him, look forward to the day of the new wine in the kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem -- for we also participate in that, especially in the spiritual fruits we produce through faith.