Monday, March 18, 2024

If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all

 
Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."
 
- Mark 9:30–41 
 
Yesterday we read that, returning from the mountain of the Transfiguration, when He came to the disciples, Jesus saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  
 
 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  This is the second time Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection (see the first time here).  My study Bible says that He does so in order to show that He is going to His Passion freely, and that He will not be taken against His will.  Note that it is still not the time for this to happen, as Jesus seeks to avoid open conflict -- He did not want anyone to know He was passing through Galilee.
 
 Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."   This question of who would be the greatest likely arises because the disciples have misunderstood about Jesus rising on the third day.  Perhaps they consider that Jesus will then come into a worldly kingdom, and so they dispute among themselves about who would have the greatest place in such a kingdom.  My study Bible comments that the nature of this dispute indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Rather than emphasizing the ideal of greatness in a world dominated by Caesar and powerful kings, Jesus teaches them that even when receiving a little child in His name means receiving Him -- and moreover, to receive Christ means instead to receive God the Father who sent Him. 
 
 Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  My study Bible cites the commentary of both Theophylact and St. Ambrose of Milan on this passage, for us to consider.  Theophylact sees regret in John's comment, and his conscience pricked by what Christ has just said about being the last of all and servant of all.  But St. Ambrose comments, in contrast, that John expects full obedience to accompany such blessings.  But, my study Bible says, in either understanding, Christ's response shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact writes, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those who use Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16
 
Once again, it's something remarkable to observe Jesus' careful attempts to conceal His presence, His efforts not to draw attention to Himself.  Here He is back in His home territory of the region of Galilee, and on His way to what some consider His ministry headquarters, the city of Capernaum.  But He did not want anyone to know it.  As we have previously observed, there are times when Jesus wants to withdraw from all forms of conflict, from the scrutiny of the religious leaders. No doubt they would be expecting Him in Galilee, and would have heard of the healing and exorcism He effected, after His disciples could not do so and were disputing with some scribes about it (in Saturday's reading, above).  It shows us how aware He is of the ambitions of the religious leadership to rid themselves of His presence, which they now consider a threat to their authority.  So, on His way back to Capernaum and Peter's home which served as a ministry headquarters, He does not want anyone to be aware of His presence.  For the second time, He also warns the disciples about His Passion to come.  But they misunderstand what is going to happen, notably likely about what it means that He will rise the third day.  While Jesus takes great care to reveal to the disciples what is coming, we observe that He does not rush to His fate, and neither does He seek to make it happen.  Quite the opposite is going on here, in fact.  Everything depends upon the Father's time, and that is the proper time.  He is by no means anxious to spark an open confrontation and manipulate circumstances to force the hand of the authorities.  He is not in a rush to "force" His hour of glory (John 12:16).  And in keeping with this humility and obedience of Jesus, He teaches these men so eager for "greatness" what it is to be truly great, and that their own mission depends upon their capacity for humility and service.  Jesus is teaching them to, in fact, reject common notions of greatness in order to be truly great in His kingdom, and to serve His Church as they must do.  While, thanks no doubt to the influence of Christ's teachings, we have historical cultural values that uplift gracious behavior and humility as the foundation of public good manners, Christ's call to us still asks us to defy common notions of greatness.  We elevate celebrity to high achievement, and in an age of social media, personal publicity is a common pattern with which we might be all too familiar.  Children are measuring themselves by what they see as achievement in social media, none of which may be true or reasonable in the least.  Humility is not seeking publicity for good works or even charitable donations, although that may come of its own merit.  Being kind and compassionate is not simply useful for social value.   Even the Caesars uplifted their public works and called themselves benefactors, as Jesus taught (Luke 22:25).  While it seems not at all obvious to these men what greatness they will find in service and humility, they will in fact build the Church through such virtues, and the central empowerment to such efforts is faith.  Their personal sacrifices in building the Church will result, for example, in the creation of public hospitals.  The first dedicated public hospital in the world was built by St. Basil the Great in the 4th century (369 AD), after Christianity ceased to be persecuted and was established as a dominant religion.  Within a short period, not only were hospitals to become ubiquitous in the Byzantine Empire, but even the science and ethics of medicine would expand as a result.  In our modern perspective of popular media and culture, we are offered so much in the way of both spectacle and also consumer goods that it is hard to imagine the beauty of humility and service in giving through faith in Christ as a way of life.  But nonetheless, we are still asked to build our own integrity upon the values Jesus teaches in today's reading.  Especially in a world with greater than ever material power at its command, it's essential that we understand how we can build better lives and better communities through the intangibles of Christ's values, and especially through this simple practice of coming to see ourselves receiving not only Christ, but God the Father, in those "little ones" in our communities, perhaps particularly in our churches.  Let us consider the greatness that Christ desires, and what might be shaped, especially in a world such as ours today, by His image for us.  His teaching of greatness may seem paradoxical, but it is a paradox that has elevated goodness in the world, and it constitutes the rock upon which we may build our lives, our hopes, and our faith.  




 
 
 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

 
 And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." 
 
- Mark 9:14–29 
 
Yesterday we read that after six days (following Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, and Jesus' own prophecy of His Passion) Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
 
  And when He came to the disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Here Jesus has returned (with Peter, James, and John) from the Mount of Transfiguration.  Coming to the rest of the disciples, He finds a dispute happening, with a great multitude around them, and also scribes in some sort of confrontation, disputing with the disciples.  Jesus surprises the crowd by returning, and they run to Him to greet Him.  We note how Jesus turns to the scribes to ask what they're discussing, intervening for His disciples.   
 
Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."  The father responds to Jesus' question that was directed to the scribes, and describes seizures which his son has, and also that the son is mute.  This shows that the father is eager for help.  But Christ responds by directing all attention to the lack of faith involved in this failed healing.  My study Bible comments that while the disciples also lacked faith (which we read a little further on), Christ rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples, while it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  So, effectively, Jesus is defending His disciples in front of the crowds, but later He will address their own lack of faith in private.  Moreover, we might consider that this exclamation of impatience with a faithless generation may be directed at all the crowd, including the scribes.  As we have sin, even a community's faith or lack of it has an effect upon healings and other signs Christ performs.  Christ's command to "bring him to Me" indicates that Jesus has not returned to the crowd but remained further away, where some have run to greet Him.

Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."   We see the response of the spirit that is harming the boy, once he is brought close to Christ.  It's interesting that Jesus interrogates the man to find out how long the boy has been afflicted; the answer of the father gives us to understand the cruelty of evil, that it seeks to destroy him.  His cry for compassion and his deep need for help shows his love and desire to help his son, even identifying with his son ("help us").  He seems to express that Christ is his only hope.
 
 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  The father shows with tears his desperate desire to help his son, and his feeling of helplessness. But now he also expresses his understanding of Christ's direction to him -- and that he knows he needs help with his little faith.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  The text affirms to us that Jesus has kept the father and child away from this unbelieving crowd in order to heal him.  It also shows again the cruelty of the demons.

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."  Jesus teaches the disciples another important lesson about faith, and the efforts we make to shore it up.  My study Bible says that this kind refers to all powers of darkness, and not just those which cause a particular illness.  The banishment of demons, it says, requires faith, prayer, and fasting, as there is no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache, it's been taught that both the person in need of healing and the person who performs the healing must believe, pray, and fast. 

If we look at today's reading in stages, we see an interesting evolution in terms of the approach to the ailment of this boy whose father seeks his healing.  Jesus has just returned from the Transfiguration, together with Peter, James, and John.  So it is the other nine disciples who are found in a dispute with some scribes, with an onlooking crowd surrounding them.  Perhaps we first have to consider that Jesus lived in a time period where there were events of spectacle, but they were held in open theaters and stadiums as part of pagan religious festivals.  This was true of the ancient plays and events such as the ancient Olympic games, as well as the Roman spectacles such as chariot races and gladiatorial bouts.  But at this time, there is no common entertainment such as television or the internet or the radio.  So, we might presume, that each time there are any public disputes mentioned in the Gospels, they become an event which people gladly watch.  This is true of Christ's disputes in the temple with the religious leaders during Holy Week, as it is also true of this particular healing and others.  In this case, however, we can consider that the crowd is either unbelieving (as Christ has begun to acknowledge in His ministry in various places) or cynical or perhaps just watching for spectacle.  The scribes, of course, are eager to see Christ's ministry fail at this point, as Jesus has already become a rival to the religious establishment in their sight.  In the middle of the crowd is this exasperated father who seeks a cure for his son.  He seems to feel entirely helpless to the demonic power that afflicts the boy.  Whether we wish to attribute this disease to pure physical ailment or not (modern people might identify this illness as epilepsy), there remains a sense in which it is an evil affliction, and we can't mistake the torment and destructive power of what the boy is put through.  The word in Greek for evil is one with the word for "pain" at its root; this can also mean a kind of suffering under laborious hardship.  In any case, we can see the symptoms in this suffering child and father.  One sense we get of the father is his feeling of helplessness, and also desperation.  How many parents of suffering children go through such turmoil?  People desperate for help to save a loved one can experience the same things this father expresses for us of humanity suffering for their loved ones in the same way.  He turns to Christ as One who might help, as he has already brought the child to Christ's disciples.  But Jesus reframes the problem here from one of simply finding help to one of encountering and engaging the difficulties of faith -- and this becomes an important question for us when we find ourselves under the similar circumstances of seeking help and care for loved ones, or even for ourselves.  For faith always plays a role, even under modern circumstances with scientific medical advances, therapies, and new discoveries happening every day.  For faith plays a great role in our persistence and especially with regard to our hopes and how we perceive circumstances and even opportunities for new outcomes.  In this case, of course, Christ can effect a healing, and this particular healing is framed in terms of spiritual battle.  As my study Bible puts it, when Jesus tells the disciples that "this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting," it refers to all powers of darkness.  So we must once again think about the historical practices of Lent in the Church in this context.  What struggle are you engaged in?  Is there a form of evil -- something punishing and cruel, overly laborious, extremely painful -- with which you are wrestling?  Do you need help for a loved one and don't know where to find it?  Faith comes in for all of these circumstances, because in faith there is hope and a needed light cast on our circumstances.  All problems will not be resolved as we would choose ourselves, and all outcomes are not guaranteed.  Death is a fact for our world.  But faith opens doors of many needful things; in it is hope, and in it is love.  In the kindness held in our faith is the acceptance of compassion and grace, and the light of Christ that opens our eyes to things not previously known or considered.  The struggle for faith, in this perspective, becomes the central struggle for the world.  In today's reading, we see that even for the disciples, this is the key to the path they are on.  To engage in the prayer and fasting Jesus teaches here is to seek new ways of seeing a situation, new strength, the courage to face the challenges that come our way and to seek new answers we hadn't anticipated.  Like the Syro-Phoenician woman, prayers once helped me repeatedly approach a doctor who finally saved my mother a great deal of discomfort when no one else would.  Continual prayer gave me strength to face circumstances in which my resources were gone.   And such efforts help others as well, not only ourselves.  We should always remember that Christ's teachings do not simply enforce for us the supreme value of faith and the need which we have for faith, but also that He may help increase our faith when we need it.  Like the father in today's reading, we may start with a little faith, but there is also help for our unbelief in the struggle against a world of cynicism that too easily accepts what is evil as the final word.  Christ has assured us that He has overcome the world (John 16:33); He invites us in to join His victorious struggle for faith.


 

Friday, March 15, 2024

This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!

 
 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.  And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."
 
- Mark 9:2–13 
 
Yesterday we read that Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.   The event described in today's reading is known as the Transfiguration.  In Greek, it is Metamorphosis/Μεταμόρφωσις.  It is a change of form revealing an inner reality, and clearly indicates the presence of God.  This is what is called a Theophany, or manifestation of God, and reveals the divinity of Christ.  The light which plays such a powerful role is a display of Christ's uncreated, divine energy (as it is understood in Orthodox theology), and this experience is made present, "shown forth" to the three disciples Jesus takes with Him up on this high mountain.  This light is expressed in Christ's shining clothes, which are exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.  See 1 John 1:5.
 
And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.   Here in the appearance of Elijah and Moses, talking with Jesus, make clear the presence of the kingdom of God, and most especially the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1).  That the disciples can recognize them immediately also gives us to understand the presence of this communion which has no limit of time nor barrier to understanding.  My study Bible says that Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- as Elijah did not himself experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  So, therefore, my study Bible says, their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" -- because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.   Because of all the visible signs of God being extraordinarily present, Peter associates what is happening with the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of the coming Kingdom.  It commemorates the time when Israel wandered toward the promised land and lived in tents, or tabernacles.  So, He suggests to build tabernacles as at the time of the feast, symbolizing God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.  It's quite notable that once again, we view Peter's impulsive nature in that he feels prompted to speak, and that all three disciples were greatly afraid.  But what he says tells us that he is grasping the significance of what is happening.  
 
 And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"   Here is the completion of the Theophany.  It is the manifestation of the Holy Trinity in the Father's voice, the declaration that Christ is the beloved Son, and the radiant cloud overshadowing the mountain and dazzling light surrounding Christ's person reveal the presence of the Spirit. 

Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.  Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead.  So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.  And they asked Him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Then He answered and told them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things.  And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt?  But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him."  When the disciples witnessed and recognized Moses and Elijah talking with the Lord, it prepared them to understand Christ's words here that Elijah has already come.  Because of what they have seen they know this refers to John the Baptist. My study Bible says that their eyes have become opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6) refers to one coming "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), rather than to Elijah himself.

According to Strong's definitions, the Greek verb that describes what happens to Christ in today's reading (metamorphose) is structured as follows:  "from  /metá, 'change after being with' and /morphóō, 'changing form in keeping with inner reality' – properly, transformed after being with; transfigured."  We note the nuance in the explanation "transformed after being with."  This is important because it teaches us what it means for us to truly imitate Christ, and why the Transfiguration has significance for each of us.  Certainly it reveals the realities of Christ and the realities of the Kingdom that are necessary for us to understand and even to experience over time as part of our faith.  But there is a deeper element to the Transfiguration in its meanings for each of the faithful.  For we are also meant to be transformed, or transfigured, into our true nature through time and through the exercise of our faith.  That is, our own faith in Christ is meant to produce a transfiguring growth in us through time and through our lives, in which our own true nature is revealed as a child of God by adoption.  This is also understood as "true self" in the sense of who we are in the image of Christ that is created for us.  "Being with" Christ, praying to Our Father, in the Holy Spirit, we are transformed through faith.  Moreover, in the saints of the Church who have themselves been transfigured in this sense we also see the revelation of who they are in Christ, and this is why they are understood to dwell in holiness as is meant by the word "saint."  To recognize the communion of saints in today's reading is to understand how we, also, can dwell in this Kingdom even in our worldly lives, and be touched by that experience to reveal something truer and deeper within us.  Moreover, we're meant to grapple with the things we find within that stand in the way of that true self and its revelation, to discard the stumbling blocks, false beliefs, and misguided desires we have that would obscure and hinder that process.  This is part of the understanding of the practices of Lent and the traditional emphasis on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  We learn to give of ourselves, to give up things that we're better off without, and to seek the true light that Christ shines for us within and live that life He offers.  Sometimes this is more difficult than one thinks, when friends and acquaintances, or even loved ones, are used to the person who needs to change and find that change unacceptable or difficult.  Sometimes the things we're called to which reflect a deeper understanding of love or grace than we previously had seem odd to people who have different assumptions, or live by more worldly cultural values than the ones we're led to in faith.  Our own lives may even seem somewhat strange to us, when we let go of goals which no longer seem truly worthy of all of the effort we put into them, and seek less tangible goals instead.  The wisdom of valuing things more subtle than previously understood is not always obvious to others, or even those close to us.  The greatest example of all is Christ, whose suffering was in itself transfiguring to the world.  In fact, in Christ the Passion transfigured suffering itself into something having deep meaning and purpose.  The greatest symbol of transfiguration is the Cross, which was the most dreadful punishment of the Roman Empire, but was used to defeat the "prince of this world," and to usher in this period of the end time in which we live and await the judgment.  The coming of the Holy Spirit brings to us all this gift of transfiguration in God's grace, supplying us with inspiration and hope, strength and joy, and the courage necessary to participate in this process and in the life of Christ for the world.  So let us think about transfiguration, and the dynamic power of this light through which we are called to find out who we are as well.  For it is there with the saints in the kingdom, with Christ at the Cross in His true glory, where we may find our own way to participate for the life of the world



Thursday, March 14, 2024

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

 
 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
 
And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
 
- Mark 8:27-9:1 
 
Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighted deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments  did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
 
  Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  This area of Caesarea Philippi, according to some, was a sparsely populated region, named for Caesar by Philip, the son of Herod the Great and brother to Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee (and earlier husband of Herodias, Antipas' wife).  My study Bible comments that the question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question a person can ever face, for it is the question that defines Christianity.  In the Gospels of Saints Matthew and John, Peter answers this question more fully, saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16; John 6:69).  My study Bible says that the correct answer to this question prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path of spirituality, for this answer is one that names Jesus as the one and only Son of the living God.  This is a position that, in effect, excludes all compromise with other religious systems, as it places Christ in a unique position to God.  Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason (Matthew 16:17), but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is equivalent to the Hebrew title "Messiah."  My study Bible further notes that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is done in order to identify these incorrect ideas.  A person is better prepared to avoid false teachings, it notes, when they are clearly identified.
 
 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."   After Peter's confession (on behalf of himself and all of the apostles), Jesus here reveals the true nature of His messiahship.  That is, the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter, and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23). Christ's response comes as Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death.

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  Here my study Bible comments that the cross, which was a dreaded instrument of the worst form of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  We practice self-denial, it says, for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept such suffering is not a punishment, and neither it an end in itself.  It is rather a means whereby the fallen world is overcome for the sake of the Kingdom, as well as to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  Here Christ sets out the central paradox of Christian living.  My study Bible describes it by saying that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).
 
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."   Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  According to my study Bible, this is a question which emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem one's fallen soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  Here we note that the story of the Transfiguration follows in the Gospel (tomorrow's reading), and this, my study Bible says, is the event to which Jesus refers.  There will be those disciples who witness it (Peter, James, and John).  It is also a reference to those in every generation who experience the presence of God's Kingdom.  

In our modern world, we're beset by claims of injustice, and needing to find ways to address its myriad occurrences, from the smallest level of intimate encounter to the greatest of whole populations that suffer unjustly.  Perhaps one of the greatest stumbling blocks and temptations presented by the story of the Cross, and by Jesus' admonition that we, also, must follow and carry our crosses, is the idea of unjust suffering.  If there ever is a story of worldly injustice, it is the story of Jesus on the Cross.  Perhaps this is why, in traditional institutions of justice among us -- especially in countries with large Christian populations -- the importance of naming, addressing, and securing the rights of the accused has been such a central focus in the law.  But what does it say to us of God's justice?  And what does it suggest to us that we are taught to take up our own crosses and to follow Him?  In theology, the question of why there is evil in the world when God is a just God is called a theodicy.  There are various ways in which such a question has been addressed throughout history.  But let us focus on the experience of evil and injustice in the world, and our response to it.  Certainly the repeated examples of Christ's compassion for people and their needs tell us an important story.  And there, too, we are asked to carry our crosses and follow Him, as we seek to imitate Him in His compassion also.  For surely, Christ's innocence and even His great mercy and grace is part of the story of the Cross, and of the injustice done to Him in worldly terms.  Too many people have had their own compassion and mercy abused in the world to think that Christ's suffering on the Cross is isolated to Himself alone.  In fact, what we need to admit to ourselves that it is precisely because of the nature of evil in the world, and the world's experience of it, that the world needs such a Savior; that, in fact, the great issue of justice is resolved only through such a Savior.  For Christ's suffering for us takes a form of transfiguration in meeting our suffering in His divinity.  This could only have happened out of the most profound divine love for us, granting the security to us that no matter what it is that we endure in this world, whatever the injustice or evil, He has been there with us and is now and forever there with us.  The Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah is the One who goes voluntarily to the Cross for us, and the One who is resurrected in new life for us as well.  So therefore, when we participate in His life, when we seek to imitate Him, we are a part of that life also; our suffering may also be transfigured as well.  Jesus says, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  We might try as hard as we can to find justice in this world, but perfect justice will always elude the world.  Violence, force, and various other forms of manipulation or coercion have often been sought as either a retributive or corrective solution, but violence and other forms of power beget their own uncontrollable and unforeseen outcomes, and collateral damage.  We can make systems to seek to protect justice, to emphasize truth, to protect the rights of people and especially the accused, even to define rights in a way such that they are codified and expanded.  But we will never find perfect justice in a worldly sense or through worldly methods.  It is simply too costly, and too subtle, and we still struggle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  For that cosmic struggle to be resolved relies upon more than human desire, and rests within a time frame we don't set, and with a judge who has told us that "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).  As we seek to follow Him, so we may participate in His suffering via our own for the sake of the gospel, but we also may participate in His Resurrection.  When we devote our lives to His way, our suffering has meaning and significance, and we look to the outcome of the life He promises, and it is in the joy of the Lord that we find our strength.  Suffering can have surprising outcomes when we walk with Him through it, with all the weapons and armor and supplies we may find stored up for us and generously distributed to us (Ephesians 6:10-20), and resurrection -- even in this life -- can take surprising forms as well.  But let us consider that when we take up our crosses and follow Him, we also participate in the only form of justice that will have a full outcome, and for all the universe for all time.  Let us consider how we, too, are called to His kingdom, and to the things of God.




Wednesday, March 13, 2024

How is it you do not understand?

 
 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighted deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments  did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
 
- Mark 8:11–26 
 
Yesterday we read that, in those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
 
  Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighted deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."   What is a sign from heaven?  My study Bible explains that such a sign that is sought here would be a spectacular display of power.  It says that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs.  But these hypocrites (Matthew 16:1-3) have not recognized the many signs already being performed by Jesus.  Their hearts were hardened, meaning they have rendered themselves incapable of understanding -- and they ignored the works happening all around them.  Jesus seeks followers capable of faith.  These men only demand to test Him.  Such tests set their own standard, and have nothing to do with the desire to perceive the things of God.

And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments  did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  In Scripture, it says, "leaven" is used both positively (as in the parable at Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as Jesus does here.  In either case, leaven is symbolic of a force which is powerful enough -- and frequently subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see St. Paul's usage at 1 Corinthians 5:6-8). 

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible points out that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21); and so, Jesus takes this blind man out of the town in order to heal him, away from the people who would scoff at the miracle and thus bring greater condemnation upon themselves.  (See also the healing of Jairus' daughter, in which Christ put those who ridiculed outside; He shored up the faith of her parents with His exhortation, "Do not be afraid; only believe" and with the presence of His three closest disciples.)   Moreover, it explains the healing of this blind man in stages as showing that he had only a small amount of faith.  Healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6). But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  In addition, my study Bible states that Christ's command not to return to the town is symbolic of the need not to return to our sins once we have been forgiven. 

Today's reading once again takes us back to the essential issue of faith, and how important it is to our lives.  But we go into some details here, in the few stories offered, and so the reading gives us to examine various issues about faith and what it does, and how we need it.  All of these issues remain pertinent to us today, regardless of when they first occurred, or the ancient context of the Gospel.  Taking the stories in today's Gospel reading in order, we first come to the Pharisees, powerful religious leaders from Jerusalem who seek themselves to regulate the faith.  They come yet again to Jesus, after having engaged in an open confrontation (and challenge from Jesus) which subsequently sent Him temporarily into Gentile territory, where He wished to remain hidden.  This time, they come to Him with their own challenge, which we can see as a sort of line drawn in the sand.  They demand of Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  Let us consider what testing Jesus means.  First of all, this is a test of their own devising.  But Jesus is in the world not to please human beings, nor effectively to offer proofs on others' terms, but to follow the will of God the Father.  In terms of the works of God, it's up to these men, and all the rest of us, to seek to discern that same will -- not to impose tests upon God.  For this reason, and likely many others, Jesus will not offer proofs on demand.  His mission is to seek and find the lost sheep of the house of Israel, who will come to Him by faith.  These men test Him out of envy for their positions.  This is "the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod," which comes in the form of desire for proofs on demand, essentially a way to test power, and a dangerous game of finding fault.  But we can see that even the disciples are in some way affected by this, for they are effectively blinded to it.  They don't understand when Jesus tells them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, this type of gain-saying that sets traps by demanding proofs that cannot be delivered.  If we look around, we can still see today similar sorts of traps set by those whose real desire is to reject God and faith for themselves, proofs that can't come, straw men which in fact prove nothing.  These are forms of heresies asserted, such as claiming that if God is good there would be no evil in the world, or even echoing the taunting of the Pharisees at the Cross, that if Christ were really holy or divine He would not die on the Cross.  These are very human ways to doubt God, whose thoughts are not our thoughts, and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8).  As such, they can become temptations for us, too.  Here, the disciples are so set in thinking a particular very "earthly" way that they cannot understand what Jesus is talking about, and assume that He's upset because they've forgotten to bring bread with them.  Apparently, they've also forgotten that Jesus has, in recent times, fed five thousand people in the wilderness out of a few loaves, and subsequently four thousand on another occasion in the same manner.  Even Jesus seems to be perplexed at their lack of comprehension:  "How is it you do not understand?"  If ever we needed an example of how "proofs" do not work when it comes to questions of lack of faith, this is it.  Nonetheless, such examples of the failure of Jesus' personally chosen disciples to understand are in the Gospels for a reason, and they are instructive to us for our own journeys of faith.  Finally, there is the story of the blind man and his healing.  It's most important that we pay attention to Christ's open efforts to find ways to shore up the man's faith -- first of all, in order to facilitate his healing to begin with, and second of all, in order to retain his faith and his well-being.  My study Bible points out that the man begins with a little bit of faith, but this increased with the touch of Christ.  The emphasis for us has to be on the recognition of the importance of taking steps to shore up our faith, even daily.  For while some would seem to suggest that be "saved" means simply a one-time declaration which we can then take for granted, this isn't the story of faith the Gospels reveal to us.  In fact, we really cannot take things for granted in the sense that, while God always extends love to us, we, however, have to do a little work.  We must "work the works of God" (John 6:29).  We need to work at shoring up our faith,  including perhaps avoiding those who seek to tear it down when necessary, and finding ways for Christ to "touch" us, in worship services, in prayer, through our friends who help to shore up our faith, the communion of saints, good studying materials and literature that helps us, and so many other helpful things, even the beauty of nature or the goodness of a kind gesture.  This remains essential for us to remember, not to take our faith for granted, but to remember how important it is to feed, nurture and protect it.  Moreover, like the blind man and like the disciples, faith is not a one-time declaration, but a journey in which we're meant to grow throughout our lives.  It remains of the greatest significance for us to remember that the joy of the Lord is our strength, as Scripture tells us (Nehemiah 8:10).  Let us feed and nurture that joy, guarding our hearts and protecting the faith that makes us see, doing all we can so that we grow in that light.




Tuesday, March 12, 2024

How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?

 
 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
 
- Mark 8:1–10 
 
Yesterday we read that, having engaged in an open confrontation with the Pharisees and scribes who came to Him from Jerusalem, Jesus arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
 
 In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand.  And He sent them away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.   This is yet a second feeding of a multitude (see the first at this reading), and should not be confused with the first.  They are two distinct miracles.   (Jesus will refer to each in our following reading.)  The differences between the two miracles are significant, especially in the symbolic values of the numbers we're given.  In the first instance, there were five loaves.  Five symbolizes the Law (as in the five books of Moses, or Torah).  Here there are seven loaves and also seven large baskets of leftover fragments for the disciples to carry away.  In the symbolism of Scripture, seven stands for completeness.  Here my study Bible says, it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first feeding, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law; here, He shows it is He who gives spiritual perfection.  We should understand also that in the Greek, "perfect" also comes from the word meaning "end," and so indicates a fullness of something.  Additionally, in today's reading, the crowds have been with Christ for three days.  This is the number of days He will rest in the tomb.  My study Bible comments that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to His death (see Romans 6:3-5).  
 
 There are additional symbolic meanings we can look at in today's reading.  Again, we start with a significant number, the four thousand who had eaten.  Four is a number that signifies the world, and especially an identity vis-a-vis the world.  We see it in the four directions of the compass, and the four arms of the Cross.  In this sense, the perfection of Christ is also continually manifest in His gospel going out to the fullness of the world.  That this number is four thousand symbolizes the vast, even uncountable multitudes that are reached in Him.  His will be one sacrifice for all time, for all the world, continually giving and feeding multitudes upon multitudes.  Moreover, the significance is there in the region this takes place.  For now we are in territory that also has Gentile populations in it, further away from  the religious leadership in Jerusalem.   So the expansion of Christ's word and even the bread of Christ to all the world, including Gentiles, is here in the symbolic meanings of this event.  Additionally, this feeding in the wilderness, even in this area which also has Gentile populations, tells us that the fulfillment of the Lord's feeding of Israel in the wilderness is also made present to all the world in Christ (Exodus 16).  The bread of heaven is fulfilled for all the world, for all time, in Christ. 
 
 
 

Monday, March 11, 2024

He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden

 
 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
 
- Mark 7:24–37 
 
On Saturday we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Jesus, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.  When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."  When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand:  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!"  When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."
 
  From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out, and her daughter lying on the bed.  This same story also occurs is St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 15:21-28), but with a couple of distinct differences, both of which reveal the Jewish orientation of that Gospel.  Matthew records Christ saying, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Additionally, in St. Matthew's account, the Gentile woman uses the Jewish messianic title "Son of David" to address Jesus.  But these differences, and Mark's account affirm something important to understand.  Jesus went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but rather to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees, my study Bible comments.  We first recall that just prior to this (see Saturday's reading, above) Jesus had been engaged in an open confrontation with the Pharisees and some of the scribes, as they had come from Jerusalem and questioned Him about His disciples' practices.  In today's reading, St. Mark's Gospel tells us that Jesus entered a house and wanted no one to know that He was there.  When Jesus says, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs," this sounds extremely harsh to our ears.  First of all, we have to understand this is not a reference not to outside dogs, but to house dogs who are puppies who beg under the table.  We also must take it in context of the statement in Matthew's Gospel that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  But importantly it does, in fact, prompt the showing of her faith in both her persistence and her humility before Christ.  She doesn't respond with an angry argument or insult, but rather with a very smart way to express who she is:  "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  We can see how favorably Christ views her precisely for her response:  "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter." 

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  My study Bible comments here that Christ's sigh is a sign of divine compassion for the sufferings of our fallen human nature.  Let us note that the Decapolis is yet another [mostly] Gentile region, with widespread Greco-Roman cultural influence.  (The name means "ten cities" in Greek.)
 
Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  According to my study Bible, the Lord here show us that we must not seek acclaim or praise when we do good to others.  But, as an interesting contrast, Theophylact upholds those who disobey Christ.  He sees them as a good example under the circumstances, that in fact we should proclaim those who have done good to us, even if they do not want us to.

Today's text tells us that Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon, and we can easily infer it is a response to the conflict with the religious leaders from Jerusalem (see Saturday's reading, above).  But most interestingly, the Gospel tells us that He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  This inability to stay hidden, even against Christ's reported intentions is a surprising and notable message.  We can only guess at what Christ knew in advance, or what becomes revealed through His ministry, either through the will of God the Father, or perhaps the workings of God the Holy Spirit.  We've seen -- perhaps most dramatically -- in the recent reading, how it is Christ's almost visceral compassion that led His ministry into a new, powerful, and essential turning point, in the feeding of the five thousand men (in this reading).  It's instructive to review the Greek language of the text for "moved with compassion."  This verb is a word based on what is today the modern Greek word for spleen.  But it means, essentially, to be moved in the inward parts.  To use an American idiom, we could say it means being moved "in the gut"; that is, in the heart, lungs, kidney, and liver.  According to Strong's definitions, these later came to be understood as the seat of the affections.   This term is also used in Mark 1:41, when Christ is said (in English) to have been moved with compassion to touch a leper and heal him.  In both cases, we can understand this term as leading to actions He might not have considered otherwise; each breaks a new kind of ground for His ministry.  The feeding in the wilderness does not simply evoke the feeding of Israel in the wilderness by the Lord, but clearly prefigures the Eucharist.  The touching of the leper is forbidden by the Law; but Christ as the author of the Law reminds us that "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Here, the fact that he could not be hidden works in a similar way to Christ's suddenly being touched in the inward parts with compassion.  There is an action which seems unplanned, almost uncontrolled, but in fact cannot be stopped.  And it is yet another great turning point.  For this inability to be hidden leads to the woman's acceptance by Jesus, pointing to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost -- as my study Bible phrases it, no longer as dogs, but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.   This 'movement of the inner parts' as well as the fact that Christ "could not be hidden" remind us of the hidden movements and mysterious growth of the kingdom of heaven portrayed in Christ's parables, perhaps especially the parables of the growing seed (found only in Mark's Gospel) and of the mustard seed (see this reading).  The "growth" we witness in today's reading is of two different types.  First of all, because He could not be hidden, there is the growth in who constitutes the people of God.  And second, the miraculous healing whose proclamation also cannot be stopped, despite the efforts of Jesus to do so.  In both instances the Kingdom has now been extended to Gentiles -- to the Greek-speaking Syro-Phoenician woman of Tyre and Sidon, and among the Gentiles in the Decapolis who no doubt hear the good news.   What can see is that the Kingdom has a type of energy that grows of its own energies, in unexpected and unstoppable ways, reminding us of the nature of the Holy Spirit, as taught by Jesus to Nicodemus:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).