Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise

 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read,

'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"

Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

- Matthew 21:12-22

On Saturday, we read of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the day which we celebrate as Palm Sunday.  When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

  Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  My study bible explains that those who bought and sold were traders in live animals that were to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers traded Roman coins for Jewish coins.  Roman coins, bearing the image of Caesar, were considered to be defiling in the temple.  It says that Jesus' cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church also be kept free from "earthly pursuits.  As each person is considered a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), it is also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters."

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.  But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?"  And Jesus said to them, "Yes.  Have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise'?"  Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.  My study bible quotes verses from the hymns of Palm Sunday Vespers in the Eastern Church:  "Keep the feast with the children, and holding branches in your hands, sing 'Hosanna'."  It says, "Many liturgical hymns of this day emphasize the perfect praise of the children, which unlike that of adults, was innocent, fitting, unashamed, and from hearts of pure love.  We are called to glorify Christ in the same spirit (see 18:1-4).  In contrast, the adults' praise carried earthly expectations and agendas which, when left unfulfilled, led them to rebel against Jesus just five days later (27:20-23)."  Jesus Himself is quoting from another hymn:  Psalm 8:2.

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again."  Immediately the fig tree withered away.  The fig tree (says my study bible) is a symbol of prosperity and peace.  It withers here because it is fruitless.  "This is a prophetic act directed toward the Jews, since after three years of Christ's preaching, teaching, and healing, both the leaders and the crowds were destitute of spiritual fruit. He curses the tree also to warn those in every generation of what will befall anyone who fails to listen to His message."

And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."   A note here says that, while it isn't recorded that an apostle ever moved a mountain, Church Fathers are clear that they had this authority if the need had arisen.  (Certain saints are reported to have made crevices appear in mountains.)  Moreover, everything the apostles did is not written down.  It notes, "Beyond the literal meaning, this promise is also an illustration of the power of faith and prayer in all areas of life."  Quoting Theophylact of Bulgaria (a prolific commentator on Scripture), it notes:  "Whatever we ask, without hesitation and believing in God's power, we shall receive" when we ask for spiritually profitable things.

It's interesting that we're told about the praise of the children, and also in the same reading is included the withering of the fig tree, and Jesus' comments about faith and prayer.  At once we have juxtaposed the "praise of the children" and the great power of Christ that, in this case, can also be destructive -- and is linked to faith, belief.  But in both cases there is a kind of purity of heart, a purity of intention that centers on the ability to truly love God with the whole heart -- to not be double-minded.  My study bible describes the agendas of the adults, who have all kinds of expectations of what they want and desire from a Messiah, this "prophet from Nazareth of Galilee" (see Saturday's reading).  We're reminded of nothing so much as the blessing from the Beatitudes which Jesus has preached in the Sermon on the Mount:  "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."   If such (possibly destructive) power therefore belongs to those who are pure in heart, then we can infer a kind of certainty that it won't be used for bad purposes.  Rather, as in this case, it is for instructive purposes -- a fruitless fig tree substituting as an example to human beings about what it is to bear fruit, and the state of ourselves if we do not.  A sad picture, but one made in truth and honesty and purity of intention, and love of God -- produced by a loving heart.  This gives us the paradoxical power of God, the power of the holy, which is at once appropriately "terrifying" and divinely supreme love above all else.  Whatever this power of faith, of belief, we can be certain that it is the pure in heart who will experience it.  And that's where we start our journey, with Christ's promise about our faith and our prayer.  I can't help but think, also, of the power of prayer in St. Paul's terms:  that it is the Spirit who prays in us (Romans 8:26).   Again, we come to a place where purity of heart reigns supreme:  the ability to truly love God, to be truly humble in that place where we come before God who is love.  Whatever the power of holiness, we can first be certain that it is of God who is love, and that Jesus' promise is to those who, like the children, can be "pure" -- wholehearted in intention and faith.  Where and how does God help you to see . . . even through a "terrifying" holiness, the foundation of which is love?

Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

- Matthew 21:1-11

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho, on their way to Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"   They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples . . .   My study bible has several notes I will refer to in today's passage.  It notes of the entirety of today's reading that "Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday.  By Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David's kingdom.  In humility, Jesus shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He does not ride on a horse or in a chariot, but on a donkey -- a sign of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9).  This entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2)."

. . . saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  My study bible notes that Matthew here reports a colt as well as a donkey.  It says that Church Fathers see the two animals as representing the faithful Jews and the Gentiles who are brought together into this Kingdom.  At the Vespers of Palm Sunday, the Eastern Church sings, "Your riding on a foal prefigured how the untamed and uninstructed Gentiles would pass from belief to faith."  Indeed, Matthew's gospel is noted for its "two's" -- e.g. two demoniacs, two blind men.

 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  My study bible says of the people who spread their clothes before Jesus that they did so as paying reverence to a King.  "It is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and indeed our very lives, for Christ."

Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."    The cry of the people is from Psalm 118:25-26.  My study bible points out that it was associated with messianic expectation.  During the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot, feast of the coming Kingdom), it was recited daily for six days -- and seven times on the seventh day as branches were waved.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"  Let us note also that the crowds call Him the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.

Let us take on the idea of expectations here.  What do the people expect of this "prophet from Nazareth" coming into Jerusalem?  What do those expect who are singing this hymn from the feast of the coming Kingdom? All along in Matthew's gospel, Jesus has been careful not to openly state His identity as Christ.  He is not "just" a prophet.  It is only in chapter 16 of Matthew that Peter first confesses, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Peter is the man whose house in Capernaum had become their makeshift Galilean headquarters; he has lived with Jesus as disciple from the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  He is "first among equals" as apostle.  And yet, it is not until deep into Matthew's gospel, chapter 16, that this revelation is given.  Jesus is careful to note that, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  It was given to Peter by the Father, and it is on this rock that Jesus builds His Church.  Faith must defy our "worldly" expectations.  Jesus is a type of Messiah that will reach far beyond all and any expectation of what Messiah is.  He will not be a "national liberator" as a kind of material warrior or king (He has already refused the desire of those fed in the wilderness to make Him king).  Faith reveals to us things that are otherwise totally unacceptable, unforeseeable, even unconscionable in some sense (see Matthew 16:20-23).  Jesus does not come into Jerusalem like a king or great ruler, riding on a horse or in a chariot, with an army to follow Him and do His bidding.  His mount is a donkey and her colt!  His army are the people who call Him "the prophet from Nazareth" -- a poor town with a poor reputation in terms of "spiritual" expectations.  They are the ones who lay their clothes down in expectation of what might come of this prophet.  Nobody knows what the coming of the Kingdom means or will mean.  Hardly anyone expects what is coming in the immediate future, even though by now Jesus has warned His closest disciples several times about what is to happen in Jerusalem.  The power of faith in Christ also that which may defy all our own expectations, and we often forget that.  Faith can lead us to places where we are deeply disappointed, and at the same time resurrected to a place that is hardly imaginable before it is revealed to us.  But the key to faith is trust, through all things -- through disappointment of our own expectations, and on toward the Resurrection that awaits, that gives us new life and a new way to see things, as well as a new concept of who we are as people of faith.  Can we go with Him on this journey?  Can we await the fulfillment of Who He is?  Who He will be for us?  Where He calls us to follow?  It isn't always a simple or easy or comfortable journey; and yet it is one that will surpass every expectation we have.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"   They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

- Matthew 20:29-34

Yesterday, we read that as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"   They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  Of today's reading, my study bible explains that the two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, which is the common title for God -- and also as Son of David, which is a title deeply associated with the Messiah.  We remember that Jesus is on His way up to Jerusalem, the place where the Messiah should declare Himself in the temple, so the significance and anticipation here is great.  My study bible notes that "even though Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy."    It also notes a traditional spiritual interpretation to this miracle, in which the blind men symbolize the future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  In this interpretation, those who tried to silence the blind men represent persecutors and tyrants who, in every generation, try to silence the Church.  But nevertheless, says my study bible, "under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ."

Opening one's eyes and receiving sight is akin to "seeing the light" of Christ, to become aware of His presence, His gift, His Person.  Therefore in the analogy of these two men, there's also expressed the zeal with which we must go after our own "enlightenment."  Nothing should stop us:  not social custom, not the rest of the crowd, nor our own limitations and handicaps.  To get to Christ is worth every other sort of difficulty, or social awkwardness and disapproval.  I agree with my study bible's assessment that these things become true for us in every generation, and also in every time and place.  I feel that Christ will always call us out of our surroundings and into a different "place" that is not so much conforming in all ways to a "worldly" way of thinking and being in the world.  Instead we are called to become a part of that Kingdom here on earth, which these blind men do by "following Him."  In this sense, they are drawn out of their "little world," the place and people they know, and are drawn instead into a journey somewhere, on the road with Jesus.  Despite our own blindness, we can be enlightened.  The very fact that they call Jesus both "Lord" and "Son of David" tells us about their faith in Him.  It tells us that there is a trust and commitment there already in their hearts; He offers them healing for their blindness.  But the journey doesn't stop there; in fact, it is just the beginning.  We can wonder what will happen to them as they experience this journey, at least what we know is at the "end of the road" in Jerusalem -- their possible experience of the events of Holy Week, His conviction and scourging and crucifixion, the company of the other disciples and their followers, the great news of Resurrection that awaits, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the appearances to the disciples.  All these things we can foresee as events to come in the lives of these "new" followers.  But one thing we can imagine clearly:  they will experience these events knowing that it was Christ who healed them and gave them their sight.  When we go through difficulties, let us remember the gifts that we have received from our faith, from Him.  The so-called "end of the road" may truly be just the beginning, after all.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

- Matthew 20:17-28

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught a parable:   "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

  Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  My study bible tells us:  "Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion was meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  It is as if Christ were saying, 'Think on all these [words and miracles], so that when you see me hanging the Cross, you will not imagine that I am suffering because I am powerless to do otherwise'" (quoting Theophylact of Bulgaria).

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."   My study bible says that this quest for "temporal power and glory" isn't fitting for a disciple, but rather shows an "earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God."  It notes that Matthew reports that the mother of Zebedee's sons requested this honor, but John's and James' own involvement is revealed by the plural you in verse 22 ("You do not know what you are asking"; see also Mark 10:35).   My study bible also says, "Christ calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, for He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy of John and James participating in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost.  Christ declaring that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give does not mean that He lacks authority.  Rather, it means that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  Instead, He will give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  Note also that with regard to sitting as equals on the right and left hand of Christ in His Kingdom, St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly occupy such a position."  It also notes that, with regard to the highest places of honor that can be given to man, the icons in the Orthodox Church universally depict Christ's mother, the Virgin Mary (as most blessed among women - Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women - Matthew 11:11) holding these places.

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  My study bible calls this a "small-minded dispute" that is out of place in juxtaposition to the mysteries which Christ has just revealed.  Jesus' correction is to first compare the disciples to the "power-hungry Gentiles whom they themselves considered an abomination, and contrasting them to Himself, who serves us even though He is Lord of all."

Jesus not only notes His own impulse of service, but it's a much more graphic depiction of just what He is willing to do for others.  He "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  A ransom suggests an exchange, a kind of a "bargain" in which hostages are freed through the sacrifice of someone essential and important.  This is voluntary self-sacrifice.  My study bible notes that "for many," here, is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."  This exceptionally important person will give His life as a ransom -- so essential to the welfare of all, His life, in effect, is potent enough to be a ransom for all.  In this vivid illustration, we come to understand through a kind of glaring light just how essential and how powerful Christ really is.  Not only is He saving "all" in the context of whatever "all" we consider in the here and now, but this "all" really means "all" -- here and now, and also before and after.  It isn't just those living and present, but includes those "in the tombs" and those in the ages to come.  In this case, this incredible service does truly depict the first among all.  This ransom is like a kind of prisoner-of-war swap:  in a type of spiritual warfare, souls are held hostage to a particular way of thinking, of life.  It is one that values material power above all, a competition that relies only on winning at any cost, a truly material-minded life.  But the One who gives His life from the other side, from the Kingdom, is the One who teaches us what it is to be truly great, to be the greatest among all.  Imagine the greatness of this particular ransom, and the evil in the act of murder involved here.  Yet He goes voluntarily, as a sacrifice for all.  And this is our image, given by Christ, of how we are to see what is to come:  His condemnation, mocking, scourging, and crucifixion -- at the hands of both the Jewish and the Roman leadership.  This is truly a "for all" circumstance, where no one in this world, and both before and after, is left out.  This is His role as Son of Man.  We await His victory (going forward in Matthew's gospel), at which even death has been defeated.

Many are called, but few chosen

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

- Matthew 20:1-16

Yesterday, we read that after Jesus had encountered a rich young man who inquired after eternal life, He taught the disciples:   "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  Of today's parable, my study bible explains that the vineyard is life in this world.  "The day refers both to the span of a single person's life and the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation.  Each hour can refer to times in a person's life, whether infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  It also has a second meaning in the span of history, referring to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  God's generosity provides equal reward for both early and late comers.  Jesus teaches that the former should not be proud of their long service nor resent those called at the eleventh hour.  To the latecomers, He teaches that it is possible even in a short time or at the end of one's life to recover and inherit everything.  In the early Church, this message applied specifically to the Jews (the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  In our day, it can be applied to those raised in the Church and to those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  St. John Chrysostom's renowned paschal sermon [see Paschal Homily] is based on this parable, applying it to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist."

Let us consider what it means that the last will be first, and the first last.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the same statement, but in an alternate way:  "Many who are first will be last, and the last first."  As my study bible points out, there are many ways in which these teachings apply to the Church and to the spiritual life.  Perhaps for every age, or even for every new issue, these words apply in an appropriate way.  One thing is certain, they invite us into a place where time doesn't apply in the usual ways that we think of it.  Neither does measurement, in some sense.  All these laborers are promised the same reward.  In that sense, the teaching here is of a kind of great leveling, that really undoes the notion of superiority of background, even what labor has been done before.  In the end, the outcome is the same.  But Jesus adds another saying, something else He's teaching.  He says, "Many are called, but few chosen."  We can ponder over what this means, as well.  But I think there's a greater depth involved in this statement than meets the eye, or is even suggested by the statement that the last will be first and the first last.  It gives us an idea that the landowner is the true judge.  Ultimately, what is given as reward for labor is up to him, and him alone.  He gives a sharp rebuke to the earlier laborers who felt they should receive more.  He affirms his own goodness when he asks, "Is your eye evil because I am good?"  (The evil eye, as a traditional concept found all over the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, is a symbol for a kind of envy or jealousy of what is somehow good.)  Ultimately, it is the choice of the landowner that counts.  It is his discernment, his reward.  And in this we have an equal preciousness of each of those who are chosen, the ones whom the landowner truly finds worthy of his largesse, his reward.  Humility has to extend to each reward, to the equality of all places in the kingdom, to the concept of what service is and means.  It's a way of saying that it's our dedication that really counts, our commitment to do what it takes, our joy to be chosen.  God does not think like we think.  God's ways are not our ways.  (See Isaiah 55:8.)  Let us remember we are those who are called.  But it is up to Someone Else to choose.

Many who are first will be last, and the last first

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Matthew 19:23-30

 Yesterday, we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.   Here, my study bible tells us:  "Various interpretations have been suggested for the impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle; e.g., that the word was not camel, but 'rope'; or that the eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel might barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all its baggage, symbolizing wealth.  Even the Talmud uses the expression 'for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle.'  Whatever the phrase refers to, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  This is clearly evidenced by the disciples' response, 'Who then can be saved?'  Yet by God's grace, even what is impossible to man can come to pass."

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."  Here, my study bible quotes Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."   As we can read in the verses that follow, the challenges of their own lives and the witness of their experience as apostles give them a different type of judgment than the way the world judges. 

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  A note tells us that Christ is not commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  Rather, according to St. John Chrysostom, this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family.  It says, "It also means to accept that unbelieving family members may cut off ties because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  Believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense, but in a spiritual senses -- the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship."

One note in my study bible, regarding judgment, suggests that the discernment learned through the discipleship of the apostles will be used not simply in a heavenly context, but rather that "since God's kingdom begins with the Resurrection of Christ, the authority of judgment has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth."  It reflects back on Jesus' statements, made twice before in Matthew's gospel, regarding binding and loosing:  "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:18 and 18:18; see also John 20:23.)  These are powerful words regarding the experience of walking this journey, where certain types of baggage (as my study bible puts it) can keep us from entering the narrow gate of discipleship.  The experience of repentance and change required for this "eye of the needle," so to speak, give us a kind of perspective that, hopefully, allows us to see more truly the things of the heart, rather than judging by appearances or deeds alone.  Therefore, one of the virtues of true discipleship must be the cultivation of a more just judgment, a kind of discernment.  This could only come with the experience of "letting go" -- both of the things we cling to that we think we need, and also (perhaps especially?) the "letting go" that constitutes forgiveness.  We remember that Jesus counseled Peter that forgiveness was unlimited ("seventy times seven") and that also this teaching was couched in the context of repentance, not a simple tolerance of unlimited uncaring abuse and suffering.  In the Our Father, when we pray to "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,"  in the Greek, the word for "forgive" is literally to "let go."    There is this great sense of giving up all kinds of baggage we may cling to that really isn't good for us, and more particularly gets in the way of a deeper relationship to God.  And this is the crux of so much of discipleship.  It's a willingness, not to give up to others so much as to give up to God the things God asks of us; to "let go" of the things God asks us to let go of.  The exchange is with God, who mediates all our worldly lives and relationships.  It is thereby that we learn discernment, good judgment, and gain a completely different perspective than the usual worldly perspective.  Only through the detachment cultivated in discipleship, with a life increasingly dependent upon God through such a process, can we learn to have hearts that are also leavened with the leaven of the kingdom, the faith of the seed planted in us.  We are assured that even the faith as small as a "mustard seed" can move mountains.  Let us remember how we cultivate a true vision, and where God calls us to go.  I can say that I've been called and challenged to give up many things that were essential to my point of view.  But the return has most definitely been a hundredfold, as Jesus promises here.  The "hundredfold" return, however, is to a different (changed) person than the one who gave up what God asked; in this sense, also "many who are first will be last, and the last first."

No one is good but One, that is, God

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

- Matthew 19:13-22

In Saturday's reading, we were told that after Jesus' teachings about forgiveness, He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  According to St. Theophan, my study bible says, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing the little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  It notes, "Christ rejects this thinking, setting little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, children are invited (even as an example to adults) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion."

 Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God."  My study bible says that this man hasn't come to test Jesus, but rather to seek advice from one whom he considers no more than a "good Teacher."  Jesus' response, it points out, doesn't deny that He is God, but is rather designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge.  The focus here, the first thing, is clearly an eye to pleasing God as the true key to "goodness."

"But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, "'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"   We can see how Jesus' answer throws us back into the topics of the recent readings (see last week's readings and commentaries); that is, of the organization of the community in Christ's view of His Church.  We go back to the commandments of Moses for organizing community here.  As Jesus is addressing a young Jewish man from a wealthy and possibly ruling family, and the focus of Matthew's gospel is on a Jewish audience, we are given first the Law.  And yet there is more beyond it, in the fullness of potential relationship to God.   My study bible suggests:  "Formal observance of the commandments does not make one righteous before God.  This man had an earnest desire for eternal life and sensed that he still lacked something; thus, he continues to press Jesus for the answer."

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  My study bible says that "to be perfect, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  Nothing is gained unless this sacrifice is given freely.  The specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  Because wealth had such a grip on this rich man, his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.   St. John Chrysostom tells us that giving away possessions is the least of Christ's instructions here; following Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling."

The basic understanding we are given here through Christ and His teachings is the essential importance of a relationship to God.  This isn't an easy or facile saying.  Rather it emphasizes even the innocence of the little children that are brought to Him in the early verses of today's reading.  There is an element of deep trust that is evoked in the true model of faith, of what faith is.   When Jesus says about the little children, "for of such is the kingdom of heaven," it is this trust He is speaking of.  It's not a blind trust:  children have their own sense of safety and when it is being violated.  It's rather an innate trust of what or rather Who is truly "good."  When Jesus points out that "no one is good but One, that is, God," we are to keep this in mind.  It's a statement about where our ultimate faith has to be.  It's even a kind of warning about false worship, even of cult-like violation of faith, where a human being demands the worship, faith, and ultimate trust that belongs only to God.  Before Jesus gives the specific teaching for this one young man, about how deep that trust needs to go for him in order for his faith to be truly complete, He first sets out the Way, the true place where ultimate faith, even in the giving up of one's possessions, must be put:  on the One, on God.  Jesus is, in saying, "follow Me," therefore, distinctly setting out the goal of Christ.  That is, leading us ultimately to God, to full membership in the kingdom of heaven, eternal life.  And this is, if you think about it, the one place where it's safe to put all of one's trust and faith.  There is nothing and no one else worthy of our worship.  As children of God, we are made for this depth of bond, this faith, this love.  But in our lives as human beings, there are all kinds of things that come into the way of that love, and can interfere with our own instincts for love and deep trust.  We may wind up trusting in all kinds of things such as material goods, or in the wrong people, or material power or social standing,  if they become the ultimate objects of our love, worship, faith, and devotion.  In addiction, one can see the object of addiction as a kind of substitute for proper worship.  But worship in its proper place only belongs to God, the ultimate One who is truly good.  In this place, our faith is safe.  And it is that place of true trust that is worth giving up our "faith" in everything else if it's asked of us.  It sets our lives in order.  And order, social organization, has been a common topic of the last several readings.  On the currency of the United States of America, it was recently pointed out to me, there is stamped the motto, "In God we trust."  While I don't suggest the fusion in a political sense of state and Church, I believe it's a wise discernment about materialism:  we know we have need of all kinds of things, but ultimately we are wise to keep trust fully where it belongs.  It is a way to set our house in order, with proper respect for the things that teach us how to live in this world that is also material.  Ultimately, we want to act in such a way as to reflect what is truly good.  The only way we can know that is by putting our trust where it belongs, and letting everything else fall into perspective behind that.  It is the ultimate wisdom.

What God has joined together, let not man separate

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there. 

The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery." 

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

- Matthew 19:1-12

 Yesterday, we read that after Jesus taught about discipline in the Church, Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts for his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   My study bible tells us at this juncture that the basis of the test of the Pharisees (Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?) is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  A note reads, "God's condescension, or allowance for human weakness, does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1; 2.  With authority, Christ adds His own clear prohibition against divorce in verses 6 and 9."   My study bible interprets this as saying that marriage, while sacred, can be abused and destroyed, or "broken," by our sinful behavior.   It notes also that permissible reasons for divorce were expanded in the ancient Church to include threat to a spouse's or child's life, desertion, and forced prostitution, "in all cases acknowledging the spiritual tragedy of such a situation."   In addition, it says that remarriage is permitted in the Orthodox Church, "as a concession to human weakness and as a corrective measure of compassion when a marriage has been broken."

 His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."  But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  Clearly while we no longer have social functions filled by eunuchs as in history,  Jesus here refers to those who are lifelong celibates.  In this sense, these people He is speaking of who serve the Church (for the kingdom of heaven's sake) are in some way "set apart."  My study bible says this refers to those who are celibate by free choice and according to God's will for them.  "Jesus does not endorse mutilation but the putting away of wicked thoughts.  The first Ecumenical Council (A.D. 325) rejected willful mutilation." 

In the context of the Church discipline set out by Jesus in Thursday's reading, today's reading focuses on aspects of community that help to strengthen relationships, the very stuff of what true community is all about.  Ultimately, as with everything else that Jesus teaches, these guidelines are inspired by love and the need for love in all forms as the basis for any sort of "regulation" or spiritual instruction regarding how we relate to and live with one another.  In the institution of marriage, as taught here by Christ, is a basic understanding of what love is and means.  Divorce was a very harsh practice for those who are powerless in the relationship.  In Jewish society, women could not initiate divorce.  Divorce left a woman without social standing and perhaps destitute.  By instituting and reiterating again the command from Genesis regarding the creation of man and woman, Jesus is emphasizing the need for care of one another, a deep command for bonding, so that two become one.  This is the ultimate capacity for compassion, for "feeling with" one another, for two seeming opposites in all manner of ways to "become one flesh."  Particularly in terms of power (social power), we see the emphasis of Jesus on love as the overriding force in the sacrament of marriage; two come together in this case not as social equals, and yet become "one flesh."  There is an absolute essence of love in this command, love that overrides all easy or facile choices of convenience or self-centeredness, and in particular the treatment of another as a mere material object.  In the view of the early Church, the allowances for divorce also assume that the bond of love has been broken and abused in ways that manifest a purely "flesh-based" or material perspective, with complete disrespect for the spiritual reality of what human beings are and the sacred things or sacraments God gives in order to recognize and grow in this truth.  In this teaching, we are led to understand a deeper fullness of what human beings are capable of living:  the practice of love which is "God-like."  It is a basic principle of organization of true community, the depth to which we are called to love.  Those who are set apart in some way as "eunuchs" are also doing so with an eye to this community, for service, answering a call from God.  And I believe this can come in many forms.  As always, Jesus' teachings are not absolute in a material sense, but rather those given through love and by love and for love, and encourage us in endless mercy and the practice of forgiveness as well as repentance; that is, personal change and growth.  For in this bosom of love, His yoke is easy and His burden is light (11:30).

I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts for his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

- Matthew 18:21-35

Yesterday, we read that Jesus continued His teaching on humility and the "little ones," which we began reading on Wednesday (see Whoever humbles himself as this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven).  He taught,  “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."   My study bible explains that "seventy times seven" is symbolic of an unlimited amount.  Seven is a number of fulfillment; therefore "seventy times seven" is analogous to a complete lack of limitation.  The parable that follows illustrates the need for unlimited forgiveness.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts for his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt."   According to my study bible, ten thousand talents is an impossible sum in the context of the times.  It was more than a laborer could earn in several lifetimes.  So, this parable becomes illustrative of something Jesus teaches elsewhere, in the Sermon on the Mount, when He tells us to remove the plank in our own eye, before we can help someone else remove a speck in theirs.  The sum of a hundred denarii, my study bible says, is a significant amount from an earthly perspective -- about three month's wages at the time, but it's a pittance if we compare it to the debt owed to the king.  It notes, "God not only stays the punishment we deserve, but forgives us the entire debt as well [as did the king in this parable].  Because God forgives us, we in turn are required to grant the gift of forgiveness of others."

So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."   Earlier in the parable, before being asked for forgiveness, the king commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.   My study bible explains that some Church Fathers give a spiritual interpretation to that early command:  the man represents the soul, the wife the body, and the children a person's deeds.  Thus, it says, the body and the deeds are given over to slavery, that is, to Satan, so that the soul might possibly be saved (see 1 Corinthians 5:5).    Here, at the end of the parable, we find the effects of the abuse of mercy.

Although forgiveness is unlimited, it also awaits from us a change of mind on our part, and understanding and growth.  What I find remarkable about today's lesson in this parable is the way it illustrates something noted in yesterday's reading (which is why I find it essential to study verses in sequence, as written).  We note again the centrality of human beings in this scheme.  The king, who symbolizes God, has no need to learn about forgiveness.  But this servant certainly does.  And it's not enough only that the king grants forgiveness; this lesson is for the one who needs it and who failed in this parable to learn, to grow, to adopt the ways of the king -- the same grace given to the servant.  We note also the reflection of discipline within the body of the followers of the king.  It's the fellow servants here who are very grieved, and who report what has been done.  In some sense, this is reflective of the teachings of Jesus (again, in yesterday's reading) about Church discipline.  This body is one that works for the growth of each.  There is not a static sense of creation here.  The kingdom is for growth and understanding in the ways of God, not for contentment with abuse and mistreatment. In this sense, it is important that we understand forgiveness and our central role in the practice of God's teachings.  Moreover there is repentance at work here.  In particular it takes the form of not only compassion but also something beyond self-centeredness, a kind of way of behaving toward one another that uplifts each.  It's in this context that we can also look at Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding removing the speck from another's eye, having failed to remove the plank in ours.  Positive discipline within the body of Christ certainly does take on the important aspect of helping one another to grow, to really see beyond our own obstacles.  But there's no substitute for repentance, and the growth that comes at the position in which we find ourselves when we are asked to reflect the grace that God gives us out into the world.  It again emphasizes this central place that Jesus so graciously puts us into; that is, we for whom the angels toil and minister (and who need the efforts of the Physician).  In that context, in particular, we remember that even -- perhaps especially -- the heavenly angels of the little ones always behold the face of God in heaven.  In the end, "hell" is the place where there is no growth at all; torture the place where we are only static and cannot see beyond ourselves.

If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. 

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

- Matthew 18:10-20

Yesterday, we read that after Jesus had warned for the second time that He will be made to suffer and be killed, and raised on the third day,  the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.“   In yesterday’s reading, Jesus  has already discussed the “little ones” who are those who are humble.  Regarding angels, my study bible notes that “St. John Chrysostom teaches that not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  However, the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God because of the humility of the person they guard.  It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of men, that requires the angels’ service.”  Regarding those who are humble, today’s Old Testament reading tells us that “the man Moses was very meek, more than all the people who were on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3).   A later verse tells us that, in contrast to other prophets, God spoke with Moses not in visions but  “face to face.”

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.“  My study bible explains that “unlike earthly shepherds, Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it.  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  According to certain Fathers, this is also an image of the Incarnation in which the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven; Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep – man – who had fallen into corruption on earth.”

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”  A note tells us:  “Church discipline is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction are to remain private unless the offender refuses to repent.  All correction must be done with great care and humility, with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  Nevertheless, correction must take place so that the sin does not spread to others as well.”

It’s interesting to note the place of human beings in today’s reading.  My study bible points out that each one of us has a guardian angel.  But it also notes that according to St. John Chrysostom, angels of the humble have greater boldness and honor before God just because of the humility of the person they guard.  In keeping with what Christ teaches here about saving what was lost, St. Chrysostom teaches that it’s the weakness of human beings that requires the angels’ service; therefore their missions reflect their Master’s.  Christ has taught already that it is those who are ill who have need of the physician.   Moreover, not only are we each recipients of the ministry of angels, but in the image of the ninety-nine sheep, certain Fathers of the church see the Incarnation as Christ (the Shepherd) who descends to pursue the one sheep (humankind) that had fallen into corruption and was in danger of perdition (the state of being totally lost).  In this context, the Redeemer comes for the one, and we are that one.  Not only do the angels minister to each one of us, particularly in the case of weakness, but somehow we are worthy of this special place of attention, the Incarnation.  It is in the spirit of this love that we view the instructions given us here for church discipline by Jesus.  This is a serious mission; those who must be saved must be cared for with discipline.  Above all, it is this love and this mission which must always be followed and in operation – and discipline serves that purpose.  No danger should fall to those who are the “little ones” in the care of the disciples.  That would include the need for discipline in the church, rather than a spirit of tolerance for abuse of those who need and seek help.