You give them something to eat

 

 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him. 

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 

 

- Luke 9:1–17 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus returned to Capernaum (after healing a demoniac across the Sea of Galilee), that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

  Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Here Jesus calls His twelve disciples together, giving them power over demons and to cure diseases, and sends them out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick, making them apostles.  The Greek word for disciple means "learner" and the word apostle comes from the Greek word αποστολος/apostolos, which means "one sent out."   In so doing, my study Bible emphasizes that Jesus gave them power and authority, while He performed healings and cast out demons through His own power and authority.  Their mission is like Christ's, they are to preach and to heal.  Their demeanor is to be humble and reliant upon God, not ostentatious, and not "trading up" for a better place to stay.  The response to those who reject them is also humble, not vengeful but to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them.  

 

 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.   My study Bible comments that this is the same Herod to whom Pilate would send Jesus during His trial (Luke 23:7).  He is the son of Herod the Great who slew the innocent infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  The story of the beheading of St. John at the court of Herod Antipas is found in Mark 6:14-28.  

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.   When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.  My study Bible cites the commentary of Theophylact, who sees a liturgical parallel with the feeding of the five thousand.  He notes that Christ first healed and spoke of the gospel, and then He fed the multitude with the miraculous bread by the hands of the disciples.  In the Church, he says, a person is first healed through baptism; then at the Liturgy, the gospel is preached and the bread of life and the cup are received from the hands of the ordained clergy.  Jesus charges the disciples with the command, "You give them something to eat."  My study Bible says that this commission is  a type and preparation for the apostolic ministry the disciples will perform after His Resurrection.  They will be feeding the world with the word of God, and with the Eucharist.  St. John Chrysostom is also cited in his understanding of today's passage.  He says of the five loaves and two fish that Christ is the same Creator "of both the earth and the sea, who in the beginning brought fruit from the earth and life out of the water."  The Gospel tells us that Christ looked up to heaven before blessing and breaking the bread.  St. Chrysostom says that He does so "not as receiving power from elsewhere, but as honoring the Father who begot Him."  Moreover, St. Chrysostom comments, that Christ blessed and broke the bread teaches us "not to touch any meal until we have given thanks to Him who gives us food."  This blessing also gives us a clear image of the Eucharist, and directs us to pursue spiritual food greater than that which is earthly (see John 6:26-27).  

So, what does it mean to be fed?  How do we wish to be fed by Jesus Christ?   In John's Gospel. this miraculous feeding will lead to the people pursuing Jesus across the Sea of Galilee, even running to anticipate His arrival, because as a result of this feeding, they seek to make Him king by force.  Hence, Jesus' response, cited by my study Bible (see above) found in John 6:26-27:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  As we can see, these multitudes who followed Jesus into the wilderness are first fed with Christ's preaching and teaching about the kingdom of God.  Also, He performs healings as well.  In this context, let's ponder that in today's reading we're told that the disciples have been sent out as apostles by Jesus, on their first missionary journey.  In so doing, He shares His power with them, and they are to take it through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.   This is a kind of expansion of Jesus' ministry that marks a milestone.  Jesus' power has the capability of being shared with others, even with human beings who serve Christ.  This must surely be linked with faith, and we can see the connection of faith established through the apostles as they go through the towns -- only those who reject them and are faithless are subject to the testimony against them, the shaking of the dust from the feet of the apostles.  So when we think of what food we need, how can we leave out the importance and singular essential quality of needing food that feeds our faith?  In the perspective of the Gospels we see that this is the primary need we have, for faith leads in some way to everything else -- and to this miraculous feeding in the wilderness.  So let us think about feeding, and our impulse -- our needs -- to eat and to be fed.  We know when our bodies are hungry.  Recently experiencing surgery, during the healing process I found myself needing more food than usual, and of a certain type.  But our faith, or lack of it, must work a certain way.  While we're growing as children (or healing from an injury of some sort) we truly need food to feed the growth we're experiencing, the necessary nourishment for that process.  But faith must work the same way.  In fact, it would seem that in some sense the more we grow in our faith, the more we need to nurture it, and the more need we experience to shore it up, to find it and deepen it.  This goes hand in hand with the joy we experience in the faith, and perhaps even the challenges we face in its growth.  In the experience of the Church and her saints, it's perhaps safe to say that the more one's faith grows, so grows one's need for it and for its nurturing.  In Luke's chapter 17, the apostles demand of the Lord, "Increase our faith!"  This demand is sandwiched between Jesus' teaching on the need to forgive at each repentance of a brother, and His teaching that, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  It leads also to His teaching on what it means to be a good servant.  See Luke 17:1-10.  So Christ's way is to feed the multitudes with what they need, and to teach us what we need.  He sends out the disciples, now become apostles, to feed this need in others, and to seek and to find those who will respond to it positively, grasping it with all their capacity.  For our love of God doesn't stop but expands to hold all that God can give, until we ourselves must share with others the good things we have been given, too.  Like the disciples, our faith may be nurtured when we share it with others.  There are those who teach that all the things of which we partake become a part of us, so we need to think hard, as human beings, about what we take in, and the things in which we participate -- for these things feed us too.  King Herod Antipas seeks to be fed, in some sense, by Christ, but to what end?  Not to faith.  Let us consider carefully what we really need, and what it feeds in us, where we need nourishment day by day, and the daily bread of the kingdom of God.  

 

 

 

Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. 

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  

 

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

- Luke 8:40–56 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.   Here Jesus returns to Capernaum, where He is well-known, and so they were all waiting for Him, including Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue.   

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.   My study Bible explains that, for the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 15:19-27).  This woman, therefore, displays bold faith by approaching both Christ and Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue in this crowd.  This potentially defiles all of them and would subject her to ridicule.  

And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   My study Bible says that Christ's question, "Who touched Me?" does not simply mean a physical touch, but instead, "Who touched me in faith?"  It explains that, just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation, and the power of Christ works through even His garment.   To touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  In the Church, it says, we touch Christ through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When this is done in faith, the power of Christ is received.  

Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."   Here Christ calls the woman forward, to take away her fear and trembling, but also, my study Bible says, to strengthen Jairus for the forthcoming news about his daughter.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.   My study Bible tells us that this is one of three resurrections which were performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospels.  See also this recent reading, and John 11:1-44.  Each confirms the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves, and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  Many people have exercised authority over the living, but only the Son of God has power over the living and the dead.  In the story of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Jesus touched his coffin; the raising of Lazarus from the dead happened through His word alone (John 11:43).   But here, Jesus raises the little girl as He took her by the hand, and gave her a command ("Little girl, arise").    These incidents in which He touches others show that His very body is life-giving.  Again, like the story of the widow of Nain and her son, this event of the healing of Jairus' daughter prefigures Christ's own Resurrection.  But in this case, it's a father, Jairus, rather than Christ's mother Mary, whose sadness is turned to joy.  Her parents are astonished.  

It's quite remarkable to think that this stupendous achievement of the healing of Jairus' daughter, who had died according to all in the household, is something about which Christ charged the parents to tell no one what had happened.   How is it possible, one wonders, for this news to be kept quiet?  But nonetheless her parents are told not to speak of it to anyone.  Note how this resurrection is done in secret.  Jesus put outside all of the scoffers, the ones who ridicule.  Moreover, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.   We note also that the rest of the disciples are not taken in, but only those closest to Jesus -- and the strongest in faith, Peter, James, and John.  We also contrast the hugely public event of the healing of the woman's flow of blood with Christ's emphatic instructions meant to keep the raising of Jairus' daughter as private as possible.  Not only did the woman touch Him in the middle of a thronging crowd, but Jesus also brought her forward, demanding to know, "Who touched Me?"  and added, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   After Jesus had deliberately drawn her out with these questions, we're told that the woman fell down before Him, and declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  Then He praises her before all the crowd, and declares, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."    These are bold public expressions designed to focus great attention on what is happening, even in the midst of a crowd that could have been defiled (according to the Law) by her flow of blood.  So, why, we have to ask, is there such a great contrast -- in terms of public notice and declaration -- between one and the other?  There's an interesting further contrast in the status of the two subjects of these healings.  Both are female.  But one is a girl of twelve, under her father's protection, too young to be called a woman.  The other has, on the other hand, had a flow of blood for twelve years.  One presumes her affliction not only leaves her alone, but we're also told that she had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.  So, in contrast to the young daughter of a ruler of the synagogue, she is likely destitute and desperate for help, and she puts her faith in Christ.  On the one hand, the girls' parents need their faith shored up very badly:  Jesus puts out the ones who ridicule, and makes certain the healing is a private affair with only His most faithful disciples present.  Moreover, He tells Jairus, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."   While the young girl's faith is not a part of the story, that of her parents and household most certainly is.  Perhaps the key to all of these differences, after all, is faith.  If the parents do not go into the world and tell all the story, there is no opportunity for the world to clamor that it is not so, cannot be so, she wasn't really passed, and all manner of doubt and the shaking of faith in Christ.  On the other hand, the woman's faith itself is exemplary.  Indeed,  Jesus Himself declares that it is, in fact, her faith that has made her well.  We can look closely at the dynamics of this story and note that Jesus asked, "Who touched Me?"  He makes it very clear how this happened, and what He experienced, because He said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   This would seem to teach us -- and quite publicly -- that Christ's power works by responding to faith.  He didn't feel her touch, but knew that someone had touched Him -- and needed to know who did so -- because He perceived power going out from Himself.  And so my study Bible comments that we may do the same, receive the power of Christ through the things by which we "touch" Him in Church.  Both stories are different, but both speak to us loudly of faith.  On the one hand was this desperate woman's exemplary faith in touching even the hem of Christ's garment.  On the other are Christ's rather extraordinary measures Himself to shore up the faith of the girl's parents.  Let us note that this teaches us, also, to take whatever measures we need to find support and strength for our faith -- for it is this in which Christ Himself engages and makes all effort.  Sometimes we may need to tell others of our faith.  Other times, we may need to keep things to ourselves.  In either case, we do what is needed for our faith in Him.

 

Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you

 

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  

 

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

- Luke 8:26–39 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  My study Bible comments that these demons recognize Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.  Notice that the demons speak through the man, saying, "I beg You, do not torment me!" when clearly this man, occupied by a legion of demons, is tormented by them himself.  A Roman legion consisted of over 5,000 men divided into ten cohorts, so we can imagine what this name "Legion" meant at the time the Gospels were written -- at a time when the Roman Empire had expanded to its largest extent.  The text describes the man's torment under this legion of demons:  it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.   His life is in such a miserable isolated state that he wore no clothes and lived among the dead in the tombs.  

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  My study Bible comments that, although the malice of these demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God.  Therefore, they can only enter the herd of many swine if Christ permitted them.  The immediate destruction of these swine, my study Bible says, shows that the man had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, he would have perished under the demonic influence.  Additionally, it reinforces that swineherding was not lawful for the Jews -- plus it shows the incomparable vale of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice.  There are those who say that the presence of the swine indicates a Gentile population.  But, my study Bible comments, since our Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it's likely that these were Jews engaged in a sinful occupation.  

 

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.    My study Bible comments that the magnitude of the economic loss of the herd of swine would remain as a sign for the hard-hearted people who fled the region.  Their response is simply to treat Jesus with great fear, clearly caring more for their economic loss rather than the marvelous healing of this man who had suffered so extremely.  Note that although this man has no community among these people who simply want to banish Jesus, Christ Himself appoints a place for him, and a good mission:  "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And so he did.

Lately I have been reading a lot and pondering quite a bit over the idea of giving thanks.  How important is gratitude in our lives?  Some say that the whole of our well-being depends upon how able we are to give thanks, or not.  How do we experience gratitude, and what are we grateful for?  Is it possible that without his horrible "occupation" by a legion of demons, this man never would have known Christ?  It's very strange indeed how Christ comes straight across the Sea of Galilee, and through a very frightening storm of wind and waves in which the disciples thought they were perishing, to come to this one man.  What loneliness it must have been, living among the tombs, unable even to wear clothes, and tormented night and day by a legion of demons!  It is almost a metaphorical image of a child subject to terrible abuse, the isolation and torment that he would have survived.  Certainly the "hard-hearted" (as my study Bible describes them) people around him cared little that he was cured, finding the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.   They had no use for him, but the swine were their livelihood (likely Jews selling to a Gentile market in this region of mixed populations), and that's what they cared about.   So this man is saved, but wants to go on with Jesus, because there is seemingly no tie for him here where people do not care for his life and salvation.  It seems they were happier when he lived among the dead and with the daily terrible punishment and torment of the demons.  But Jesus finds a place for him, an honored place -- he becomes a kind of evangelist under Christ's direction.  This is the saving nature of Christ's command, which brings this man beyond the lack of mercy of such people, and under Christ's authority,  "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  So he does:  and he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.   A good mission, a good identity, under the saving yoke of Christ, who is gentle and lowly in heart.  Indeed, we may presume that sooner or later, he will come under the care of the Church to come, and remain a disciple.  Surely we can imagine the gratitude this man feels to Christ, who singled him out enough to come across the sea to save him.  But what of his early life experiences?  Perhaps to find this singular place in the Gospels, a man who had demons for a long time, and who survived to tell of the great things Jesus had done for him, the first from his region to proclaim this good news, experienced a tragic beginning.  For some of us who have survived harmful things, this may be the best story of all, and with the best outcome -- the truth of Christ's saving redemption from the callous to a life of dedication and mission and belonging, to the unique identity only He can give.  

 

But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that, it came to pass that Jesus went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

  "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Interestingly, in this section, Christ's words are echoes of something similar He said in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:14-16).  Certainly phrases and images reflect various preaching of Christ in different places and in different times.  There in the Sermon on the Mount, this image of light was used to encourage His disciples to reflect that light into the world.  But here, Christ is continuing from His beginning of preaching in parables, and especially about the necessity of our own guarding of how we hear.  He's assuring His disciples that the mysteries He brings will be revealed, but it really does depend upon our own disposition to that light.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even wheat he seems to have will be taken from him" is an assurance that what we receive also depends upon our own hearts and what we nurture, protect, and desire.

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study Bible comments that Christ's relatives have not yet understood His identity and mission.  He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God ("these who hear the word of God and do it").  It further explains that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, says that Jesus is correcting both them and His hearers "to the right idea concerning Himself," that the family of His Kingdom "is not by nature but by virtue."  See also Luke 11:27-28.

 

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study Bible says that Christ deliberately permits this windstorm to arise while He's sleeping in order to perfect the disciples' faith and rebuke their weaknesses.  This is so they would eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

There is such an incredibly paradoxical image in the scene of Christ asleep in the boat while such a windstorm is raging on the lake all around Him, to the point where the boat was filling with water.  It's important to remember that a number of Christ's disciples (and indeed, they are His inner circle of Peter, James, and John, plus Andrew Peter's brother) are known to us as fishermen.  They are those whose lives were spent upon this sea working in boats and fishing from them.   So whatever this storm is, it is apparently enough to frighten even the seasoned fishermen.   But the image of Christ asleep on the boat through this windstorm isn't simply about His humanity; today it strikes me that we see Christ as human being in a position that is deeply vulnerable.  He sleeps in the boat while it is filling with water.  So Jesus asleep doesn't just portray Him as a man among other human beings, with our own need for rest amid His no doubt tiring schedule of His public ministry, amid constant travel, preaching, and teaching.  But He takes His place with us as one entirely vulnerable to the vicissitudes and patterns of human life in this world.  We're all, to some extent, at the mercy of the elements of the world, of weather and natural disasters, and Christ shares even that with us.  He comes into the world to know and to share our condition thoroughly.  Moreover, a reading of Christ's early life will give us a number of ways in which -- directly from His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary -- His life was vulnerable and at risk.  St. Joseph had to make a decision whether or not to divorce his young wife when she told him she was pregnant.  Later when King Herod sought to kill all young male children in order to destroy this infant born a king, His life was in danger, and they fled to Egypt.  This is a vulnerable, dangerous start, right from the beginning, through the power of the state that is already against Him.  Christ's safety depended upon faithful parents responding to the call of God.  In this alone, we see the importance of Christ's statement in today's reading about our need to "take heed how we hear."  In St. Joseph's case, he followed warnings received in dreams, and so did the three wise men from the East who came to honor Christ (see Matthew 1:18-2:23).  But even from this vulnerable place, Christ teaches us that the one thing essential to us for life is the courage of our faith, the strength of our faith, the nurturing of our faith.  Christ indeed has the power to rebuke the storm, and so this is a part of the story in today's reading.  But what He teaches the disciples is not that we, as vulnerable humans, need to somehow acquire the kind of power He, the Christ, has.   Jesus' response is to chide the disciples, asking them,  "Where is your faith?"  even as the disciples marvel over His power to command the winds and water, and they obey Him.  There is a quotation from an essay by G. K. Chesterton that somewhat addresses this point.  He writes, "Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete.  Christianity alone has felt that God, to be wholly God, must have been a rebel as well as a king.  Alone of all creeds, Christianity has added courage to the virtues of the Creator.  For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point -- and does not break" (from the essay, "God the Rebel").  The courage Christ calls out of His disciples, out of us, and out of Himself when He will face the Crucifixion, is faith.  This is what faith does for us; it is that upon which civilization is born and carried through the generations.  It is that which carries us through storms and terrors.  It is where we must find our courage, and it is there that He calls us ahead, with Him, to "life, abundantly."

 

 

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

- Luke 8:1–15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"    Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  My study Bible notes that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and were the first to receive and proclaim the news of Christ's Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, it continues, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness.  So this indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.

 

 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here Jesus gives His first parable, to a great multitude which had gathered from every city.  In all the Synoptic Gospels, the parable of the Sower is the first told by Jesus (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20).  

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.  My study Bible comments that as the sower in this parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  It says that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment faith is professed -- a view never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.    Jesus tells the disciples, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that  'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"  (See Isaiah 6:9.)  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  It says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom comments, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was  a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

 

 What stories do we know which tell us about our faith?  Jesus gives us stories in the form of parables.  These are memorable illustrations of the ways of the Kingdom, how the Kingdom works, and who Christ is.  As mentioned above, in all the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins His preaching in parables with the parable of the Sower, given in today's reading.  We also have Jesus' explanation for the parable.  Clearly, He is the Sower, and the seeds He sows are the gospel message.  Where will they fall?  If we think carefully about this parable (and about Jesus' words explaining it to His disciples), we'll come to see that we might fall anywhere on the spectrum of the ground He describes, at any time -- or at various periods of our lives.  Each of us knows seasons of the kinds of temptations and struggles Jesus describes.  First of all He describes the work of the adversary, the devil, reminding us that there are spiritual foes at work in the world, seeking to snatch away the word.  We all deal with temptations of various kinds; some we may harbor and nurture, others we do our best to refuse.  And then there are the times we may be choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life -- always with us and seemingly an integral part of our world.  Perhaps the demand for such is exacerbated and accelerated through modern technologies and means of communication, drowning out the word of God.  We need to seek out Christ's word, keeping it with us, energizing and enlivening it within ourselves to counter all of these effects.  But then there is the good ground, and one presumes that those who seek out that good word know that effect of the good ground within them and seek to nurture it.  Moreover we should note that, in Jesus' words, not only does this ask of us a noble and good heart, but we must also keep that word, and bear fruit with patience.  That "with patience" is important, for sometimes the fruits of our faith take time, and sometimes living the word takes patience with all the things in life that seek to get in the way.  Note that patience also implies that our effort is steady, over time.  As my study Bible noted, faith is not a one-time-only confession, but a life of lived effort.  Our path is for our lives, and for that we need the patience to understand the sustained nature of the faith Jesus speaks about.  But there is joy in the heart by living with this word, and the grace we're given helps and sustains.  My study Bible says that parables are word-pictures, given to us in images from daily life, meant to communicate the deep things of God.  It says that parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Note in today's parable how Christ the Sower sows the word of God in the earth.  We need spiritual eyes and ears to hear and understand, but His word is here and present, seemingly awaiting us.  When life seems to be filled with piled up urgencies and needs, news of the day, and all manner of distraction, let's remember that His word is always awaiting us, and the depth of our hearts.

Your faith has saved you. Go in peace

 

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"    Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."

 

- Luke 7:36–50 

 

Yesterday we read that the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things that Jesus had preached and done.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not weep.'  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children." 

 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"    Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."   My study Bible comments that this Pharisee, who invited Jesus to his house to eat, was intrigued by Christ.  This is evidenced by his invitation, but clearly the man does not believe in Jesus, as shown by his reaction to the Lord's mercy, and by his lack even of common hospitality ("You gave Me no kiss . . . You did not anoint My head with oil").  My study Bible says that this encounter with the sinful woman is an icon of the grace which is found only in the Church.  It cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who writes that through her, "the Church is justified as being greater than the Law, for the Law does not know the forgiveness of sins, nor the mystery in which secret sins are cleansed; therefore, what is lacking in the Law is perfected in the Gospel."

And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"  Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."  My study Bible explains here that it was beyond the bounds of the Law as the Pharisees understood it that man could forgive sins (see Luke 5:21).   But Christ is not a mere man; He is the very Lawgiver Himself.  St. Cyril of Alexandria asks, "Who could declare things that were above the Law, except the One who ordained the Law?"

I am intrigued by Christ's final statement in today's reading.  It's directed at the woman who anointed Him with oil.  He tells her, "Your faith has saved you.  Go in peace."   Since the text tells us clearly that this was a woman in the city who was a sinner, we can presume that in her expression of faith and gratitude toward Christ is included the aspect of repentance on her part.  Moreover, that she was weeping, and her tears were falling, are classic signs that accompany repentance.  They are associated with a kind of mourning over sin, especially our own sin.  When Jesus tells her, "Your faith has saved you," this is a complete statement of effect.  But also, in some sense, it implies something continuing into the future, for faith is not something that is a one-moment decision only.  Faith implies a continuing future of acting upon its premise.  That she has faith in, and trust in who Christ is and who He says He is, means that there is a future into which she proceeds from here that is rooted in that faith.  "Go in peace" would seem to indicate the same, for it indicates a future road or path, a way to go forward for her, in Christ's peace.  So it seems to me that the faith of this woman implies not simply salvation and a kind of healing through the forgiveness of Christ on a one-time basis, but rather acts as an ongoing foundation for her life, as implied in the text.  Faith can't simply be something we decide we have one day and then pack it away like something in a drawer we don't open again, or seldom take out.  Faith implies a basis for our lives as a lived foundation every day, and this is the way she can "go in peace."  There is more than one story in the Gospels of a woman who anoints Jesus with oil; in John's Gospel there is a story where she is clearly identified as Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus (John 12:1-8).  In patristic commentaries, some identified these stories as belonging to more than one occasion and perhaps as two or possibly three different women.  But the identities we can assign to these women stem from women known to this early ministry of Jesus, such as Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany.  Again, we infer that this woman was not simply pronounced saved without an ongoing participation in the community of believers; Christ's salvation in some sense indicates a pretext for the future, an ongoing engagement in salvation and faith.  Jesus gives her a premise, a hope, a new future.  In any case, His "go in peace" implies a willingness to sin no more, as He tells the woman taken in adultery (see John 8:1-11).  In Christ's peace there is a hope for her future, for this is really what it is to be saved, to enter the kingdom of God, which is within us and among us.  It is a place in which we may dwell and live our lives, and Christ's peace is something we seek to live every day.  

But wisdom is justified by all her children

 

 Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  

 

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, 

Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  

 

And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. 

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

'We played the flute for you,

And you did not dance;

We mourned to you,

And you did not weep.'

"For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by all her children."

 

- Luke 7:18–35 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus concluded all His sayings in the Sermon on the Plain in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.  Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.   

 

  Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.  And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  When the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, 'Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'"  And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  My study Bible comments that John the Baptist was imprisoned shortly after Jesus was baptized (Mark 1:14).   Though John had directed his disciples to follow Christ (John 1:29-31, 35-37), some remained with him.  As John's own faith was no doubt strengthened by the signs performed by Jesus, patristic commentary university frames this encounter as a way used by John to convince his remaining disciples that Jesus Christ was truly the Coming One.

When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings' courts.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  This is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'  For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."   Here, speaking of John the Baptist, Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1), teaching this crowd that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of that prophecy.  My study Bible comments that, although John was the greatest prophet, his life and ministry still belonged to the period of the old covenant.  It notes that the new covenant so far surpasses the old that the least in the kingdom is greater than the greatest outside of it.  This doesn't imply that John won't be resurrected to the Kingdom -- but only that his life in the world came before something much superior. 

 

 And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.  Again, we see the split among the people, the evidence for John's status as the greatest prophet acceptable to those who practiced repentance (the tax collectors), but not not to the Pharisees and lawyers (scribes).  See also Mark 11:27-33.

And the Lord said, "To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?  They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not weep.'  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  Here Jesus is referring to a children's game of the time.  It was played in two groups.  One group would mimic musicians, with the other responding to the type of music being played (the flute for dancing, or singing a dirge for mourning).   My study Bible comments that the Pharisees were so rigid in their religion that they were unable to respond and engage the world around them.  So here they reject John as being too mournful and ascetic, and Christ as being too merciful and joyous.  

"But wisdom is justified by all her children."  My study Bible states that in spite of being rejected by the Pharisees, both John and Christ are justified, not by the opinions of men, but by their children.  That is, their spiritual children:  those who would come to believe and be faithful. 

Today Jesus gives us the image of playing a children's game:  one group mimics playing music for dancing, and the other's supposed to dance.  When they mime dirges for mourning, the other children are meant to feign weeping.  But of course, children will spite one another for a laugh, and then the first group will complain.  How delightful it is that Jesus uses a children's game, an image of kids playing in a marketplace, to make a point.  It makes us remember what a wonderful observer of human nature He is, and all the details He knows about our lives, and how we live and have grown up.  But on the other hand, He's giving us an example that emphasizes the childish (or perhaps we might say spiritually immature) attitude on display by "the men of this generation."  They expect God -- and all manifestations and ministries of the Holy Spirit at work in the world -- to conform to their demands and expectations.  This is a generation that scoffs at and rejects what God does in the world.  They will, apparently, find any excuse to criticize and to condemn.  Jesus says, "For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"  John the Baptist was an extreme ascetic, one who lived in the wild, and made no reliance upon anyone but God (see Mark 1:6 for a description).  But then there is Jesus, who dines with sinners and tax collectors, even choosing one for His disciple (Matthew).  Note how Jesus begins by defending John against the criticisms of the people; why would they expect a holy man like John to be an effete person, wearing soft clothes, one who could be shaken by the wind.  Such people live in luxury in king's courts.  John the Baptist is in a king's palace, truly, but he's in the prison, and he will die in a gruesome manner in that king's court (Mark 6:14-29).  Clearly the people Jesus is speaking to object to John's rough outer appearance, his rigorous ascetic life, and so Jesus chides them for their expectations.  He tells them that John is a prophet and more -- no greater prophet has ever arisen in Israel, and John is the one who has announced the coming of the Messiah.  These sharp images teach us to understand what it means to come close to God working in the world.  God gives us surprises; sometimes those surprises may be vivid enough to hit us like a slap across the face.  Sometimes they might seem to offend all that we think is good, like Jesus eating and drinking with notorious people like tax collectors and other sinners.  But Jesus teaches us something very important:  we're not to judge by our expectations and appearances.  There is a different way to see with the heart.  All those people who went out to be baptized by John seemingly can accept Jesus' words.  But the ones who felt they had no need to repent in the first place cannot.  They think they know.  But Christ teaches a similar lesson to the one He taught in Monday's reading:  that one knows a tree by its fruit.  And both John and Jesus will be known by their children, their spiritual children, the fruits of the tree.  For God works by grace, and God will always surprise us.  With God, paradox is key -- both John and Jesus have ministries in which God is working in the world, regardless of how they might look on the surface.  In the Church, saints come in all forms and guises, in all centuries, each a vigorous expression of God's light and energies working through them in the world.  For wisdom is holy wisdom; the word in Greek is σοφια/sophia.  Let us learn to see as those who seek this light, with hearts true to wherever it is found.