Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down

 

 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

- Luke 13:1–9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?  Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."

 

  There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  My study Bible comments that these two historical incidents are only reported in Luke.  The slain Galileans, it says, were probably Zealots, Jewish nationalists, who triggered some disturbance against the Romans.  The collapse of the tower in Siloam, whether by accident or sabotage, was believed to be divine justice on sinners.  Very importantly, Christ denies that this suffering was God's judgment.  On the contrary, He is using these illustrations for those who perish because they will not repent, shifting the assumptions about judgment to the gospel message of the Kingdom.  

 

 He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"  My study Bible says that the fruitless fig tree is universally interpreted in the Church to be fallen humanity.  The three years, it says, represent God's covenants with represent God's covenants with God's people through Abraham, Moses, and Christ -- all of which are rejected, as well as the three-year earthly ministry of Christ.  The keeper of the vineyard is Christ Himself.  He intercedes on our behalf so that He will suffer His Passion and send the Holy Spirit to us before the final judgment takes place.  

Jesus' parable of the fruitless fig tree is a very important portrayal of the ways of the kingdom of God.  Christ continues to make every effort to save, to nurture and feed human beings with what they need for spiritual fruit, to give us more time to repent and grow and receive the kingdom of God He preaches.  This is the way that we need to understand God, and God's ways, for it appears over and over again in the ways that Christ preaches and the stories He tells us.  Even when He tells another parable -- this time of a vineyard -- against the religious leaders in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:33-46) -- the parable of the Wicked Vinedressers still illustrates God's repeated efforts to send help to reap the harvest of the vineyard.  It's important that the parable of the Barren Fig Tree (the latter verses in today's reading) comes after Christ's teaching on judgment.  He's clearly addressing the people who hold presumptions that the terrible fates or deaths that happened to some people are signs of God's judgment on them, and He is telling them that they are mistaken and do not understand judgment.  He shifts their attention to the one thing that really matters in terms of the resurrection and life that He preaches, an acceptance of the gospel message of the kingdom of God.  This, He tells them, must be their focus when they think of judgment, for that is the door (and He is the door) to eternal life.  The continual entreaty of God, in the persons of the prophets repeatedly sent to the people throughout Jewish spiritual history, and in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, in the martyrs and saints to come, in the Holy Spirit, in the angels that seek to guide us -- all of these things reflect the nature of God who is love, and God's love for us.  Humankind is given an extended time, and all kinds of help, for the saving gospel of Christ to reach to all the nations.  Like a dedicated and loving parent who will not give up on their child, God continually seeks to show us the way to His life and the fullness that awaits our true spiritual health.  Will we find our way to God?  How many do not care, or fall victim to all the things Christ says interfere with our faith?  These stumbling blocks He names throughout the Gospels, such as the "cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches" mentioned in the parable of the Sower, the hypocritical practices of the Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 23) or of any religious leadership, and all the myriad temptations we face (Luke 4:1-13).  We should remember that God's unfailing constant entreaties come to us not simply within the arc of time as given in Scripture, but also within our own lifetimes.  Repentance allows us to be transfigured and to grow in our faith and understanding throughout our lifetimes; there is no moment when we are truly alone without God's presence in some way attending and awaiting our attention and opening to the gospel.  Let us practice the fullness of our faith with Jesus' message of the true judgment and its central focus on the gospel of the Kingdom, and also God's unwavering love which awaits us always (Luke 15:11-32).

 

 

 

I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!

 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!  Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three.  Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."

 

- Luke 12:49–59 

 

On Saturday we read that Jesus taught, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more." 

 "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  My study Bible comments here that fire is a reference to the proclamation of the gospel and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This fire both enlivens the faithful and judges the faithless; it purifies virtue and destroys sin (see Luke 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15).  Baptism is a reference to Christ's Passion (Matthew 20:22).   

 

"Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?  I tell you, not at all, but rather division.  For from now on five in one house will be divided:  three against two, and two against three."   My study Bible explains that there are two kinds of peace.  There is a false peace -- to which Christ is referring here -- which is a shallow harmony resulting from ignoring issues of truth.  Genuine peace, it says, is reconciliation to God through faith in Christ and surrender to truth.  Genuine peace has division as a byproduct because not everyone wants truth.  In the fallen world, divisions are necessary for truth to be manifest (see 1 Corinthians 11:18-19). 

 

"Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."  Here Jesus speaks of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 7:6.   In addition to the literal meaning, which my study Bible says has been experienced in the Church since the time of Christ, the older generation being divided from the younger generation also symbolizes, first, the rejection of the new covenant by followers of the old covenant, and second, the spiritual struggle between our old, sinful state and our renewal in Christ (see Ephesians 4:20-24).  

Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is.  And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is.  Hypocrites!  You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?"  This time is Christ's time of the Incarnation -- the revelation of the Kingdom of God in the first coming of Jesus Christ. 

"Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?  When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, least he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.  I tell you, you shall not depart from there til you have paid the very last mite."  My study bible explains that just as a guilty person would attempt to reconcile with an opponent before facing an earthly judge, even more so should one be reconciled to God in Christ before facing God's judgment.  In our reading from Thursday of last week, at the beginning of chapter 12, Jesus taught, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"

 

Jesus speaks of truth as something that will cause division.  Specifically, His truth -- the spiritual truth of the reality of the kingdom of God -- will work to divide people between those who accept it and those who do not.  He says, "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"  This fire, my study Bible says, is the proclamation of the gospel, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Both are linked to the presence of the kingdom of God, within which we may dwell and participate even in this world, and which also dwells in us (see Luke 17:20-21).  We may also look at images of fire found in Scripture and consider what they indicate to us.  There is the burning bush out of which Moses heard the voice of God -- a bush that was aflame with a fire that didn't consume the bush, didn't burn it (Exodus 3).  This sense of division or split can also be understood in the effects of that fire, and how people respond to it.  Fire is also representative of energy.  But the same fire of the Holy Spirit is the one that "burns" those who will experience hell, and it is the flame that also purifies.  This understanding is part of why it is so important to accept the power of repentance.  To change our minds about clinging to the things that burn in that purifying fire is to repent, to change who we are in an important spiritual sense, just as to evolve and grow turns us into quite different persons than we were once upon a time.  The fire of God is the same one that both vivifies and gives life, and also purifies and burns away what cannot stand in its energies -- and this is the fire of the truth of Christ, who also said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  In this sense, Christ's gospel of the Kingdom becomes the fire that will cause division -- and His baptism the baptism of the Cross, scandalizing some and for others the door to eternal life and salvation.  So frequently we seem to be given the message that it's our job as Christians to embrace everyone.  After all, Christ tells us to love our enemies.  But we need to consider what it means to love; love does not mean denying the truth of Christ and the gospel.  In St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, in his unforgettable passage on love, St. Paul writes, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).  For our purposes in today's commentary, we pay specific attention to St. Paul's word that "love . . . does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth."  To love others, then, does not preclude division in terms of our respect for and love of truth, neither does it ask for a false peace such as my study Bible describes.  Christ's fire is also the fire of the love of God, and we should not and must not forget that.  He has come into the world not to do something just to make us all feel good, but to do something monumental to the point that it will transform and transfigure all of creation, taking our suffering, our sin, our struggle with all the elements of evil that can afflict this world -- and make even that transfigured into an outcome of the good.  This is not simple or easy, but rather His own tremendous sacrifice (His "baptism" on the Cross), and the fire of the gospel that will (and did) transform the world.  That transformation and transfiguration is ongoing, even as we also may join in with Him, repenting within the effect of that fire, seeing and embracing the truth He brings of His redemption for us, and letting go of the things that will burn in the great fire of His love.    For nothing is had without sacrifice, but all is gain in the love of the Lord.

For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.  

 

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  

 

"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32–48 

 

Yesterday we read that one from the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  My study Bible comments that do not fear is a recurring theme in this discourse.  Little flock is a reference to all believers.  They are "little" in two ways.  First of all, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world, and second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation.  Let us consider what it is to have treasure in the heavens:  what we sacrifice from an earthly perspective, we gain when done for the kingdom of heaven.  Of such is money bags which do not grow old,  treasure where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. 

 

 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately."  This is a call to be vigilant, says my study Bible.  It echoes the imagery of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  In Christ's time, one would "gird one's waist," hitching up and fastening clothing in order to work, so that it would not interfere nor be soiled; here Christ uses this expression as a metaphor for readiness to do virtuous action.  Lamps burning indicates active spiritual discernment (see Tuesday's reading, in which Jesus teaches, "The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness").

 

 "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them."  My study Bible comments that the mark of a true disciple is vigilance in performing the work and exemplifying the virtue of the master.  To be watching is to be alert, vigilant, ready to act -- especially upon the commands of the master as a servant.  Note that Christ says such servants will find that the master will gird himself for work and serve them, as Christ did when He washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper (see John 13:1-17).

 

"And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."  The second and third watch is between 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m..  According to my study Bible, these are interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  Therefore those servants are the most blessed who remain faithful during the night.  Let us note also that this can be interpreted as a time of metaphorical spiritual darkness and difficulty, when the Light is no longer with them or seems far away from our lives (John 12:35).  It's also a time when all others are sleeping -- again, metaphorically understood as a time of falling away and forgetfulness, with a lack of spiritual awareness or zeal.  

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into."   Again, we can understand this metaphorically, with the thief as the devil and the influence of evil (see John 10:1-10).  

"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Here is the sobering, straightforward call for constant vigilance and quickening of our spiritual awareness.  My study Bible comments that it is not the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man, but rather to remain faithful and to be ready at every hour.  

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."  Here my study Bible comments that the previous parable was to all people, but this parable is to the apostles and their successors,  the rulers and teachers of the Church.  These exhortations and principles of virtue, it says, and the warnings against corruption, apply specifically to those entrusted with spiritual leadership.  Note that Jesus gives images of the abuse of those other fellow servants and selfish indulgence and exploitation of the master's household.   

"And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  My study Bible says that the judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  The many stripes (formal punishment by lash, given in specific number) given to those who are willfully and knowingly disobedient is a symbol of condemnation.  The few stripes are for those who are disobedient out of ignorance, and indicate chastisement or correction.  

Jesus speaks to His disciples, telling them that they must continue in vigilance as His servants (servants to the Master in the parable), even after He is Ascended and no longer with them as the Jesus the human being.  The vigilance He asks, therefore, is also asked of us as the descendants of these faithful to whom He speaks in the Gospel.  So we must ask ourselves what it means to be vigilant, what it means to be watching ("Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching").  It's important to note that this word "blessed" is the same one used in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain.  This kind of blessedness isn't about worldly blessings, but a state of being associated with participation in the kingdom of God ("Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom").  The word for "watching" in the Greek of the Gospel passage is γρηγορέω/gregoreo, which is highly correlated with action and quickness.  It means to be alert, watching, staying awake.  If one is a servant to a master, it stands to reason that we can infer Jesus is speaking about following His commands the He has given while He is in the world as Jesus, and practicing His worldly ministry.  At the Last Supper, Jesus teaches the disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).  So, to be watching, to be vigilant, is to always be on the alert for ways that we follow His commands, within the circumstances in which we find ourselves at all stages of our lives.  Note how this includes caring for the others in His Church specifically addressed to those in leadership.  Jesus asks, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."   A steward is one in charge of a master's household and his goods.  To give His household their portion of food in due season is to "Feed My lambs" as Jesus said to Peter in His final appearance before His Ascension (John 21:15-19).  But to abuse and exploit others in the Church, to abandon responsibility, to be self-indulgent and ignoring the commands of Christ, all of that is to forfeit the name of a disciple or apostle.  We are guaranteed, in this language found here in Luke, that Christ will come at an hour we don't expect, and therefore it is constant vigilance that is asked for, not forgetting what we are to be about as good servants to the Master.  He says, "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.    But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."   Note Christ's fairness:  those who do not know will not be held to the higher standard, but those who have been given much in the way of the spiritual truth and teachings of Jesus, will be responsible for much.  Let us therefore be prepared and vigilant, learning and growing, watchful and wakeful and alert to the call of our Lord and Master.  Let us do as we're asked as good servants.  Let us not be complacent, but be prepared to grow in the living of our faith. 

 

 

 

 

But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13-31 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was speaking to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.   Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  My study Bible comments that it was a custom for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  But a dispute over an inheritance can be detrimental to salvation.  This greed is pure idolatry, my study Bible comments (Colossians 3:5) and unfitting for those who know God.  Notice how incompatible this question is with what Christ has just finished saying, in yesterday's reading, above. 

 

 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  My study Bible says that the question, "Whose will those things be which you hae provided?" is the key to understanding the saving up of material goods.  St. John Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have:  "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in our closet belong to the one who has no shoes; and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  St. Ambrose teaches, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  My study Bible says that even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41) it was for the benefit of the whole nation.  These teachings apply to parishes as well as to each person. 

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  Here my study Bible comments that Christ is warning against anxiety, not against thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent upon God, it says, and only indirectly on food and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things can demonstrate a lack of faith in God's care.  The nations of the world is a reference to the Gentiles, who served pagan idols, and remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  My study Bible says that those who follow God can be freed from this dependence.   The kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching.  As we are freed from excess anxiety about earthly things, Christ guides us to look to how we please God (seek the kingdom of God) and be secure in the faith that God will provide our needed earthly blessings. 

What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God?  Christ has given us prescriptions, so to speak, in all of His teachings, about how to do that.  We are to pray, we are to seek God's righteousness.  We are to love God with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength -- and to love neighbor as oneself, extended that love through practice.  To dispute over an inheritance does not seem to indicate that one is seeking a righteous judgment but rather contesting something legitimately given out of greed and covetousness.  Let us think for a moment about what such disputes entail, the expense and effort and time, not to mention the family dynamics of such a circumstance.  This indicates that one has not sought God's will in such a dispute but rather values material wealth first over the kingdom of God.  We make such choices all the time; we are presented with such choices all the time -- and in today's passage, Jesus is clearly coming down firmly on the answer for us all.  We're to seek first the kingdom of God, in all things, and at all times.  This may seem difficult, if not impossible to do in a world obsessed with material goods and consumption.  It's exacerbated through modern conditions of comparison to others and being offered all kinds of goods through images, advertising, social media.  Social media often offers to us what we supposedly "should" be seeking in life, because everyone else does it, because all our friends do, or even family members.  But this is not where the Christian heart must be focusing.  These are all great distractions to seek something else and take our mind and our focus off of God, and Christ's teaching for us and for our lives.  There really is no compromise on this; Jesus teaches that we cannot serve both God and mammon.  We have to make a choice.  Note that Jesus does not say that we must live without blessings of a material kind -- what He does say is that we need to seek the kingdom of God.  He tells us that "your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."    Seeking the kingdom of God, therefore, applies to all times and circumstances.  We seek God's will through prayerful life, putting all things -- our troubles, concerns, worries, needs, and choices -- before God and seeking the discernment to find God's way.  Sometimes I have found that an important practice in life is seeking to give control up to God, to accept what comes with gratitude.  Regardless of circumstances, I find that letting go to God helps me with clarity and also with charity; sometimes those in need are brought to me with what God thinks I can offer, even if that's just a kind word or smile.  So often, we forget what blessings we really have to share; a focus on the purely material blinds us to the other things people need and desire for their hearts as well.  Let us seek that Kingdom and God's blessings, and we will find that we have so much more than we know.

And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven

 

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53-12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain Pharisee asked Jesus to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  By now, as Jesus has already set His face to go to Jerusalem, the Pharisees are now His enemy -- lying in wait and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."   My study Bible says that whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  It comments that the body will die eventually, one way or another, noting that St. Ambrose even states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment.  Rather it marks the end of earthly punishments.  The soul continues for all eternity; since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts in this world are to please God alone.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  My study Bible notes that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion.   The scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  The Holy Spirit, by contrast, is without bodily form and invisibly works divine goodness.  My study Bible further cites St. John Chrysostom -- as well as many other patristic teachers -- who say that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  It points out that Jesus never calls the sin itself "unforgivable."  Jesus makes this declaration, in fact, knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

So then, what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?  How can we perceive of the works accomplished in the Holy Spirit in this world?  Perhaps this is a clue why, over and over again, Jesus teaches us to take heed how we hear (Luke 8:18), and how we see, to cultivate spiritual discernment.  In Matthew 13, Jesus begins to preach in parables to the crowds.  When He is asked why by His disciples, He replies, "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them" (Matthew 13:13-15; quoting from Isaiah 6:10).  But so many people seem to have hearts that have dulled, spiritual eyes and ears that don't work and don't perceive.  Why this neglect, and why this blindness?  It seems that Jesus gives us this great hint as to a cause when He criticizes and warns His disciples about the Pharisees; but it's a warning not focused on the Pharisees themselves per se, rather it is about their way of life:  "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."   This ties in to yesterday's reading, and His criticism of the ways of the Pharisees and scribes (lawyers) that illuminate the ways of hypocrisy, and the blindness it causes.  Those who live by appearance and neglect the inner life become blind to it, blind to who they are and what they're doing, projecting the same onto others, failing to perceive and act upon the things of God, or turning in repentance to find the way to them.  But yet, nothing is hidden from God.  Jesus adds, "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has  killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."  To be a hypocrite, to live through appearances in the eyes of others, is to be enslaved to "the praise of men rather than the praise of God" (John 12:43).  It is to live in fear of the wrong things, and to stray from God, the only One whose power one should truly fear.  But we are beloved of God, who only wants us back.  But we have a limited time in this life for such repentance and return, and in today's reading Jesus also warns us about judgment:  "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."  It's in this context that He warns about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit -- a teaching that emphasizes our capacity for spiritual understanding, our need to exercise our faculties of perception of what is spiritually good.   Emphasizing this important role and honoring of the Holy Spirit, Jesus also speaks of persecutions to come, explaining that the Holy Spirit is the One who provides testimony:  "Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."   In a world that often lately seems to have forgotten all about these important spiritual realities, or desires to dismiss them, it is perhaps just as important today as it was in Christ's time to pay attention to these words, to cultivate our own capacity for spiritual insight and perception, to pray and gain this powerful reliance upon the Holy Spirit -- for it is there where our salvation lies.  It is there where we find the hope of the world, and the power of the judgment to come.  

 

 

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!

 

 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  

 

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

- Luke 11:37–52 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!  And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light." 

 

 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you."  Here Jesus begins to give criticisms of the Pharisees similar to those found in Matthew 23.  His repeated message of woe to them is a message about judgment that is to come.  My study Bible explains woe as a term which indicates complete and devastating destruction (Luke 6:24-26; see Isaiah 5:18-24; Amos 5:18-19; Revelation 12:12).  Here, addressing the issue of the formal observance of the Law in ceremonial washing, Jesus emphasizes the inward part, making an allusion to the inward part of a human being.  This "inward part" is neglected by the legalism of the Pharisees.

 

 "But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."  To observe formal practices of tithing, while remaining untouched by the love of God or the need for justice is to bypass the spirit of the Law while following its letter.

 

"Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  The emphasis on outward observance causes judgment by appearance, the pleasing of other people rather than God (John 12:43).  Jesus likens this inward state of neglect to death, emptiness, nothingness -- painting a forlorn picture of the unknown graves of the dead.  

Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."  Here the lawyers or scribes, who are closely allied with the Pharisees, complain to Jesus.  Again, Jesus speaks of their hard-heartedness, similar to that of the Pharisees.  These men scrupulously and zealously study and give opinions in the Law; in this context they load men with burdens hard to bear, but never show mercy in so doing, nor the compassion to truly help others. 

"Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation."  Jesus now links the Pharisees and scribes to the same leaders who built the tombs of the prophets and killed them in the past.  He speaks of God's justice, in which all these things are known, and which will require a response.  Regarding Zechariah, my study Bible comments that some patristic teachers say this was the prophet at the time of Joash the king (2 Chronicles 24:20-22) while others say it's a reference to the father of St. John the Baptist.  According to tradition, Zechariah (or Zacharias), the father of the Baptist, was also murdered in the temple.  

"Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."  My study Bible comments here that, because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  Therefore leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1). 

Today's list of "woes" given by Jesus encapsulate in some sense what it means to be a hypocrite.  Indeed, in Matthew 23, Christ's grand critique of the Pharisees and the scribes, His condemnation is punctuated multiple times with the accusation, "Hypocrites!" Today's reading gives us an idea of exactly what the problem with hypocrisy is:  it hides from ourselves our own interior disposition, and the problems with it that we need to correct.  Jesus says, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness."  Outward observance is possible without ever coming to terms with our own needs and problems and shortcoming we need to correct.  This kind of blindness to oneself also leads to projection, and false judgment of others.  In response to their criticism of His lack of ceremonial washing, Jesus advises them to be charitable with what they have, teaching them the consequences of such:  clean hands:  "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you."   But then He continues to explain the problem with tithing for outward appearance's sake, and the disconnect with the heart that results:  "But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone."  The point of charitable giving is serving God's justice, ameliorating the harsh conditions we know in the world, and so properly done out of the love of God and of justice.  Jesus continues, "Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Their emphasis on worldly glory (the best seats in the synagogues . . . greetings in the marketplaces) hides their true reality:  emptiness without substance, empty of virtue, to be forgotten and passed over.  In Christ's criticism of the lawyers (scribes) He goes even further; these experts who know the law and render opinions have used it to obstruct the purposes of God.  They cover the fact that they inherit the ways of those who killed and persecuted the prophets before them, in their hypocrisy building their tombs and mourning over them.  They have inherited the ways of their spiritual fathers, doing the same to those prophets and apostles who will come (and to Christ the Son as well).  They not only obstruct the knowledge of God for themselves, but they hindered those who were entering in to such -- thus fully defeating and obstructing the whole purpose of the Law.  Hypocrisy, in short, allows us to hide from ourselves the true state of our souls, our inner part, and what we do -- so that it may cover up even a multitude of the worst kind of sins.  My study Bible has a note on the warnings given to these religious leaders in Matthew 23.  It says that these warnings about hypocritical practice of our faith are especially important to Orthodox Christians.  The Church, it says, has maintained the ancient practices of tithing, sacred vessels, holy rites, and following the tradition handed down from our own fathers (and mothers).  These practices, it continues, can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ -- or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.  Let us understand that these words of Jesus Christ are not just for people who would be religious leaders and teachers 2,000 years ago.  They are for us today, especially for all of us who would be disciples of Christ, and seek to follow as He teaches us.  Let us learn from His words and take them all to heart.  For the wisdom of God will send yet more to us, and this wisdom is Christ Himself.  

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  

 

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

 

- Luke 11:27–36 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.  When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first." 

 

  And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  My study Bible tells us that these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary in the Orthodox Church.  Jesus corrects this woman from the crowd, not by denouncing his mother, but by emphasizing her faith.  People are blessed in God's eyes if, like Mary, they hear the word of God and keep it.  The Greek word μενοῦνγε/menounge is translated here are more than that.  In Romans 10:18, it is translated as "Yes indeed."  This word corrects by amplifying, not by negating.  

And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."  The sign of Jonah is explained by the study Bible as, first of all, the fact that the rebellious Ninevites were willing to repent at Jonah's preaching, and second, that Jonah coming out of the great fish prefigures Christ rising from the tomb (Matthew 12:40).  In contrast to the repentance of the Ninevites in the Book of Jonah (Jonah 3), the failure of Jesus' fellow Jews to repent at something far greater -- the preaching of Christ and His Resurrection -- will result in their judgment.  For reference to the queen of the South, see the story of the queen of Sheba in 1 Kings 10:1-10.

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light."  Here and in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches about disciples bearing the light He brings into the world, thus being light in the world (see Matthew 5:13-16).  God is the true and uncreated Light.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible notes, light is symbolic of God (Isaiah 60:1-3), divine Law (Psalm 119:105), and Israel in contrast to all other nations.  In the New Testament, the Son of God is called "light" (John 1:4-9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5).  My study Bible also notes here that light is necessary both for clear vision and for life itself.  Faith relies on this divine light, it says, and believers become "sons of light" (John 12:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:5) who shine in a perverse world (Philippians 2:15).  For much of the Christian Orthodox, the Paschal (Easter) Liturgy begins with a candle lit at the altar and passed to illuminate all in the Church with the invitation, "Come receive the Light which is never overtaken by night."

"The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  My study Bible explains that the mind (νοῦς/nous in Greek) is the spiritual eye of the soul.   It says that it illuminates the inner man and governs the will.  To keep the mind wholesome and pure is fundamental to the Christian life. 

In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus spoke about casting out demons and spiritual warfare, after He was accused of performing exorcisms by the power of Beelzebub, or Satan.  In the final verses we read, Jesus taught, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."   This is a picture of a person who goes from bad to worse, without repentance or "change of mind."  It is an illustration of how we choose one way, and continue down that same road.  In today's reading, Jesus ends with words teaching us about illumination, choosing the light, and shows that this also magnifies and expands.  Each "way" will continue to grow within a person.  He says, "The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness."   The earliest teaching document known to us in the Church was written before the end of the first century, and it's known as the teaching of the apostles.  This is called the Didache ("Teaching").  It speaks very much of the "two ways," the way of life and the way of death, also found in Jewish tradition.  This is also what is illustrated by Jesus' teaching on darkness and light.  Jesus' explanation about one's eye being darkened, and that darkening the whole of the body, indicates a pervasive growth of the choice for one way; by the same token, the eye being full of light also affects the whole body.  This can be understood as metaphor for the whole of oneself, which is affected by how we see and how we hear (see Luke 8:16-18).  It's important to understand that human nature is not to stand still; we are not fixed eternal points in the sense that God is in the fullness of God's being, which we cannot comprehend nor estimate.  We are fixed in time, and hence we are creatures with movement.  By Jesus' way of speaking, we understand that we are either going in one direction or another; and this explains the importance of the capacity for repentance, for changing our minds and thus changing much more than a simple intellectual process.  For "mind" in this sense involves the whole of the capacity for how we see, how we understand, how we take in even the things of God which are revealed to us in ways that are not obvious, affecting spirit, soul, body, thinking, strength.   Therefore Christ's words come to us today in the context of yesterday's casting out of the demon by the finger of God, the Holy Spirit, who gives us light and helps us to be the shining lamps Christ calls us to be.  As He indicates, the refusal of what He offers, the refusal to open the mind enough to take in His words and follow them, will have eventual consequences, for it is road we join, a way, not a fixed point that stands still.