Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country

 

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me 

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovering of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

 

So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"   He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I  say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of the was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

 

- Luke 4:14-30 

 

Yesterday we read that, following His Baptism by St. John the Baptist, Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'" Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.   

 

   Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."  Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  My study Bible notes that, as Christ is the eternal Son of God, He did not become the world's anointed Savior, but rather has always been our Savior from before the foundation of the world.  It was Christ who spoke through Isaiah who said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1).  Jesus doesn't say, "The Spirit has come upon Me."  When the Spirit of the LORD descended on Jesus at His Baptism (see above, Luke 3:22), this was a sign which revealed an eternal, not temporal, truth to the people.  The acceptable year of the LORD is the time of the Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).  

 

 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"   He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"  Then He said, "Assuredly, I  say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  According to my study Bible, this double response of both marveling and rejection occurs frequently in those who encounter Christ (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Being rejected in His own country fulfills the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha.  Moreover, it foreshadows Christ's rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  My study Bible adds that Christ accepts death according to the Father's will, not at the will of the Jews.  Here, the hour of Christ's Passion has not yet come (see John 8:20).  Important to note is that Jesus' statement, "Assuredly, I  say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country," appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; John 4:44).

 

We all face rejection in our lives, perhaps on a frequent basis.  But shall we consider Christ, the Lord of the Universe, and the rejection He goes through in His earthly ministry?  There is not simply this rejection that we read about in today's reading, but, as my study Bible also notes, the rejection to come from the entire nation.  Perhaps it is important that this first rejection comes so early in His ministry, and it happens in His hometown of Nazareth.   We may find familiarity with what we've experienced in life; that is, the humiliation of being embarrassed, and rejection in front of a body of our peers.  This is important, because Christ gives us a sense of what it is to persevere in doing what is right in God's sight, and out of loyalty and love for God.  In this sense, Christ's rejection is another kind of temptation that bears a small resemblance to the temptations in the wilderness by Satan which we read about yesterday (see above).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus' relation to the Father was tested ("If You are the Son of God. . .") in terms of His needs (bread), worldly power and authority ("all the kingdoms of the world"), and the danger He would face ("throw yourself down from here").  In today's reading, we find similar temptations, in that in His hometown He is no longer welcome (so it could not be a place of refuge for Him in the world), His authority is rejected, and He's placed in danger as they try to throw Him off a cliff.  These all repeat, in some sense, the temptations of the devil.  If we examine this pattern closely, we see that for Jesus it will repeat in different forms throughout His ministry, particularly in the patterns of growing hostility and opposition by the religious authorities in Jerusalem, and among those who rule for Rome.  But additionally, the people will also turn against Him at different times, the crowds who are often led in very capricious ways either by authorities or one another.  In all ways, Christ's earthly ministry is meant to heal, and so His rejection becomes a paradigm.  When we find ourselves in this place of rejection or humiliation, we need to turn to Him for how to walk through it, how to find His light in our darkness (John 12:35).  For Jesus, His "pattern" is always to be the Son of God; this is who He is and the life He leads.   But for those of us who desire to become "sons of God" by adoption, it is also the identity we must follow in imitation of Him.  "How does God want me to respond?" is always an important question.  Turning to prayer, to Scripture, to the saints, to worship -- all are essential ways to face our own temptations in the face of humiliation and rejection, the withdrawal of safety and security, the uncertainty of hostility and danger.  This must be an active pursuit on our part, not a passive or lazy one, for each person will face unique struggles and challenges, and God may desire particular responses for each situation.  Such is the nature of spiritual struggle, for which we have been given so much by Christ, including the gift of grace, the Holy Spirit, and all the tools of the Church.  Let us "work the works of God" in our active spiritual life, as He has taught us.

 

Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  

 

And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up, 

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

 

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 

 

- Luke 4:1-13 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John the Baptist, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  When all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

  Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed the understanding of "types" in the Bible.  This "typological" way of understanding Christ gives us a lens through which to view His ministry and the events in it, as fulfilling types from the Old Testament.  My study Bible explains that the exodus of Jesus into the wilderness after His Baptism has a dual symbolism, one of which is to fulfill the Old Testament type in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after its figurative "baptism" in the Red Sea.  In another sense, Christ's time in the wilderness also prefigures our own journey through the fallen world after our baptism, as we struggle towards the Kingdom.  This we also symbolically relive through the traditional practices of Lent, the forty days before Easter/Pascha, in which we fast, give alms, and deepen our prayer lives.  (There is another traditional forty day fast, as well, before Christmas.)  Let us note that all of the Scripture quotations that Jesus uses are from Deuteronomy, and the story of Israel's time in the wilderness, and they all call for loyalty to God.  Although Jesus is tested with hunger for forty days, He doesn't sin.  He fasted to overcome temptation, and gives us thereby an example of our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  The hunger of Christ's flesh does not control Him; rather, He controls His flesh.  

 

 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Here is the first temptation, in which Jesus is tempted to use His power to follow His impulses to hunger while He has been purposely fasting before He begins His public ministry.  My study Bible asks us to notice that each time Christ rebukes the devil, it is with the truth and power of Scripture. (In this case, He quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3; see also John 6:27.)   This teaches the faithful to become immersed in Scripture, so that we may resist and drive away every temptation (see Psalm 119:11).   The devil challenges Christ's relation to the Father, saying, "If You are the Son of God . . .."  My study Bible comments that this calls into question the Father's declaration at Christ's Baptism (see yesterday's reading, above).  It says that the devil wants Jesus to act independently and to detach Himself from the will of the Father.  In His divine nature, my study Bible explains, Christ shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He can do nothing of Himself, as He has said, apart from the Father.  But in Jesus' humanity, He has free will, and at all times He must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.   Note also that while Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), the New Adam -- Who is Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan. 

 

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  for it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"   Once again, the devil seeks to tempt Christ to betray His relationship to the Father, using material promise to lure His loyalty.  My study Bible comments that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  In this test, Jesus is being asked by the devil to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  It notes that the devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).  Jesus refuses the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.

 

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  As Christ has defeated him twice through the power of the Scriptures, Here the devil tries to tempt Jesus by quoting from Scripture (Psalm 91:11-12) in order to put God's power of protection to the test.  (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21).  My study Bible comments here that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:16).

 

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.  Regarding the devil's opportune time, see Luke 22:40-46; 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23. 

 

For most Westerners, in the modern age it may seem a bit strange to deliberately give oneself a form of deprivation, perhaps particularly to experience hunger.  Dieting or fasting to lose weight is something quite common, but these are not often done purely to become a master of one's own impulses nor in combination with prayer and devotion to God.   Indeed, in our world today we have staggering problems with addictions that seem to originate to a large extent from the impulse to extinguish discomfort of all kinds, whether physical, mental, or even spiritual.  To deliberately seek a kind of discomfort for religious reasons is now, in our modern world, unusual.  Perhaps to a great extent our culture has adapted to a consumerist way of life in which any form of sacrifice is distasteful.  But the asceticism that has always been a part of the Church (and clearly, of Judaism in Jesus' time) remains an essential tool for spiritual growth nonetheless.  Jesus' forty-day fast is a time of deep prayer in communion with the Father.  His conquering of Satan in this sense becomes an essential part of His ministry to us and for us.  It is a time of testing, prefiguring all that He will undergo in His ministry, in serving the Father despite the hardship He will endure.  We, too, should not forget that life, no matter how "good" it may be and no matter what our material wealth (including food) may be, is never going to be perfect.  As human beings, we not only remain in an imperfect world in which the "evil one" still has effects, but we are also imperfect creatures.  We are in this world to learn, to grow in grace and repentance and healing, and in this growth our lives are a trajectory.  We must choose the course, the aim, wisely, and learn to live toward this good choice.  When we choose Christ, we choose a kind of devotion that leads us to an abundance of life (John 10:10).  Practices done in imitation of Christ, such as fasting, giving time and dedication to prayer, the giving of alms, are meant to strengthen us in that aim, to deepen our communion with God.  Moreover, they prepare us for our own hardships; that is, those times when we face struggles and opposition in life.  Perhaps even more importantly, when done for this purpose of growing closer to Christ, we grow in the strength He offers at the same time.  For in the traditional understanding of the Church, we are like Christ in the wilderness:  we face temptations from the one who is, in fact, hostile to us, and we need to focus on remaining in the light of Christ (John 12:35), despite the difficulties of spiritual struggle.  In the news today is the death by overdose of a young man who had everything going for him, and every advantage:  loving parents, success, health, enormous wealth.  But in all the ways he spoke of himself and his struggle (particularly with prescription medication), there is no mention of spiritual sustenance, of an understanding that we must endure through the strength which God can offer, and for the purpose of growing more fully into our faith and God's love.  It is a sad paradox and a tragic outcome, and his family needs our prayers as he did, and does still.  But let us consider what is missing in material success and the appearance of having all needs met (including prescription medicines that are meant to make us feel better).  Let us consider Jesus' way, and the example He sets.  We can feed ourselves on God's word, on the strength God gives us, and the practices that are meant to serve our souls.  In the growing strength of faith, we find ways through the darkness and difficulties of life.  Let us take courage in so doing, and follow His example for us.

 

 

 

 

 

  

You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased

 

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  

 

But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. 

 

When all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

- Luke 3:15–22 

 

In yesterday's lectionary reading, we were given the beginning verses of St. Luke's Gospel from chapter 1:  Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.  Then, the lectionary skipped to chapter 3:  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  In John 1:23, St. John the Baptist ascribes to himself the role of "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  My study Bible comments that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This is given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Moreover, it declares the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2:8).  My study Bible asks us to note that this fire is one.  It is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless. 

 

 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  Herod the tetrarch (also known as Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee) had divorced his own wife and married Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, while his brother was still living.  Herod's dynasty ruled for Rome, but portrayed themselves as Jews.  St. John the Baptist had publicly denounced this marriage as unlawful according to Mosaic law (Leviticus 18:16).   She, moreover, had initiated her divorce from Philip in the Roman style, but a wife unilaterally initiating divorce was not recognized under Jewish law.

 

 When all the people were baptized it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  My study Bible comments that Jesus Himself does not need baptism.  But in being baptized, He accomplished several things:  First, it is an affirmation of St. John the Baptist's ministry.  Moreover, Christ is revealed by the Father and the Holy Spirit to be the Christ, God's beloved Son.  In addition, He identified with His people by descending into the waters with them.  This baptism also prefigures His own death, and thus He gives baptism its ultimate meaning.  Also, by entering the waters, Jesus sanctifies the water itself for future Holy Baptism.  He, in fact, fulfills the many types given in the Old Testament, such as when Moses led the people from bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and when the ark of the covenant was carried into the Jordan so the people could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3; 4).  Finally, Jesus opened heaven to a world separated from God through sin.

 

 The baptism of St. John the Baptist was meant to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.  Thus, the text tells us that the people were in expectation; it is the expectation of the Messiah that is indicated here.  But the Baptist's preparation of the people also carries with it the preparation for Holy Baptism, which is instituted through Christ.  In Holy Baptism, we are not simply baptized for repentance, but we are also chrismated.  We are baptized with water and the Spirit (John 3:5).  In the stories of the Holy Bible, we are given a constant stream of one story fulfilling another.  It is these stories which prefigure the story of Jesus Christ that are called types.  My study Bible noted all the ways in which Christ's Baptism in today's reading fulfilled a number of those types, such as that of the Israelites crossing the Jordan out of slavery and toward the Promised Land.  When we read of a prophecy fulfilled by Christ, it is a similar process, but based in the fulfillment of the word of God, rather than historical type.  The stories and prophecies of the Bible do not simply repeat themselves, but we understand them as being fulfilled.  That is, they are leading us to a more full truth, toward the perfection of the fullness of the revelation of Christ and what it means that He gave Himself "for the life of the world."  Each fulfillment brings more deeply the realization of a greater truth, a deeper reality of the spiritual life, the life of God for us.  And in so doing, Christ brings the kingdom of heaven more fully into the world for us, so that we in turn may participate in that life, even in this world.  Without Christ's Baptism, we ourselves would not have Holy Baptism, and we would not have the understanding of what it is to be cleansed in the fullest sense of this spiritual renewal made possible by Christ.  For it is He who can release us from sin; it is through Him we have received the Holy Spirit, and the fire that both purifies and revivifies.  When we are "born again," or "born from above" (as the Greek literally means in John 3:3), then a new pattern is set for us in Christ, and for our participation in the life of Christ which He offers to us.  We die to the old, and are born into the new.  But as my study Bible says, Christ's Baptism also prefigures the Cross, and in so doing we find Baptism's ultimate meaning (see Romans 6:3-5). For we also may live a daily story of birth and renewal, of death to something we need to discard, and a type of resurrection God holds for us.  It is Jesus who told us to take up our crosses daily (Luke 9:23), and so our stories may also be in fulfillment of His, just as St. Paul also testified:  "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily" (1 Corinthians 15:31; see 1 Corinthians 15:20-31).  As the stories unfold in St. Luke's Gospel, let us consider how we, too, must live our faith.  

 

Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance

 

 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 

* * * 

 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the LORD;

 Make His paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough ways smooth;

And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

 

 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."

 

- Luke 1:1-4, 3:1-14 

 

In our recent readings, the lectionary has been focused on the Gospel of St. John.  Presently we read through chapter 12, in which Jesus was in Jerusalem at the final Passover of His earthly life.  He had made His Triumphal Entry into the Holy City, and spent time teaching in the temple.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."  Today the lectionary takes us to the Gospel of St. Luke.

 

  Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.  My study Bible notes that St. Luke was not a disciple from the beginning; however, he has a perfect understanding of the gospel because his sources were the apostles themselves. That is, the apostles who were the eyewitnesses of Christ.  St. Luke wrote his Gospel to Theophilus.  Theophilus was a prominent Gentile who had received Christian instruction (see also Acts 1:1).  According to St. Ambrose, Theophilus can mean any "lover of God," and therefore he writes, "If you love God, it was written to you."

 

  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  My study Bible comments on the high priests.  It says that while Caiaphas was now the sole high priest, people also recognized the continuing power of his father-in-law Annas, who was a previous high priest deposed by the Romans.  

 

  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins . . .  For the prophets of the Old Testament, the call to repentance was tradition.  It is a call to turn back to the Lord.  My study Bible comments that St. John's baptism did not grant remission of sins once and for all, but it prefigured and prepared people for the baptism of Christ which was to come (see Romans 6:3-11).  St. John the Baptist is a figure of the Law, in that -- like the Law -- he denounced sin but could not remit (or "put away") sin.  Both St. John and the Law point to the One who can do so.

 

 . . . as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"  In John 1:23, St. John the Baptist ascribes to himself the role of "the voice of one crying in the wilderness."  

 

 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  My study Bible comments here that, while parents and ancestors help impart piety and holiness, ancestry itself does not make one worthy of God.  Each person in every generation, it notes, must bear fruits worthy of repentance.  Stones are symbolic of the Gentiles who would become children to Abraham through faith in Christ (Romans 4:16-18).  

 

Right from the beginning, St. John the Baptist's focus is on repentance, and preparation for the One whose work will bring judgment.  But, as Jesus will continually emphasize, judgment will focus on a lived faith.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus' parable of judgment comes down to our capacity for the practice of compassion, what we do in living our faith (Matthew 25:31-46).   In St. John's Gospel, as we have just read, it is the living of the word given to Christ by the Father that determines judgment (see the previous reading and commentary, And I know that His command is everlasting life). According to St. John the Evangelist and Theologian, his Gospel presents faith as something much more than an intellectual acceptance of truth.  It is, in fact, a trust, a confidence, through which we live our lives and which guides what we do.  This is a much deeper bond within the soul.  In fact, in this deep sense, what we do, what we practice, informs who we are.  In today's reading, the people ask the Baptist, "What shall we do then?" St. John speaks of generosity to those more poor than we are.  Then those who are considered among the community as sinners also come to St. John.  The tax collectors ask, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  He tells them to refrain from the common practice of taking more than was required for the payment of taxes to the Romans, keeping extra for themselves.  And the soldiers as well, whose might helps enforce such corruption, come to him and ask, "And what shall we do?"  The Baptist's answer teaches them to refrain from extortion:  "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."   In each of these ways, then, St. John the Baptist is teaching the people what it means to "bear fruits worthy of repentance."  In other words, there are concrete ways to express in their lives the turning back to God, repentance.  Jesus also will speak of people in images of trees and the fruit they produce.  In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus teaches, "For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:43-45).  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will repeat the words of the Baptist regarding judgment:  "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 7:19).  The lectionary begins our first readings in St. Luke's Gospel with its first verses from chapter 1, and then starting into chapter 3.  The section it skips is Luke 1:5 - Luke 2:52, which cover the births of St. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, including stories of His early life.  The saints we read about in that section all form examples of what it is to live one's faith, to respond to God by living one's faith, despite fears and hardships.  Let us pay attention.

 

 

 

 

And I know that His command is everlasting life

 

 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."

 

- John 12:44-50 

 

In our present readings, Jesus is now at the Passover of the final year of His earthly life.  It is Holy Week.  He has been received into Jerusalem as Messiah, making what is known as His Triumphal Entry, but the religious leaders now plot to put Him to death.  He has been teaching in the temple.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told them,  "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:  "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 

 

 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.  For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.  And I know that His command is everlasting life.  Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."  My study Bible comments on today's text that Christ does not judge with favoritism or with partiality.  He has spoken the words of life, words of love, forgiveness, repentance, virtue, and mercy.  His words will be the unbending standard, my study Bible says, by which all people are judged on the last day.

 

As has been frequently observed throughout our reading of this Gospel, Jesus continually emphasizes His closeness to the Father, the union of wills that exists between Them, His obedience and loyalty to God the Father.  Continually, also, the Gospel portrays Christ's very human impulses and desires (such as the natural fear of death, a "blameless passion") juxtaposed with His loyalty to the Father, as He serves the Father's will.  At the Last Supper (in chapter 14), St. Philip the disciple will say to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus will reply, in harmony with His teaching in the temple in today's reading, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves."  This is the pattern established in the Gospel:  Christ and the Father are one (see John 10:30).  So close are the Father and the Son that Jesus can say, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand" (John 10:27-29).  This declaration illuminates the thread that ties Father, Son, and believers together, for all comes from the Father, and the salvation that the Son offers to all of us is this unification in one body as sheep and good Shepherd, through the Father's love.  But Jesus' teaching is more than simply about the Father and Himself as Son, for He brings into this picture of their unity the notion of judgment, which applies to us.  His love and teachings and mission are all from the Father.  Moreover, here He emphasizes that the very words He gives to us also come from the command of the Father.  It is God the Father who, in fact, gives the very words conveyed to us by Christ, the Logos (the Word).  Hence, we are tied, also, by faith.  Faith in Christ's teachings, should we take them to heart, is also a way of unity with the Father, a binding that affects our souls, perhaps more deeply than we may be capable of realizing.  As Jesus teaches this, faith goes far beyond a simple intellectual assent to an idea.  It is an acceptance of trust (the meaning of the root of the Greek word for faith, πιστις/pistis) that touches also love, confidence, fidelity.  This unification of Father, Son, and believers in this deep sense of the soul is why Jesus can teach that the command, the word He receives from the Father is also that which will judge.  He teaches, "And I know that His command is everlasting life."  The word from the Father is therefore the promise of everlasting life for those who may take it to heart and live it, creating, in fact, an identity through this love and fidelity.  

 

 

For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God

 

 "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  

 

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:

"Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"

Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,

Lest they should see with their eyes,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, 

So that I should heal them."

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 

 

 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

 

- John 12:36-43 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is now in Jerusalem at the final Passover He will attend.  It is now Holy Week, the last week of Christ's earthly life.  He has made His Triumphal Entry, and has been teaching in the temple, knowing that the religious leadership plots to put Him to death.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said, "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. 

 

  "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.   This verse is repeated from yesterday's reading (see above).  Jesus Himself is the light, but His teaching here (as we reported yesterday) has various facets of meaning.  He will soon be completing His public ministry, and going to His death on the Cross.  Our own lives are indeed far more limited than we understand, and we have a short time to repent and believe in Christ before our deaths.  Compared to eternity, the second coming of Christ is simply a little while.  For an extensive commentary on the implications of Christ's words here, see yesterday's reading and commentary.  

 

But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:  "Lord, who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them."  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who teaches that Isaiah's prophecy does not mean God causes spiritual blindness to people who would otherwise have been faithful.  It says that this is a figure of speech common to Scripture which reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (such as in Romans 1:24-26).  In using the phrase He has blinded it is meant that God has allowed their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  They did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah.  Rather, Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness.  

 

These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.  My study Bible says that Isaiah . . . saw His [Christ's] glory in about 700 BC (Isaiah 6:1), and spoke of Him in many places throughout his lengthy prophecy.  

 

  Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  Again my study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who declares that these rulers are in reality the worst of slaves, in that they are enslaved by the opinions of men.  This keeps them from leading as God would have them lead.  

 

There is so much power and poignancy in our final verse today, as reported by St. John.   Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.  This apparently small, simple phrase, "they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" says so much about our lives and how we live them.  We frequently do not realize how much we sacrifice of our own integrity and personal salvation through the same way of being in the world.  Salvation is what is understood in Isaiah's prophecy as being healed by the Lord.  As mentioned in yesterday's reading, if we turn to the concept of theosis (that is, growing in likeness to God), we can understand more clearly how this division between seeking the praise of God on the one hand, or the praise of men on the other, inhibits our growth of the soul and our salvation.  In the Gospels, the crowds are presented as fickle.  One day they are praising Jesus and welcoming Him into Jerusalem as Messiah.  A few days later, "the crowd" will be stirred up by the religious leaders to demand His Crucifixion, and that Pilate free Barabbas instead (see Matthew 27:15-26).   "The crowd follows the crowd," my study Bible has commented.  In the understanding of the concept of theosis, we accept that, following the "ancestral sin" in the Garden of Eden, the world is beset by competing thoughts and impulses that would lead us off the path that God desires for us.  These intrusive thoughts are called logismoi in the Patristic tradition.  We are heir to an uncountable number of temptations to "miss the mark" (the literal meaning of the Greek word for "sin" in the Gospels).  As human beings we are all subject to these temptations, to the myriad ways in which we might be influenced by the crowds, by "men," in the language of the Gospels.   The collective passions of crowds may easily inflame and sweep us into the mob.  When we seek only to please those who may give us some form of honor, then we are at the mercy of their whims and desires.  To be fashionable or popular is not the end toward which Christ's light is meant to guide us.  No matter how we may conflate worldly success with salvation and God's favor, that is not the story of Jesus the Messiah.  Christ the Lord comes into the world to "save" precisely by giving us the light to guide us, rather than our seeking only the praise of men.  Indeed, in His grand critique of the Pharisees and scribes, it is chiefly their desire for the praise of men He will condemn as their hypocrisy.  He tells His disciples, "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men," and to the scribes and Pharisees He says, "For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (see the full chapter of Matthew 23).  More to the point, Jesus will contrast the world's ways of thinking and living with what He teaches.  At the Last Supper, as reported in St. John's Gospel, Jesus will tell the disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).  In His final prayer, He will say to the Father, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world" (John 17:14-16).  These examples in His teaching and in His final prayer illustrate the difference between seeking the praise of God and the praise of men as our focus in life, the thing we nurture and choose in the heart.  It is the crucible at the heart of the Gospel and the story of Jesus.  We are always asked to choose where our loyalty lies, for this is the spiritual battle at the heart of the world and the identity of our soul.

 

 

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light

 

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name."  

 

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.  Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  

 

The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. 

 

- John 12:27-36 

 

In our current readings, it is now Holy Week, the final week of Christ's earthly life.  He has come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover.  He has been anointed with oil, saved for the day of His burial, by Mary the sister of Lazarus; and He has made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Yesterday we read that there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

 "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say?  'Father, save Me from this hour'?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify Your name." We know the troubled nature of Christ's soul, showing His full humanity in that His approaching death disturbs Him (see Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:41-44).  But regardless, Jesus unites His will to the Father. Christ's purpose is more important than His natural human fears.   My study Bible explains that the Father's name is an extension of His Person. The Son's death, it says, completes the purpose of the Father and shows His love for all, thus glorifying Him.  Here Jesus is effectively saying, "Father, lead Me to the Cross."  My study Bible calls this the Lord's divine response to the human prompting to avoid the Cross. 

 

 Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again."  Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.  Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him."  Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake."  The Father's response ("I have both glorified it and will glorify it again") refers to the signs already performed by Christ and to the death and Resurrection to come. Although the Father spoke clearly, my study Bible says, some people heard indistinct sounds like thunder because they lacked faith.  It notes that those with a little faith heard the words but did not know the source, thinking it was an angel.  But the disciples knew that the Father Himself had spoken (it is the disciples to whom Jesus address the words "for your sake").  

 

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."  This He said, signifying by what death He would die.  Here is the heart of the matter; Christ's death on the Cross will defeat the devil, the ruler of this world.    Lifted up is yet again a reference to Christ being hung on the Cross (see also John 3:14-15; 8:28).  This death will bring salvation to all people, and at the same time will render judgment on the faithless, and destroy once for all the power of Satan.  

 

  The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'?  Who is this Son of Man?"  Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."  These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.  My study Bible explains that the light refers to Christ (John 1:4-9; 8:12).  Moreover, it says, this teaching has several facets of meaning.  In the first place, He will soon be completing His public ministry.  Additionally, our own lives are very limited.  We have a short time to repent and believe in Christ before our own deaths.  Finally, Christ's return, the Second Coming, is but a little while when compared to eternity.  

 

 Jesus says, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light."   This illustrates a very important point, central to the understanding of Orthodoxy, that we are, in fact, saved through this process Jesus expresses.  That is, that we may become sons of light.  This is another way to speak of becoming God's children by adoption.  To become a son of light in this context is to become a child of Christ, one of those of the Body of Christ, whom He calls to be with Him (John 14:3).  What Jesus says here, to walk with the light, believing in the light, that we may become sons of light, is an illustration of what is called theosis.  We live our lives walking with the light, guided by the light, and so we become more "like" the light; thus, sons of light.  This stands as a principle, for walking in the darkness does the opposite.  It not only takes us away from the light, but we become more "like" the darkness, if that is where we ally ourselves.  This understanding conveys the concept of "energies."  We cannot participate in God's essence, but God's energies, God's mercy and grace, enter into our world and ask for our participation with them.  Thereby, how we live, what we do, in this sense builds who we are.  This is a fulfillment of what is taught to us in Genesis 1:26, that we are made in God's image and likeness.  Through this saving grace of Christ, His light, we may grow in that likeness, thereby becoming sons of light.  But note the juxtaposition of judgment here, which goes hand in hand with Christ's offering of salvation for the world.  If we participate in the works of darkness, so we grow in that likeness also.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches this quite starkly: "The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:22-24).  Let us note also that being a "son of light" does not mean perfection in a final, finished sense, but is rather a movement that leads us closer to God as a lifelong journey, a direction.  As human beings, this journey will entail struggle, referred to as "spiritual battle."  In today's reading, Jesus expresses the natural fear of death common to all human beings, and which creates a type of internal conflict.  But He chooses His purpose, allying His will with the Father, the very purpose of salvation for the life of the world.  C. S. Lewis writes poignantly in his book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe expressing what this means for each of us. The book may be aimed at children, but nonetheless it applies to all (and I would highly recommend the book for all ages).   In it, a young man is taught that courage is not being without fear, but that courage is having fear and doing what one must do to walk in the light anyway.  This Christ teaches us as well in today's reading.  Christ's rebuke of St. Peter upon the occasion of St. Peter's protest that Jesus should not die is also a strong reminder of this principle (see Matthew 16:21-24).  So let us remember what it is to walk in the light, and how important it is -- for the whole of who we are depends upon just this.