Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

 

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."

 

- John 1:29–34 

 

Yesterday we were given the parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee, found in St. Luke's Gospel:   Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  For the previous reading in St. John's Gospel to today's, please see Tuesday's reading.

 

  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that he should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  My study Bible comments that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of his people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ, the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  My study Bible adds that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Jesus came to John this second time so that John could make this declaration.  Therefore it would stop anyone from thinking Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins. 

 

  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."   That the Spirit remained upon Jesus is a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity.  This does not indicate that Jesus received the Holy Spirit first at His Baptism.  Instead, this is a vision that John saw which revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ, the Son.

 

 In today's reading, John the Baptist brings into fullness his destiny to introduce the world to Jesus the Messiah, the Lamb of God.  We know that John has already indicated of himself that he is "'the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." (quoting from Isaiah 40:3).  In other words, John has already identified himself as the fulfillment of this part of the prophesy of Isaiah:  the one who heralds the coming of the Messiah, and prepares the people to receive Him.  Today his identity comes to its apex, when he presents Jesus as the Lamb of God, the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, upon whom the Spirit sits as clear indication that He is the Christ.  This clear fulfillment of the ministry and identity of John the Baptist gives us a sense of how God works in the world and through creation.  God does not work alone, but brings each of us into the entirety of the salvation story.  God works through God's ministers, the angels, through saints (holy human beings like John), prophets, and others.  And finally, God works through the Incarnation of His Son as the human being Jesus to bring us the Christ, fully divine and fully human.  There is only one Son, and that is Jesus Christ.  But just as Christ is unique in His identity in the story of salvation and of existence, so each one of us -- like John the Baptist -- may also have our own place, our own identity, to fulfill within the salvation story and in service to Christ.  John is an exemplary saint.  Only Mary the Theotokos, the Mother of God, has a similar place on the iconostasis of an Orthodox Church; she is always on Christ's right, while John is on His left.  In other words, John (and the Theotokos) so fully embrace the holiness that is possible for them, that they attain such saintly stature as human beings through their lives.  They both fulfill to a maximal degree the identity that Christ offers as God shares with each of us the capacity to participate in the salvation story.  There is such a deep and complete communion given through God's act of creation that we are all invited in to participate to the greatest degree possible, and this happens by a gift of God and through faith.  In today's story, John fulfills his destiny by presenting the Lamb of God to the world, and witnessing the full truth of Christ's identity, testifying to all that He is the One upon whom the Holy Spirit rests.  This is John's exalted honor, his great place of tremendous grace, to fulfill this service.  Each one of us, then, taking John as example, should consider, throughout this Lent as we approach Resurrection, what role Christ asks of us, how we may serve.  For we, too, may embody holiness should we embrace our faith and devote ourselves to the grace He offers us, and we do this through all the practices we're given in Lent, all the ways we are invited to participate.  We can pray, we fast, we give alms, but perhaps most of all we make time for God in that secret place and in ways not spectacular but hidden from the world in our heart and in the inner room we make for contemplative prayer (Matthew 6:6).   For it is in seeking God who sees in secret, and who is in the secret place that we find ourselves.   Let us take this secret place seriously, for He has told us that it is there we find our Father, and there we must be to meet Him. 

 

 

 

 

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'  And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 18:9–14 

 

Yesterday we were given the "first day" of the beginning of Christ's ministry (in John's Gospel), the testimony of John the Baptist:  Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said." Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 

 

  Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."  Today we are given the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.  In the West, it is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.  For the Eastern Churches (the Orthodox) Lent began on Monday, coinciding with our start of reading John's Gospel (which will continue tomorrow).  For Ash Wednesday, the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector is given as the first day of Lent.  The Pharisee is highly respected, and a careful observer of the details of the Law, my study Bible says.  By contrast, the tax collector is despised as a sinner.  This is a person who collaborates with the occupying Roman forces, betraying and cheating his own people.  

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  These practices of the Pharisee are worthy examples to follow, my study Bible tells us.  His good deeds (fasting and giving tithes) are the primary weapons against the passions of lust and greed (adultery and extortion).  But without a humble and repentant heart, the outward practices are worthless.  With such a perspective, they lead to pride and judgment of others.  Note that Jesus says he prays with himself.  My study Bible comments that God is absent where there is boasting.  

"And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"  The tax collector shows by his posture an awareness of the state of his soul, my study Bible comments.  He stands far away from the altar of sacrifice.  His eyes are cast downward.  His prayer, God, be merciful to me a sinner, is the foundation of the Jesus Prayer, as is also the refrain "Lord have mercy" that permeates worship and personal prayer.  

Today's reading highlights something we might repeatedly understand from our faith in different dimensions, and that is the aspect of paradox.  In a literal world based on appearances, things often seem to our perception to be black and white.  There's good and evil, right and wrong, the one thing we need to do and the other thing we don't do.  But today's reading gives us paradox:  the Pharisee is a highly praised public person, full of seeming virtue in all that we might "see" of him as reported here in his words.  He fasts regularly, he gives tithes, and he compares himself very favorably with this tax collector.  Tax collectors, to the Jews of the period, were notorious sinners who worked against their own people, often using the might of the Roman state to extort extra money for themselves.  It seems that we can all find that image and popular opinion understandable.  But Jesus does not give us black and white, good and bad.  God's judgment is far more discerning than that.  Moreover, in telling us this parable, Jesus asks us to go further than black and white and good and bad.  Jesus takes us to that place of discernment of deeper realities than what we see on the surface.  Jesus asks us to gain the insight that sometimes what we see is deceiving, because we need to see the heart.  When God sent Samuel the prophet to the home of Jesse to anoint a new king over Israel among his sons, the first looked to him likely candidate, while David the youngest was away tending sheep.  But God said of the first, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart" (see 1 Samuel 16:1-13).  The rest were rejected by God, until David the youngest was brought in.  So often, the truths of our faith are not found in proofs and what's visible to the eye, but rather in paradox.  The truth of the matter here in our parable is that this tax collector has the highest virtue, the one that is the gateway to all else: humility.   The Pharisee does not.  In fact, in this language that tells us that the Pharisee "prayed with himself" we can see a hint of the myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image in a pool of water.  If all of our lives are about constructing some kind of image of ourselves for the eyes of others to admire, we're treading the same dangerous path.  Jesus perhaps reserves His worst criticisms for the Pharisees and scribes, in Matthew 23.  This is because of their hypocrisy, a way of life based purely upon one's own image in the eyes of the world.  In John's Gospel, John will tell us, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in [Jesus], 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 12:42-43).  What Jesus praises as "justified" in the tax collector in today's story is his willingness to see himself in the eyes of God; that is, his humility.  For it's really the judgment of God that matters, and that's what the tax collector -- no doubt a sinner -- seeks in his prayer.  Just as the Cross seemed to be, in its surface image, the absolute worst thing that could happen, we know that it is the instrument of our salvation, and the moment of Christ's glorification.  Such is the element of paradox which returns again and again in our faith, for we can't see only with the eyes of the world and know the mind of God.  Sometimes even a great evil may serve the purpose of God.  We human beings need to learn through failure and experience -- and to persist in our faith.  That is, even under such circumstances, to put our trust in God.  Humility is the key virtue to all other virtues in the traditional perspective of our Church.  It is the most important thing to keep in mind as we go through Lent toward the Cross, and to Resurrection.

 

 

 

 

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD"

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

- John 1:19–28 

 

Yesterday we read what is called the Prologue to John's Gospel:   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  After the Prologue to John's Gospel (above) which introduced us to the divine nature of Christ and His Incarnation in the world, the Gospel shifts to begin the story of the ministry of Christ in the world.  Here we will be given a sequence of seven days, the first week, in keeping with the parallels to the Genesis creation account which began John's Gospel with the words, "In the beginning . . .."  Here we are given the first day, so to speak, of Jesus' ministry, the witness of John the Baptist.  He bears witness to the Light -- the Christ -- in the presence of the Jews (that is, their representatives, the priests and Levites sent from Jerusalem).  My study Bible says this is a parallel to the creation of light on the first day in Genesis 1:3-5.  It emphasizes that John the Baptist is a prophet but not the Prophet; that is, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  John quotes from Isaiah 40:3, indicating that he is the fulfillment of this part of Isaiah's prophecy.

 

 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"  John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.   John's baptism is one of repentance.  This is a traditional call of the prophets.  His baptism did not grant remission of sins, but John here points to the One who is coming who will do so. 

 

 John the Baptist is an extremely important figure in the Gospels and in the life of the Church.  He was widely revered in Israel in his own time, with the people considering him to be a holy man.  The Church has historically viewed John the Baptist as the greatest of all the Old Testament style prophets, and also the last one.  Here he indicates his role in the salvation history of the world, that of the one prophesied by Isaiah, who is the "voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Make straight the way of the LORD.'"  He is the one who comes to proclaim the advent of the Messiah, to prepare the world for the arrival of the King who is coming, as John indicates by describing the Christ as One "preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  John is therefore the herald of the King.  He is titled the "Forerunner" in the Orthodox tradition, just as kings once sent ahead of them those who announce their coming.  John plays this very important and honored role; moreover he does so in the role of a great prophet calling the people back to God.  But if we look upon this event of John's ministry with the perspective of the Church, we have to see what a tremendous role he plays at the center of all spiritual history, for he announces the coming of the One who is the very heart and center of salvation for all time.  In this sense John plays the great role of a most valued servant to the greatest king, someone who serves with devotion and the highest calling.  John is also known to us for his tremendous humility.  He will say of Jesus, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).  In this sense also of his virtue of humility, John the Baptist serves and has served as inspiration for monastics from the very beginning of the monastic tradition.  For John lived his life in complete devotion to God, to which his poverty gives testimony.  Mark 1:6 tells us, "Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey."  In is service to God, John the Baptist knows is role.  He knows who he is in the salvation story.  And perhaps more importantly, he gives us a sense that we all need to seek whatever that role for ourselves, whatever way God calls us to serve Christ, the heart and center of our faith ("the author and finisher of our faith," St. Paul writes in Hebrews 12:2).  For, as alien as this might sound to modern ears, we are each called to be our own saint, in whatever way we fulfill the role God has for us, whatever way Christ asks us to serve.  For faith is not simply a declaration, it's a way of life, a journey, even an every day adventure.  As we grow in faith, so we also come across new choices to make, and new discernment to learn -- His way.  Each of our lives is unique, just as each saint of the Church we know is unique.  And this is the great adventure, how we are called, how we are asked to live our lives in service to the One at the center of all things.  John the Baptist serves as a great inspiration to all who follow, especially to monastics who dedicate their lives to God in perhaps the most radical ways.  But God calls to each of us who would be disciples.  John heralds the Christ and testifies to Him.  What role does God ask you to play in serving this mission of the Son?  Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about John was his capacity to serve in such a unique way, one who had a mission to serve what no one yet knew.  What that teaches each of us is that no matter where we are, or in what circumstances we find ourselves, God is there leading us also, even in the wilderness.

 

 

 

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it

 

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. 

 

- John 1:1–18 

 

Last week, we were reading Christ's Sermon on the Mount in preparation for Lent.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught:  "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.   In the beginning recalls the creation story of Genesis, only John's Gospel is teaching us about the Creator.  Moreover, as Genesis spoke of the first creation, today's reading (referred to as the Prologue of St. John's Gospel) reveals the new creation in Christ, my study Bible says. Was the Word (in Greek, Λογος/Logos):  The Word is the eternal son of God. Note the syntax:  "was" is an indication of existence without a starting point; it emphasizes the Word's eternal existence without beginning.  My study Bible teaches that Logos can mean "wisdom," "reason," and "action" as well as "word," which are all attributes of Christ, the Son of God.  The Word was with God:  The Word -- who is the Son of God -- is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  He is God with the same divinity as the Father.  

All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.   My study Bible says that the Word is the co-Creator with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 1:2), and not simply an instrument or servant used by the Father.  Will, operation, and power are one in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  So, the heavens and the earth are the works of the One who made them, while the Son was not made but is eternally begotten of the Father.  

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  My study Bible comments that only God has life in God's own Person.  So, therefore, the Word, being God, is the source of life, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  The life was the light of men:  Here St. John introduces humankind as the receiver of the divine light.  By participating in the life of the Son, my study Bible reminds us, believers themselves become children of the light (John 12:36; Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).  Moses saw the divine light in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2); the whole nation of Israel saw it at the Red Sea (Exodus 13:21); Isaiah saw it in his heavenly vision (Isaiah 6:1-5); and three apostles saw it at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5).  

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  Darkness, my study Bible explains, indicates both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light.  Those who hate truth prefer ignorance for themselves and they strive to keep others ignorant as well (John 3:19).  The word which is translated as comprehend from the Greek (καταλαμβάνω/kagalamvano) means -- as does the English -- both to "understand" and "overcome."  So, therefore, darkness cannot overpower the light of Christ, and neither can it understand the way of love.  

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.   This John is John the Baptist, who would both bear witness and also lead his own disciples to Christ, not the author of this Gospel. 

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.  My study Bible remarks that Christ offers light to every person, but the world and even many of His own refuse to receive Him.  So, they can neither know nor recognize Him.  Those who accept Christ have His light.  An Orthodox hymn sun at the end of Liturgy, after hearing the Gospel and receiving communion, declares, "We have seen the true light, we have received the heavenly Spirit."

 

 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: . . .   Here, right also conveys the meaning of "authority" and is an indication of a gift from God.  This differs from what we consider, in political or even moral terms, an inalienable right.  Those who receive Christ become children of God by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7), and by grace inherit everything Christ is by nature.  My study Bible adds that to believe in His name means to believe and trust in Him who in His humanity took the name Jesus as Word, Son, Messiah, and Savior. 

 

. . . who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.   To be adopted as a child of God is not a matter of ethnic descent (of blood) as it was in the Old Testament, my study Bible says; nor are we children of God by natural birth (the will of the flesh), nor by a person's own decision (the will of man).  To become a child of God references a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit.  This is done and manifested in the sacrament of Holy Baptism (John 3:5-8); see Titus 3:4-7).  

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.'"  The Word became flesh makes clear the way in which the Son and Word of God came to God's people; it points specifically to Christ's Incarnation.  The Word became fully human without ceasing to be fully God.  Christ assumed complete human nature.  That is, as my study Bible explains it, in body, soul, will, emotion, and even mortality -- all the things that pertain to humanity with the exception of sin.  As God and Human Being in one Person, Christ pours divinity into all of human nature.  Anything which would not have been assumed by Christ would not have been healed.  He dwelt among us:  This word translated as "dwelt" means literally "tented" or "tabernacled" in Greek.  In the Old Testament God's presence dwelt in the ark of the covenant and later in the temple.  Here, the eternal Word comes to dwell in and among humanity itself as Human Being.  His glory refers both to His divine power shown by Christ's signs and wonders (John 2:11; 11:4, 40), and to Christ's humble service to human beings, which was shown most perfectly on the Cross (John 12:23-32; 13:31).  In both ways, Christ reveals that He is the One sent from the Father.  Only begotten of the Father:  The Son has no beginning, my study Bible says, but has the Father as His source from eternity.  He is called "only" begotten because there is no other born from the Father.  (The Holy Spirit exists eternally from the Father through another mystery called "procession"; see John 15:26).  Full of grace and truth:  Ths phrase is a qualifier upon both "the Word" and "His glory."  "Grace" is the uncreated energy of Christ which is given to us through His love and mercy.  "Truth" includes Christ's faithfulness to His promises and covenants and to the reality of His words and gifts. 

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.  In saying we have all received of His fullness, my study Bible says, the Scriptures confirm that God's grace can fill human nature to the extent of actually deifying it.  In Christ, God's children become gods by grace (John 10:34-35) without ceasing to be human. As metal thrust into the fire takes on properties of fire (like heat and light) without ceasing to be metal, so human nature permeated by God can take on properties of the divine nature.  Grace for grace, my study Bible explains, is a Semitic expression which signifies an overabundance of grace. 

No one has seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.  In saying that no one has seen God at any time, we understand this to mean that no one can see the nature, or essence, of God -- for to see God is to die (Exodus 33:20).  Only another divine Person can see God, so therefore the Son is the only One who can declare God.  This revelation of God's energies, my study Bible explains, can be received by the faithful.  Moses saw the "back" of God (Exodus 33:21-23); Isaiah saw God's glory (see Isaiah 6:1; John 12:41). 

 Today's reading consists of what is called the theological Prologue to John's Gospel, in which we're introduced to the reality of this Person, Jesus Christ, about whom the Gospel is written.  Indeed, all the Gospels are about Jesus Christ, but John's Gospel distinguishes itself in its theological, spiritual orientation to this question.  We're not given just the "facts" and "stories" of Jesus' life and ministry only, but a deeper theological orientation to just who Jesus is, how He came ito the world and why, and additionally we have Christ's words from the Last Supper as well.  While each Gospel is an inspired work unto itself, giving us the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom, John's Gospel adds its own inextricable dimension which illuminates deeper structures of identity, meanings to Christ's words, teachings, and miracles, and a way to understand the things of God in ways we wouldn't have otherwise.  Each is indispensable, but John's Gospel is perhaps quite distinctive in this sense.  In particular, this Prologue of today's reading starts by introducing us to Creator, as my study Bible says.  He was always present with God and He is God; He was present at the creation, and He was before the creation.  It is, indeed, from John's Gospel that we understand that "without Him nothing was made that was made"  John's Gos;el gives us theological insights and underpinnings to Christ's teachings, and a deep theology of the Eucharist and what that teaches us about our faith.  As we head into Lent, let us keep in mind that we are in a time for taking more time and giving more time to God, to ponder these mysteries John's Gospel touches upon and introduces to us.  Above all, we may try to consider what it means that this extraordinary Person, who was already in the beginning both God and with God (the Son and Word who was always together with the Father and the Spirit) is also the very humble, humane, gentle, and most deeply loving Master and Teacher to the disciples whom He lived and traveled with, and who equally knows each one of us deeply and intimately.  It is He who transcends all boundaries, dimensions, experiences, both in His divinity and in His humanity.  There is nothing that was spared Him of who we are and what we experience even in this world of darkness in which we struggle.  He has struggled with us to be our light and to show us the way.  Let us be those who cling to His light in the darkness, and do not give up that light for the darkness.  Let us bear witness to His light.

 

 

 

 

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly

 

 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.  

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.  

"In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. 

Amen. 

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."

 

- Matthew 6:1-16 

 

This week we have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent, which begins next week.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let hi have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.  You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them.  Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  Today we begin chapter 6 of St. Matthew's Gospel.  In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents what my study Bible says are the three most basic aspects of spiritual living:  charitable giving; prayer; and fasting.  These three disciples relate directly to God's righteousness, the righteousness of the Kingdom.  The original meaning of "hypocrite" was "actor" (meaning "below the mask," as in the masks worn by actors in the ancient plays).  Hypocrites, my study Bible comments, are play-actors practicing piety for show; those who wish to please other people rather than God.  These are people who wear masks of compassion, but are inwardly heartless.  Their reward is the applause of other people and nothing more.  

"But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."  My study Bible says that God is not impressed with what others think of us, nor by what we think of ourselves.  God will reward good deeds when they're based upon pure motives of the heart.  

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.  But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."   The hypocrites miss the spirit of prayer, my study Bible says, which is an intimate and personal communion with God that leads to the vision of God's glory (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Hypocrisy blocks out this communion and this vision.  Vain repetitions don't establish such communion, as God doesn't need "babble."  To participate in this communion, both silence and words are necessary.  So, therefore we pray always (Luke 18:1), and without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Christ isn't condemning the use of many words per se, my study Bible says, but rather is teaching that words must express the desire for communion with God.  In today's reading, He gives us specific words to repeat (the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father).  It's not repetition itself that is condemned, but rather vain repetition.  Many psalms, prayers, and hymns of the Church have been repeated for countless generations in the worship of God "in spirit and truth" (John 4:23).   True prayer, then, is not telling God what God already knows, and then telling God what to do about it.  Nor is it all about appearing pious before other people.  True prayer is first of all, humble (go into your room).  It is personal (pray to your Father), and also sincere (do not use vain repetitions).

 

 "In this manner, therefore, pray:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  My study Bible explains that the Father-Son relationships within the Holy Trinity reveals our own potential relationship with God.  Christ, who is the Son of God, grants us this privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As a "son of God" (regardless of human gender) a Christian is called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  We should also take note that God is not our Father just because we were created by God.  This Fatherhood is for those who are in a saving and personal relationship with God, which is a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

"Give us this day our daily bread."  My study Bible explains to us that daily is a misleading translation of a Greek word ἐπιούσιος/epiousios which means literally "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  The expression daily bread is therefore something that's not just a request for bread for the present day, for earthly nourishment.  This is a plea regarding the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  This living, supersubstantial bread is nothing less than Christ Himself. 

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  The request to be forgiven here is plural; it is therefore directing us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  Debts refers to spiritual debts.

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  God does not tempt anyone to sin (James 1:13); rather, temptations are from the evil one. That is, from the devil.  My study Bible describes temptations as that which are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, it notes, but we pray that great temptations -- that is, tests which are beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13) -- should not come to us.  

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."  Christ here insists on mutual forgiveness between people as a precondition of God's forgiveness, my study Bible comments.  Those who do not forgive are not forgiven.  This is a teaching which Jesus repeats in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35), which Jesus concludes with the same teaching. 

"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.  For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting.  Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward."  To keep a sad countenance as a show of one's fasting is a kind of external display, but one which Jesus rejects as hypocrisy.  My study Bible comments that, for the one who fasts, the compassion of God outshines the physical discomfort.  Fasting, it says, is for spiritual growth and the glory of God, not done in order to be seen by others around us.  Also, we must keep in mind that fasting is not just about abstinence from food, but it's all about self-denial in any area of life in order to escape being controlled by our passions.  An Orthodox hymn sung on the eve of Great Lent declares, "Let us abstain from passions as we abstain from food."   St. John Chrysostom has written, "What good is it if we abstain from eating birds and fish, but bite and devour our brothers?"

 

There are several aspects of self-denial we might want to focus on as we enter into the Lenten period.  For the Orthodox family of Churches, Lent begins on Monday.  For Western Churches, it begins on Wednesday.   Lent has historically been a period of abstinence and resisting temptation, echoed and patterned after Christ's forty days in the wilderness fasting and resisting the temptations of the devil (see Matthew 4:1-11).  Traditionally Lent was a time of abstinence and withdrawal.  In a sense, fasting is a period in which we refrain from ostentatious meals and time spent in pursuit of ingredients and preparation.  We're given to a kind of period of rest in which we refrain from some normal activities in order to focus more fully on our relationship to God. Thus, we develop the practice of almsgiving at this time, and of more time in prayer and study of our faith.  We both abstain and withdraw.  It's a way to practice the discipline of saying "No" to temptations, and at the same time to become more contemplative in pursuit of our faith and participation in that personal relationship with God that prayer is all about, as my study Bible commented.  We might consider refraining from social media for a time, or even the use of our cell phones, in a modern example of how we might decide to make forms of self-denial for Lent that open up more room for God, clear a space in our lives to focus on faith.  Historical practices of fasting in the Church focus essentially on a vegan diet; that is, one that does not consume animal products.  As Lent in some way reflects our earliest ancestor's expulsion from the Garden of Eden, so this is a time in which we seek to draw closer to God, to pursue restoration of our communion with God, and to make a concerted effort against our own sin, resisting our own passions, for of such consisted our separation from God in the first place.  These practices of discipleship are all meant to help to restore communion with God, and they are given to us by Jesus Christ who is Himself "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2), who made possible our communion with God and adoption as sons (read "heirs") of God.  To understand abstinence in this sense of shoring up faith, seeking to restore communion, and to do the true spiritual battle of resisting our own temptations, is to stand in good stead with Christ's teachings in today's reading.  All of these things are meant to draw us into closer communion with God, more true reliance upon Christ, and to illuminate the ways God would ask us to change, even the temptations we aren't quite aware of in ourselves.  For as disciples we are called to grow, and blessed with the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit to help us to know that path to a deeper communion -- even union -- with God.  Let us put His teachings into practice, and see where and how, and even the surprising places, they lead us.   Let us also consider the "hidden" nature of the practices Jesus advises, that this is a period where we withdraw from showing off our faith.  He tells us to do our praying, almsgiving and fasting in secret, and seek the reward our Father who is in the secret place, and who sees in secret gives us.  For this, too, is an essential part of growing in that communion, and resisting temptation. 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect

 

 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let hi have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. 

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?  Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

 

- Matthew 5:38–48 

 

Currently we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, found in St. Matthew's Gospel.  This week serves as preparation for Lent.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

 

  "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'  But I tell you not to resist an evil person.  But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.  If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let hi have your cloak also.  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.  Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away."  My study Bible comments that, in contrast to the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21), warns us not to resist violence with more violence.  Evil can only be overcome by good, my study Bible notes, which keeps us free from compromise with the devil and can bring our enemy under the yoke of God's love.  My study Bible offers a story from the Desert Monks:  A saint of the desert once found his hut was being looted of its meager possessions; he knelt in the corner praying for the bandits.  When they left, he saw that they had not taken his walking stick.  He pursued them for days until he could  give them his stick as well.  When they saw his humility, the bandits returned all to him and were converted to Christ.  

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you greet your brethren only what do you do more than others?  Do not even the tax collectors do so?"  My study Bible comments that if we should be freed from hate, sadness, and anger, then we are able to receive the greatest virtue, which is perfect love.  The love of enemies isn't a mere emotion.  It includes decision and action.  It means to treat and see our enemies as the closest members of our own family (see 1 John 4:7-21).  

"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."  My study Bible calls this verse the summary statement of all that has preceded it in the Sermon on the Mount.  It says that the Christian can indeed grow in the perfection of God the Father (Ephesians 4:13), which is shown by imitating God's love and mercy (compare to Luke 6:36).  

There are many ways in which Christ's words in this section of the Sermon on the Mount are difficult, particularly in a modern context.  If we walk through a city where homelessness and addiction are common, we're beset by the question of what our money goes to should we loan or give to all who ask (in other words, we might be funding an addiction, something that is not good for the person we're ostensibly helping).   We've all seen and heard of senselessly violent crime, or encounters on a subway, or any number of frightening things we wouldn't want to embrace with generosity.  Be all these things what they are, there is one thing that is made very clear by Christ in His teachings, and that is that we are not bound by what others do in terms of our response to the world.  We are not simply slaves to whatever trespass or bad deed another may do.  Indeed, Christ is suggesting to us that we take a proactive stand for love, that we determine our own actions and initiatives to come through imitation of God the Father, for there is no other command, worldly or otherwise, that can take precedence over such.  And this is where the love of God becomes the determiner for us of what our own perfection may look like.  It is in this kind of freedom, as my study Bible suggests, that we determine what our lives are like, what our priorities are, what we will do in life.  We should approach these teachings by first understanding that "an eye for an eye" was a concept that was meant to limit violence at the time it was given.  All we have to do is read the story of Lamech, and his vengeance of seventy-seven times to understand the picture of a world consumed with vengeance and violence for which the Law of Moses was given.  But Jesus is teaching that even this limited sense of vengeance is not really justice or righteousness.   It's not perfection.  Let us also keep in mind that Christ's teaching on being perfect is also an evolving and growing process of faith within us.  It consists of those steps in our faith practice that must consist of all the ways we shore up and build up our faith and our reliance on Christ.  We do this through prayer, through worship, through all the practices the Church offers us to help us on this way, including traditional Lenten practices such as fasting and making more time for God:  to consider our lives, increase our prayer, emphasize our almsgiving, and all the ways that we might practice such, for they are myriad.  Life is about learning to call upon God to find our way, to see our way ahead as a light in the darkness.  For this world might be very dark indeed if we are betrayed by friends or family, harmed by sickness or ill health, dismayed over cruelties or injustice.  These are the things that make it so essential to find our freedom to choose God's way for us, the time and space to pray, to accept God's version of perfection and not the world's demands we see through social media, or competing narratives of acquisition and triumph.  Let us consider the truly good, and find our way to that kind of perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

Let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No." For whatever is more than these is from the evil one

 

 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.  

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."

 

- Matthew 5:27–37 

 

This week we are reading through the Sermon on the Mount, in preparation for Lent, which begins next week.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'  But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council.  But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.  Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.  Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny."

 

"You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  The issue here, my study Bible tells us, is not the God-given mutual attraction of men and women, but the selfish promptings of lust.  Sin does not come out of nature, it says, but out of the distortion of nature for self-indulgence.  When thoughts enter our mind involuntarily, those are not sins.  They are temptations.  They only become sins if they are held, built up, entertained.

 

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right eye causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."  Of course, Jesus is speaking figuratively here.  He is using these images to teach us how important it is to take decisive action to avoid sin and continue in purity.  Notice He speaks of the right eye and right hand; these would be even our "favored" parts of ourselves, the things we most depend upon.  Even these, Jesus says, can be deadly to us.  If we consider these images, we'll note that an eye can gaze with an improper covetousness on things that it shouldn't, a hand can reach out to take what doesn't belong to us.  

"Furthermore it has been said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.'  But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery."  In contrast to the easy access to divorce under the Mosaic Law, my study Bible comments, and because of the misuse of divorce in Christ's time, Jesus repeatedly condemns divorce (see also Matthew 19:8-9) and emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage.  That Jesus mentions the possibility of divorce due to sexual immorality is a teaching that shows us that marriage -- like other relationships -- can be destroyed by sin.  

"Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.'  But I say to you, do not swear at all:  neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.  But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one."   My study Bible comments that trust cannot be secured by swearing an oath by things that are not in a person's possession anyway, but only by simple integrity. 

If we continue our thoughts from yesterday's reading, we can start with the last part of today's Gospel passage, in which Jesus teaches us to let our "Yes" be "Yes" and our "No," "No."  Once again, in preparation for Lent, we might take these words of Christ to suggest an important practice of economy with our words.  What do our words mean?  How do we use them?  If we want to take a closer look at Christ's words about swearing oaths we have only to look at the story of the death of John the Baptist (see Matthew 14:1-12).  Essentially, in that story, although the King understood John the Baptist to be a holy man, and although he felt very badly, it was because of an oath he swore in front of his nobles and "great men" of his kingdom -- and the rash sway of his own emotions by the dancing of his queen's daughter -- he gave the orders to behead John the Baptist and present his severed head in a grotesque display of heedless and vicious excess.  In that case, Herod's swearing before the "grand" people of his court, and his own vainglory involved in doing so, complicates this story.  But it also adds to our understanding about why we do best to stick to humility in economizing with our words.  We don't need to make vain proclamations about what we think or believe, and we don't need to make them public or excessively vehement.  For to do so is to step into a trap of vainglory, and to risk being unable to step down from such a place when it's necessary.   The humility of using only our necessary words to make a point, to defend ourselves, or to make a public statement is something that will stand us in good stead, help us to learn how to use our language well, and keep us in a safe and good path that our Lord asks of us.  So, while we think about abstaining during Lent, and risking temptations, let's add this precaution to our own use of language, and help ourselves to become more thoughtful and precise in so doing.  In an age where vehement language and excessive swearing is the stuff of internet memes and viral videos, let us consider what it is to be the opposite:  to learn how to use language with richness and real aptitude.  Perhaps we will become more distinguished in our capacity for expression by doing so, in imitation of the integrity of our Lord.