I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me

 

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 

 

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

 

- John 5:30-47 

 

 Following the healing of the paralytic at the pool near the Sheep Gate, the religious leaders found and began to question Jesus about healing on the Sabbath.  Jesus responded, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Following this, they became even more enraged at Christ.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

  "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  The divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share the same divine nature, my study Bible explains.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to Christ's human will, which He assumed at His Incarnation.  According to my study Bible, He freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father; so are we called to do likewise.  

 

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  My study Bible asks, how could Christ's witness ever be untrue?  It cannot, it says (see John 8:14).  Here Jesus is anticipating their argument, and speaking the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (he does the same in Luke 4:23).  In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Jesus doubles that, and offers them four witnesses to confirm His identity as Messiah and as Son of God.  He first offers God the Father ("There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true"); then St. John the Baptist; Christ's own works testify of Him, which the Father has given Him to do; and finally the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony to Him.  

 

 Jesus repeatedly invokes the concept that human beings do not grant the honor that He seeks.  Indeed, even testimony "from man" is not something He receives ("Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved").  He is establishing first that it is the honor of God that He values and that has meaning as a true measuring stick of value and goodness.  This is a teaching that applies to each of us as well.  In the penitential psalm of David cherished as  paradigm for all of us, we read, "Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge" (Psalm 51:4).  The psalmist affirms that it is only God who will and can be judge; and here in today's reading (and yesterday's, above), Jesus affirms that He, indeed, is judge, for the Father has given judgment into His hands.  So, therefore, honor is not defined through the opinion of "man," that is, of other human beings, but through pleasing God.  Nonetheless Jesus offers four witnesses to His identity as Messiah, as Lord.  They are St. John the Baptist, who testified about Him as the Lamb of God, and prepared the people for Him (see John 1:29, 36).  St. John also testified as witness to the event of Christ's Baptism and the revelation of the Holy Trinity at that time, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit (John 1:32).  For Christ, all value and judgment comes from God, thus St. John the Baptist's mission and work as prophet, from God, is valuable, honest, and true witness.  Next He names the works that He does as witness, for these are given to Him by the Father to do.  Therefore His "signs" all point to God, affirming that He is the Christ.  Jesus says, "I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"  In other words, if they truly loved God, they would recognize these works of God in Him.  But they only receive honor from one another, and not from the only God.  Therefore they cannot truly see what He is, who He is, nor even the One to whom all of His signs (His "works") point.  Finally, Jesus speaks of Moses as witness to Himself as Messiah and Lord:  "Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  Let us bear in mind that all of these religious leaders revere Moses and the Scriptures that come through Moses.  But Jesus is saying that even Moses' writings, which reveal Himself, they do not truly believe, because they haven't the love of God in them.  Jesus' language teaches us something powerful about psychology, that those things we honor and love determine how we view the world, and even what we are capable of recognizing as good, and of intrinsic worth.  This is truly essential understanding of the heart.  For, as He says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).  The layers of the heart are indeed veiled, and complicated, but the soul has a depth of orientation that can and will surprise us at times.  It is Christ the judge who can see this in us, even when we are unaware of the depths of our hearts ourselves.  His words verify that we need to seek first that kingdom of God, our depth of relationship, for that sets all else in proper order, including how we view the world and our relationships in it.  We should also take note that, in the Church, historically, we understand the Old Testament in light of the New:  for here, Christ Himself tells us that those Scriptures speak of Him as Lord.  Let us seek Him with our whole hearts, for only His judgment is the righteous one we need.

 

 

 

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do

 

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

 

- John 5:19-29 

 

On Saturday we read that there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and he will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."  My study Bible asserts that, as Jesus teaches here that the Son can do nothing of Himself, this proves that His every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  It tells us that this discourse reveals that the Father and the Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  So, therefore, the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment.  In this discourse, Jesus teaches that His judgment is based on both faith (verse 24) and works (verse 29).

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  Jesus says that "the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God . . . "  According to my study Bible, the dead of whom Christ speaks here refers both to the spiritually dead, who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead, who will rise in the general resurrection.  Jesus confirms this when He raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44) before He goes to His own death.  These particular verses are read at the Orthodox funeral service, thus confirming the same reward for those who fall asleep in faith.  

 

In the Church, we hear a lot about obedience.  That is, in particular, about obedience toward God.  But it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Jesus -- even as the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God -- first lives in perfect obedience.  For this is certainly an essential part of the Incarnation, as He also willingly conforms His human will to obedience to the Father and in accord with the Holy Spirit in all that He does.  Indeed, in today's reading Jesus affirms that He could not do the things He does except that the Father does them and shows Him.  In all things, He honors the Father.  And, according to what Christ says here, the Father also honors the Son, committing judgment into Christ's hands.  This cooperative reality is one that we, as human beings, strive to emulate, for this is what the Incarnation teaches us.  Indeed, we might assume that it is because of the Incarnation that we are able to do so.  This is true not only because we are to follow Jesus' example that is given to us through His earthly life, but also through the gift we are given ourselves of the Holy Spirit through Baptism and other sacraments and gifts of the Church.  Of course, there is perhaps no greater example of obedience to and cooperation with the Father than Christ's own self-sacrifice on the Cross.  For this understanding, we are given Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-46).  In St. John's chapter 17, Jesus prays to the Father, "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4).  He then goes on to pray for the disciples and all believers, His prayer showing to us His human concerns and His great love (John 17).  Of course, we know of His love in the statement, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends" (John 15:13).  Through all of Christ's teachings and His works, He shows us, through the disciples, that obedience to God is obedience to love.  St. John himself will write that God is love (1 John 4:8).  In the shared love and honor of the Holy Trinity we find a perfect love, and Christ has come into the world to invite us to participate in that love as well.  We may, as human beings, confuse calls to obedience with imperfect love, even abusive relationships that abuse our love, but this is not the place to which Christ calls us.  He first sets the example, and teaches us how the Father loves Him, and of the love shared between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and this honor and obedience He invites us to share, and makes possible by grace through the Incarnation.  Let us ponder these tremendous mysteries and find the ways to live our faith and this love offered to us through Christ, for this is where He teaches that judgment, and life, will be as well. 

 

 

 

 

See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you

 

Healing of the Paralytic at the Sheep Gate Pool, 12th/13th century, mosaic, Cathedral of the Assumption, Monreale, Sicily 

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  

 

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  

 

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  

 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  

 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him,  because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.

 

- John 5:1-18 

 

Yesterday we read that after two days staying with the Samaritans Jesus departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

  After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  My study Bible informs us that this is a double-basin pool that was believed to have curative powers, and that it has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate, as the text says.  The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and it was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  In the understanding of the Church, the pool functions as a "type" of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, my study Bible explains, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  These waters were special in that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But that grace was limited to the first person to enter.  Under the new covenant, on the other hand, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in the sacrificial death of Christ (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  Therefore, Holy Baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is inexhaustible.  

 

 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, Jesus singled out this man who had waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us to have perseverance, and as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a much shorter time.  Christ's question to this man is relevant for several reasons, which are given by my study Bible.  First, He made public the fact that this sick man had kept his faith even in a seemingly hopeless circumstance -- for how could a paralytic ever be the first in the water?  Second, Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need we have for a man to help us.  Of course, this is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became Man to heal all.  Third, not everybody who is ill truly desires healing.  Very sadly, some may prefer to remain unwell in order to freely complain, to avoid responsibility, or to continue to evoke the pity of others.  This miraculous healing of the paralytic is the third sign of seven given in St. John's Gospel.  According to my study Bible, it exemplifies the divine power to restore a person to wholeness.  In patristic commentary, this feast is understood to be the Old Testament Pentecost (also called the "Feast of Weeks").  It celebrates the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.  Later on in the chapter there are references to the Law which confirm this understanding.  

 

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.   The Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, my study Bible tells us, but this is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22, and explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  Christ makes clear, however, that He is Lord over the Sabbath, first by His command ("Take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience.  As is frequently true in St. John's Gospel, the term Jews here refers to the leaders, and not to the people in general (it may also be translated "Judeans" meaning those who ruled in the Jerusalem Council).  My study Bible asks us to notice the malice of these leaders, in that they focus only on the Sabbath violation when they ask, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?"  But they ignore completely this man's miraculous healing.  

 

 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."   According to my study Bible, the fact that this man was found in the temple shows his great faith, as he had gone there directly to thank God for his cure rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells him, "Sin no more . . . "  My study Bible comments that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), this connection is not always one-to-one, as the innocent often suffer, and the guilty frequently are spared earthly sufferings (see also John 9:1-3).  But nevertheless, sometimes our sins lead directly to our own suffering in this world.  St. John Chrysostom suggests that this was the case with the paralytic.  But Christ's warning here is that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  The only hope is to flee from sin altogether. 

 

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study Bible claims that the man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but rather as a witness to Christ's goodness.  Although the leaders are surely only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, this healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well -- and says nothing about carrying his bed.  

 

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him,  because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making Himself equal with God.   Here Jesus' declaration regarding "My Father" is clearly understood by the Jewish religious leaders to imply absolute equality.  Jesus' discourse and response to the religious leaders will continue in the following reading.

 

 In patristic and traditional understanding paralysis has often been linked to sin.  Habitual sin keeps us stuck someplace; it doesn't allow us to go forward toward our hopeful goal of union with Christ.  So, when Jesus tells the healed paralytic "sin no more," there is a lot we can learn from this.  Jesus doesn't simply say this with the intention of telling him not to become paralyzed again, either physically or spiritually,  rather, He tells the man, ". . . lest a worse thing come upon you."  This is telling us about repentance, and the trajectory of our faith as we seek a deeper union with, and dependency upon Christ.  Repentance for sins is a good thing, of course.  But to then persist in something for which we've repented may likely leave us in a worse state than we were before.  Jesus seems to clearly indicate this to the healed man.  So, as we observed in yesterday's commentary, remarking on both the Samaritan woman and the nobleman whose son was healed, persistence is a great key to our faith and its development.  So much so, that backsliding can give us a "worse thing come upon us."  This is the nature of spiritual problems, for once we have experienced a kind of transition in Christ, we are no longer ignorant of what we are doing.  So, in fact, going back on our repentance has the effect of taking us backwards, not simply in a static paralyzed state, but into a worse one than we knew previously.  This is linked to Jesus' teaching about exorcism, found in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke.  In St. Matthew's text, Jesus teaches, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation" (Matthew 12:43-45).  That state of being "worse than the first" comes about when a person makes no effort to sustain the healing or exorcism, to live a life dedicated to pursuing the holiness of God.  So this is consistent with Christ's warning to the paralytic about continuing to sin, and not responding properly to the grace he's been shown.  This is not a question of punishment, but rather the way that evil works in our world, and our need for persistence in pursuing our own part of loving obedience to God, filling ourselves by receiving the grace offered to us in whatever ways we can, and cooperating with that grace in the ways that we are called.  So, yet again, as my study Bible indicated, in this man we find an example of a person with a character of persistence, so necessary to the process of our own spiritual growth, and the growth of faith Christ asks of us, the cooperative response to grace we offer in response.  Let us take heed to Christ's warning, and consider the extraordinary blessing with which it has been given.

 

 

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

Christ the True Vine, 16th century; Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece

 Now after two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  

 

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read the second part of the story of the Samaritan woman.  See Wednesday's reading for the first part, in which Jesus spoke to her alone at Jacob's Well.   At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." 

 

Now after two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. The statement that a prophet has no honor in his own country is found in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24).  Christ's own country is Galilee (John 1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).   There were Galileans present at Jerusalem during the Passover (John 2:13-25), when Jesus performed many signs.  My study Bible adds that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans (see yesterday's reading, above) for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  My study Bible says that here Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in this last verse is plural both times) and not simply the nobleman.  Faith which is based solely on miraculous works is insufficient for salvation; for this kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn if the miracles cease (John 19:15).

 

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study Bible comments that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, though his faith in Christ is weak.  He does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, and neither does he grasp that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  In the end, he inquires about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting the Lord's authority.  Only after all is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  So, therefore, according to my study Bible, as He heals the child from a distance, Jesus is healing not just the body of the child, but the soul of the nobleman.  As the text says, this is the second sign of seven reported in St. John's Gospel.  Jesus has already revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance in chapter 1 (John 1:45-48), the Lord now demonstrates He can heal from a distance, showing His divine power knows no earthly limits, my study Bible says.  While there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, there are many crucial differences, it notes; these are clearly two different encounters.  

 

 

In today's reading, Jesus says, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  This is an indication of what kind of faith Jesus is looking for -- and clearly, what He's not looking for.   But the father is persistent.  He says, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus always seems to reward persistence, for it is a hallmark of many of His encounters.  We have only to look at the story of the Samaritan woman (St. Photini) which we have read over the course of the past two readings (Wednesday and Thursday, above).  In the earlier part of her encounter (Wednesday's reading), she is persistent in that she keeps asking Jesus questions every time He speaks, and intrigues her with something else He says.  She doesn't go away, she asks for this "living water" which He said He could give her.  Moreover, when He tells her that He knows she's had five husbands and that the man she now lives with isn't her husband, she doesn't respond with embarrassment or with a lie or with denial.  She accepts the truth; she even goes and tells the rest of the townspeople, "He told me all that I ever did!"  Her persistence, in addition to her straightforward character, wins the day.  He reveals to her, of all people, that He is the Christ.  The same can be said for the story of the Syro-Phoenician woman.  Perhaps it is not simply a coincidence that these are two foreign women, but her story is similar in that sense of both persistence and humility.  This story is found at Mark 7:24-30.  She comes to Jesus begging for a healing for her demon-possessed daughter.  And perhaps "begging" is the right word to use, for Jesus then compares her to a little puppy begging under the table, telling her it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.  This He said indicating that the children are the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), to whom He was sent.  But this doesn't deter her; in fact Jesus is drawing out her faith. She tells Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs."  Her persistence, her wit, and her humility in accepting the Jews as "the children" succeeds in persuading Jesus, who tells her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  We can compare these examples of persistence to the father in today's story.  Jesus speaks about people seeking signs and wonders, sounding exasperated and chastising.  But that doesn't deter this father; he wants a healing for his son.  He hurriedly pleads with Jesus, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Let's note that he's a nobleman, but he calls Jesus, who has no title, "Sir."  It's another indication of both persistence and humility, like the women in the two examples we've just named.  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  The man himself later asks what time his son was healed, and found it was at the same time Jesus spoke these words, and so, he and his whole household come to faith.  As in the two stories to which we compare this one, the nobleman's faith grows and includes his community.  In fact, Christ's healing from a distance, and not coming to his home, has the effect of more fully drawing out the nobleman's faith.  But we learn, also, the patristic understanding that both humility and persistence are keys to our own expansion and growth of faith.  The nobleman's incomplete faith becomes more full.  Moreover, there is symbolism in the seventh hour, as seven is the number meaning completeness.  Perhaps we can look at this story, including the checking of the time of healing, and find that what we learn is that Jesus is true to His word.  And this is, indeed, important above all, that we have a faithful and true Lord, as confirmed in the Revelation given to St. John, the author of our Gospel (see Revelation 3:14; 19:11; 21:5; 22:6).  If we are truly His followers, we also will be faithful and true to Him, as well.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did"

 

Manuel Panselinos, St. Photini speaking with Christ at Jacob's Well, c. 1290-1310; Protaton Church, Karyes, Mt. Athos, Greece

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  

 

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  

 

In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  

 

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  

 

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

 

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." 

 

- John 4:27-42 

 

Yesterday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealing with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  My study Bible comments that they marveled not only because Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with a woman who was unaccompanied, and this could be potentially scandalous.  For more instances of Christ's dealings with women, see John 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18; also Luke 8:1-3.

 

 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman (known in the Church as St. Photini) becomes an early evangelist, my study Bible says; she testifies to the advent of Christ and brings others to Him (see also the final verse in today's reading).  According to an early tradition, my study Bible tells us, after the Resurrection she was baptized with the name Photini, meaning "the enlightened one."  (The root of this name, φῶς/phos, means "light."  She is "illumined" or "enlightened" through Christ. See also Matthew 5:14-16.)  Together with her two sons and five daughters, her story goes, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  She was later martyred with her family under the emperor Nero by being thrown into a well. 

 

In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Here is another example of the "misunderstandings" found in St. John's Gospel, in which Jesus uses such to elevate an understanding from an earthly to heavenly one.  Jesus fulfills His role as Messiah, my study Bible says, by doing the will of the Father; therefore this is His food.   My study Bible adds that this also teaches us we are to perform the will of God in our lives without being distracted by earthly cares (John 6:27; see also Matthew 4:4; 5:25-33).

 

 "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  St. John Chrysostom has several homilies on this story of the Samaritan woman.  According to him, as cited by my study Bible, this command by Christ to look was given because the townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Jesus.  Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews, that is) to fields which are ready for harvest.  (To this day there are surviving Samaritan communities who dress in all white traditional clothing to symbolize purity especially on holy days.)  My study Bible adds that this command is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone wanting to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.  

 

 "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  St. John Chrysostom teaches that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles, respectively.  My study Bible explains that the prophets sowed in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, but did not see His coming and therefore did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation, but would draw thousands to Christ in their own lifetimes.

 

 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  That these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world shows that the gospel is for all people in every nation, my study Bible tells us.

 

 This story means many things to us, and we can derive much wisdom and insights from it.  Among such insights is the point made by my study Bible, that these foreigners who accept Christ as the Savior of the world show that the gospel is for all people in every nation.  But the woman herself, St. Photini, is also a microcosm of that understanding.  She has so many seeming strikes against her.  She has had five husbands, and the man with whom she was currently living was not her husband (see yesterday's reading, above).  Now we do not necessarily know the full explanation for her circumstances.  It's possible that this history unfolded because of tragedies and loss in her life, including a prohibition from remarrying.  However, what is very clear from the text is how the heart of this woman is fully open to Christ.  She is a little bit like Nathanael in this reading from St. John's Gospel.  She is straightforward enough that she does not deny her whole history when Christ reveals that He knows it.  On the contrary, she goes and tells the rest of her townspeople it is so.  This is something remarked upon by St. John Chrysostom in his commentary on this passage, for it reveals her character; she is also humble before Christ, and continually seeks His truth.  She eagerly hears all that He has to say, and desires for herself the things He offers, without guile or pretense (again, see yesterday's reading, above, and the discussion of "living water").  As Jesus Christ is the Person who is the truth (John 14:6), so those who have a love for truth will respond to Him, just as St. John repeatedly tells us in His Gospel and Epistles.  Perhaps most clearly we read this in the words of Jesus to Nicodemus from our previous chapter.  Jesus taught, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:18-21; see this reading).  As Jesus is also the light of the world (John 8:12), we see that truth and light are intertwined in the concepts of Jesus Christ and in our understanding of this spiritual language.  Indeed, the name given to this saint, St. Photini, is a reflection of her deep desire for truth and her willingness to spread that light to others, just as we are taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.  But St. Photini bears out the truth we find in the Gospel, that one "who does the truth comes to the light."  We should note the word "does" in that phrase, signifying action.  This is not simply a description of assent to a belief, but one that describes how we live our lives, and live our faith.  Again, we don't know the reasons behind her history, but we do know full well that Christ has come to her alone, and -- even risking scandal -- has revealed Himself to her in as straightforward a manner as He has to His disciples.  He is the Christ, the Messiah, the Lord, the I AM, who speaks to her alone at this well outside of the town under the noonday sun.  He is the Knower-of-Hearts, and knows her and her life through and through.  He chose her to become one of His own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth

Ladder of Divine Ascent (St. John Climacus), 12th century.  St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

 

 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  

 

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  

 

Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealing with Samaritans.  

 

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 

 

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  

 

"Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  

 

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

 

- John 4:1–26 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

 

  Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  Samaria was a region to the north of Jerusalem, between Judea and Galilee.  

 

 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.  A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  According to my study Bible, the Old Testament does not mention Jacob's well, although Jacob dwelt in this area (Genesis 33:19).  It notes that wells were significant because of their rarity and value in desert life.  Because of this, wells came to symbolize life itself (Psalms 36:9-10, 46:4; Isaiah 55:1).  This particular well, we're told, is maintained as a shrine even today, and pilgrims can drink from it.  The text tells us that Jesus is wearied from His journey, which shows us His complete humanity.  Not surprisingly the sun is hot and high overhead, for it is the sixth hour, which is noon.   In Church tradition, this woman is known as St. Photini.  

 

 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealing with Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race, and traditional enemies of the Jews, my study Bible tells us.  Although they worshiped the God of Israel, and they were also awaiting the Messiah, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) as their Scriptures.  They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, which the Jews destroyed in 128 BC. 

 

 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."   In the ordinary sense, the term living water applies to fresh, flowing water, from a stream or spring rather than a pond or cistern.  Jesus uses this term to indicate the grace of the Holy Spirit that leads to eternal life (John 7:37-39).  This gift not only remains in a person, my study Bible says, but it is so abundant that it overflows to others.  The Samaritan woman misunderstands Christ, and she asks, "Are You greater than our father Jacob?"  In the Scriptures, my study Bible explains, Jacob is a type of Christ, for it is Jacob who received the vision of the divine ladder (Genesis 28:12), which Christ fulfills.  Moreover, as Jacob gave this well for earthly, so Christ now gives the well of the Holy Spirit for eternal life.  

 

 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."   Because Jesus knew that she was living with a man without being married, and as He also knew of her string of husbands, this woman perceives that He is a prophet.  As the Samaritans did not accept any prophets after Moses, my study Bible explains, the only prophet they expected was the Messiah foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).   Christ's insight into people's hearts is recorded many times in the Gospels, and this underscores His divine nature.  

 

"Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  My study Bible comments that, if Jesus was truly the expected Prophet, then He is the One who could settle the historical argument about where worship was to take place.   However, He refuses to answer this earthly question, and instead elevates the discussion to the manner in which people ought to worship.  Moreover, He turns the attention to the One we worship:  God Himself.  The Father is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit, my study Bible says, and in truth -- that is in Christ Himself (John 14:6) and according to Christ's revelation.   That God is Spirit means that God cannot be confined to a particular location.  Jesus teaches that salvation is of the Jews:  My study Bible calls this an affirmation by Christ that true revelation comes from Judaism.  St. Athanasius the Great has written, "The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations."  Even more importantly, here Jesus testifies that the Messiah, who was prophesied among the Jews, has now risen from among the Jews.  My study Bible comments that while the gift of salvation in Christ is to all nations, it has come to us from within Judaism.  The hour is a reference to the death and Resurrection of Christ and to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which inaugurates the worship of the new covenant.  

 

 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."  I who speak to you am He is literally translated "I AM (εγω ειμι/ego eimi), who speak to you."  I AM is the divine Name of God.  Its use here indicates a theophany, or revelation of God Himself, my study Bible says.  The use of this Name by a mere human being was considered blasphemy and punishable by death (see John 8:58; Mark 14:62). But, as Jesus Himself is divine, His use of this Name is a revelation of His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit; truly, He is God Incarnate.

 

 Jesus reveals Himself to this woman at this place of mixed populations that the Jews don't acknowledge as their own, and apparently, neither does anyone else.  In fact for the Samaritans, their constant struggle is with the Jews over the location of the temple, and the correct understanding of their faith.  Jesus sets down a kind of precedent though, that works in a type of way that fulfills a type from the Old Testament.  Solomon's wisdom in deciding the oft-repeated case of the two women fighting over an infant, each claiming it as their own, is a kind of foreshadowing of Christ the Judge.  In the end, it was the woman who showed her compassion for the baby was the true mother, and Solomon's decision is lauded in the Scriptures as the "wisdom of God" (see 1 Kings 3:16-28).  In some sense, the Jews and Samaritans struggle over the place of the temple, but Jesus is the One who is Himself the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30), whose character is marked by compassion.  And so, He offers the wisdom of God to this woman, in this crossroads of Jacob's well, for He is also the Ladder of which Jacob dreamed at this spot.  He tells her, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  It's utterly remarkable to contemplate that Jesus' revelations to this woman take place in this seemingly isolated spot outside the town where only the two of them speak alone.  Why this woman?  Perhaps to truly deliver the message that God is not about a place, but about where one is capable of worship in spirit and truth, wherever and in whomever that teaching can be received and lived. Finally, Jesus even reveals Himself.  She has faith enough to say with confidence of the Messiah, that "when He comes, He will tell us all things."   Jesus reveals, ""I who speak to you am He."  Why here?  Why this woman?  He reveals He is the Ladder of Jacob (Israel) that links heaven and earth.   Perhaps because she seems to be the least likely person who would be given this revelation, it is given to her to teach us about the transcendent reality of faith and the heart that can be illumined, which, incidentally is the meaning of her name, St. Photini.  In tomorrow's reading, we'll see her response, and find out more about her and the mission that lies ahead in her life.  

 

 

 

 

He must increase, but I must decrease

 

St. John the Baptist in supplication to Christ, 1542, Euphrosinos the Cretan, from the Great Deisis, Holy Dionysiou Monastery, Mt. Athos, Greece

 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  

 

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

 

- John 3:22–36 

 

Yesterday we read about a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  It's important to understand that there is no competition here; Jesus is not Himself baptizing, but rather His disciples are doing so (see John 4:2).   

 

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled."  St. John the Baptist calls himself the friend of the bridegroom (the "best man," so to speak), while Christ Himself is the bridegroom.   The bride, my study Bible says, is the Church, the people of God.  Here the Baptist confesses his own role in the coming of the Messiah; he is witness to the wedding of Christ and His people, and therefore he rejoices in that celebration.  He reiterates that "I have been sent before Him."  In the Church, St. John the Baptist is also known as the Forerunner for this role he plays in salvation history.  

 

"He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."  Here St. John expresses a humility that serves as an example for all believers, my study Bible says.  He renounces all earthly glory and reputation for the sake of Christ.  As he allows Christ to increase in him, St. John himself finds true glory.  This statement, moreover, indicates the end of the old covenant.  As the law vanishes, my study Bible notes, the grace of Jesus Christ abounds.  In the liturgical calendar, this declaration by the Baptist is revealed.  His birth is celebrated at a time when the sun begins to decrease in the sky (June 24), while Christ's birth is celebrated when the sun begins to increase (December 25).

 

"The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."  Here the Baptist echoes the teaching of Jesus Himself (see verse 18, found in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible asks us to note the absence of the word "alone" in this statement of faith.  St. John Chrysostom is cited as commenting:  "We do not from this assert that faith alone is sufficient for salvation; the directions for living that are given in many places in the Gospels show this."  See also James 2:14-24. 

 

 St. John the Baptist's attitude toward Christ is another tremendous example that teaches us about identity.  Indeed, it is his entire disposition toward Christ that tells us who he is, gives him his identity and sense of purpose -- even of joy.  He says it himself in today's reading:  "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled."   His joy is fulfilled in knowing who he is, serving his purpose, serving God in the most full sense that he can.  For this is the way that identity works; in knowing who we are in relation to Christ, we find ourselves.  For the Orthodox, this is indeed what salvation truly is.  It is Christ's Incarnation as fully human and fully divine that makes it possible for us to "find ourselves" in this sense.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke to Nicodemus (and to us all) about Holy Baptism.  This new birth is the beginning of the understanding of real identity and salvation. My study Bible comments, "Salvation, then, is founded on a substantial union of the believer with Christ in His full humanity, a flesh-to-flesh relationship.  St. Paul likens it to the joining of husband and with (Ephesians 5:23-32).  It is in this sense, through this marriage, that St. John the Baptist finds his full joy, in knowing himself to be the "friend of the bridegroom."  He is our Forerunner whose role it was to announce the coming of the Christ, to direct his own disciples to Christ, and to say with the greatest humility, "He must increase, but I must decrease."  St. Paul confirms this process in himself when he writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  St. John the Baptist teaches us today that "a man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven," and also that "the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand."  Therefore out of that fullness, Christ the Son gives to us what belongs to us, even teaching us who we are so that we find ourselves in Him.  This is the purpose of the Incarnation, and it is salvation -- even our joy, as the Baptist says.