You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish

 

 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.

 

- John 11:45–54 

 

We have just read the story of the seventh and final sign in the Gospel of St. John, the raising of Lazarus.  See Part 1 and Part 2 of this chapter.  Yesterday we read that Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

  Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  We should remember that the term the Jews in St. John's Gospel most often indicates the religious leaders, and not the people.  This word can also be translated as "Judeans" and so emphasizes the power held in the center of the temple in Jerusalem and the ruling Council.  Christ and His disciples are mostly from Galilee, a difference remarked upon by the Pharisees (see, for example, John 7:47-52).  Here the text reminds us that many had come from Jerusalem, being nearby to Bethany, to mourn with the sisters Martha and Mary when their brother Lazarus died.  They thus became witnesses to Christ's final miracle of His ministry, the resurrection of Lazarus.  It is these to whom the text refers.  Jesus, His disciples, and St. John whose name is on this Gospel were all Jews.

 

 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.  My study Bible comments that Caiaphas, being high priest, is given the authority to speak prophetically.  It notes that the failings and even wickedness of the officeholder do not diminish the grace of the office itself.  Caiaphas is of course referring only to Christ's death as a means of sparing all the people from Roman intervention.  But God's meaning is something understood differently.  This prophetic statement is understood as unwitting declaration that all people will be saved through the death of the Son.  

 

Caiaphas says to the chief priests and Pharisees, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  He means for Jesus to die so that the Romans do not intervene, as any disruption of the people was likely to trigger such action to keep the peace.  But we know his motivations and those of these men of the ruling Council.  They object to Jesus because it has now gone beyond a doubt that there is substance to His ministry.  The power of life and death belongs to God -- and Jesus has just performed the most astonishing miracle of all, raising a man from death who had already been four days in the grave.  More than that, witnesses from their own community were there, and were converted to belief because of what they saw.  So Jesus has now become a threat they can no longer ignore.  If people believe He is the Messiah, all will follow Him.  Clearly Caiaphas' statement is meant to persuade the rest of the Council they must find a way to put Jesus to death, but in their hypocrisy their real concern is for their places.  At least, this is the story the Gospel tells us.  We can read Jesus' long list of accusations over their hypocrisy in Matthew 23.  But let us turn to Jesus, who has spectacularly revealed the presence of God among the people in His final, seventh sign of raising Lazarus from the dead.  Can we imagine what it would be like to have lived in that time and place?  Every story possible seems to have been told about Him, from the deliberately fabricated lies in order to condemn Him, to the stories and testimonies of those who come to belief, and doubtlessly many other perspectives in between.  This is the opening setting for our next chapter, and the story of Christ's final journey to Jerusalem at the next Passover.  Messianic expectation, fears and plotting among the leadership, the presence of God in Christ and the power of life and death, the people's terror of both the Romans and the powerful Council, militant revolution among the Jews, Jesus' ministry and growing discipleship:  all of these things are at play complete with every rumor the people can hear.  Where would we be among these crowds?  What would we believe?  Although he is personally corrupt, God speaks through Caiaphas as high priest, with the true story of Christ that we know all these years later.  And God is still working through all things, let us not forget in our own lives as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lazarus, come forth!

 

The Resurrection of Lazarus, 12th century; St. Katherine's Monastery, Sinai

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  

 

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  

 

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  

 

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  

 

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

 

- John 11:30-44 

 

Yesterday, we read the continuation of the story of the raising of Lazarus (for the first part, see Wednesday's reading). So when Jesus came to the town of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  The first thing to notice here is that Mary now approaches Christ with precisely the same words that Martha did:  "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  My study Bible comments that while Jesus engaged Martha with words, here He will engage Mary with deeds -- the raising of her brother Lazarus from the dead which follows.

 

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Here St. John emphasizes in his Gospel that Jesus wept, and groaned in spirit (verses 33, 38), in order to show that Christ had fully taken on human nature.  He was thus as subject to grief as any man would be.  My study Bible comments that weeping is the natural response to the tragedy of death.  It's also true that these sisters, their brother, and Jesus share a special bond of friendship, and so He responds to the suffering of these whom He loves as well.  There is a Compline hymn from Lazarus Saturday, in which it is sung, "Shedding tears by Your own choice, You have given us proof of Your heartfelt love."

 

 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  My study Bible notes that, although Martha's faith had increased (see yesterday's reading, above), she still did not understand Christ's will nor His power.  The spices and oil which were used to anoint a dead body would only hold the stench of decomposition at bay for a short time, and Lazarus has now been dead for four days.  Many icons of the raising of Lazarus show bystanders covering their noses (as we can see in the icon reproduced above), which illustrates the reality of Lazarus' corrupted flesh, and also that many did not believe Christ could raise the dead. 

 

 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  To show that Christ's divine will was one with the Father's, and also that His human will was freely subject to the Father's in every way, Jesus prays aloud for the sake of the people. 

 

 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  Christ calls Lazarus forth, not in the name of the Father, but by His own authority.  According to my study Bible, this shows the people that while Christ came from the Father, He fully possesses divine authority in Himself.  See also John 5:28-29.  

 

 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  My study Bible cites patristic commentary in which it is widely seen that Lazarus coming out bound in his gravelothes is an indication that he will need them again; his resurrection continues an earthly life, which will again end in death.  By contrast, Christ's own graveclothes will be left in the tomb (John 20:5-7).  Unlike this resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus' Resurrection transfigures human nature:  He will never die again.  Furthermore, my study Bible affirms that this sign not only prepared the disciples to believe in Christ's Resurrection, but as the words of the Orthodox hymn for the day say, it also "confirmed the universal resurrection," and proves that it is Christ who has the power to fulfill the promise given to Ezekiel that the dead will one day rise (Ezekiel 37:1-13).  

 

Life and death; the beginning and the end.  It is interesting how the events of Christ's ministry unfold to span the widest possible territory, and challenge the way of the world on the deepest levels.  In this seventh and final sign in St. John's Gospel, we're given this absolute of power:  the power of life over death, affirming that He is the One who is "the resurrection and the life."   These words of Christ (from yesterday's reading, above) will take on even greater dimension and power in His Resurrection following His Crucifixion.  But for now, this event of raising Lazarus from the dead will have its phenomenal impact.  Just as Christ's trajectory in His ministry expands from the earliest times of His preaching to this act of pure power, the power of resurrection, so the religious authorities will continue to be headed in the opposite direction.  It is this raising of Lazarus from the dead that will certify for the religious leaders that they must be rid of Him, for He is a threat to their own authority.  As Jesus expands the expression of His authority, so they expand also their opposition to Him.  Now there are witnesses present from Jerusalem who had gone to Bethany to join the sisters in mourning, and the Council will be unable to ignore that and the news of this event as it spreads through the community.  In the Gospel and in subsequent Church history, it is recorded that Lazarus had threats upon his own life because of the impact of his resurrection (see John 12:10-11).  In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Lazarus eventually became a bishop of the Church in Cyprus, appointed by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas.  It is said that in the thirty years he lived after his resurrection, he never smiled but once, for he had seen unredeemed souls in Hades.  The one occasion was when he saw someone stealing a pot, and remarked "the clay steals the clay."  The story of Lazarus' subsequent life is a sobering one, telling us of the great seriousness of what has happened, and that issues of life and death must not be trivialized nor reduced to fantasy.  Let us rejoin with Christ His ministry as our readings in the Gospel continue.  

 

 

I am the resurrection and the life

 

 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  

 

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  

 

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

 

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  

 

- John 11:17–29 

 

Yesterday we read that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.   So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go also, that we may die with Him." 

 

  So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  According to my study Bible, there was a rabbinical opinion that the soul lingered near the body for three days, but after four days resuscitation would be impossible.  

 

 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  In Jewish tradition, mourning began on the day of a person's death.  My study Bible explains that weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted one week; and general mourning lasted thirty days.  As we observe also in the story found in Luke 10:38-42, these two sisters respond differently and characteristically to Christ's arrival.  Martha is the one concerned with hospitality and active service.  She went out to meet Jesus, as hospitality and friendship would ask.  Mary, however, remains sitting in the proper posture for mourning.  Sitting is the traditionally appropriate posture when mourning and receiving other mourners (Job 2:8, 13; Ezekiel 8:14).  

 

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  My study Bible comments that while Martha possesses great faith, her statements indicate a lack of understanding about Christ.  When she says, "if You had been here, my brother would not have died," she reveals about herself that she doesn't fully see that Christ is God, in that she thinks He needed to be present to effect healings (contrast John 4:46-54).  In saying, "whatever You ask of God, God will give You," she shows that she fails to understand as yet that Christ possesses full divine authority to act as He wills.  

 

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."   In order to correct Martha's misunderstanding, Jesus declares His divine authority to raise the dead at the last day as well as here in this world.  As in other cases we've observed in St. John's Gospel (such as the temple officers who failed to arrest Jesus because of the power of His speech), Martha is immediately led to her confession of faith, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  My study Bible says that Jesus' question, "Do you believe this?" is one directed not simply to Martha, but to all of us.

 

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  We note again that Mary has been sitting in the home, in the customary tradition for mourning and receiving other mourners.  But once she hears a command from Christ relayed to her through her sister, as soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

 

 There is a small, intimate drama of faith played out in our reading for today.  Only, it's not so small in its effect, for today, 2,000 years later, we are still feeling that effect.  But, in the story, there is a sister mourning her dead brother.  Given the love of these three people, the small family of Lazarus, we can imagine her heartbreak.  So much so, that Christ's own feelings for these people will also overcome Him, for we will be told -- in the smallest verse in all the Gospels -- that Jesus wept with the sisters (John 11:35, coming up in tomorrow's reading).  In keeping with the surprising 'smallness' and intimacy of the circumstances of this event just prior to its occurrence, Jesus and Martha are alone on a road or path leading to Martha's home.   In what we might imagine is a reproachful (or at least regretful) tone, Martha says to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  But then, she asks for a prayer, although it's been four days since his death:  "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  At this, Jesus has His opening.  "Your brother will rise again," He tells her.  As is so often the case in St. John's Gospel, Martha doesn't fully understand what He's getting at, and thinks He's speaking of "the resurrection at the last day."  And then Jesus has the occasion to fully reveal Himself to Martha, alone with her in the road:  "I am the resurrection and the life."  This is another "I AM" statement (of several found in St. John's Gospel); it contains the name of God given to Moses at the Burning Bush. But He adds more, about faith and its power:  "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"   Martha, who is already His friend, and among the disciples in terms of closeness to Him, replies with full confession of faith, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  There are other confessions like this in the Gospels.  Perhaps most notably in this Gospel is the Samaritan woman to whom Jesus speaks at Jacob's Well (John 4:1-42).  To the eyes of even the disciples, His willingness to engage a woman alone was shocking, and yet He revealed Himself as Messiah to her.  So it is with Martha in this possibly lonely and isolated place, where she comes with her sadness and mourning to meet Him.  It is remarkable to consider how the greatest and most spectacular of events can begin in private, quiet moments, even through circumstances of evil or of difficulty.  But so it is with the Samaritan woman, and with Martha.  Jesus loves this family, but the extraordinary seventh sign of seven in the Gospel will seal His death sentence from the religious authorities.  For people from Jerusalem have also come to mourn with the sisters, and they are inside the house with Mary even as Martha and Jesus speak. Let us pay careful attention to what unfolds in our following reading.  But consider the power of one single short prayer in a desperate time, for the Gospels speak of it as a seed that explodes with power in the work the Lord will do, at the proper time.

 

 

 

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

 

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.   So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  

 

Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  

 

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  

 

Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go also, that we may die with Him." 

 

- John 11:1–16 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus had declared to them, "I and the Father are One," the religious leaders took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, Make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John  spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  Today's passage begins the story of the seventh and final sign given in St. John's Gospel.  This chapter tells of the event which sealed the Jewish authorities' decision to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, on the eastern approach to Jerusalem, about two miles miles away.  My study Bible tells us that Lazarus is the same name as "Eleazar," which literally means "God helps."  The event alluded to here (that Mary anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair) is something reported in the following chapter, and was clearly known to the hearers of the Gospel. 

 

 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.   So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Jesus sends this message back to Martha and Mary in order to strengthen them so that when Lazarus dies, they may take confidence in Christ's words.  My study Bible explains that the Son of God being glorified should not be understood as the cause of Lazarus dying.  This indicates, rather, that Christ will be glorified as a result of his death (which occurred from a natural illness) and Lazarus being raised from the dead.  Here Christ delays in order for Lazarus to be dead long enough so that the corruption of his body could set in.  In this way there would be no doubt about the miracle (the seventh sign in the Gospel) and the might of the Lord would be clearly seen by all.  

 

 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  Jesus and the disciples have returned to their "home" territory, in Galilee.  But Bethany is in Judea, ruled more closely by the religious leaders in the temple at Jerusalem, and the families associated with the Council, and so Jesus faces risk in going there.  The religious leaders are most frequently referred to in this Gospel as the Jews; it is pointed out in some commentaries that this term could also be translated as "the Judeans."

 

 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  In the New Testament, death is frequently compared to sleep.  See Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 11:30; 15:6.

 

 Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us go also, that we may die with Him."  My study Bible comments that Thomas' statement is an unwitting prophesy of his own future martyrdom.  It also illustrates the path that all believers must take -- that we die daily to the world for the sake of following Christ (Luke 9:23-24).  

 

In the Letters of St. Paul we find an interesting expression.  He writes to his flock instructing them to "redeem the time" (see Ephesians 5:8-17; Colossians 4:5-6).   In the Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul uses this instruction to redeem the time (verse 16) in the context of the limited time we have in this world, reminding them that they formerly were darkness, but now are light in the Lord.  He quotes:  "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (verse 14).  We don't know the source of the quotation; many scholars, both ancient and modern, consider it to be from a hymn.  But in this context, sleep and death -- both spiritual and physical -- are linked.  More importantly, St. Paul speaks of redeeming the time.  Just so, in today's reading, we find this great example of Christ's seventh and final miracle performed during His ministry as an astonishing redemption of the time.  In the midst of persecution and looming threats of death in Judea, Jesus will travel to Bethany.  We note how deliberately He sets up the event, and so redeems the time.  When He receives the news that Lazarus is sick, and that the sisters (his friends whom He loves) have sent for Him, He says, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."   This is similar to His approach to the tragedy of the man blind from birth, whose blindness, Jesus taught the disciples, was not due to sin, "but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:3-5).  This is a redemption of the time, even midst the evil of affliction in the world.  So Jesus, when He's warned by the disciples of the powerful men who sought to put Him to death, tells them in today's reading, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  St. Paul's words to his flock reflect Jesus' teachings about darkness and light, and what kind of works we do to reflect the light, redeeming the time.  Seizing the time for God's purposes, Jesus delays two extra days before setting off for Bethany, making certain that Lazarus' body will already begin deteriorating after death, so there will be no doubt whatsoever about what will take place.  Jesus' example is grand and spectacular, befitting the time as the Cross draws near.  For this will be the seventh and final sign, the most astonishing of all, which will truly set in motion the plotting for His death in Jerusalem.  This time there will be no doubt what has transpired, for there will be witnesses from among the families and community of the religious leadership.  In the Prologue to St. John's Gospel, we are told, "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:5).  This final sign will be a spectacular light that is unmistakable.  But like everything Jesus does, its effects will be such that "those who do not see may see," while "those who see may be made blind" (John 9:39).  In the letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul uses a very short phrase which has been an inspiration to the history of practicing in the Church, and is also linked to our redeeming of time.  He advises, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).  Note how these are things which are meant to be constant with us: always, without ceasing, in everything.  We may always rejoice, and give thanks.  To pray without ceasing has inspired practices such as the Jesus Prayer, or other short "arrow" prayers which might be prayed any time, both in the midst of whatever else we are doing, or as a committed period of private prayer.  In such practices, we also may redeem the time, even every moment, in the ways that we can, asking our Lord to be with us and light the way.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him

 

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, Make Yourself God."  

 

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"

 

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand. 

 

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John  spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

 

- John 10:31–42 

 

In yesterday's reading, we were presented with the effects of Christ's presence at the Feast of Tabernacles during the last year of His earthly life.  He had preached widely, engaged in many disputes with the religious leaders, and performed the sixth of seven signs in St. John's Gospel; that is, He healed a man who was blind from birth.  The religious authorities continued to accuse Him and dispute with Him.  Therefore there was a division again among the ruling Council because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."

 

  Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, Make Yourself God."    In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus was answering a question posed to Him earlier.  They asked Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24).  But Jesus' answer, "I and the Father are One," incensed them, and they took up stones again to stone Him.  Their previous accusations were over His healing on the Sabbath, but here they claim blasphemy.  Note how Jesus refers to the works that He does, for they testify of Him and of the Father who sent Him. 

 

 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"  When Jesus asks, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'?" He is quoting from Psalm 82:6.  My study Bible comments that people who receive God's grace in faith will partake of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4), and so therefore rightly be called gods.  It cites St. John Chrysostom, who paraphrases Christ's response this way:  "If those who have received this honor by grace are not guilty for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"

 

 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.   Again, Jesus emphasizes His works (such as restoring the sight of the man blind from birth) as testimony to Himself and His identity.  They are the works of the Father; therefore they witness to Him as One who is not only sent by the Father, but One who can say, "The Father is in Me, and I in Him."  My study Bible comments here that, because Christ is going to His Passion voluntarily and according to His own will (John 10:17-18), His accusers cannot arrest Him until He is ready; this proper time is often referred to as His "hour" (John 7:30; 820; see Luke 4:28-30).  

 

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  Here the Gospel affirms that there were believers in Judea (beyond the Jordan), who had been prepared by St. John the Baptist, another testimony to the Baptist's work and ministry.

 

 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warns His followers about false prophets to come.  He teaches, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?"  This idea, that we will know them by their fruits, is a concept that emphasizes works as a witness or testimony to the character of a person.  The things they produce reveal who or what they love, what motivates them.  That reference to the Sermon on the Mount is a negative reference to the testimony of works.  In today's reading, Jesus once again makes His own works a positive reference, or testimony to the relationship between Himself and the Father.  The signs He does, such as restoring the sight of the man who was born blind, testify to Christ's identity and loyalty to the Father, even to the understanding that they are One.  As such, we have in the Gospels these repeated assertions -- about ourselves as human beings, and in Jesus' testimony about Himself as incarnate God -- that what we do reveals who we are.  In this sense, our works are witness.  St. John's Gospel makes central to its structure the seven "signs" of Jesus' ministry.  So far as we have read in the Gospel, six of those signs have been performed, and the seventh will come in the next chapter.  The first six are as follows:  turning water to wine (John 2:1-11); healing the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54); healing the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15); feeding of five thousand men, and more women and children (John 6:5-14); walking on water (John 6:16-21); healing the man who was blind from birth (John 9:1-7).   Although Jesus speaks of works in today's reading (ἔργα/erga in Greek), St. John's Gospel uses the word translated as signs (from singular σημεῖον/simeion) for these major events of Christ's ministry.  In modern Greek, this ancient root has evolved to a slightly different spelling (σημαία/simaia), and it is used for "flag." But from this we understand that a "sign" is representative of something else.  It can also indicate a badge, for example.  Jesus' signs, His great works, reveal the presence of the kingdom of God, the way that a flag flying in a location indicates its country of origin and belonging.  When we, as faithful, wear a cross, that is also a kind of sign, a flag indicating to whose kingdom we say we belong.  Jesus makes this association with "works" when He teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  This is a way of indicating that the light, the grace, we receive from God who is Light, may be seen in our works, so that God is glorified.  If Jesus Himself claims that His works testify to His identity, we can imagine how important it is that our own works do the same.  In the depth of His love for the Father, Jesus' works testify to that love, the origin of what He does.  So our own depth of love for God may testify through what we do.  So also St. John the Baptist performed no sign, but his own "works" as a prophet of God led people to faith in Christ.  Let us consider, and learn from those who came before us.

 

I and My Father are One

 

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

 

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."

 

- John 10:19–30 

 

Beginning with chapter 7, we have been reading about events concerning Jesus' attendance at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has taught daily in the temple, and engaged in hostile disputes with the leadership, as their antagonism toward Him was already firmly rooted prior to this Festival.  They have sought to have Him arrested and failed, and also sought to stone Him and failed.  He has healed a man blind from birth, a spectacular "sign" considered to be the sixth of seven miraculous signs given in St. John's Gospel.  In yesterdays' reading, Jesus continued His expression of Himself to the religious leaders.  He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 

  Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"  My study Bible comments that those who respond in faith are not merely impressed by the signs that Christ has done, but perceive the holiness of His words.  

 

 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.   The Feast of Dedication was a winter festival, which took place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:1-10:21).  Known as the "Festival of Lights," it is also known more popularly today by the name Hanukkah.  This festival commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem after the Seleucid King Epiphanes desecrated it in 167 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1-4).  At this festival, my study Bible tells us, the leaders of Israel's past were commemorated, many of whom were themselves shepherds.  We read this in the context of Christ's dialogue from yesterday's reading (see above), which took place at the Feast of Tabernacles, in which He called Himself the Good Shepherd.

 

 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  We recall that the term the Jews as used in St. John's Gospel indicates the religious leaders, not the people.  (Christ and His disciples, including the author of the Gospel, are all Jews.)  These men are the same Pharisees with whom Christ disputed three months earlier, as indicated by His phrase as I said to you (see above, esp. John 10:1-5).  My study Bible explains that both what Christ told them and the works He had done have already answered their question they present to Him here.  Only the Messiah could open the eyes of the blind (John 9:32) or perform the miracles that have borne witness to Him.  Likewise, only the Messiah could speak to the hearts of people in the ways that Christ had (John 7:46; 10:21).  

 

 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."  Here Jesus repeats again His teachings from their previous encounter (see yesterday's reading, above).  But in conclusion, He reveals Himself to be fully God.  My study Bible explains that One means one in nature or essence.  It says that He is God before all ages, and He remains God after the Incarnation and for all eternity.  Jesus uses the plural verb are, to indicate two distinct Persons, as he is confirming a continuous unity.  As we continue chapter 10, we will see in our next reading that the religious leaders clearly recognize this claim of divinity.  It will become the basis for their accusations of blasphemy.  

 

 Jesus says, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."  Once again, He ties the personal into the greater sweep of a universal movement.  Who will follow Him to eternal life?  Jesus ties the intimacy of those sheep who hear His voice, and the depth of knowing between the sheep and Himself, to eternal life originating with the will of the Father.  The sheep follow Christ, but all is instituted by the Father to begin with.  He says of the sheep, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.  I and My Father are One."  There is a source of great strength here, extended from the lowliness of the sheep up through the greatest majesty which is found in the Father.  And Christ is the One who unites all, for they are all united in Him.  Most importantly, the fact that He and the Father are One is an insistence that these bonds are unbreakable.  The great chain of eternal life given to the sheep originates from the Father, and nothing will be able to break it.  In the Church, it is understood that no power of evil, no opposition to God the Father, to Christ, to the working of the Holy Spirit can break the bonds of the sheep and their Pastor, the Good Shepherd, Christ.  As Jesus says, the Father is greater than all.  These are words to remember when Jesus is lifted up on the Cross, death being the final enemy that will be defeated in this chain of eternal life.  We are perhaps the lowliest of God's servants, susceptible to the whims of the powerful, vulnerable in our weakness.  And yet, through the Father's institution, Jesus tells us His own shall never perish, nor be snatched out of His hand.  Let us ponder with awe the magnitude of what He's saying, and be ever-grateful for this grace beyond all our understanding.

 

 

 

 

I am the good shepherd

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  

 

Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All whoever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  

 

"I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.   

 

 "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  

 

"I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.  

 

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

 

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father." 

 

- John 10:1-18 

 

In our current reading, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles (or Sukkot) in Jerusalem.  He has been teaching in the temple and disputing with the religious leaders.  Over the course of the past two readings, we have learned the story of the man blind from birth, whose sight was restored by Jesus, the sixth sign of seven in St. John's Gospel.  Yesterday we read that the religious leaders did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age, ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see." Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"   Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciples, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears Him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were  completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"   And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."

 

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Here Jesus continues the conversation with the Pharisees from yesterday's reading (see above).  It is the last day (the eighth day) of the Feast of Tabernacles.  Jesus begins to contrast His leadership with that of the Pharisees and other members of the ruling Council.   My study Bible sums it up as saying that they have failed as pastors of God's people ("Pastor" comes from the Latin word for "shepherd").  Their leadership is marked by deceit and pride, and lacks compassion.  On the other hand, Christ fulfills all virtue.  Jesus speaks of the door; my study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom's commentary here, in which he says that the door is God's Word, indicating both the Scriptures and Christ (Logos) Himself.  In St. John's Gospel, of course, He is revealed as the Word, or Logos (John 1:1).  Additionally, as Christ has intimate knowledge of each person, my study Bible says, so true pastors in the Church seek to know their people by name; in other words, personally.  These pastors try to understand each person's situation and needs, from the greatest to the least, and to share Christlike compassion for each one (Hebrews 4:15).  In return, my study Bible says, people will respond to a true leader, trusting he is a follower of Christ.  As St. Ignatius of Antioch has written, "Where the bishop is present, there the people shall gather."  Truly, in the Orthodox historical experience, the response of the faithful can be a better indicator of who is a true shepherd than the claims of leaders (John 7:47-49).  

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them."  Christ's phrase, "all who ever came before Me" does not refer to Moses or genuine prophets, but rather to people who claimed to be the Messiah both before and after Christ, such as Judas of Galilee and Theudas (Acts 5:36-37).  Each whom Jesus would call a thief and a robber are those who would try to lead in a way that is neither in Christ nor according to the teaching of the Scriptures.  

 

"I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Rather than using this door so all can see His works openly, false shepherds use underhanded means to control, steal, and manipulate people, ultimately destroying their souls, my study Bible asserts.  In contrast, those pastors who lead according to Christ ("if anyone enters by Me") will find eternal life.  The ultimate thief, of course, is Satan, who steals, kills, and destroys by spreading lies and heresies, luring away both leaders and people.  My study Bible explains that life means living in God's grace here on earth, while the more abundant life indicates the Kingdom to come.  

 

 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."  Jesus reveals Himself as the good shepherd in the following ways, my study Bible indicates:  He enters by the door; that is, He fulfills the Scriptures concerning Himself.  He knows and is known by the Father.  He knows His people personally, and therefore is known by them.  Finally, He will lay down His life for the sheep, a direct  prophecy of Christ's coming Passion.  

 

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  Those other sheep, of course, are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock with the Jews under one shepherd.   So, therefore, the Church transcends ethnic and racial lines.  From the beginning, my study Bible notes, the Orthodox teaching has been that there be one bishop serving a city (Canon 8 of I Nicea), a principle affirmed in every generation.  In the early second century, St. Ignatius wrote the following to a church which held separate liturgies for Jewish and Gentile Christians, "Be careful to observe a single Eucharist, for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, that makes us one, and one altar, just as there is one bishop . . . This is in line with God's will."

 

 "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  Jesus makes it clear that His life-giving death will be voluntary.  He does nothing apart from the will of His Father.  As Christ laid down His life for us, my study Bible says, we lay down our lives for Him and for the sake of others. 

 

 In today's reading, Jesus goes further in His expressions of Himself and His identity, speaking of Himself as the Good Shepherd.  He characterizes Himself as One who is entirely devoted in love to His sheep.  He is not just a placeholder, a hired hand, one who will run when there is trouble, and leave the sheep to their fate.  Instead, He lays down His life for them out of love.  This is yet another extension of His own service in love to the Father who sent Him.  John 3:16, the oft-quoted verse, expresses this fully:  "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."  Jesus says, "He who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."   As my study Bible points out, this gives us an image of the characteristics of the Good Shepherd not simply to claim what is particular to Himself, but He also sets out those practices that make a good pastor in any Church.  A good shepherd knows his sheep by name, knows who they are, and they know his voice.  This is a picture of depth of intimacy, but in a very particular kind of relationship shared in Christ.  We seek grace for all things in the Church, for this is the righteousness (right-relatedness) described by Jesus when He teaches, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).  To share in grace gives us a very particular relationship, one held in a practice of compassion and love, which the Good Shepherd teaches in all ways He lives His earthly life.  In his book titled The Ethics of Beauty, Timothy Patitsas speaks of this type of relationship even among things we don't consider entirely personal, such as practices of city planning, for example, or urban renewal.  Even a neighborhood or city asks for love and "good shepherding" in its stewardship.  He speaks of a way of beauty inspired by Orthodox Christian tradition as that which loves, gets to know a place, a group, a community, an environment, intimately, to find the positive and the negative, and to focus first on what works.  We seek out this beauty in the way of Christ the Good Shepherd, who begins with love, willingly laying down His life for His sheep.  Effectively, Christ has not only come into the world to live for us and show us the Father, a way to see in the dark by giving us a light to guide us with His life; Christ has also come to die for us, to take on the worst of the world so that we might live in the abundance of life He can give us, even life eternal.