More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 11:27-36 

 

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

 

 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), these verses are read on most feasts of the Virgin Mary.  Jesus corrects this woman from the crowd, not by denouncing His mother, but rather by emphasizing her faith.  The OSB notes that people are blessed in God's eyes if, like Mary, they hear the word of God and keep it.  It highlights the Greek word μενοῦν/menoun, which is here translated "more than that."  In Romans 10:18, it's translated "Yes indeed."  It corrects by amplifying, not by negating. 

 

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

 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."  These teachings appear also in the Sermon on the Mount, but this particular combination is found here in Luke.  Here there are two ways in which we can understand this teaching.  There is first of all the image of a lamp, which must be put on a lampstand so that "those who come in may see the light."  In a commentary on the Sermon on the Mount, the OSB says of the teaching that we are to let our light shine (Matthew 5:16) that Christian virtues have both a personal and public function, for our virtue can bring others to glorify the Father.  But here we consider this teaching placed together with the teaching that the lamp of the body is the eye.  This is understood as the mind, or νοῦς/nous in Greek.  This specific sense of the mind -- that which allows us to perceive the things of God -- is described as the spiritual eye of the soul.  The OSB declares that it illuminates the inner person and governs the will.  To keep the mind wholesome and pure, it says, is fundamental to the Christian life.  Thus, if our perception is illumined in this sense, our whole body or whole being will radiate that spiritual light as does a lamp. Thus, such a person may "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).  

 

Today's reading begins with a woman from the crowd, who raised her voice and said to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  We'd be tempted to consider that Jesus is in some sense diminishing what this woman is saying.  But in reality, as the OSB pointed out, Jesus is magnifying the real quality that distinguishes His mother in the eyes of the Church.  She is one who heard the word of God and kept it.  This is what makes her not only holy, but the most venerated saint in the Church.  Among her titles in the Church, she is called the Panagia, meaning "All Holy" in Greek.  She is the one called by the Archangel Gabriel "highly favored" and "blessed among women" (Luke 1:28).  She is the one who responded affirmatively to the word of God, and kept it with faith, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word," she replied to Gabriel (Luke 1:38).  We can hardly consider what qualities constituted the ability to be the mother of Jesus.  How much sympathetic feeling must have been between mother and Son for her to have instigated His first miracle or sign recorded in the Gospel according to St. John (John 2:1-12)?  Again, we might be tempted to read that text in such a way as to think that Jesus is diminishing His mother, when He says to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come" (John 2:4).  But we would be wrong in that assumption.  For "Woman" in the context of the Gospels is a noble title, and moreover, in the Greek, Jesus is in fact repeating the same words from a story in the Old Testament, found in 1 Kings 17.  After the prophet Elijah was helped by the widow of Zarephath, her son dies.  In the Greek of the Septuagint, she asks Elijah the identical question, which can be more directly translated something like, "What is between me and you?" (1 Kings 17:18).  Elijah then prays and resurrects her son.  Thus, Jesus is gently reminding His mother of what is to come once His miracles begin, that they will end at the Cross with the loss of her Son.  But Mary is entirely ready to submit to His will, directing the servants also to "Hear the word of God and keep it."  She tells them, "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5).  Thus, the Church has its understanding of the Theotokos (God-bearer), the Mother of God.  St. John's Gospel also tells us that even as the disciples had fled and were in hiding, she was among those who stood at the Cross (John 19:25).  For these, and many more reasons, Mary the Theotokos is venerated in the Church as "Most Blessed," and we are all encouraged to be like her.  For generations of faithful, her sympathy and prayers are invoked and deeply felt.  In the Greek Orthodox Church, tomorrow (October 28) is the Feast Day of her Protection, commemorating a miracle that occurred in the 10th century (read about it here).  It was moved to this date to coincide with what is called Oxi Day; Oxi means "No," in Greek, and this was the day that Greece said "No" to the Axis forces, choosing to fight against those allied with the Nazis.  Such is Mary's veneration among the faithful that this was deemed appropriate by the Church. 

 

 

 

 

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, "I will return to my house from which I came"

 

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke, and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  

 

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  

 

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

 

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

 

- Luke 11:14–26 

 

On Saturday we read that it came to pass, as Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So he said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 

  And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke, and the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Beelzebub is the name given to a Canaanite pagan god by the Jews.  This name of this god worshiped at a particular shrine was a derivation of the word Baal; but Baal was worshiped at many shrines and so each had a particular name.  In this case it was Baal-Zebul, meaning "Lord of the Exalted Dwelling" (see 2 Kings 1).  But the name used by the Jews is satire; it sounds alike but means "Lord of the Flies" or "Lord of the Dungheap."  Here it is used as a direct reference to Satan.  

 

 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test God (see Luke 4:9-12).  

 

 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  The finger of God is the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28).  

 

 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  The OSB comments that the strong man is Satan, who holds sway over the fallen human race, while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).  

 

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  It is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him, the OSB notes.  Those who work in opposition to Christ, it says, are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but are not yet united to the Church (Luke 9:46-50).  According to St. Seraphim of Sarov, Only "good deeds done for Christ's sake bring fruit," and therefore deeds done for any other purpose, "even if they are good, are deeds that scatter abroad."

 

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first."  Here the OSB cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who comments that the unclean spirit refers to the rebelliousness cast out of the Jews by the Old Testament prophets to prepare them to receive Christ.  Those who refuse to receive Him are left open to the wickedness of seven other spirits or demons.  Seven is a number of fullness, and it indicates completeness; thus giving over oneself to darkness.  In another interpretation, this statement can also be understood to emphasize that even after successful deliverance or exorcism, vigilance and continued dedication to Christ is necessary, otherwise "the last state of that man is worse than the first."

 

 Jesus' final statement in today's reading is a reminder that nothing stands still.  We, as human beings, are creatures of time, and so life as we live it is a journey.  We are in constant movement, and the same is true of the soul and the choices we are always faced with.  Christ's call to us is one that asks for active faith.  When we receive God's grace, it is not like a material possession, but is rather a gift of God's divine energy which changes us and needs our constant cooperation in response.  We are meant for change, and this is the nature of repentance, or "change of mind" as the Greek word μετάνοια/metanoia literally means.  We are on a road, Christ's way (the Greek word ὁδός/odos, meaning path or road in John 14:6).  Consequently, a refusal of that grace working in us, or lack of cooperation with it, does not simply result in a static state of being, but one that, in fact, moves in the opposite direction.  Christ's teaching suggests that inner emptiness works as an open door to more trouble and demonic activity without healing grace. Christ's grace, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, is meant to be active in us, and is ultimately creative and dynamic.  Our faith is meant to grow and to bear fruit.  A well-known psychologist once said to me, "You're either going in the right direction or the wrong direction," indicating the same point, that we are always on a journey somewhere.  For the Christian, that journey is toward union with Christ (called theosis), or we are moving in another direction away.  Jesus' image of the cleaned and swept house  indicates a state of vacancy.  Hence we need to be vigilant about whom we let in, and protect against what we do not want.  We need to take care that our souls are fed with the things of God, and the energies of God.  The kind of emptiness that exists in a vacuum where the substance of virtue (or even the desire for it) is absent constitutes a depth of nihilism that invites evil.  The persona of Satan in the title of the demonic god Beelzebub is evoked in that emptiness as one who will take advantage, and come to stay and claim the house for himself.  That Jesus tells us the unclean spirit finds no rest, and seeks to return back to the place from which he was evicted gives us an idea of the movement of evil.  It's always aggressive, and parasitical, and will seek to return.  Let us be ready with the full armor of God.

 

 

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

 

 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."  So he said to them, "When you pray, say:

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

 For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 

 

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

 

- Luke 11:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples traveled toward Jerusalem, He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

  Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."   The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) comments here that "Teach us to pray" expresses a universal longing to be in communion with God.  

 

So he said to them, "When you pray, say:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come.  Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  According to the OSB, the Father-Son relationship within the Trinity reveals our potential relationship with God.  Christ, the Son of God, grants us the privilege of calling God Our Father by the grace of adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  As "sons of God," we as Christians are called to love, trust, and serve God as Christ does the Father.  We should not take "sons" as discriminatory, for by historical tradition all over the world, a son is an heir, and this is the indication here, that we are heirs.  We note in this context, with the OSB, that God is not our Father simply because God created us alone.  God is only Father to those in a saving and personal relationship with God, a communion that only comes by the grace of adoption (see John 1:13; Romans 8:14-16).  

 

"Give us day by day our daily bread."  The OSB says that daily is a misleading translation of the Greek word ἐπιούσιος/epiousios, which means literally "above the essence," or "supersubstantial."  This expression, daily bread, indicates not merely bread for this day; that is, for earthly nourishment.  It is the bread for the eternal day of the Kingdom of God, for the nourishment of our immortal soul.  The OSB remarks that this living, supersubstantial bread is Christ Himself.  In the Lord's Prayer, then, we are not asking simply for material bread for physical health, but rather for the spiritual bread of eternal life (John 6:27-58).  

 

"And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."  The OSB points out that this request to be forgiven is plural, and therefore directs us to pray always for the forgiveness of others.  The term debts is a reference to spiritual debts (see Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-35).  

 

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."  The OSB comments that God tempts no one to sin (James 1:13); temptations are from the evil one, the devil.  Temptations are aimed at the soul's giving in to the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  No one lives without encountering temptations, the Study Bible says, but we pray that great temptations -- that is, tests beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13) -- should not come to us.  

 

  And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?  I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs."  According to the OSB, this parable is a demonstration of God's faithfulness to those who are in need and who pray with persistence.  It's important to note that the emphasis here by Jesus is pointedly on persistence in prayer, and not a moralistic teaching.  According to patristic interpretation, the OSB says, midnight is understood as both the time of our death and a time of great temptation.  The friend is Christ, who, as our only source of grace, provides everything we need.  

 

 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  The OSB says that in Greek, the verbs here translated ask, seek, and knock are in a tense that implies continuing action.  That is, they're better translated as "keep asking," "keep seeking," and "keep knocking."  So, once again, the emphasis here is on persistence.  The OSB comments that God responds when we persistently ask for things that are good.  Bread, fish, and an egg are all images of life which symbolize the gift of the Holy Spirit (see John 14:13-15; James 4:3).  By contrast, a stone indicates hardness of heart, while a serpent or scorpion are images of a demon or devil and the "power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19), or "the evil one" (verse 4).

 

It's important to understand that what Christ is teaching here is not simply about a moral instruction or one in which He gives us advice for good behavior or good deeds.  This is a powerful teaching about the reality of the kingdom of God and our place in it.  It's about the mystical reality that is present to us, and on offer as the possibility for relationship with Our Father, as the OSB notes.  Not only does He give us the foundational prayer of the Church, the "Our Father," or "The Lord's Prayer," but His main emphasis here in His teaching for the disciples is for persistence in prayer.  And for what do we pray?  The images that He gives to the disciples regarding the fruits of prayer from Our Father suggest the spiritual gifts of the Kingdom, the door to the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  An egg has long been a spiritual symbol for life, a fish the symbol of Christ, the Son of God in the early Church, bread the essence of the Eucharist and the presence -- even the substance -- of Christ (John 6:32-58).  And there we come to the central piece of the prayer that Christ gives to the disciples in today's reading, the "daily bread" that is so much more than it sounds to those of us who hear with secular ears.  For this daily bread is no less than the Eucharist and no less than Christ.  It is the "supersubstantial bread," the bread that is so much more than just bread.  It is the bread of the Eucharist, or, as the OSB puts it, the bread for the eternal day of the kingdom of God, the bread of eternal life.  It is here where we join Christ in this mystical kingdom that is both within us and among us, and which permeates all things if we can accept it (Luke 17:20-21).  This is the very thing Jesus taught the disciples to declare when He sent them out, and taught them to say to those whom they encountered, "The kingdom of heaven has come near to you" (Luke 10:9).  The gifts of the Holy Spirit are those things for which we pray, and thus participate and dwell in this Kingdom even as we live our earthly lives.  

 

 

 

 

But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

 

- Luke 10:38-42 

 

Yesterday we read that  a certain lawyer stood up and tested Jesus, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

 

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."  Mary and Martha, we remember, are the sisters of Lazarus, the one whom Jesus raised from the dead (John 11:1-44).   This family of the two sisters and their brother are very beloved by Jesus; they are His close friends (John 11:35-36).  Therefore His approach to the two sisters comes in the context of a loving friendship.  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), Martha is not rebuked for serving, but for complaining and being distracted, worried, and troubled.  In following Christ, it says, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4).  

 

This story of sisters Mary and Martha is one of my favorites in the Gospels.  It's quite interesting that their characters, and their distinguishing characteristics that make them each unique, are consistent across Gospels.  When we read of these sisters in St. John's Gospel (in the chapter 11 story of the raising of Lazarus, Christ's seventh and final "sign" of St. John's Gospel), we see the same distinctive personalities that we read of in today's story from St. Luke.  In the story of the raising of Lazarus, when Jesus approaches the home of these women, it is Martha who comes out and meets Him before He arrives at their house.  She is the one whose duties include that of the formal requirements of hospitality, and she's true to her character in St. John's story and in this one from St. Luke.  In the story of the raising of Lazarus, it is Mary who remains in the home in the traditional formal posture of mourning.  True to her character, that observant, respectful, and more "inward" facing personality shows itself in today's reading.  For anyone raised in a traditional household (particularly of Mediterranean or Near Eastern background), women's duties as those responsible for hospitality are considered quite important indeed.  Within that context, Mary's behavior might easily be considered questionable, just as Martha complains to Jesus.  Mary sits at Jesus' feet listening to His teaching, presumably along with the men who are His disciples or interested in His teaching.  We should also consider that their home is in Bethany, close to Jerusalem.  As Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem (see this reading), it is quite likely that significant people connected to the temple and the important families of that city are perhaps also present to listen to Jesus, just as they were there mourning with the sisters in the story of Lazarus (John 11:18-19).  So, with these considerations in mind, it is quite significant indeed that Mary has chosen to sit at the feet of Jesus, rather than helping her sister with the duties of the household and demands of hospitality.  The OSB comments as reported above, that in following Christ, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel.  In that light, we contrast the service of the household and duties of responsibility to guests with the service in the spread of the gospel message and the ministry of Christ.  While hospitality from the earliest times of the Church was considered a priority in terms of our attitudes toward others as Christians (and notably so in monasteries where hospitality could take priority even over prayer), Jesus praises Mary for choosing "that good part," and as the Teacher He tells Martha that it "will not be taken from her."  He firmly asserts that Mary has chosen what is, in fact, "the one thing needed," giving us all the priority for our lives.  Salvation, in this understanding, does not come secondary to anything else.  In this Mary also figures as a disciple, even as she sits with the others, for they have already been instructed in the priorities of discipleship and the work of the Kingdom (Luke 9:57-62).  Although she is a woman, and one not inclined to outward expression but of contemplative mind, Mary seated among the disciples is a message to us about discipleship, and even how we serve.  Some serve who learn at His feet, who grow in God's love, who follow their faith as grace is offered to them.  

 

 

 

 

And who is my neighbor?

 

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  

 

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.   

 

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

 

- Luke 10:25–37 

 

Yesterday we read that the seventy apostles (appointed by Christ in this reading) returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"  And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." This answer is central to the Gospels and the gospel message. In St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus remarks that upon these two commands rests the whole of the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).   

 

 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) notes here that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  Jericho, by contrast, was renowned as a place of sin (see Luke 19:1).  To fall among thieves, the Study Bible says, is an image of the natural consequences of journeying away from God toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).  At the time, this road was known as a dangerous place, with thieves easily besieging travelers.

 

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side." The OSB comments that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds do not accompany them.  St. Cyril of Alexandria writes, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."   That the priest and the Levite do not help the man, presumably for fear of prohibited contact with blood, or with a dead body, both of which would render them ceremonially or ritually unclean and in need of purification.  This illustration in the story indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

 

 "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion."  This Samaritan is a despised foreigner.  But, according to the OSB, he is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for He "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those in rebellion against Him.  Compassion is the hallmark of so many of Christ's teachings, and it is the distinguishing mark of so many of His actions (see, for example, Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13, and also the parable of Judgment). 

 

 "So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  According to the OSB, the bandages, oil, and wine are sacramental images.  The bandages stand figuratively for the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil symbolizes the oil of chrismation, which gives us new life in the Holy Spirit.  Finally, there is the communion of Christ's divine Blood, which leads to eternal life.  That the Samaritan placed the man on his own animal indicates Christ bearing our sins in His own body, and the inn reveals the Church in which Christ's care is received.  Christ, as did the Samaritan in the story, pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23).

 

As noted above (on verse 33) compassion is in a certain sense a hallmark both of Christ's teaching and also His actions.  So many of His acts are motivated by His own deep feeling of compassion.  In fact, the Greek word that expresses this is more vivid than we might understand it in translation.  The word meaning to "have compassion" is a long one in Greek: σπλαγχνίζομαι/splakhnizomai.  Its root is the word for "spleen," and it indicates an action of the inner 'guts' of a person.  This is a feeling that's not simply a feeling, but a kind of movement one feels deeply within oneself; it becomes a physical response to something.  It's the same word in the examples cited above (Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13) used to describe Christ's inspiration for His acts of mercy, and in many more instances in the Gospels.  As we can read in Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus uses this same word to describe the inner feeling, the motivation of the Samaritan regarding the man who's been besieged and beaten by robbers.  He feels compassion for the man, something that moves his inner being such that he feels it physically.  How often can we say we share this kind of feeling in our lives?  Where is our compassion, and how do we feel it?  There are times when suffering of the soul can be felt as physical pain, and this can extend to others when our sympathy is such that we also are moved by their plight.  It's this feeling of compassion that motivates acts of mercy, and does so in the story of the Good Samaritan.  Adjunct to this, it's important to note that in both the parable of the Good Samaritan, and also Christ's parable of Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), Jesus is teaching a kind of proactive mercy.  Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in response to the lawyer's question, "And who is my neighbor?"  Jesus finishes the story with a question He poses to the lawyer:  "So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  The lawyer answers correctly:  "He who showed mercy on him."  Jesus finishes with a command:  "Go and do likewise."  Such a command teaches us not to simply accept common definitions of who might claim to be our neighbor, be it one who lives near us, a person of our community, or someone we see commonly.  Through Jesus' teaching here, we learn that to be a neighbor is to act as a neighbor, to practice active compassion.  The same is true in the parable of the Judgment; in Christ's telling of the sheep and the goats, it's those whose initiative prompted them to active compassion, acts of mercy, who are the sheep.  It's notable that to be moved with compassion indicates a motivation that's not merely a legalistic adding up of "good deeds," and not simply compliance with a teaching in a legalistic sense.  It indicates that we are in some way alert to the realities of life around ourselves, a type of personal involvement, indicating relationship.  This is, in fact, the root of righteousness.  Clearly the actions of the Good Samaritan resemble those of Christ in His ministry, as we are told so many times throughout the Gospels in the use of the keywords compassion and mercy.  He offers us healing through all of the ways available in the Church, and in relation to the character of the Samaritan, by coming into our world from "outside," in the sense that He comes from heaven and is Incarnate among us.  He teaches us mercy, so that we in turn may also live His mercy in response.  He is not simply following the Law but is the author of the Law, even the Lord of the Sabbath.  In this context, let us consider the times when Christ healed on the Sabbath, resulting in accusations of wrong-doing by the scribes (lawyers) and the Pharisees.  St. Paul touches on the truths revealed here when he writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  Laws cannot define nor prescribe everything we need for salvation, for salvation is of Christ, the One who comes from outside and reveals to us the Kingdom.  Let us also "go and do likewise."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven

 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

 

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

 

- Luke 10:17-24 

 

Yesterday we read that the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

 

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), I saw Satan fall is describing an event that took place before the creation of the world.  At the very least, we might suggest this particular sense of "the world" does not include all of Creation, for angels are themselves created beings.  The OSB notes that five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  Serpents and scorpions are symbolic images of demons and devils, thus included in the power of the enemy.  

 

 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."  The Study Bible (OSB) defines babes as people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  

 

 It's of great significance that we view today's reading in terms of its spiritual importance and impact.  The power Jesus is describing here is not one that is couched in material terms.  It is not about kingdoms in a worldly sense rising and conquering one another in material combat.  But Jesus lays the groundwork here for us to understand the kingdom of heaven and its reality and presence in our world and our lives.  Looking closely at the instructions with which the Seventy were sent out, we see that Christ's instructions were that they were to tell people, "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (in yesterday's reading, above).  This is the groundwork and foundation of the fullness of the Kingdom, completed in Christ's earthly mission, including His suffering, death, Resurrection, and Ascension.  This kingdom of God exists in its fullness already, but it is the spiritual ground of the reality of the Church.  As Father Stephen Freeman has written in a recent article, titled Mystery as Reality, this Kingdom is not established as a process or historical evolution; neither is it the work of human beings.  Rather, Fr. Freeman writes, "the Kingdom of God is hidden and revealed – it comes by revelation, by manifestation, by in-breaking, by uncovering. It was hidden from the beginning, and always existed from the beginning in its fullness. . . . Fullness is an essential characteristic of the Kingdom. If we see something of it in part, it is not because the Kingdom is in part, but only that the fullness has not been made manifest."  Thus, this sending out of the Seventy, the proclamation of the gospel message, and that "the kingdom of God has come near" are expressions of the reality of the Kingdom which undergirds our existence.  It is, in fact, the greater foundation of which we are a part, and which we may begin to grasp in its appearing and manifesting.  Thus, for human beings, "even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" declare the exuberant apostles upon their return from this first missionary journey.  And Christ in return can declare to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."  This is nothing less than the extraordinary revelation of the truth of the ground of all that exists manifesting and breaking in to our world, to our lives.  Moreover, Jesus' conferring of authority against the spiritual enemies of the Kingdom can therefore be seen as the great gift to human beings that it truly is.  It is we who are elevated to service in this Kingdom, we human beings who may participate in it, and this is the extraordinary good news of the Kingdom of a loving God who gives such a gift to us.  In Christ's subsequent prayer to God the Father, in which He expresses His thanks that such revelation was given to babes, He declares His own power and authority:  "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Here is truly the birth of the Church, in the revelation by Christ of the reality of the Kingdom, and our own capacity for participation in it through Him, and through our faith in Him.  Again, as Fr. Freeman writes in the same article, we human beings do not create this, but we are given the gift of participation in it, cooperation with it, God's revelation to us of its reality.  Thus, Christ can teach the disciples about the many prophets and kings who desired to see and hear what they do, for revelation comes through Him.  In the sacraments of the Church, Fr. Freeman reminds us, we receive this Kingdom and its fullness which is already present; the Spirit exists in His fullness.  Thus, Jesus declares to St. Nicodemus, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34).  It is we who are given the gift of salvation through revelation and participation, the ability to receive what already exists in its fullness.   This understanding is echoed in the words of St. Paul, "For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).  In the return of the Seventy, they rejoice over their power to subdue the demons.  But Jesus tells them, "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."   Thus the reality of the Kingdom is all in all, and our participation in it the greatest gift. 

 

 

 

Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves

 

 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.  Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.  

 

"Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.  

 

"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 

 

"Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

 

- Luke 10:1–16 

 

On Saturday, we read that it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

  After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  St. Luke's Gospel tells of the seventy, another group of apostles sent out by Christ to preach the gospel.  Many early figures of the Church were included in this seventy, including St. Luke the Evangelist himself.  Here the Orthodox Study Bible notes that Jesus instructs us to pray not only for the harvest of converts to Christ, but also for the laborers who will reach them.  

 

 "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."  The Orthodox Study Bible explains that lambs speak of the sacrificial life of the apostles and of all followers of Christ.  The wolves are those who seek to frighten and devour those who follow the Lord (John 15:18).  

 

"Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road.  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.  And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages.  Do not go from house to house.  Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you."  It's important to note the humility and spirit of the poor, even poverty, with which the disciples are sent out.  They go in peace and offering peace, but that peace has a power to it, giving us an understanding of the spiritual reality that is at work in what these apostles will do.  The Study Bible asks us to note that Jesus gives a particular command twice, when He tells them to eat whatever is offered to them.  It says that this has a twofold significance.  First, the apostles must be content with whatever is offered, even if the food is little and simple.  Second, the gracious reception of others' hospitality takes precedence over personal fasting or dietary disciplines. St. Cassian the Desert Father, it says, notes that when he visited a monastery, the fast was always relaxed in order to honor him as a guest.  When he asked why, the elder told him, "Fasting is always with me, but you I cannot always have with me [echoing Christ's words about Himself as Bridegroom at Luke 5:34-35].  Fasting is useful and necessary, but it depends on our choice, while the law of God demands charity.  Thus receiving Christ in you, I serve you with all diligence, and when I have taken leave of you, I resume the rule of fasting again."  In this way the ascetics would obey Christ's command here and also His command that we not "appear to men to be fasting" (Matthew 6:18; see also Romans 14:2-6; 1 Corinthians 10:27; Hebrews 3:2). 

 

"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you.  Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.'  But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city."  The Study Bible comments that the gospel message is not simply that there is a Kingdom in the future, but that the kingdom of God has come near.  Thus the rejection of the offering and grace of this Kingdom comes with consequences.

 

 "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.  But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.  He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."  The Orthodox Study Bible remarks that judgment is severe for those who reject Christ after experiencing His grace.  In contrast, those who have never known Christ due to genuine ignorance are without sin in this regard (John 15:22-24), and they are instead judged by their God-given conscience (Romans 2:12-16).  

 

 Jesus says, "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."  Let us note the tie between this statement and the one Christ made earlier (in the reading from Saturday) when speaking of receiving a little child in His name:  "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you will be great."  That, also, was couched in an important teaching on humility and grace.  We note also that over the course of the past several readings, in preparation for the future mission of the Church and in sending out the apostles, Jesus' teachings have been important instruction in the nature of the Kingdom, what "manner of spirit they are of" (see yesterday's reading, above), and in how they must conduct themselves.  Hospitality is also at the heart of these teachings, as conveyed in the commentary of the Orthodox Study Bible given by St. John Cassian.  To receive a little child in Christ's name is a study in the bedrock of what we understand as hospitality and the reality of grace that gives Christianity its character.  But to mistake humility, graciousness, and peace for powerlessness would be entirely mistaken, for all of this begins and ends with the Kingdom and the spiritual reality of the Holy Trinity.  Thus, its rejection brings consequences with it.  Moreover, the blessing of peace offered by the apostles cannot rest upon those who cannot receive it; that is, it simply returns to the giver.  All those great works that were done by Christ in the cities He names, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, will in fact have their effect as their condemnation and downfall because of the rejection of such grace.  God's grace, the graciousness of the Kingdom, is not simply something to take advantage of.  For those who seek only to take and profit, without understanding or receiving grace, that power will work in turn through their own rejection and hostility.  Thus, the spiritual consequence of condemnation is self-imposed, brought about by rejection itself.   It is similar to Christ's teaching in St. John's Gospel:  "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" (John 3:18).  Jesus begins the instructions of preparation to the Seventy with the words, "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."  It's important to consider how Jesus' teachings about their conduct, and the ways of the Kingdom and its peace, work within such a hostile environment.  Let us think about the hostile or rapacious environments in which we may find ourselves, and cherish the things He teaches.  Many things have changed since the moment when Christ spoke these words, but the reality of the Kingdom -- and those hostile to it -- remain in many ways the same, even if time, place, and names have changed.