No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  

 

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

 

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. 

 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." 

 

- Luke 16:10–18

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the Unjust Steward to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), the test as to whether God will bestow heavenly blessings (true riches) on a person is directly related to how one spends one's money.  The money we consider our own is actually another man's, that is, belonging to God, or at least to the poor.  The OSB says that according to universal patristic consensus, a person's failure to give money to the work of God is stealing:  "nothing less than embezzlement of money belonging to someone else" (quoting Theophylact). 

 

 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  Mammon, loosely translated, means wealth or riches, but here what is implied is a question about what comes first.  What is it from which we truly derive value?  In what do we trust?  This question of serving is one of devotion, and whichever we serve will determine where our values are placed, what we hold precious.  The implication here as well is that God's sovereignty is total, so the Lord also rules mammon in a properly ordered world -- and not the other way around.  

 

 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."  The OSB states that the things which are highly esteemed among men include money, power, position, and praise.  

 

 "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."  We might be somewhat surprised to see this verse here, and wonder why it is placed in this context.  But in Christ's time, the subject of divorce was hotly debated and the subject for ongoing new regulation to close loopholes.  It's of note that the Pharisees as a party were divided on this subject, with some of them closer to Christ's views on divorce than other parties in the Sanhedrin.  But regulations which concerned remarriage after divorce ("whoever divorces his wife and marries another" . . . "whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband") were of particular concern at the time for these authorities who regulated such practices.   This was because divorce could be misused simply to profit from the ways that dowries and other wealth were transferred in divorce; a remarriage could be a way to shield assets from creditors, or worse, to "trade up" for a new and higher dowry. So, once again, Jesus is positing the difference between serving God (adhering to God's desire for monogamous marriage) and serving mammon (abusing easy divorce for profit).  

 

 In today's reading, the Pharisees (along with the far more pragmatic and less "spiritual" members of the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees) seem to be representing what frequently passes for reason or rationality.  In a certain way, they represent compromise with the world.  For example, the text tells us that they were lovers of money, and as such, they derided Him.  But Jesus is not talking about compromise, and in fact images compromise in an impossible and untenable light.  He says, "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  This means that, in Jesus' sight, there is no compromise with this world.  Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that there is no compromise with the ruler of this world.  Jesus has come here to reclaim the world for its rightful King, a benevolent and loving God, as opposed to the one who rules with the values of mammon alone.  We've got to choose the one whom we'll serve.  He makes that perfectly clear.  This is the thing to which Jesus alludes when He teaches His disciples to say, as they go about their missionary journey, "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (Luke 10:9-11).  This theme will come up again when He's asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come.  His reply was, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you" (see Luke 17:20-21).  Jesus has been sent into the world to reclaim it for the kingdom of God.  But the laws of mammon, the materialism of force and compulsion and manipulation and all of those assorted forms of worldly might, that which knows only material wealth and not spiritual value, expect a similar form of rule.  Yet Jesus brings a kingdom which we ourselves carry both with us and among us; it has its own rules of love and mercy, and not the simple math of dollars and cents and debts and payments, transactions meant only to measure to a standard ruler and not one that sees into the heart.  For the Lord of this Kingdom is the One who knows our hearts (verse 15), who has come to suffer with us, and to liberate us from the accuser who only knows how to punish and to demand.  The One who sent Jesus into the world rightfully rules over "unrighteous mammon" and so should dictate the ways in which we use the substance of our wealth in the world.  Whose kingdom do we serve?  Jesus makes clear the starkness of the choice. 

 

 

 

For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

 In yesterday's reading, we read the third of three parables Jesus gave in response to criticism by Pharisees and scribes that He sat with and received tax collectors and sinners.  For the first two parables, that of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, see Wednesday's reading.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Prodigal Son:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and  to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."' And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."  Let us note first that while the last three parables (Luke 15) were given in response to the criticism of the Pharisees and scribes, this parable is directed to Christ's disciples.  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) comments on this parable that a steward is responsible for managing his master's property and looking after the welfare of his servants.  The point of this particular parable, it says, is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God.  This is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death ("when you fail") the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.  See also Luke 12:33-34.

 

It's important to keep in mind that Jesus has just finished delivering three parables to the Pharisees and scribes who've criticized Him for keeping company with tax collectors and other sinners, and in this one He turns to His disciples.  The first three parables expressed the joy of God in sinners returning to Him; they were all about something precious that was lost, and the joy of regaining what is beloved.  In the parable of the Prodigal Son from yesterday's reading (see above), the older brother of the prodigal had an attitude of legalism toward his father's commands ("I never transgressed your commandment at any time"), which is reflective of the attitude of the Pharisees and scribes.  This is contrasted with the love of God.  The chief feature of that love in action is mercy, in which the return of the beloved is more important than a sense of legalistic punishment or moralistic judgment.  In today's reading, Jesus instructs the disciples in a concept of love in action, as well as God's justice as opposed to what we understand in worldly terms.  It may not be from a legalistic sense of justice that we help others in need.  We're not compelled to do so because we owe them something, or because by law we must (although of course there have always been teachings on helping the needy from the earliest texts we know, and the Law itself is established with the aim of creating community).  But here Jesus features something the disciples may not necessarily emphasize, and that is shrewdness.  It reminds us of Jesus' teaching to the disciples as they set out on their first missionary journey that they must be both "shrewd as serpents and pure as doves" (Matthew 10:16).  The worldly know how to deal shrewdly.  One gives a little to make a deal, a compromise, a sale, to ease the way to agreement.  What Jesus emphasizes here is that although one might not benefit from a particular friendship in a worldly sense, the power of the eternal life of the Kingdom is nevertheless present in what we do for those who cannot pay us back nor return something of use in this world, such as prestige or patronage.  Forgiveness itself, as illustrated by this parable and other uses by Jesus of the concept of "debts," is an act of mercy, a way to act "like God" (Matthew 6:12; 18:21-35).  It is an image of giving without expecting "payment" in a transactional sense.  One might add here that, unfortunately, in a modern context, too many people take this for granted, without understanding the need for repentance or at least acknowledgement of sin or error as a therapeutic condition both for relationships and community healing, and the spiritual health of the individual.  Nonetheless, within the context of the fullness of Christ's teaching, mercy still applies, for forgiveness asks nothing but spiritual health -- the ultimate condition for God's goodness, truth, and beauty as the foundation for life.  When we live as Christ taught, to have "treasure in heaven," we are living our best lives, even here in this world.  

The younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living

 

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

* * *

 Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  

 

"Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  

 

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and  to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  

 

"And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry. 

 

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  

 

"So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

- Luke 15:1–2; 11–32 

 

Yesterday we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

 

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  In today's reading, we're given the parable of the Prodigal Son, the third parable Jesus taught in response to the complaints of the Pharisees and scribes reported here in the beginning verses of this chapter of St. Luke's Gospel.  For the first two parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, see yesterday's reading and commentary.

 

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) explains that the son's request for his portion of goods (in Greek οὐσία/ousia, which literally means "essence" or "substance") indicates human beings receiving free will and a rational mind from God.  As Adam did in Eden, the OSB says, the younger son uses these possessions to rebel against his father.  The far country, it says, represents life in exile from God.  

 

 "Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."  The OSB comments that feeding swine could rightly be called "Jewish Skid Row."  It says that he could not sink much lower.

 

 "But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and  to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  The text says that this man came to himself.  According to the OSB, a person immersed in sin is living outside of one's true self (Romans 7:17-20).  But this prodigal realizes his hopeless condition.  The bread symbolizes Christ, who is known through the Scriptures and the Eucharist.  

 

"And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'"  Although it was considered unseemly in Jewish culture for an old man to run, the father does not passively stand by waiting for his son to return.  He ran to his son.  A note tells us that his self-humiliation for the sake of the lost indicates the way in which our Father, through Christ's sacrifice, actively seeks those who stray.

 

 "But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry."  The OSB illuminates the symbolism here.  The significance of the robe is righteousness granted by baptism (Isaiah 61:10).  The signet ring is family identity (Haggai 2:23).  The sandals refer to walking according to the gospel.  The term fatted calf is more accurately translated "wheat-fed bull-calf," or even more literally, "a bull-calf formed from wheat."  This refers to a male calf which is raised on wheat in preparation for use as a religious offering.  As the reconciliation of the prodigal son was not complete without the sacrifice of the calf, so our reconciliation to God is not by our repentance alone, but by Christ offering Himself on the Cross. This festive dining on an animal offering "formed from wheat" is a clear reference to our partaking of the eucharistic bread.  

 

 "Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him."  This resentful older son is used to illustrate the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees, those to whom Christ was telling this parable in the first place.  The OSB cites the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who notes that God requires His followers to rejoice when even the most blamable man is called to repentance.

 

 "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"  The older son tells his father, "I never transgressed your commandment at any time. . . "  The OSB states that this failure of the older son to recognize his own sins leads to his self-righteous and merciless attitude.  This is contrasted with the contrition of the younger son.  St. Ambrose of Milan writes, "The one who seems to himself to be righteous, who does not see the beam in his own eye, becomes angry when forgiveness is granted to one who confesses his sin and begs for mercy."  The older son's ingratitude is also apparent in his accusation to his father that "you never gave me a young goat," while the father has given him all that he has.  

 

 As in the first two parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (see yesterday's reading), Jesus illustrates the boundless love of God and God's desire for all of straying humanity to return.  Let's note that this older son indeed has it all wrong when he stresses to the father, "I never transgressed your commandment at any time," for this love is something that extends beyond the legalistic understanding of commandments, or even power and authority.  If we are going to speak of transgressing social mores, rules of conduct, even conduct becoming of one in authority, then we look at this father who falls completely into a kind of self-abandonment of love at the return of his once-lost son.  He forgets about the conventional appearance of dignity in running, overjoyed, relieved, and grateful to have his son back.  If one has ever lost a friend and then reconnected years later, one might understand the heightened spirit in the heart that is so grateful to find what was lost again.  Jesus is talking about love, something stronger than a legalistic sense of obedience or toeing the line.  In fact, this love on the part of the father -- and illustrating the love of God -- is a kind of loyalty which God extends to us.  God's ties of love don't break.  The implication in all three parables -- and especially vivid in this one -- is that God longs, always, for our return when we stray from God.  

 

 

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents

 

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

 

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

 

- Luke 15:1-10 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus taught about the cost of discipleship.  He said, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

  Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  Of the whole of today's reading (including the verses that follow these in the parable of the Lost Coin), the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) comments that fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.  So, we must read these two parables in today's reading, plus the parable of the Prodigal Son which follows (Luke 15:11-32 which will be in tomorrow's lectionary reading) as Christ's answer to the Pharisees and scribes.  The man in this parable, the woman in the following parable of the Lost Coin, and the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son are seen as representing Christ, the Church, and finally God the Father.  The OSB quotes from the commentary of St. Ambrose of Milan, who writes, "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."  According to the OSB, in the patristic spiritual interpretation of this parable, the hundred sheep represent all rational creation of the cosmos.  The one sheep who goes astray symbolizes humankind, while the ninety-nine represent the angelic realm.  Christ comes into the world for the one lost sheep, us human beings.

 

 "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."  The OSB explains that ten silver coins comprise a single necklace worn by a married woman; that is, a bride, which is an image of the Church (see Ephesians 5:30-32).  The lost coin (δραχμή, a drachma, in the Greek) carries the image of the king, and symbolizes humankind, who, although bearing the image of God, fell from grace.  Through the Church, Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation.  

 

 Over the course of the past several readings, there has been a focus on graciousness and gratitude.  This double-sided emphasis has figured in Jesus' address to those who are guests (Saturday's reading) and those who are hosts (Monday's reading).  These notions of graciousness and gratitude flow naturally into conduct becoming of one who is faithful to God, who seeks to be "like" the Lord, and Jesus also teaches in these readings about the important role of humility in our conduct.  In yesterday's reading (above), Jesus spoke about the costs of discipleship.  He warned that to make a commitment as disciple is a serious business, for which it is necessary to first calculate the cost it might mean as each of us takes up our cross, and we serve.  But this also touches on gratitude, graciousness, and humility, because it places discipleship in a light we often fail to see.  That is, this emphasis on what cost we might incur as disciples sheds a bright light on the deep value of discipleship, in which the true reward is life itself, in the most unlimited possible sense.  A commitment to God in such a perspective means that all that we might consider to sacrifice for it is nothing in comparison to God's gracious and generous reward for us, even that which we can't see and know, and for which we must simply invest in faith and the compelling power of the heart that loves God.  Today these parables emphasize the tremendous and bountiful joy of God in those who have gone astray but who may be reclaimed for the kingdom of God.  That is, those who return to God.  Jesus describes the joy that comes to the Lord in the sense of finding a lost love.  This most prized value belonging to God is human beings.  In these parables, God figures as a steward for us the way that a shepherd is for sheep, or a woman might be for her most prized valuable she wears with pride and love.  The gist of these parables teaches us that God deeply desires that all will be saved, so much so that Jesus declares, "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."   To find and reclaim the lost sheep, or the lost coin, isn't simply to find the one thing that was lost; it's to reclaim the whole.  For it's insinuated here that the flock isn't the complete flock without that missing sheep, just as the necklace is not the whole necklace without that missing coin.  As such, we're given the perspective of God that God's creation simply isn't complete without the inclusion and salvation of all.  So unbounded is God's love, we're to understand, that joy is not complete without a full return of creation.  Just as Jesus says that He will give His flesh as a sacrifice "for the life of the world" (John 6:51), so we are to take this literally.  He means for the whole of the world -- that is, the cosmos as it says in Greek, all the created order.  It gives us at once the great value the Lord sets upon every single one of us, for without even one of us, the whole is not complete.  How much are we loved?  That value is incalculable. 

 

 

 

 

 

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple

 

 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 

 

 "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Luke 14:25-35 

 

Yesterday we read Jesus' continued reply to those who sat with Him at table, when He was invited to the home of a Pharisee (see the first part in Saturday's reading).  Yesterday we read that He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

 

 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), this command to hate one's kindred and "his own life also" is not to be taken literally.  We are, on the other hand, to hate the way our relationships with others can hinder our total dedication to the Kingdom of God, which takes precedence even over family ties.  

 

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."  This is the second time this teaching appears in St. Luke's Gospel (see also Luke 9:23).  The OSB asks us to note that each person must take up his own cross.  It says that the burden in this world is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of others around oneself.  In Christ's teaching at Luke 9:23, Jesus states that one's cross is to be taken up daily.  Commitment to following Christ and bearing one's cross, therefore, is not just a one-time event.  It is the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world.  

 

 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' "  St. Paul uses this same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, saying, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."  This notion of being tested through fire augments and amplifies Christ's teaching of counting the cost.  In the context here of the cost of discipleship and bearing one's cross, Jesus indicates the cost of commitment to discipleship and following Him in all things.  

 

"Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."  Again, Jesus gives us another metaphor of counting the cost before going into a serious commitment.  Discipleship, and bearing our cross, has often been likened to a battle, a spiritual battle.  St. Paul called it fighting the good fight.  As he approached the end of his life, he wrote, " I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8).  

 

  "Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  This teaching is also found in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matthew 5:13).   The OSB comments on this teaching that because of its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor, salt had both religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  To eat salt with someone, it says, meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.  

 

Here, in the context of Christ's teachings on the struggles and commitments of discipleship, He uses the metaphor of salt for what it means to remain loyal to this calling.  Salt is also known as a fixative, another aspect of this teaching.  As fixative, salt is used to bond dye onto fibers of cloth, thereby creating adherence and stability, where the dye will not be washed out.  As fixative, salt is also used to preserve, even for its capabilities in medicine to halt cellular decay.  So salt is used here to illustrate the principles of commitment to the struggles of discipleship in order to describe a perseverance that must be present in the disciple.  To count the cost before a building project so that one is prepared to finish it through to the end is a similar kind of endeavor, also illustrating being prepared for the vagaries and ups and downs of discipleship.  Engaging in battle as a king also gives us a picture of a fully assessed commitment to a project that involves risk, danger to oneself, and unforeseen threats.  This, also, is a part of discipleship.  If we must be prepared even for challenges to our closest relationships in life, when there is a possibility that our faith will come between us and our loved ones, then we run a real risk in this spiritual battle.  Truly our deepest struggles may involve much more than we bargained for.  In Jesus' time, of course, such challenges and struggles were literally life-threatening and would continue to be so for the early centuries of the Church.  Betrayals even by family members were possible, given the structures of the time within social, political, and familial ties.  But this notion of carrying one's own cross, and doing so for a lifetime, is really a challenge of our own internal lives.  We struggle against our own passions, especially the things we might be most deeply attached to.  If we have excessive, damaging, or disordered habits of anger, envy, lust, or any number of other weaknesses, we most likely will be challenged to cast out ways of behaving that interfere with the living of our faith.  This extends to all kinds of habits, from any form of addiction to habitual thinking that forms a stumbling block to Christian faith and the living of Christ's teachings.  So let us go forward as forewarned in this sense by Christ that we must be prepared to face the struggles of Christian life, and to meet those deeply embedded within us.  This extends even to things of which we are unaware in our emotional makeup.  For all will be challenged, as St. Paul indicates when he speaks of the building standing up to fire.  Temptations will come in all forms, including that of needing to go along with the social life of one's peer group -- and the struggle to find the correct balance between our love of others and our love of Christ without hatred and resentment.  In this, we also struggle to discern Christ's way for us, not least of which is the need to adhere to and rely upon grace in all things.  Whatever the cost, even that which is unforeseen, Jesus asks us to be prepared for it.  Let us run the race, and prepare for the "good fight," as St. Paul calls it.

 

 

 

And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just

 

Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

 

Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  

 

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"

 

- Luke 14:12–24 

 

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  On Saturday, we discussed the first part of this parable, found in the verses prior to today's reading, in which Jesus gave instruction to guests regarding humility.  Here He instructs hosts, of whom boundless charity is asked -- again in imitation of Christ.  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), this instruction is based on the manner in which God treats us, although none of us could possibly repay God (see Luke 6:30-36).  Here, Jesus says that "you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  This teaching is similar to that illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, see Luke 10:25-37; especially verses 34-35.

 

 Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  This man speaks in response to Christ's reference to the resurrection of the just.  The OSB remarks that this man unwittingly declares the ultimate beatitude.  It says that the truth behind his words can come only through understanding the bread to be eternal communion with God.  

 

Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"  According to the OSB, this parable operates on two levels.  It illustrates both the first and second coming of Christ, who is the servant sent to gather many.  Supper, it notes, indicates evening, the end of the age.  The people invited are first the Jews, then all humankind.  In patristic commentary, the three excuses given here are seen as having both a literal meaning -- that many people are too attached to worldly cares to accept the Kingdom of God (see Luke14:26; 18:29) -- as well as spiritual meanings.  The OSB reports that, according to St. Ambrose, these three excuses of I cannot come represent the Gentile, the Jew, and the heretic.  The Gentile's devotion to earthly wealth is represented by the piece of ground, the Jews' enslavement to the five books of the Law by the five yoke of oxen, and the heretic's espousal of error by the man who refuses on account of his wife.  Additionally, Theophylact more generally associates the excuses with people devoted to earthly matters, to things pertaining to the five senses, and to all pleasures of the flesh.  Finally, the OSB states that those in the streets and lanes indicate first, the Gentiles who accepted Christ after the faithless Jews rejected Him, and second, those outside the Church who replace those within who have rejected their own baptism.  

 

 Gratitude seems to be at the heart of so much of what it means to be gracious in the sight of God.  For how can we accept gifts from God, even our lives, without gratitude?  And yet, in everyday life, we take all kinds of things for granted.  The invitation to the great supper is akin to the wedding feast mentioned by Jesus in Saturday's reading (above), and also in the parable of the Wedding Feast found in St. Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 22:1-14).  We must keep in mind that it's an honor to receive an invitation, to be extended hospitality, and equally, it is gracious behavior to conduct oneself with humility as a guest, as Jesus also taught in the reading from Saturday.  So here, in today's parable of the supper, we observe the people making excuses.  Each one has his own concern, his own interest.  But the invitation is disregarded as if it were of no value whatsoever.  Only the particular concerns of their individual lives and interests matter to them.  For what is an invitation?  In this case, it is a voluntary offering of a banquet, and one that asks for nothing in return but participation alone.  "Come, and eat my supper," the invitation asks.  But note that the host does not stop with the refusals of those who have matters to attend to that serve their interests.  This host has his servant go to the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind, all those not in a position to repay, to bring them into his home.  Such a grand home it must be that there is still room left.  And so out the servant goes again, to bring in all those on the peripheries, the real outsiders, who are on the highways and in the hedges, and they are compelled to come in.  For all these who surely cannot repay will now come first in the home of the One who extends the invitations and offers the supper.  Jesus seems to be teaching us about hospitality in a profoundly metaphorical way in order to say something about the spiritual life, and what it is we refuse when we refuse God.  For the gracious host's hospitality isn't simply about throwing a supper, but it is about making the house full and extending his grace to as many people as possible, with preference finally given to the "least of these," the outsiders, the ones not in a position to repay but who simply can accept with thanks.  When we refuse the grace of God, we also refuse the hospitality that offers respect for those who can't repay, the wisdom of the kingdom of God. 

 

 

 

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted

 

 Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things. 

 

So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

 

- Luke 14:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that some Pharisees came to Jesus, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You."  And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.'  Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'"

 

  Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.  And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.  And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  But they kept silent.  And He took him and healed him, and let him go.  Then He answered them, saying, "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?"  And they could not answer Him regarding these things.  The issue of healing on the Sabbath is a recurring problem and accusation for Jesus from the Pharisees and scribes; see, for example, Luke 6:1-11.  Here, Jesus takes up the issue rather directly with an example of the way that ailing animals are treated on the Sabbath, compared to their condemnation of Jesus' healing human beings.  The argument here is a continuation of the conflict found in Wednesday's reading, in which Jesus healed a woman who'd been bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17).  Here He builds upon the argument He began in that passage.

 

 So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:  "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.  But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.'  Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at table with you.  For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  Here Jesus gives a parable directed toward guests (in the following verses, not found in today's reading, He will tell another directed at hosts).  Both parables are based on gracious behavior the Lord teaches and models.  The Orthodox Study Bible comments that in imitation of Christ, perfect humility is expected of guests, and boundless charity is demanded of hosts (see James 4:6).

 

 Perhaps in Jesus' parable of the wedding feast, He's giving a subtle hint to the Pharisees regarding their grandiose behavior, and by inference, this would particularly apply to their judgment of Jesus.  They have no hesitation in finding fault with Him, criticizing on the most legalistic grounds regarding His performing healing "work" on the Sabbath.  If we consider the Sabbath significant in terms of the wedding feast of the Lord and His bride, the people of God, then we can place Christ's teaching in a different light than it appears as one supper on one particular day.  For the Sabbath is truly about union of God and God's people.  It is a day in which all are invited to enter into the rest of their Lord -- and all the things that this might incorporate.  So, if we (like many Church Fathers who've commented on this parable, such as St. Cyril of Alexandria) consider the host in this particular parable to be God, then we can come to see Christ's teaching of humble behavior in this light.  It is God who elevates and extols, and God who teaches gracious behavior.  It is God who claims to teach the virtues, and we, as God's children, who are to learn the virtues to which we can aspire.  This is the ground of humility, the understanding that we all, being imperfect, have much to learn.  The law -- and a very strict and demanding interpretation of it -- cannot claim all there is to know.  It cannot claim to create perfection in us.  Jesus will say as much directly when He teaches the rich young ruler about obtaining eternal life (Luke 18:18-29).  Perhaps most significantly and notably for today's reading, a strict reading of the Law cannot teach us mercy.  It cannot teach us gracious behavior, nor discernment that depends upon our love of God in our hearts.  Most of all, it takes humility to find these "finer things" which the Lord would teach us beyond legalism.  How do we become like Christ?  He teaches us that in today's reading, when He teaches about the necessary humility of guests, and therefore our humility before God.  He teaches humility as an attitude first toward God, our ultimate host who gives us good things, an understanding that we always have more to learn, and more ways to mature and grow in God's sight.  These men consider themselves authorities and in a position to judge Christ, but their lack of humility prevents them from seeing God at work in their very presence -- even in His healing on the Sabbath.  Indeed, they seek to judge the Lord Himself.  Jesus teaches, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  This is a warning that we will be judged particularly on our reception or rejection of God's work in the world, the Holy Spirit at work within us and among us.  Let us pay strict attention, for every bit of this also applies to us, and to how we judge and think of ourselves as well.