He must increase, but I must decrease

 

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

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

 

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

 

- John 3:22–36 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

 

Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"), 6th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai, Egypt

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  

 

Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  

 

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  

 

"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  

 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

 

- John 3:1–21 

 

On Saturday we read that the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. 

 

 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.  This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."  My study Bible notes here that Nicodemus believed Jesus was from God, but his faith was still weak, as he was afraid of his peers.  So, he came to Jesus by night.  However, after this conversation his faith will grow to the point of defending Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51), and in the end he will make the bold public expression of faith (together with another member of the ruling Council, St. Joseph of Arimathea) of preparing and entombing the Lord's body (John 19:39-42).  My study Bible also tells us that according to some early sources, Nicodemus was baptized by St. Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to flee Jerusalem. 

 

 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  In the Greek of the Gospel, the word "again" in the expression born again can also mean "from above."  Both meanings are essential (as often happens in the Gospels), as it is a reference to the heavenly birth from God through faith in Christ (John 1:12-13).  My study Bible comments that this heavenly birth is baptism and our adoption by God as our Father (Galatians 4:4-7).  This new birth is only the beginning of our spiritual life, and its goal is the entrance into the kingdom of God.   In Nicodemus' response, we see that he misunderstands, and asks how a second physical birth is possible.  This is a frequent occurrence in St. John's Gospel, my study Bible points out, and Christ uses such opportunities in order to elevate an idea from a superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and eternal meaning (see John 2:19-21; 4:10-14, 30-34; 6:27; 7:37-39; 11:11-15).  

 

 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."   Jesus refers here to Christian baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit given at chrismation (born of water and the Spirit).  That which is born of the Spirit describes a spiritual birth by grace, through faith, and in the Holy Spirit; this is adoption as a child of God.  The wind blows where it wishes is a play on words in the Greek.  The word πνευμα/pneuma means both wind and Spirit.  My study Bible comments that the working of the Holy Spirit in the new birth is as mysterious as the source and destination of the blowing wind.  In the same manner, the Spirit moves where He wills and He cannot be contained by human ideas or agendas. 

 

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, "How can these things be?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?"   My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who comments that earthly things refer to grace and baptism given to human beings.  These are earthly in the sense that they occur on earth and are given to creatures, not that they are "unspiritual."  But the heavenly things referred to here involve those ungraspable mysteries of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father; they relate to Christ's eternal existence before all time, and to God's divine plan of salvation for the world.  A person first must understand the ways in which God works among humankind before one can even begin to understand those things that pertain to God Himself. 

 

 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."  My study Bible explains that Moses lifted up an image of a serpent in order to cure the Israelites from deadly bites of poisonous snakes (Numbers 21:4-9).  It says that this miracle-working image prefigured Christ being lifted up on the Cross.  As believers behold the crucified Christ in faith, the power of sin and death is overthrown in them.  It says that just as the image of a serpent was the weapon that destroyed the power of the serpents, so the instrument of Christ's death becomes the weapon that overthrows death itself. 

 

 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  In this frequently quoted verse, we're shown the reason why the Son must be "lifted up"; that is, crucified.  Here Jesus declares God's great love which is not only for Israel but for the world.  This single verse, my study Bible says, expresses the whole of the message of St. John's Gospel, and even of salvation history. 

 

 "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  My study Bible notes here that while Christ came to save and not to condemn, human beings have free will.  So, therefore, we can reject this gift, and to become condemned by our own rejection.  

 

If we take a look at a specific words in today's reading, we may explore ideas that give us hidden glimmers of meaning.   We perhaps attain another kind of insight from Jesus' words.  Jesus explains, "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."  The root of the word translated as "condemned" is κρίνω/krino.  This word can mean condemned, but its more common meaning is to "judge."   It's the same word used in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus teaches, "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you" (Matthew 7:1-2).  So, perhaps one important meaning we can also take from Christ's words in today's reading is that the one who rejects Christ is in fact rejecting Christ's judgment (and guidance) in favor of his or her own instead.  This can work in so many ways; how often do we judge ourselves more harshly than the merciful Christ would?  Or perhaps the reverse is true, we excuse our own actions when in fact we should be finding and making the changes that Christ would ask of us.  In either case, it's the judgment of Christ that is rejected, and so a person is in fact judged by his or her own judgment, rejecting God.  It's an important aspect of meaning in this word to consider, for when we reject Christ's judgment, then whose in fact are we preferring?  And how does that judgment we make in so doing reflect upon us?  In fact, it is a rejection of the reality of existence, and of creation, for we create our own fantasy otherwise.  Whether too harsh or too comfortable, we miss the mark and we fail to come to Christ.  This is another sense in which we might "love darkness rather than light," for without Christ our understanding is darkened, partial, ignorant of the truth He would offer.  In all things, we are directed to Him.   Such a teaching is contained as well in the image of Christ being raised on the Cross, and its similarity to the bronze serpent on a stick raised by Moses in order to heal the Israelites from the poison of the serpents that bit their ankles.  So long as they kept their eyes on that raised sign, they were saved from the poison.  It is, in some sense, similar to the story of St. Peter walking on the water, requesting of Jesus that he be able to walk to Him.  So long as St. Peter stayed focused on Jesus, he was able to do so, but when he looked away at the wind, he became afraid and started to sink.  Jesus said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" See Matthew 14:22-33.  So our faith in Christ is a matter of focus and attention, but that includes following ("Follow Me"), acting in accordance with that faith.  This means for us that we seek Christ's judgment (for this is discernment) in all that we do; we seek His guidance.   In that oft-quoted verse from today's reading, Jesus teaches, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  But we don't often examine what it really means to believe, to have faith.  Both "belief" and "faith" in the Gospels are translated from the same word.  It more closely means to trust.  To believe, then, in this famous quotation of John 3:16, is not simply to agree with an idea, and nor is it an intellectual calculation.  It means to live in accordance with what Christ teaches, to follow Him, to live by His code and become part of His body, His family by adoption.  In the common understanding of the ancient world, to be a part of a nation, a group, an "ethnos" in the language of the Bible, was to follow a common code; it was not about heredity in the modern sense in which we understand DNA and lineage in this sense.  If we put all of these concepts together into one body of teaching, we come to understand a bigger picture of what belief actually is.  It is following Him. our full attention on Him at all times, His light and teachings and commands guiding us -- and moreover it means to put our trust in Him to the extent that we trust in His judgment before our own.  Perhaps Jesus Himself sets the greatest example to us all when He teaches, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).  For so we are to trust in Him.  So much so, that we live a new birth in the Spirit so we may be adopted as children and grow to be more like Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up

Christ the Good Shepherd, 19th century, Russia

 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  

 

So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  

 

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. 

 

- John 2:13–25 

 

Yesterday, in the sixth day given in St. John's Gospel, we read that there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. 

 

Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.  When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables.  And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  My study Bible comments that in the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), this event, called the cleansing of the temple, occurs at the end of Christ's ministry, in the beginning of the final week of Christ's earthly life.  But here St. John places it at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  There are some patristic teachers who maintain that Christ performed this act twice.  Those who sold oxen and sheep and doves were doing so in order to provide pilgrims with live animals for sacrifices.  The money changers would exchange Roman coins for Jewish coins, since Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and were therefore considered to be defiling in the temple.  All of these were profiting from the people's need.  My study Bible says that Jesus' cleansing of the temple also points to the necessity that the Church be kept free from earthly pursuits.  As every person is considered to be a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19), it's also a sign that our hearts and minds must be cleansed of earthly matters.  "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up" is a quotation from Psalm 69:9.

 

 So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?"  But He was speaking of the temple of His body.  Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.  My study Bible explains that because Jesus is not a Levitical priest, His authority to cleanse the temple is challenged.  It is very important to remember that in St. John's Gospel, the term Jews often refers specifically to the religious leaders.  (In fact, it can be translated "Judeans" as in the people from Jerusalem, in Judea.)  Here it is a reference to the chief priests and the elders (see Matthew 21:23).  As Christ is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, my study Bible says, He answers in a hidden way:  the ultimate sign will be Christ's death and Resurrection.  

 

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.  But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.  In St. John's Gospel there are three Passover feasts reported between the Lord's Baptism by John the Baptist, and His Passion (see also John 6:4; 11:55), which shows us that Christ's earthly ministry lasted three years.   

 

 In our early readings from this Gospel, St. John the Baptist introduces Jesus Christ to St. John's own disciples.  First, as he sees Jesus walking toward him, he exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  Then the following day, the Baptist makes the same exclamation while he stands with two of his disciples:  "Behold the Lamb of God!" (see John 1:29; 1:36).  In today's reading, we're given the first of three Passover festivals that this Gospel will cover.  Each time, Jesus attends during the course of His public ministry in the world, giving us (as my study Bible noted) three years of Jesus' earthly ministry.  So Passover plays a central and important role in this Gospel in a number of ways.  We first begin with the cleansing of the temple, and the exclamation of Jesus as He does so:   "Take these things away!  Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"  His actions must have been so striking that the disciples aligned them with the words of the Psalm, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."  His authority in the temple is questioned.  But behind the scenes we "watch," so to speak, in today's reading, is the reality once again of exactly who Christ is.  That reality is determined not so much by what people see (or think they see) but by the understanding of His disciples which in time will be conveyed by the Church.  The centrality of the Passover is important in this ministry of Christ, for those animals bought and sold in the temple, and the money exchanged, will sometime soon come to an end, even as Jesus physically halts and puts a stop to that trade Himself in the cleansing of the temple.  For the mind of the Church, and the mind of these disciples, will come to understand that Christ Himself is our Passover.  St. Paul will recognize this transition from the "old" temple to the new -- even as Jesus prophesies the destruction and Resurrection of the temple of His Body in today's reading.  St. Paul writes, "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7).   Thus Jesus' prophecy of Resurrection we find in today's reading is reflected in the tie between Passover and Christ's own sacrifice for us all as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  This is reflected in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as the Communion is prepared.  The Priest declares, "The Lamb of God is broken and distributed; broken but not divided. He is forever eaten yet is never consumed, but He sanctifies those who partake of Him."  This is all tied to Passover, as the original Passover -- the liberation of Israel from Egyptian bondage to the gods who opposed the Lord of Israel (Exodus 12) -- is fulfilled in Christ, Liberator and Deliverer of all, making possible our redemption from the bondage of sin and death and the powers and principalities of which St. Paul speaks in Ephesians 6:12.  Christ Himself becomes the offering, the Paschal Lamb.  Another priestly prayer of the Divine Liturgy declares, "For You, Christ our God, are the Offerer and the Offered, the One who receives and is distributed."  St. John's Gospel sets this understanding out for us right from the beginning.  The Gospel sets the tone and the theme, so that we are all aware of where this is going, where Christ is headed, and why.  St. John makes it very clear that in the mind of the very early Church, all of this was present and understood, known to them all who were His first disciples.  In fact, in the Greek Church, there isn't a separate word for Easter; it is Pascha, the literal word for Passover.  Affirming this understanding, our Eucharist was instituted at the Passover meal by Christ.  Throughout St. John's Gospel, we will find this theme repeatedly expressed, just as it is in today's reading.  Let us pay attention, and understand.

 

 

Whatever He says to you, do it

 

Deesis mosaic ("Prayer") with Mary the Theotokos and St. John the Baptist in prayer before Christ on His right and left; Hagia Sophia cathedral, 13th century, Constantinople, Byzantine Empire

 

 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  

 

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  

 

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days. 

 

- John 2:1–12 

 

Yesterday our readings brought us the fourth day given in this beginning of Christ's public ministry.  After gathering His first disciples from St. John the Baptist, Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.  The third day indicates that this is the sixth day of Christ's public ministry given in St. John's Gospel.  In yesterday's reading, we were given the fourth day.  "The third day" counts the skipped middle day (the fifth) in the calculation, and so this is the sixth.  My study Bible notes that Jesus begins His ministry at Galilee, which had a large Gentile population; this is a sign of the spread of the gospel to all the world.  The setting here is significant, as in the Old Testament, marriage feasts symbolized the union of God and God's Bride, Israel. "The third day" also gives a resurrectional tone to this event, showing that the marriage of God and God's Church will be fulfilled in Christ's Resurrection.    My study Bible adds that by His presence at this wedding, Jesus further declares marriage to be holy and honorable (Hebrews 13:4).  Today's passage is read at Orthodox weddings, and the images given to us by St. John are incorporated into many prayers in the wedding service. 

 

Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?  My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  My study Bible says that this is an example given to us of Mary's gift of intercession.  Even now, Mary the Theotokos ("God-bearer") continually speaks to her Son on our behalf, and she is our preeminent intercessor before His Throne.  This is declared in an Orthodox prayer:  "The intercessions of a mother have great effect to win the favor of the Master."  This we see in today's reading, as Jesus grants her request.  Additionally, my study Bible teaches, in this passage wine is symbolic of life, and so there are two levels of meaning to Mary's statement, "They have no wine."  First, a marriage is incomplete without the presence of Christ; and second, the old covenant was not able to bestow life even on the most faithful people.  In terms of Jesus' seeming protest to His mother, my study Bible notes that, contrary to certain modern usages, Woman is a sacred title in Scripture; it's an address which conveys deep respect and distinction (John 4:21; 8:10; 19:26; 20:13; compare to Genesis 2:23).  Jesus statement, "What does your concern have to do with Me?" is more closely rendered, "What is that to me and to you?"  However, in the Greek of the Gospel this phrase Christ utters is identical to the widow Zarephath's question to Elijah after she has lost her son following her help to the prophet in the Septuagint version of 1 Kings 17:18 (in Greek, τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί) .  Jesus' answer, therefore, is not a refusal of Mary's intercession, but a warning to her and a reminder they must both be ready for what will follow once His signs begin.

 

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water."  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast."  And they took it.  When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.  And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior.  You have kept the good wine until now!"  My study Bible tells us that waterpots were made of stone because, in accordance with rabbinical teaching, stone would not contract ritual impurity.  That there are six (one less than the perfect seven), it says, is an indication that the Law, illustrated by water being reserved for Jewish purification, was incomplete, imperfect, and unable to bestow life.  This water changed into wine therefore symbolizes the old covenant being fulfilled in the new, which is capable of bestowing life.  The overabundant gallons of wine are an image of the overflowing grace Christ grants to all.  In patristic commentary, this transformation of water to wine is seen as prefiguring the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist. 

 

 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.  After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.  Christ's glory is the expression of His divine power and His compassion for human beings.  Thus the signs He performs point to His identity and manifest His glory.  On this seventh day given in St. John's Gospel, Jesus rests, together with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples, in a parallel to the seventh day given in Genesis 2:1-3.

 

 In today's reading, we get a glimpse of what we know as intercession, and in particular the intercessory capacity of the mother of Jesus, Mary the Theotokos.  For the Orthodox and others, such as Roman Catholics, Mary is the supreme saint who may intercede and pray for us.  We ask her to pray for us, just as we might ask one another to pray for ourselves or others for whom we have concern.  St. Paul speaks about the communion of saints when he references the "great cloud of witnesses" with which we're surrounded (Hebrews 12:1).  That is, all those who are alive in Christ, the living body of the faithful, which extends beyond time and beyond this world as we know it, including the angels, with whom we pray and worship at each liturgy.  This is the faith and understanding of ancient tradition and the earliest Church.  But Mary, the mother of Jesus, plays a stronger role for us than simply "intercessor" in today's reading.  For perhaps it is rare that we get a glimpse of her in terms of this role that so mirrors the experience of millions, if not billions, of faithful who pray with her and seek her prayers for them in return.  (See the image above, the mosaic titled Deesis, in which she prays for all.  Magnify to see her tender expression.)  In today's reading, we are given her compassion, her concern for others, because at this wedding they have run out of wine.  Let us consider the stakes of what is to come:  she has been warned from Christ's infancy that pain will come to her in her life in her very special role as the mother of Jesus.  This was given to her in a form of prophecy when Jesus was forty days old, and they came to the temple for her purification and Christ's presentation in accordance with the Law (see Luke 2:25-35, especially the prophecy given to Mary by Simeon in verse 35).  And it is in this context only that Christ's words to her make sense, as they come directly from the Old Testament:  τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, spoken by the widow Zarephath at the death of her son (1 Kings 17:17-24; verse 18 in particular).  These glimpses of Mary given in St. John's Gospel are interesting in particular because we know that from the Cross, Jesus gave the care of His mother over to St. John, the beloved disciple (John 13:23; 19:25-27).  So the expression of Mary's character, her intercession and her compassion, tell us a lot about her own identity and role in the salvation plan of the Church, including for you and I, for whom she still serves as a great intercessor and remains "most blessed among women" (Luke 1:28, 42).  Let us not forget she is the one chosen to give her humanity to the Christ, and that her character and that of St. Joseph no doubt played a role in the shaping of His human understanding.  She made every sacrifice for her Son, and here He is asking her if she is really ready to initiate what is to come through her prayer to Him for the needed wine at this wedding, even the words of a widow lamenting her son.  Her answer is clear when she tells the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  So we should take these words of his mother, Mary, and apply them to ourselves also, for we need to follow if we are to be good servants in turn.  Like so many have discovered, she always leads the way to her Son, as can be seen in every icon of the Theotokos.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come and see

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

 

- John 1:43-51

 

Yesterday we read about the second and third day given in the Gospel of St. John.  On this day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

 The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."  Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"  Philip said to him, "Come and see."  Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  My study Bible comments here that no deceit means both having a pure heart and being straightforward with others.  

 

  Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you."  Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!"  It is not given to us what exactly happened under the fig tree (just as Christ's introduction to Philip is not detailed either).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible reports, this was the meeting place of Philip and Nathanael, and Jesus here is praising Nathanael for being so diligent and careful in is search for the Messiah.  (See also Psalm 32:2, for this phrase of praise.)  Christ's foreknowledge and His ability to see into Nathanael's heart stir him to this confession of faith.  

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?  You will see greater things than these."   And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."  My study Bible explains that the title Son of Man is a title of the Messiah that had a level of mystery in its meaning, indicating a man of heavenly origin who would usher in the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14).  In an Old Testament prophecy, Jacob saw in a dream a ladder connecting earth to heaven, upon which the angels of God were ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12-15).  Jesus is this "ladder" uniting earth and heaven, and is therefore this Son of Man.  In today's reading, we are given the fourth day of Christ's public ministry.  Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael, who see Christ as the true Light; the One who was revealed in the Old Testament, a lesser light.  According to my study Bible, this is a parallel to the fourth day of creation, in which was established the lesser and greater lights governing the night and the day respectively in Genesis 1:14-19.  

 

Jesus says of Nathanael, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"  As we begun reading St. John's Gospel on Monday, from its beginning (the Prologue, or the first 18 verses; see Monday's reading and commentary) we have remarked upon the power of identity that is present as a theme in this Gospel.  Important, and essential, is not just Jesus' identity as Christ, both fully human and fully divine, but also the understanding necessary to our faith that Jesus has come Incarnate into the world in order to restore us to our true identity, our true humanity -- for, as St. Gregory Nazianzus teaches, what His divinity touches is healed, restored.  And this, in a nutshell, is the key to salvation.  It, in fact, is our salvation.  For even death, the last enemy, was trampled by Christ's death, crucified on the Cross for us so that we might be with Him (John 17:24).  Key to Christ's identity as Son of Man, and also to our identity -- which is only true found in Him and through Him -- is that He is the "knower of hearts" (John 2:23-25; Acts 1:24).  For, as Creator, who has made us in God's image and likeness, He has come to restore our true nature to us, lost through what is termed the "fallenness" of our world; that is, the effects of sin in our world and the struggles we therefore inherit and are born into.  But through the Incarnation, He brings His divinity to our humanity to restore us, to "save" us.  And this is what He sees in Nathanael.  When we hear Nathanael ask, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" it may sound like an off-hand insult to us, but in reality Nathanael knows that the Christ was not prophesied to come from Nazareth, or even the region of Galilee, and this is what his question is given in reference to.  But Nathanael is also one not to be pulled into something without discerning what it's all about first; he's what we might call a "straight shooter."  That is, one who's mouth speaks from the heart.  And this is a kind of purity that Jesus admires, calling Nathanael "an Israelite indeed."  Interestingly, Philip responds with just the words that will appeal to a straight shooter who needs to see for himself, "Come and see."  (Also intriguing is that these are Christ's words to Andrew, Simon, and the unnamed disciple from yesterday's reading, when He's asked by them where He's staying, "Come and see.")  Coincidentally, today is the Feast of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus plainly showed to His disciples who He truly is, His divine identity in all His glory.  In this perhaps we can all understand that every one of us is invited to "come and see," to find the life in Christ for ourselves, to be touched by His grace and healed, even as these disciples will grow into greater faith and dependence upon Christ throughout the rest of their lives.  For the Lord has come to dwell with us (and within us), so that we may learn to depend upon Him and grow into the grace that grows in us, weaning away what does not serve God's purposes and building in us that true image and likeness He has come to lead us into through participation in His life.  Let us also "come and see" for ourselves.

 

Behold! The Lamb of God

Baptism of Christ, 15th cent. Kythera, Greece.  Byzantine and Christian Museum, Athens, Greece (author photo)

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

 

Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

 

- John 1:29-42 

 

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

 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  My study Bible explains that John's declaring Jesus as the Lamb of God recalls Isaiah's "Servant of God" who dies for the transgressions of His people (Isaiah 53:4-12).  Christ is the true Paschal (Passover) Lamb, who offers Himself for our deliverance from darkness and death (1 Peter 1:18-19).  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, Jesus came to John this second time in order for John to make his declaration, and thereby stop anyone from thinking that Jesus needed baptism to wash away sins.  

 

"This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."  And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God."  That the Spirit remained upon Him was a sign that Christ possesses the Spirit in His fullness from all eternity, my study Bible says.  Christ did not receive the Holy Spirit at His Baptism.  We are to understand that this vision seen by John revealed the truth that the Holy Spirit has always rested upon Christ.  Here in this second day given in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist declares that Christ baptizes with the Holy Spirit, which is greater than the Baptist's own baptism of repentance, performed with only water on earth.  This parallels the separation of water above from the water below on the second day in Genesis 1:6-8.  

 

 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.   And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"  The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.  Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?"  They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?"  He said to them, "Come and see."  They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).  One of the two heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.  He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).  And he brought him to Jesus.  Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah.  You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).  Christ's first disciples had been first followers of St. John the Baptist.  They were Andrew; Simon, also known as Peter or Cephas (both mentioned in today's reading); Philip; Nathanael (who was also known as Bartholomew), whom we shall find in tomorrow's reading; and also an unnamed disciple here.  The unnamed disciple is said by some patristic authors to be St. John who is the author of this Gospel.  It was a common literary device, my study Bible says, for a writer not to give his own name (see Luke 24:13-27, in which St. Luke mentions only the name of Cleopas of the two disciples).  These verses give us the third day of St. John's Gospel, in which John the Baptist sends two disciples to Christ whom Christ takes in to be His own, one of whom is declared to be the foundation of the Church (see Matthew 16:18).  My study Bible says that this parallels the gathering of the waters and the establishment of growth on the land on the third day in Genesis 1:9-13.  

 

 In today's reading, we see the unfolding beginnings of Christ's public ministry.  Everything begins with a kind of hand off from the Old Testament to the New, in which the disciples of St. John the Baptist are guided to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, and in this sense, given to Him to become His disciples.  It is an opening up, a new beginning, and also a kind of glorious fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah.  Appropriately, this happens through St. John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  At the same time, we compare the fulfillment of the Baptist's mission with the new birth of Christ's public ministry in the form of these fledgling disciples of Christ.  We get a taste of Jesus' divinity in that He gives Simon the name of Cephas, which translated into Greek is Πετρος/Petros, rendered "Peter" in English.  In some sense, the Church is being born right here, in this renaming of Simon by Christ.  We can take this understanding of the birth of something as a parallel to the ways in which Christ and our faith in Him will work in our own lives.  We may come to faith in a particular way, perhaps in our Baptism, but just like the Church that is seemingly "born" in this renaming of Simon, we also must grow into the fullness of faith throughout our lives, unfolding as a way, a journey, something which is being grown and renewed within us day by day as we grow in reliance upon God, and are transfigured through our faith.  This is a lifetime journey, even as the Church continues in its journey upon earth throughout this age.  So we meet these first disciples, and with proper gratitude to St. John the Baptist who has prepared them for and guided them to the Christ, even as we are all hopefully on the road to the wedding feast of our Bridegroom.  He is the one who comes to them as Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and is the Son of God.

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

'The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

"Make straight the way of the LORD,"'

as the prophet Isaiah said."

 

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

 

- John 1:19–28 

 

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

 

 Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."  And they asked him, "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  He said:  "I am  'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the LORD,"' as the prophet Isaiah said."  Here in today's reading the theological Prologue to St. John's Gospel has concluded (see yesterday's reading above), and the focus now shifts to the beginnings of Christ's ministry.  This begins with the witness of St. John the Baptist, which we read in today's reading, and will continue tomorrow.  Following that, the Gospel gives us the calling of the first apostles, Christ's first sign at Cana, and His rest at Capernaum.  St. John began his Gospel similarly to the opening of Genesis, with the words "In the beginning" (see above, and Genesis 1:1), so Genesis is here paralleled in these opening chapters (John 1:19-2:12), which cover seven consecutive days.  

 

Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.  And they asked him, saying, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"   John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose."  These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.  John the Baptist is a prophet, but he is not the Prophet, the Messiah, whose coming was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  John's baptism is a call to repentance, but it is a preparation and prefiguring of the Holy Baptism which will come through Christ and for the remission of sins.  My study Bible calls John a figure of the Law in that, like the Law, he denounced sin but could not remit ("put away") sin.  Both John and the law point to the One who can remit sin, to whom John refers here as the One among you whom you do not know.

 

One thing is quite striking in this passage that describes the beginning of Christ's public ministry, and that is the identity of St. John the Baptist as something that is discrete and particular.  John is quizzed in today's reading by the Pharisees, as will happen throughout the Gospel with Jesus also.  They want to know who exactly he is and what he is.  First he tells them whom he is not.  After he tells them, "I am not the Christ," they continue to quiz him:  "What then?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  And he answered, "No."  Then they said to him, "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us?  What do you say about yourself?"  They will not be satisfied until the ones who sent them have an answer.  Clearly we see the role of the Pharisees here, in that they consider themselves to be authoritative regulators of the faith and how it is practiced, and of whoever seems to proclaim himself to be something.  St. John the Baptist finally answers with a quotation from Isaiah the prophet.  He is "the voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Make straight the way of the LORD.'"  We understand St. John the Baptist to be the Forerunner, as he is titled in the Church.  He is the herald of the One who is coming, the Christ.  When they have this answer, the Pharisees then ask him about what he is doing.  His answer is complete.  He says to them, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.  It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose." Importantly, St. John knows who he is, and understands what he does, but all of this is understood in relation to the work of God, and in particular, to the Christ who is to come.  He even knows that the Christ stands among them, and is One whom they do not know.  St. John is preparing all of the people for the Christ, and this, therefore is given to us as the beginning of Christ's public ministry.  So important is St. John the Baptist to this story that we will find in this Gospel the understanding that Christ's first disciples come to Him from St. John.  Earlier, my study Bible was cited as teaching that he is a figure of the Law.  As such, in the mind of the Church he is also understood as the last and greatest of the Old Testament type prophets.  But St. John's clear and precise understanding of his role and his identity is important to observe.  Jesus will say of him, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).  So we should take, also, understanding from St. John's clear idea of himself and what he is doing.  He knows who he is.  We all must, in relation to Christ, understand ourselves as much as we can.  For we, too, have discrete and particular identities and roles which are given to us by God.  Jesus will say, "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  But in either case, it is Christ, in conjunction with the Father and the Holy Spirit, who both calls and chooses.  In the parable of the Wedding Feast, Christ described His servants, the prophets, as those who call, and the King as the one who discerns the proper wedding garment.  St. John cites the words of Isaiah to describe himself, and then describes Christ as the coming One to whom he cannot compare in glory.  Let us find our way in this salvation economy and aspire to be like St. John the Baptist, and find and know who we are.  For we are each made uniquely by God, with a particular image and likeness to fulfill.  The Psalmist writes, "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well" (Psalm 139:14).  Identities play a central role so far in this beginning of the Gospel.  First, in yesterday's reading, we were given the identity of Christ, and in today's, that of St. John the Baptist.  Let us pay particular attention to the importance of identity, which comes from God, and in relation to Christ who calls and chooses.