What is truth?

 

 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evil-doer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  

 

Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  

 

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."

 

- John 18:28–38 

 

Yesterday we read that, following Christ's arrest by night in the garden of Gethsemane, Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.  Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

 

  Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning.  But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.  Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?"  They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evil-doer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible says, the irony here is notable, as Jesus' accusers don't fear being defiled by condemning an innocent Man to death -- but they would not set foot into a court of justice.  

 

 Then Pilate said to them, "You take Him and judge Him according to your law."  Therefore the Jews said to him, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," . . .  that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  My study Bible explains that because the chief priests of the Jews didn't have an actual crime with which to make an accusation against Jesus, Pilate refused to pass judgment.  When the chief priests declare, "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," they're not talking about the Law of Moses, but the laws of the Roman occupation.  The Romans, as occupying power, reserved the sole right to execute people.  So, therefore, the chief priests relied on Pilate to sentence Christ to death.  

 

 . . . that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die.  According to the Jewish law, stoning was the usual means of execution.  But, Christ had prophesied that He would be killed by being lifted up on the Cross (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32-33).  Therefore He had foreknowledge that He would die, not at the hands of the religious leaders of Jerusalem, but by the Roman method of crucifixion. 

 

 Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"  Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?  Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have You done?"  Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here."  Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?"  Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."  Pilate asks Jesus, "What have you done?"  My study Bible comments that it is unheard of that the accused would have to name the charges against himself in any court; it's the captors who name the crime.  That Pilate has to ask Jesus what the charges are shows that the chief priests could not name any crime He might have committed.  More importantly, the unfolding of this time shows that Christ was Lord over the events of His death (see John 18:4, 8).  Notably, even the governor has to come to Christ for the trial to proceed!

 

Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?"  And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all."  Pilate's words indicate he can come up with no charge of his own against Jesus.

 

 Pilate asks the question anyone wants to know, philosophers still seek to answer, and which dominates all academic sciences:  "What is truth?"  Over the many centuries before and after Christ's human lifetime, people have sought and come up with a variety of answers and theories, and they continue to do so.  But Christ has a particular answer, and Christianity has a particular answer to this question.  The great irony (among many ironies, clearly) is that Pilate asks this question of the One who stands before him, who is the truth, the One who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" - John 14:6.  Of course,this sense in which Jesus is the Person who is the truth is in the sense of the Logos, the Son.  He is truly the One by whom all things are measured, in relation to whom all things have meaning, and who will in the end be the judge of all things.  Christ, as Logos, gives each of us meaning, and has for each a name and identity (Revelation 2:17; 3:12)..  In this sense, we find ourselves in relation to Him, through faith, and through the ongoing effort to live a faithful life.  We come to know ourselves, even to be transformed, through such a relationship and process.  This is, above all, an experiential process, one we come to know through living and experiencing it.  But saints, Church Father and Mothers, theologians, and an ongoing stream of faithful have taught and given this understanding to us for centuries.  This is seen in the Old Testament in the action of God calling Abram out from one life to another, and renaming him Abraham, in the new name given to Jacob to become Israel.  It is seen in the New Testament, in Christ renaming Simon Cephas, or Peter from the Greek; and naming James and John Zebedee Boanerges, meaning Sons of Thunder.  And this is indeed the lived experience of the Church and the faithful we can't count and don't all know.  "What is truth?" is a question which we, as faithful, answer in the fullness of the real Name of Christ; that is, this Name which becomes ours by adoption, of the house which also becomes ours by adoption.  While a materialist perspective might teach us that everything is relative, and meaning is only determined by what we desire at the moment, this so often proves a recipe for chaos and futility, a dead end that doesn't leave us with much meaning in life, and for all kinds of reasons.  There will always be a foundation of values we need to be able to count on, that can transcend our ongoing varied, collective, contradictory, and unusual experiences, and this is particularly true if tragedy strikes, unforeseen trauma we can't explain to ourselves in normal terms.  We require a relation to something -- actually to Someone -- much greater than ourselves to put all those pieces of collective and personal experience in a place that can not only make sense, but give us meaning and even purpose.  Why need truth be a Person, rather than the materialist sense of facts or reasons?  Because for truth to be transcendent, to give us meaning and purpose, to find real value and worthwhile substance, we need love.  And we need the Person who is love, who loves us, and who can teach us that transcendent love for ourselves to learn to live and practice as well.  There is no substitute for such truth, for it is at the core of our value even if no one else values who we are, nor will teach us that truth about who we are.  And Christ is the truth that can lead us there, show us His way to walk through a world of chaos or tragedy, and give us more than just selfish impulse or rigid law or conformity to a crowd or the next best theory we can find.  His is the kingdom that is not of this world, but surpassing it.  In Him, the contradictions are reconciled, and there is depth of meaning even in the Cross.  For He has overcome the world for us, and is always waiting to show us the way for us, too.  For His way is not out or beyond the world, but through it -- and He is the light of the world that we need to follow.

 

 

 

   

 

Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not!"

 

 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.

 

* * *

 

 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

 

- John 18:15–18, 25–27 

 

Our recent readings in St. John's Gospel took place against the backdrop of the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival.  The setting is the final year of Christ's earthly life.  He had been disputing with the religious leaders, who unsuccessfully tried to have Him arrested.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus replied to them, "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

  And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple.  Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest.  But Peter stood at the door outside.  Then the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought Peter in.  Today the lectionary skips forward in the Gospel of St. John, as this week we enter into Lent.  Jesus has been arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, and has been taken for night trial in the home of the high priest.  See John 18:1-14.   Here my study Bible notes for us that the other disciple mentioned is St. John himself, the author of this Gospel.  It remarks that it was a common practice for an author to conceal his name in the details of his story (see John 13:23; compare with Mark 14:51-52; Luke 24:13, 18).

 

 Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, "You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?"  He said, "I am not."  Now the servants and officers who had made a fire of coals stood there, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves.  And Peter stood with them and warmed himself.  My study Bible comments on the fact that it is a girl who is the first to test Peter.  It says that this is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  The fallen state, my study Bible notes, is overcome in Christ, when a woman is the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection, also told to us by St. John (John 20:1; 11-18).  

 

  Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  Therefore they said to him, "You are not also one of His disciples, are you?"  He denied it and said, "I am not!"  One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.  Peter has now denied Christ three times, before the rooster crowed (as Jesus prophesied, see John 13:38).  But St. Peter will be restored through his three affirmations of love following the Resurrection (John 21:15-17).  

 

 As we approach Lent this week, the lectionary now shifts to our preparation for this period.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, Lent begins today.  In Western Churches, Lent begins Wednesday (Ash Wednesday); in the Eastern Orthodox Church, it begins on Monday, February 23rd and we are now in the period called Triodion.  The theme in today's reading, of course, is St. Peter's denial of Christ.  The story as it unfolds doesn't shrink from presenting the whole story in its essential angles.  St. John first gives us (in chapter 13) the moment at the Last Supper when St. Peter swore to Christ he would never deny Him, and Jesus made His prophesy that Peter would deny Him three times before the crowing of the cock.  We observe St. Peter's temperament, always with a sort of exuberance one way or another.  When Jesus seeks to wash his feet (as well as that of the other disciples), the conversation we're given goes as follows:  Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, are You washing my feet?"  Jesus replies, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."  Peter responds, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus tells him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."  Peter's new response:  "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (see John 13:2-11).  So it is with Christ's prophesy of denial.  At the end of the Passover meal (the Last Supper), St. Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answers, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter asks Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down my life for Your sake."  Jesus said, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  Today's reading gives us the denouement, if you will, to that story.  Peter fails, and he fails miserably in this sense in which he'd sworn he would die for Christ's sake.  (His promise remains true however, in terms of St. Peter's martyrdom and choice of death by crucifixion, in humility requesting he be upside down so as not to be equal with Christ; see this short biography.  It would simply happen much later.)  But the Gospel, written in the light of St. Peter's subsequent leadership, powerful preaching, and heroic martyrdom, gives us all the details of a man whose exuberance perhaps outweighs his eventual wisdom, strength, and authority.  In short, we see St. Peter as a human being with our own flaws and weaknesses.  Courage indeed that we are presented with such a human leader, and the Rock of the Church (John 1:42).    But St. Peter's example serves all of us as a model for our lives, and especially leading into Great Lent, when we consider what repentance, humility, and spiritual discipline really mean for us.  For Christ's love -- and St. Peter's great love for Christ -- in the end reconciles all things for those who love God.  And this is our model, that repentance is our return to communion with our loving God, complete with loving correction, and the continuing journey of discipleship.  As my study Bible notes, Jesus, after His death and Resurrection, will ask Peter three times, "Do you love Me?"  And St. Peter will reply, "Yes," to which Jesus will give the command for restoration of his place as disciple, "Feed My lambs."  See John 21:15-19.  When we seek to return to Christ, we seek the loving communion that is always on offer.  Like St. Peter, regardless of our own shame at our weaknesses and susceptibility to temptation, God's love is so great that we're not only restored but brought to glory in response.  As human beings, we are not created perfect and incapable of error.  We are meant to grow, and to grow under the love of a loving God, not the harsh tutelage of a world based on rejection of God's love and all that rejection brings.  Let us proceed into Lent with this understanding, and seek a greater depth of communion and faith through all things and in light of all the practices of Lent for our growth in discipleship.

 

 

 

Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?

 

 "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?"  Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

 

- John 8:47–59 

 

Jesus is currently at the Feast of  Tabernacles in Jerusalem, as we read through chapter 8.  He has been in disputes with the religious leaders, who unsuccessfully tried to have Him arrested.  Yesterday we read that they answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

  "He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Then the Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" My study Bible comments that, unable to defeat Christ through logic or truth, these enemies resort to personal insult.  They will do so again in the following chapter (John 9:34). Personal insult (as well as Scriptural error) was also their response to Nicodemus when he questioned whether Jesus should be judged without a hearing (John 7:50-52).

 

 Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.  And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges.  Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon!  Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'  Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead?  And the prophets are dead.  Who do You make Yourself out to be?"  Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing.  It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.  Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him.  And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.  Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad."  Once again, Christ's own witness comes up for questioning.  Who lies, and who tells the truth here?  He offers His Father again as witness, the One who honors Him.  Abraham also bears witness through the Scriptures.  For Jesus, the value of all things is measured through relation to the Father, including Christ's own honor.

 

 Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"  Once again we recall that in St. John's Gospel, the term the Jews most often refers to the religious leaders, not the people.  It is akin to naming the rulers of a city, the word in Greek translated by some as meaning "Judeans."  Jesus and His followers (which included the author of this Gospel) are all Jews.

 

 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."  Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.  I AM (Greek εγω ειμι/ego eimi) is the divine Name of God in the Old Testament, which was first revealed to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:13-15).  For these religious leaders, my study Bible explains, this is a direct, explicit, and unmistakable claim to perfect equality with God, as evidenced by their reaction here (see also Mark 14:62-64).  It notes that St. John in his Gospel places special emphasis on the use of this Name to clearly reveal Christ as God.  This divine claim illuminates Christ's authority even over death, which is a power that belongs only to God the Father.  

 

It seems quite ironic (or perhaps we should just say interesting) that the insults which come to Jesus (as they did earlier to Nicodemus) take on the same character that we find in our own headlines so often.  He's insulted as to His possible origins ("You are a Samaritan") and also He's called evil (You . . "have a demon").   They used the same kind of insults with Nicodemus, asking if he were a Galilean too.  In formal logic, these are called ad hominem fallacies, personal attacks on a person rather than a solid and truthful argument about something. It seems that this sort of attack will always be with us somehow, and we should pay attention, because in this case it's directed at the Person who is truth (John 14:6), the Logos (Word) Himself (John 1:1).  This attack is on the One who is the light of life, the co-Creator with the Father.  These false attacks are attacks on the One who gives life, and will ultimately judge.  It has to make us think about the essence of good and evil somehow, to consider how profoundly in error this behavior can be, and it invites judgment on a scale that doesn't exist normally between imperfect human beings who all are guilty of error in some way or another.  Jesus said Himself, perhaps illustrating the point, and speaking of blasphemy against the Spirit, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matthew 12:31-32).  It all adds a very profound weight to consider when we ourselves indulge in personal insults and false arguments instead of a sincere focus for truth.  This is an often overlooked foundation of our faith.  For, if we worship the Person who is the truth, as He said, then should we not always be faithful in serving truth, in seeking what is real and true, and good and beautiful, and not indulging in what we see are false arguments used even against the Son of the living God?  Why is it important that we ourselves refrain from using fallacies, lies, manipulations, and other such tactics when we interact with others?  There is a much deeper foundation to our own need for dispassion and rational faith in what we know to be good, and true, and beautiful than we might consider in our every day lives.  It is what we read here that should give us pause, in the heat of an argument, during heightened passions and arguments and confrontations, beyond all other considerations we might have.  And that is for the simple reason that such things are even paraded in accusation against the Judge Himself, the One who is the arbiter of all things.  When we indulge in such behaviors we're doing ourselves no favor, but serving the master that would make us a slave (John 8:34).  We forget who we are and the One whom we truly must desire to serve, the One who tells the truth and teaches us to abide in His word, for it comes from the One who sent Him, and who is true (John 7:28).  Once again, we are in the approach to Lent, and it's the perfect time to consider why cultivating our capacity for these virtues has always been in the teaching of the Church, and particularly emphasized as goals through the practices of Lent.  Let us find the discipline to be as true as Jesus, and abide in that truth.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed

 

 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.  

 

"I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  

 

Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.  Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

 

- John 8:33–47 

 

In our current readings, Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, an autumn festival.  It is now the final year of His worldly life as Jesus.  He has been in disputes with the religious leaders in Jerusalem, who have unsuccessfully sought to have Him arrested at this feast.  Yesterday we read that Jesus replied again to the religious leaders, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.   And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

  They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone.  How can You say, 'You will be made free'?"  Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Christ's response builds on His words from yesterday's reading (above), "If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."  They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father."  Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.  But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.  Abraham did not do this.  You do the deeds of your father."  Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father -- God."  My study Bible tells us that to be a child of Abraham, it is not enough to be simply related by blood.  Abraham's true children, by contrast, are those who share his faith and virtue (Luke 3:8).  According to St. John Chrysostom, it notes, our Lord wanted to detach these men from racial pride and teach them no longer to put hope of salvation in being of the race of Abraham's children by nature, but to come to faith by their own free will.  Their notion that being a descendant of Abraham was enough for salvation was in fact the very thing that prevented them from coming to Christ.  

 

 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."  Proceeded, according to my study Bible, refers not to the Son coming eternally from the Father, but to Christ being sent from the Father to His Incarnation on earth.  

 

 "Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin?  And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."  Just as being a child of Abraham is based on sharing the attributes of Abraham, so it is also that those who reject Christ share the same attributes as the devil (in particular, a hatred for truth).  Therefore, my study Bible explains, they are rightly called in this sense of attributes the devil's children.  

 

 Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.  Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  These words really do give us pause.  As modern citizens of a very modern world, we in the West, in particular, might consider how important that notion of freedom is to our cultures and communities, and then seek what it is that Jesus had in mind when He taught these words two thousand years ago.  While freedom for us may mean that we have the freedom to do or say just about anything, freedom in the sense that Christ is using this teaching here means something else ("If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.")  Jesus expands on what freedom means here by giving us an ever deeper context to His words.  He says that "whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."  So, He is contrasting freedom and slavery.  In Christ's time, slavery was common.  Often people became slaves because their people had been conquered in war, and so they were a subject people.  Still others were slaves due to debt, or perhaps they had been born into slavery.  Slaves were subject to being bought and sold by their masters, and so in this sense, they were not free.  In this sense, Christ says something quite commonly understood when He tells these leaders that "a slave does not abide in the house forever."  A slave also has a master, and so we must understand in what sense committing sin effectively makes someone a slave.  It follows that sin takes on characteristics of a master, commanding and imposing a will upon another.  So, we might understand, sin is a product of a prompting, a desire that takes us away from the freedom found in God, in the Son who can make us free indeed.  St. Augustine points out that the way that "freedom" is used here in the Greek is a verb; that is, this refers to being made free, liberated.   To be free, then, in this sense in which this word appears in the Gospel, is to be made free, saved, released from slavery, from bondage.  And sin cannot set us free nor liberate; only Christ can do that, and only the truth in Christ can give us that kind of liberation. Only Christ the Son can make us free to remain in the master's home.   Just as God showed their Hebrew ancestors freedom from slavery in Egypt, so Christ comes declaring His doctrine of worship in spirit and in truth.  Therefore what Jesus implies here is that to commit sin is to follow a kind of command or will that does not come from the Son, and is not part of the love that gives us grace and truth.  The impulse to sin does not come from a loving master who makes free, but a cruel one which entangles and enslaves more deeply, even to a kind of compulsion or addiction.  Jesus says elsewhere, "No one 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" (Matthew 6:24).  So there is a choice of which master we would rather serve:  the one who makes free and makes us a home in His house, or the one that would enslave us in hell.  Jesus speaks quite clearly of how we human beings take on the character or attributes of that which we serve.  Is it love or hate we wish to serve?  Truth or lies?  Grace and truth, or condemnation and blindness?  The mercy of God's love is the liberation the Son brings to us; running away from God means turning to a cruel master.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

 

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. 

 

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.   And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  

 

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

 

- John 8:21-32 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus spoke to the religious leaders again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I  know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

 Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?"  And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."  Then they said to Him, "Who are You?"  And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."  They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.   Jesus says, "I am going away. . .."  My study Bible tells us that going away is a reference to Christ's death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven.

 

 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.   And He who sent Me is with Me.  The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.  According to my study Bible, lift up has the double meaning here of being nailed to the Cross and of being exalted by God the Father upon the completion of His ministry.

 

 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed."  To be a follower of Christ means to become one of His disciples.  My study Bible suggests that this is what Christ expects of all of His followers.  The word disciple literally means "learner."  We are all His pupils, and we are all to be continually learning from Him.  To abide in His word, my study Bible adds, is the responsibility of all believers; this is true of all, not just clergy or an elite class of zealots.

 

 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  The truth is a reference here to both the virtue of truth -- but even more essentially to Jesus Christ Himself (John 14:6).  To be free, my study Bible adds, means to be free from darkness, confusion, and lies (see yesterday's reading and commentary), as well as the freedom from the bondage of sin and death.  

 

 In our current readings, Jesus is attending the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem.  He has spoken vividly of Himself as the light of the world (in yesterday's reading, above), and in today's reading we find out more about what that means.  To abide in His word, as He teaches us to do, is also to walk in that light.  His is the light of life, that brings us the truth that makes us free:  free from the delusions of the world, the false things we might chase after, the passions that mislead us, idols that will take everything from us and defeat our spiritual intentions, the cares of this world that ensnare us and set us on the wrong track.  These are just some of the things Christ's light is here to illumine for us, and to help us find a way through the world on the sure footing He offers to those who would be His disciples.  If we think about it -- something we must do, given His word -- He frames this teaching in a particular way.  He doesn't just say, "Follow Me," as He did when He was first calling His disciples.  Now He is teaching them and us to abide in His word.  This word "abide" is His command, and it has several meanings.  It means to stay or remain in His word, to continue in it.  Keeping in mind that by now in Christ's ministry He is in His final year of His worldly life, we begin to hear notes that suggest He's preparing His disciples, and those who would be His followers, for the time to come, and for His departure from this world.  This is the context of today's reading, as Jesus nears the finish of this autumn feast (the Feast of Tabernacles) and begins to lay the foundation of understanding of the events that will take place the following Passover.  He warns those who fail to hear His word, "I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin.  Where I go you cannot come."  He speaks of judgment, and finally of the time He will be lifted up -- a reference to His Crucifixion.  Ultimately, He speaks to His followers, to those who believe in Him, even those among the rulers who believed Him:  "If you abide in My word,  you are my disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  And this teaching, this command, is for us today -- we who believe and who are His followers.  We're to abide in His word, to live His teachings, to persist in seeking to live the life He has taught us to live, to try to understand and discern His commandments for us.  For it is in this persistence that we will grow in the ways we need to, to see our ways through the "thorns" that threaten to choke us, to find the light that leads the way -- the way, or road that is His.  To abide is to be persistent, to endure, to know that there is always more to learn, and that we need minds and hearts always open to His light and His word, and to the places He would lead us.  For we will always be His students, His disciples, and there will always be new things to learn.  Let us remember His command, and grow in His truth, and in true freedom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life

 

 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  

 

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I  know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.

 

- John 8:12-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery.  And then they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

 

  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  These words Christ says against the backdrop of events of this final day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  At the conclusion of this Feast, great lamps were lit in one of the temple courtyards (the Court of Women).  These great lamps are said to have been about 75 feet tall.  They were comprised of four giant golden menorahs, oil lamps which each lifted four bowls of continuously burning oil.  These lamps effectively illumined the entire city of Jerusalem by night.  They were meant to resemble the pillar of fire which led the Israelites by night as they followed Moses.  My study Bible comments that with these words, Christ is declaring Himself to be the fulfillment and the divine object of all celebrations of light.  In the Scriptures, it notes, God the Father Himself is light (John 1:4-9; 1 John 1:5), an attribute He bestows on His followers (Matthew 5:14; Philippians 2:15).  Christ will confirm this claim in the following chapter by performing the great sign of opening the eyes of a man born blind (see John 9:1-7; esp. verse 5).  

 

 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I  know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.  You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me.  It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true.  I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me."  Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?"  Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also."  These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.  Once again, as in a previous encounter with these religious authorities, Jesus is questioned regarding the issue of witnesses to His identity.  In chapter 5 (John 5:31-47), He offered four witnesses to His identity as Lord:  John the Baptist, the works (or signs) He does which have been given to Him by God the Father, God the Father Himself, and the witness of the Old Testament Scriptures which testify to Him.  Here in today's reading, He emphasizes His relation to the Father as loyal and true Son.  Here He bears witness of Himself, and adds the Father who sent Him as witness of Him.  The great emphasis here is on their lack of true love for God (see Deuteronomy 6:5); because they lack this basic depth of love for God in the heart, they fail to know Christ also. 

 

 So once again with Christ (and in particular in St. John's Gospel) we come to the question of light.  What is light, in Christ's terms?  Let us take His words and examine them in order to understand.  Jesus says, "I am the light of the world.  He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  To be the light of the world must truly teach us that His "way" (or "road") is the only path we should endeavor to walk in this world, the true way to live our lives.  It is He who will illumine us, give us the good and true and beautiful way.  His is also the way to true life.  Jesus contrasts His light with darkness, and so we must ask also, What is darkness?  Here He contrasts this darkness with the light of life, so darkness, we can presume, is that which cancels life, cuts it off, diminishes it.  As death in any form, this darkness is also comparable to evil; that is, it is that which cuts us of from God somehow.  As we remember that Jesus is speaking against the backdrop of the great lamps being lit at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, we must go back to the image of the light that shines in the darkness (see John 1:1-5) and the pillar of fire that led the way for the Israelites at night on their journey to the promised land (Exodus 13:21).  Just like those who followed Moses, we need faith to learn to dwell within this light and to allow it to lead us where it will.  We need to understand this interaction of faith and illumination, how faith in Christ and His light can broaden our understanding of the path we need to take in life, and illumine the way.  Christ's light also magnifies the talents and capabilities we have in ourselves, and helps us to understand how we might develop those in good ways and for God's purposes.  Darkness is also symbolic of oppression and depression, the things that make setbacks feel like overwhelming judgments.  But we need Christ's light also to take us out of that darkness, even to find a way to see in the dark, when there are things we don't know, and forces that would seem to try to make us blind, and ignorant of what is possible with God.  But just as Christ's witness is true, and because the One who sent Him is true, we take Him at His word:  that in all situations, His is the light that we need, regardless of the darkness that might seem to surround us.  Just as it says in the beginning of St. John's Gospel, sometimes we will find that the darkness simply doesn't "comprehend" the light that is there always shining for us, but neither can it swallow it up (for both these meanings of comprehend, to understand and to take in, apply here).  Yet we are those who, despite the darkness we might find and its forces in our world, may always seek His light and find it for ourselves through faith.  For He remains the light of the world nonetheless.  Let us find the life He desires for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more

 And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  

 

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And then they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  

 

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

 

- John 7:53—8:11 

 

Yesterday we read that on the last day (the eighth day), that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take  Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"   Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

  And everyone went to his own house.  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.  This action describes what people did following the interaction with Jesus in yesterday's reading, above.  Those who go to their own house are the ones from Jerusalem, particularly those on the ruling Council (the chief priests and Pharisees) who sought to have Jesus arrested and who accuse Him.  Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to stay as a pilgrim -- as do others -- to Jerusalem at this Feast of Tabernacles.  It emphasizes His outsider status, as one not in official authority in the temple, and also from outside of Jerusalem and Judea, as a Galilean. 

 

 Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.  Here in this next sentence is a contrast; to be seated to teach the people (while they stand) is a position of authority, for in such a way did authoritative rabbis teach. 

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery.  And then they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do You say?"  This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.  But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.  My study Bible comments that the law dictated the death penalty for adulterers (Leviticus 20:10).  This ordinance was not observed to the letter in the days of Jesus; the Pharisees brought this particular woman because they saw an opportunity to test Him.  If Jesus had objected to this punishment, my study Bible explains, He could be accused of opposing the Law.  But if He upheld the punishment, He could be accused of showing no mercy to sinners.  My study Bible also points out that this is the single place in the New Testament where we are told that Jesus wrote something.  There are various theories explaining what He possibly wrote.  Some suggest that He wrote out the Ten Commandments, which all of these accusers had violated at least once.  Others suggest He wrote the names of the accusers who had themselves committed adultery.  

 

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.  Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.  And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.  When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?"  She said, "No one, Lord."  And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."  My study Bible tells us that Christ's answer confounds the Pharisees, as he upholds a great principle of the Law -- that the wages of sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23) -- without neglecting its greater aspect of mercy (Deuteronomy 13:17; Psalm 117:2-118:4; Hosea 6:6).  Christ's mercy is offered freely to all repentant sinners.  So that we may receive this gift, we must in turn flee from sin, as Christ indicates to the woman in His final word here. 

 

 Today's entire reading (this section of St. John's Gospel) which covers the story of the woman caught in adultery is not found in several ancient manuscripts.  Neither is it covered in the commentaries of St. John Chrysostom and particular other Church Fathers.  But nevertheless, my study Bible tells us, it's still sealed by the Church as inspired, authentic, and canonical Scripture; and it bears the same authority as all other Scripture.  In the Orthodox Church, this passage is read on one of the two days in which St. Mary of Egypt, a reformed prostitute, is commemorated.  Regardless of the questions regarding this passage, it seems to fit in with the recent themes we've read in St. John's Gospel, which involve questions of just judgment and righteousness.  In our reading from Saturday, we read Jesus' words, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  In yesterday's reading (above), we read not only the words of the Pharisees claiming that no prophet has arisen from Galilee (a false statement, as the prophet Jonah was from Galilee and a town near to Jesus' hometown of Nazareth), but also Nicodemus reminding his fellow Pharisees (only to be insulted and lied to), "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  So questions of judgment, justice, mercy, and righteousness are all relevant here and pertain to the context in which we've just read that the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple officers to arrest Jesus (while still seeking to find charges against Him), but those officers have been converted by Christ's teachings, saying, "No man ever spoke like this Man!" (John 7:46).  So today's story of the woman taken in adultery, and Christ's question of her judgment, is relevant to its context in a number of ways.  First of all, notably, it's a trap like other traps set to catch Jesus in some plausible accusation for the purposes of destroying Him and His ministry.  He's not part of the authoritative power structure, and is a threat to them.  Indeed, His fame is such that He teaches the people in the temple and they are glad to hear Him; moreover, by now He's become a figure of public discussion and dissension; the people are divided on whether or not He could be the Messiah (but, we've been told, they dare not discuss this openly for fear of the authorities).  Importantly, if we look at the letter of the Law against adultery these men purport to enforce, there is a problem with the case, as the Law says the man involved must also be charged, and for him also the penalty is death (see Leviticus 20:10).  In fact, the concern of the Law as written seems primarily to be concerned with the man's conduct, and secondarily with the woman.  Yet, there is no man presented here.  So this particular case is somehow suspect to begin with.  Is the man one of the ones present? Did he collaborate with authorities to set this up?  What did Jesus write for these men to see, after all, and how was it relevant?  These questions aren't answered, but they may certainly be asked.  Once again, in this context, it all points to the desperation of the religious leaders to silence Jesus, to destroy His popularity and threat to their authority over the people.  The story itself not only teaches us about judging with righteous judgment (and not according to appearance), as Jesus has recently taught, but once again about the mistakes that are made when urgency, greed, desperation, and other heightened passions are in play.  Corners are cut, laws and practices meant to safeguard justice are forgotten, and our own "better natures" -- seeking God's way -- become sidelined all too easily, now as then.  Once again, it's another lesson proper to this period in which we approach Great Lent, with its traditional practices designed to help us better practice dispassion and spiritual discipline, to learn to say no to impulses no matter how heightened they may be or seemingly exigent with the times and the demands of those around us and our circumstances.  Lent and its associated historical practices are meant to help us "hear God" more clearly, to turn to our better natures (or, as President Lincoln famously put it in urging a calming of the passions and an effort for peace to avoid war and bloodshed, "the better angels of our nature").  We live in a time when many of these practices have been discarded or forgotten or ignored.  But on the other hand, there are many now who are just discovering and reviving them.  Perhaps it's time we all realized how necessarily they are, how needful it always is to follow Christ's teachings on discarding our own passions and impulses that drive us astray (see, for example, Matthew 5:21-37 from the Sermon on the Mount), and once again begin to take more seriously the need for spiritual discipline in both our public and private lives.  Let us always seek the wisdom of Christ in all the helpful ways these practices advocate and make possible.  We live in a time when heated debates and proclamations speak about justice and judgment, with passions urged and inflamed at every step.  But perhaps we should try the way the Church has always known to look to ourselves first, and better root ourselves in Christ without the self-righteousness that turns us away from God. For even the men who seek to persecute Jesus are convicted by their conscience in today's reading, and yet this capacity seems sorely ignored as a social good in public discourse today.  Moreover, today we can just imagine people taking either side in this confrontation in the temple, and ratcheting up the temperature.  But let us note Christ's equanimity as model.  Jesus balances the scales with both mercy and justice:  "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."