For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

 

 "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

"Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.  Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

 

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.   Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

 

- Luke 12:32-48 

 

Yesterday we read that one from the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If God then so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) states that "Do not fear" is a recurring theme in this discourse.  Little flock is a reference to all believers.  The OSB explains that they are "little" in two ways.  First, they are insignificant in the eyes of the world; and second, they are small in number when compared to the earthly and heavenly creation. 

 

 "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching.  Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.  And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  The beginning of the parable, speaking of servants waiting for the master to return from a wedding, suggests imagery from the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13).  The OSB names this a call to be vigilant.  To "let your waist be girded" is a reference to the robes worn as common dress at the time of Christ, to gird them at the waist was to be prepared for swift and virtuous action, to work in response to the master's command.  To keep lamps burning is to have spiritual discernment (see Luke 11:34).  "Watch" in this context was the common way of noting periods of time.  The second watch indicates the hours between 9:00 PM and Midnight; the third watch is Midnight to 3:00 AM.  The OSB says that these are interpreted as hours of heightened temptation.  So, therefore, the servants are most blessed who remain faithful during the night.  We are to remain watchful and vigilant.  Christ's final admonition here teaches that it isn't the place of anyone to try to predict the time of the return of the Son of Man.  Instead, Jesus is teaching via this parable that believers are to remain faithful and ready at every hour for His return.  See also Matthew 24:45-51.

 

 Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?"  And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.   Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.  But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at  an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.  And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.  But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.  For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."  The OSB states that while the previous parable was indicated for all people, this parable is directed to the apostles and their successors, the rulers and teachers of the Church.  It says that the exhortations to principles of virtue and the warnings against corruption apply specifically to those entrusted with spiritual leadership.  Moreover, the parable indicates that the judgment of the teachers of the Church will be strict (James 3:1).  The many stripes given to those who are willfully and knowingly disobedient symbolize condemnation ("stripes" indicate strokes of a whip used for punishment).  The few stripes are for those disobedient out of ignorance and indicate chastisement or correction.  

 

 Jesus' words indicate a readiness that is asked of us; that is, a readiness to get down to work, to be prepared to answer the Master's call, and to follow His commands.  He frames the time of His return as the time of a wedding, and (like the parable of the Wedding Feast), such a time asks us to be prepared for it.  What is it that we need to be busy doing?  What are the commands we need to carry out in His absence?  Jesus begins the second parable, directed to the disciples following St. Peter's question, by saying, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes."  This is aimed, as the OSB says, at those who would be leaders in His Church, like St. Peter.  Their role is not to lord it over others as rulers, but rather to care for the "little ones" in their flocks.  In other words, they are to be the opposite of the example set by the scribes and Pharisees, whom Jesus has just chastised for their hypocrisy and their poor leadership (see this reading, the one that followed).  Today's reading begins with these words:  "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  What is it to be given the kingdom?  In Jesus' words, we're given a picture of generosity, and in particular, help for the poor -- that is, for those who cannot help themselves.  We are reminded of Christ's words that it is in the "least of these" that we see Him, and of His parable of the Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), in which we will be judged not by merit, but rather by our active compassion.  Or, if we're being really specific, on the particular things we do out of compassion, and even love for Him.  As Jesus says in that parable to those whom He calls His sheep, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."  To help those who cannot pay back is also to invite this treasure of the Kingdom into our lives, which Jesus will teach in chapter 14 (Luke 14:12-14).  Thus readiness, preparedness, following the commands of the Master even in His absence sets us in a place where what we do is actually how we become the people we need to be.  Jesus teaches, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  In the language of the Bible, the heart is the center of who we are, the very place where Christ knocks and seeks to enter, and where, through cooperation with His grace, we are transformed.  This is the reality of salvation.  Let us pay attention to the treasure we build, for there our heart is also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

 

Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If God then so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."

 

- Luke 12:13-31 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to them of their practices, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than any sparrows. Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

 Then one from the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."  But He said to him, "Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"  And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) states that it was customary for respected rabbis to arbitrate personal disputes.  However, a dispute over an inheritance, it says, is detrimental to salvation.   This greed is pure idolatry (Colossians 3:5), and it is unfitting for those who know God.  The OSB asks us to notice how incompatible this question is with what the Lord had just finished saying (in yesterday's reading, above).

 

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying:  "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.  And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'  So he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry."'  But God said to him, 'Fool!  This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?'  So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  According to the OSB, the question "Whose will those things be which you have provided?" is the key to understanding the saving up of material goods.  It says that St. Chrysostom writes that the only barns we need we already have:  "the stomachs of the poor."  St. Basil the Great taught that the bread in our cupboard belongs to the hungry man; the coat hanging unused belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in our closet belong to the one who has no shoes; and the money we hoard belongs to the poor.  The OSB notes that St. Ambrose of Milan teaches, "The things which we cannot take with us are not ours.  Only virtue will be our companion when we die."  Even when Joseph stored up grain in Egypt (Genesis 41), it says, it was for the benefit of the whole nation.  These teachings apply to parishes as well as to each person.  

 

 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds?  And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If God then so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind."  According to the OSB,  Jesus' warnings here are against anxiety, not thoughtful planning.  Our physical well-being is directly dependent on God, it says, and only indirectly on food, drink, and clothing.  Anxiety over earthly things demonstrates a lack of faith in God's care; thus He says, "O you of little faith?"

 

"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things."  The nations of the world are the Gentiles.  The OSB comments that because they served pagan idols, they remained consumed by dependence on earthly things.  Those who follow God can be freed from this dependence. 

 

"But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  The kingdom of God is the central theme of Christ's teaching, the OSB says.  Jesus calls us to be free from anxiety about earthly things, and directs us to look to heaven, secure in the faith that God will provide needed earthly blessings. 

 

Although we in the West enjoy levels of prosperity and economic development which have never been seen in the past, it seems that coupled with this nominal abundance is a great deal of anxiety and insecurity.  These developments, for whatever reason, seem to go hand in hand.  I once read a statistic that the most widely prescribed medicines are anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications, seemingly confirming this.   Perhaps particularly in an age of technology which generates new emerging digital means of commerce and communication, we should think of security as ever more sophisticated.  But, in fact, each new development brings with it the risk of piracy and hacking, granting access to criminal and other hostile enterprises such as those of state bureaucratic mechanisms funding such efforts.  In that picture of threats to security frameworks, we might be living in an environment more precarious and vulnerable to seemingly more catastrophic damage than in the past.  Be that as it may, we can consider these things importantly in the light of Christ's teachings in today's reading.  Just like the man who had built his great storehouses, presumably with an advanced (for his time) capacity for storage, and yet the security he sought wasn't there.  For all of his efforts, he was unable to predict his own future; moreover, he was not secure in his soul toward God.  We still remain, as Jesus says, needful of our faith, even in a highly technologically advanced world in which we seemingly are able to control so many things.  Weather and natural disaster may still be unpredictable.  The vagaries of public policy remain captured by the demands for profit, at times hostage to prevailing political influence and even the easy persuasion of propaganda techniques (which also grow in sophistication with new technologies).  The world remains in its spiritual state in which there are unseen forces seeking hearts and minds of human beings, and battles over our souls, in which the errors of the historical passions we know still play a great part, albeit in new guise and with new slogans.  We remain in a world in which we choose Christ, or we choose the other seeming options on the table, like the pursuit of what we can acquire in other ways.  But it is the kingdom of God which guides us with a particular security, and a particular faith, and which can help us make discerning choices for what is ultimately trustworthy and even restful for our souls.  Jesus has come into the world to lead us and to teach us this, even in a complex world ever more demanding in what we think we need to know, and to do, and to pursue.  Christ tells us that our Father knows that we have need of these things.  But let us seek God's kingdom, and be assured in that foundation first.  

 

 

 

Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known

 

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. 

 

 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

 

And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than any sparrows. 

 

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53—12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you  ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and  said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."  

 

  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.  Here we see the response of the scribes and Pharisees to Christ's criticisms.  They respond with rage, so much so that now they lie in wait for Him and will seek to catch Him in something He might say, in order to find ways to accuse Him. 

 

  In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed the problems of hypocrisy, which Christ illuminates and here names directly.  Here Jesus indicates that hypocrisy, in the end, will always be exposed.  St. Cyril of Alexandria comments, "Christ told His friends, that is, His disciples, to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and scribes, meaning by leaven their false pretense. Hypocrisy is hateful to God and humanity. It does not bring a reward, and it is utterly useless for the salvation of the soul. It is rather the cause of its damnation. Although sometimes it may escape detection for a little while, before long, it is sure to be uncovered and bring disgrace on them." COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 86.

 

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than any sparrows."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) says that Christ's teaching regarding "whom you should fear" is a reference to God (Proverbs 9:10).  The body will die eventually, one way or another, it says.  It cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment, but rather it marks the end of earthly punishments.  The soul continues for all eternity; since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts in this world are to please God alone.

 

 "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  According to the OSB, to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion.  The scandal caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  But the Holy Spirit, by contrast, is without bodily form, and invisibly works divine goodness.  The OSB cites St. John Chrysostom and many other Church Fathers, who agree that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  The OSB notes that Jesus never calls the sin itself "unforgivable."  Jesus makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and are beyond repentance by their own choice. To reject the Holy Spirit is, effectively, to reject the very healing medicine that allows us to repent; thus, it is a categorical rejection of God's very mercy and forgiveness.

 

 Once again, as in yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus condemns the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees.  In today's reading, He goes further in His condemnation in order to assure us all who may be tempted to live life the same way that regardless of appearances, everything hidden will be exposed:  "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  If we take His words to indicate a spiritual metaphor already common in St. Luke's Gospel, we understand that ultimately the light of Christ will pervade all things, for we know that "God will be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).  In this sense, we are all assured that nothing will be hidden by hypocrisy.  It is a confirmation of the all-pervading nature of Christ the Logos, and the discernment of judgment.  St. Paul also writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13).  Hypocrisy may successfully hide who we are in the inner life of our souls from the world of human beings and common understanding.  It might even successfully hide the state of the soul from our own awareness -- at least for a time.  But nothing can evade the light of Christ the Logos, the word of God that pervades all things, for Whom nothing is impermeable.  

 

 

 

 

Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones!

 

 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  

 

"But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you  ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and  said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. 

 

"Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."  

 

- Luke 11:37-52 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"  But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"  And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation.  It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.  For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

 

  And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you."   St. Cyril of Alexandria comments here that, while it would have been easy for the Lord to use other words in this teaching, He takes what is in front of them all at table and uses it as an opportunity.  He writes, "Since it was the time for eating and sitting at the table, he takes as a plain comparison the cup and the dish. He shows that those who sincerely serve God must be pure and clean, not only from bodily impurity but from what is hidden within in the mind."  Just as utensils for eating must be clean on the outside as well as clean of impurities in their composition, so it is with human beings. St. Cyril continues, "He says that [God] who made that which is on the outside also made that which is on the inside. This means that He who created the body also made the soul. Since they are both the works of one virtue-loving God, their purification must be uniform." COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 83.

 

 "But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you  ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and  said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."  The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) defines woe as a term which indicates complete and devastating destruction (Luke 6:24-26; see also Isaiah 5:18-24; Amos 5:18-19; Revelation 12:12).  The OSB comments here that, because the example of a leader can be so influential, leaders who do not love God can hinder others from finding God as well.  So, therefore, leaders are held to a higher standard (James 3:1).  Moreover, it also adds that the warnings by Christ contained in today's reading are especially important to Orthodox Christians.  The Church, it says, has maintained the ancient practices of tithing (These you ought to have done . . . ), sacred vessels, holy rites, and following the tradition handed down from our Church forebears.  These practices can be expressions of deep faith, lead a person to deeper commitment to God, and safeguard our life in Christ -- or they can be observed without ever taking them to heart and lead to condemnation.

 

 "Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."  Regarding the prophet Zechariah mentioned here by Christ, the OSB remarks that some patristic writers teach that this was the prophet at the time of Joash the king (2 Chronicles 24:20-22), but others say it refers to the father of St. John the Baptist, who, according to tradition, was also murdered in the temple.

 

Hypocrisy is at the core of Christ's criticisms of these religious leaders among the scribes and the Pharisees.  It's important to consider just how and why hypocrisy is such a problem.  There is, of course, the important understanding that these men are supposed to be leading the people toward God, and that their behavior is in effect doing the opposite.  They claim to uphold the traditions of the faith, but they are defying them in their own conduct, nullifying the purposes of the Law in being unjust and selfish.  The word "hypocrite" comes from the Greek which was used to mean actor.  Its literal roots (hypo meaning "under" and kritos meaning judgment) derive from the actors in ancient plays who wore masks, and so played a particular character under the mask of an assumed role or attitude.  But a hypocrite who wears one face while living something entirely different is, in a sense, lying.  So, the roots of Christ's criticism begin with those who would deny or in some way carry out an act which disrespects truth.  Thus we find it possible that those who are meant to be humble before God, and lead others in the path of righteousness before God, are living a lie when they seek only a clean appearance with an unclean heart.  Jesus uses the example of tithing for the temple and the poor, while in fact denying justice and the love of God.  He cites their love of impressive social appearance, the best seats in the synagogues or ostentatious greetings in the marketplace (where the public is gathered).  To be likened to graves which are not seen is to be told that what is hidden inside is the uncleanness of death, corruption, deterioration.  The lawyers (scribes), He said, load men with burdens hard to bear -- judging under the weight of the Law and imposing a strict ruling, but they will not help others by lifting a finger.  Thus they practice legalism, while the mercy of God is not to be found in their conduct.  Finally there is the lie at the heart of the denial of the words of the prophets, a refusal to hear them, and a murderous heart that would respond by simply destroying them in any way possible.  For prophets tell the truth when those who are meant to lead the people in obedience to God fail to do so.  The shattering of the desired appearance is intolerable to the hypocrite who cares only for image and not for virtue or purity of heart.  In such a life, truth becomes an enemy to deny at any cost, even to oneself.  This is not the way that Jesus teaches us to live.  In our modern world, we are tempted on all fronts to create an image.  Especially through social media, through constant consumption of publicity done on others' behalf which fills popular entertainment of all kinds, we find a great deal of influence which asks us to live by appearance alone.  Even "cancel culture" works in such a way so as not to explore the inner reality of a person, but to judge according to gossip, speculation, or even deliberate slander for motives that have nothing to do with the complex truth of the inner life of a human being -- and without the depth of the heart that seeks first the kingdom of God.  Even in a purely "secular" life, hypocrisy is a slippery slope.  For while one "white lie" such as a false front of good manners can possibly avoid an undesired conflict, a continued process easily leads to a wider gap between appearance and reality.  Appearances can easily become all that matter, and supposedly hidden behavior more destructive.  This kind of lie means we live a contradiction, which we may hide from ourselves even as it is ultimately irrational.  Ultimately, Jesus gives a spiritual warning to all concerning such behaviors when He teaches, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). Hypocrites who fail to pursue such integrity, it is implied, will not.  Thus, the "woes" He pronounces on the scribes and Pharisees in today's reading.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 11:27-36 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 11:14–26 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

 For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

 

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

 

- Luke 11:1–13 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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