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

 

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

"Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

 For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

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

 

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

 

- Luke 11:1–13 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 10:38-42 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

And who is my neighbor?

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 10:25–37 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 10:17-24 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Luke 10:1–16 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them

 

 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  

 

 Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:51-62 

 

On Saturday we read that it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain of the Transfiguration, that a great multitude met Jesus.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 

  Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  St. Luke's Gospel tells us that the time had come for Him to be received up, and so He steadfastly set is face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face.  This is called the turning point in the Gospel, for it is the turning point of Christ's ministry.  He now sets forth on the journey toward Jerusalem.  St. Cyril of Alexandria comments that the reference to Christ's being received up is an indication of the time that will come after He endures His saving Passion for us, and will ascend to be with God the Father.  The fullness of suffering, death, Resurrection, and Ascension is the fullness of what is needed for salvation, redemption for all.  This, St. Cyril writes, gives the meaning to "set His face."

 

 And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"  But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  And they went to another village.  St. Cyril remarks that giving the disciples this experience of rejection was foreknown by Christ.  He writes that this rejection was permitted as a teaching for the disciples, a preparation both for what would happen to Christ and themselves with His rejection in Jerusalem, and also for their future apostolic missions.  Jesus Himself will experience violence and suffering, and His rebuke to their wrath is a teaching that they are to deal with adversity through forbearance, both in their response to Christ's suffering and the hatred they also will receive by those who reject their message.  He writes, "He did this so they might learn that as ministers of the divine tidings, they must rather be full of longsuffering and gentleness, not revengeful. They must not be given to wrath or savagely attack those who offend them.

 

  Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house."  But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   The Orthodox Study Bible has a note regarding the claim by someone to Jesus, "I will follow You."  It tells us that there is a cost to discipleship.  Here Christ reveals three of them.  First, the disciple relinquishes personal or earthly security; if the Lord has nowhere to lay His head, neither will the disciple.  Moreover, there is nothing, including the honor due to parents, which can be an obstacle to serving the Lord.  Finally, a disciple cannot delay in accomplishing the good that Christ demands.  

 

 What is the cost of discipleship? In today's reading, the experience of the disciples is preparing them for something we might not normally anticipate as a kind of "cost."  That is, refraining from expressions of wrath or revenge.  It might seem odd to think of this as a kind of cost, but if we think about it a little bit, it makes perfect sense for discipleship.  After all, the root of disciple is linked to "discipline."  In fact, the word ascetic (used for monastic practices of self-discipline linked to deepening one's spiritual life) has the root meaning of "athlete," and comes from the Greek word for exercise.  Monks, or practicing ascetics, are often referred to as "spiritual athletes," and we need to learn from them.  This sort of discipline, like athletic training, means there are things we need to change about ourselves, disciplines to develop that are related to habits, appetites, and indulgences.  If we tend toward wrath, or if it is something in which we frequently indulge to make ourselves feel better or let off steam, then a spiritual discipline such as that which the disciples must learn in today's reading teaches us a better way, a way toward God.  It's in this light we can understand Jesus' words: "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.  For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."  Jesus is asserting the need for a spiritual discipline that creates a development in the disciples which comports with the proper spirit, one belonging to Christ, and developing an understanding of what that means, a perception of the energies of grace and how they work.  For the disciples will be sent out into the world not to conquer, but to save.  How does one do that in the presence of hostile people with simply a hostile response in return?  Hearts and minds do not work that way; the goal is for all who would hear and receive the gospel message to likewise do the same, to be on Christ's path or way.  In Psalm 2 we read the question, "Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?" (Psalm 2:1).  This sets a tone for a distinguishing gentleness belonging to the Lord and the Lord's people.  It's quite possible that the suggestions of James and John Zebedee (whom Jesus called "Sons of Thunder") come from an understanding and desire for justice.  But our sense of justice itself must be shaped and formed in the crucible of the divine plan for salvation.  God's justice is not just merciful, but it also includes a perspective on time that we don't have, for it is eternal -- as well as endlessly complex.  Therefore, to learn righteousness is not an easy nor simple thing, and this learning, also, is a part of the price of discipleship.  We allow our understanding to be transfigured into one Christ would teach us over the long period of a lifetime's discipleship.  Given that St. John would go on to give us the Revelation (among other books of the New Testament), it would seem quite possible that a focus and consideration of justice -- and what that looks like in God's sight and the ultimate working of God's cosmic salvation -- would be something which God has set in particular for St. John's spiritual focus.  Let us also remind ourselves that his brother, St. James, would be the first disciple to die a martyr's death, for he would be put to death by the sword of Herod (Acts 12:1-3).   In the verses that follow, we read more directly and literally about the cost of discipleship in Christ's response to the people who come to Him desiring to become His disciples.  He sets down His own cost, teaching that "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another wishes first to go home and bury his father, but Jesus tells him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."  This expresses the very difficult transition to an understanding that not everyone we love will be a part of this journey of a life in Christ.  It sets a shift in priority -- even involving family ties -- as a difficult teaching.  Even going home to say good-bye first might be something which spiritual discipline asks us to forego:  "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."   As an athlete trains for a contest, so these various teachings in today's reading tell us about the development of what it is to be prepared for the spiritual struggle of a life of discipleship.  There may be things we need to forego, as well as discipline to follow, as well as new skills to develop and build.  All of this must be led by grace, with our cooperation, and offers a constant learning curve, with practice the key component of the journey.  Turning back to St. John (who also bears the exceptionally rare title of Theologian in the Orthodox Church), we consider that in Holy Tradition, the development of the spiritual life involves "the mind in the heart."  This means that it is not merely an intellectual acceptance or learning curve, but rather all about the transfiguration of one's entire person, the root of who we are, in faith; that is, in body, soul, and spirit.  It may seem a paradox that the disciple who would leave us a Gospel and Epistles that teach profoundly about love is also the one who gave us the Revelation of Divine Judgment.  But that simply underscores for us that grace is all in all, and that the resolution of such apparent paradox is precisely the place where we find Christ.  It leaves us to contemplate with awe the depth of spiritual growth in St. John's own life of discipleship and the radical humility it would take for him to do so. Let us undertake with Christ and the disciples the journey that begins at this turning point in St. Luke's Gospel.  For each must carry one's own cross, as He has taught.  

 

 

 

 

Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you will be great

 

 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 

 

And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 

 

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."

 

- Luke 9:37–50 

 

Yesterday we read that it came to pass, about eight days after He spoke of taking up one's cross, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.  As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.  And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.  But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.  Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"  -- not knowing what he said.  While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.  And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son.  Hear Him!"  When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.  But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.  

 

  Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him.  Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child.  And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him.  So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you?  Bring your son here."  And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him.  Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.  The Orthodox Study Bible comments on this passage that, while the disciples' faith was incomplete (Matthew 17:19-20), Christ's rebuke here is also to the crowds, whose faith was weaker still (see Mark 9:22-24).  

 

 And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.  But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, "Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men."  But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.  Let us bear in mind that, just prior to this teaching, Jesus' closest disciples (Sts. Peter, James, and John) witnessed His Transfiguration upon the mountain, a revelation of His divinity and of the Holy Trinity (see yesterday's reading, above).  So this warning comes just after that experience, and in light of it.  The Orthodox Study Bible notes that Christ's repeated prediction of His Passion was meant to encourage and strengthen His disciples for the terrifying events they would face, and also to assure them that Christ was not powerless but was going to the Cross willingly. 

 

 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest.  And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you will be great."  Now John answered and said, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."  But Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side."  Let us note here that the disciples have no idea what to make of Christ's warning that He will be betrayed (in the verses just above).  Perhaps they consider that it is an indication He will be coming into the worldly kingdom which was popularly expected to manifest at the time of the coming of the Messiah in Israel.  Therefore, a dispute as to which of them would be greatest is likely a dispute over positions of power and authority on such worldly terms as an earthly kingdom.  According to the Orthodox Study Bible, this question indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Jesus therefore points to a little child as the model of true discipleship, emphasizing the virtues which are necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven:  humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  In Orthodox iconography, the Study Bible points out, St. Ignatius of Antioch is often shown as this child.  In certain legends of saints, he's the boy who gave the loaves and fishes (John 6:9).  The Study Bible also notes certain commentaries on this passage.  Theophylact sees John's comment as a regret, as his conscience was pricked by what Christ said about the least and the great.  But St. Ambrose, on the other hand, sees John as expecting full obedience to accompany such blessings.  In either interpretation, it says, Christ's response shows that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they are not currently numbered among the disciples.  Theophylact is quoted as writing, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples" (see also Numbers 11:24-30).  On those using Christ's name without good faith, see Luke 11:23; Acts 19:13-16.  

 

 Jesus says to the disciples, "Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me.  For he who is least among you will be great."  This occurs in the context of a dispute among the disciples about authority and power, and which one among them would be greatest in the kingdom they imagine is going to be headed by Jesus as an earthly king.  When we consider "greatness" in the context of Christ's world, we consider the kings and emperors of that time.  Power, as material commodity, was generally understood as authority without the ameliorating concepts of human rights as we understand them today.  Even in our own modern countries, such as in New York City, for example, laws seeking to establish humane treatment of animals were passed before child protection laws existed.  So, we can stop to imagine what it meant within the context of the time that Jesus chose a child, truly "the least of these" in social standing, to assert to His disciples that every person received in His name -- regardless of stature or importance -- was the same as receiving Christ Himself, or even the Father who sent Him.  This is an incredibly radicalizing statement in terms of rank and society, especially to introduce into a dispute about who would be the greatest.  In terms of being "great," renown, reputation, or worldly glory would correspond as characteristics which defined it.  But Jesus lays flat the understanding of respect, and extends His Kingdom quite literally to the littlest ones.  Jesus' name would correspond also to notions of greatness, for an emperor's or a king's name covered all things upon which it might be borne.  A document signed by a king had the authority of a king, and must be respected in the same sense the presence of the king would command; the same was true of all the king's property.  In this sense, to receive even a little child in Christ's name meant that His authority was extended there; the child belonged to His kingdom and as such bore also His image, even the image of the One who sent Him.  It seems to me this conveying of what we would consider profoundly gracious behavior forms the true revelation of the dignity with which all human beings are created.  For, as Christ has also taught, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11).  Each human being, His words indicate, is created bearing the image of God, with the potential to fulfill His likeness in the kingdom of heaven (Genesis 1:26).  Moreover, Jesus adds the following to His teaching on receiving a little child.  He says,  "For he who is least among you will be great."  In so saying, Christ emphasizes the necessary humility to realize such potential, and to participate fully in His Kingdom.  With such teachings, Christ has given to the world a sense of the intrinsic value of human beings, precious to our Creator, as well as the love with which He instructs all of us to participate in that Kingdom.