This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was till speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.

 

- Matthew 17:1-13 

 

 Yesterday we read that from the time of St. Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  After six days is an expression which counts the days between the separate events; therefore, this is the eighth day following St. Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, and Christ's first warning to the disciples of His Passion, suffering, death on the Cross, and Resurrection to come (see yesterday's reading, above).  The eighth day is one that indicates eternity, and the events and revelation manifest in today's reading reveals an eternal reality of Christ.  My study Bible comments that a high mountain is often a place of divine revelation in Scripture (Matthew 5:1; Genesis 22:2; Exodus 19:3, 23; Isaiah 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18).  

 

His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. My study Bible comments that, because God is light (1 John 1:5), the bright cloud (verse 5), the shining of Jesus' face like the sun, and the whiteness of his clothes, all demonstrate that Jesus is God.  In many icons this light is shown as a color which is beyond white, with a blue-white, ineffable color, meant to indicate its spiritual origin.  

 

 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  Here is another indication of the eternal nature of what is being revealed here, on this "eighth day."  Moses and Elijah lived at differing periods in history, and yet both appear here together, and speaking with Jesus.  Moreover, they are immediately recognizable to the disciples, as the St. Peter's response indicates.  All is known as they are known (1 Corinthians 13:12).  My study Bible comments that Moses represents the law and all those who have died.  Elijah represents the prophets and -- as Elijah did not experience death -- all those who are alive in Christ.  Their presence shows that the law and the prophets, the living and the dead, all bear witness to Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of the whole Old Testament.  Moreover, the presence of Moses and Elijah represent the communion of saints (Hebrews 12:1), another aspect of an eternal reality, ever-present.  The experience of this reality will help the disciples to understand Jesus' words that "Elijah has come already" as referring to St. John the Baptist (verses 12-13).  My study Bible comments that their eyes have been opened to the fact that Malachi's prophecy (Malachi 4:5) refers to one who will come "in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17), rater than to Elijah himself.  St. Peter sees all this as a sign that the Kingdom has come.  Since he knows that the Feast of Tabernacles is the feast of the coming Kingdom, he asks to build booths (tabernacles), as was done at that feast, which serve as symbols of God's dwelling among the just in the Kingdom.

 

 While he was till speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Here is another manifestation of an eternal reality:  the Holy Trinity is present in the voice of the Father, and the Holy Spirit in the bright cloud (as the one which shepherded the Israelites through the wilderness; see Exodus 13:21), and also in the dazzling light which surrounds Christ's person and overshadows the whole mountain.  My study Bible asks us to note that the Father does not say, "This has become my beloved Son," but rather, "This is My beloved Son" indicating that the divine glory they witness is Christ's by nature and from eternity past, long before Christ's Baptism and Transfiguration.  He is God's Son, fully sharing in the essence of the Father, "true God of true God" (Creed).  My study Bible further notes that the Transfiguration not only proclaims Christ's divine sonship, but also foreshadows His future glory when He as the Messiah will bring in the long-awaited Kingdom.  

 

 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.  For now, this messianic secret must remain just that, a secret, hidden from the world.  Once again, Jesus reminds them of His Passion to come, and notes that it follows also the coming of St. John the Baptist, the herald to the Messiah, the one who came in the "spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17).  

 

 The Transfiguration serves and has longed served the image of what it means to be saved.  Keep in mind that the original Greek for "transfiguration" is metamorphosis (μεταμόρφωσις).  Even in its use in English, this word implies transformation:  a deep transition.  In this case, Christ's Transfiguration is a manifestation of His true divine nature; the eternal reality of the Son of God is made manifest to the disciples.  Jesus is the God-man; He is fully human and fully divine.  But in a similar sense, human beings have been created by God, in God's image, in order to manifest their own likeness to God (Genesis 1:26).  The Transfiguration serves for us as Christians as the image of this process on human terms, which is called in the Greek theosis.  This means that through grace, by participation in the life and death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we also become "God-like."  We grow through this transfigurative process, through time, into our true likeness as we're created by God, to be "like God."  So the image of the Transfiguration serves for all of us as a kind of pattern of what happens to us as human beings through the influence of grace, and the energies of the Holy Spirit.  What Jesus is by nature becomes a part of our own identity through grace; this is called holiness.  Importantly, it is a lifelong process.  And for historical Christianity, this is also the process of salvation.  It is how we do as He has taught in yesterday's reading (see above).  We are to take up our own crosses, and follow Him, and this is the way our lives are transfigured.  For Eastern Christianity, the purpose of Christ's Incarnation was always to make this possible for human beings, and this is the meaning of salvation.  For as the human Jesus, even His flesh is glorified in the Ascension, and we are to follow Him.  Let us remember that the Transfiguration teaches us about eternal realities that are always true, have always been true, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  In Him, that eternal communion of saints awaits us all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

 

 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

 

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.  Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

 

- Matthew 16:21-28 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

  From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"  But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!  You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."  My study Bible informs us that, after St. Peter's confession (see yesterday's reading, above), Jesus reveals the true nature of His messiahship:  the mystery of His Passion.   It was expected that the Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to St. Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).  Here St. Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, for the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission and save humankind through suffering and death.  

 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  According to my study Bible, the cross, a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  It says that we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this suffering is not a punishment, and neither is it an end in itself.  This is, in fact, a means by which to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  

 

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."  My study Bible calls this the central paradox of Christian living: in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal -- but in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 

 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."  Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  My study Bible comments that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, as none of these things can redeem a fallen soul, nor will it benefit a person in the life to come.  

 

"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."  My study Bible tells us that this is a reference to something that occurs in the reading to follow; it refers to those who would witness the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9), and also those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

 

Jesus speaks in a powerful way about exchange.   Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  If we look closely at today's reading, Jesus is addressing this problem of St. Peter insisting that Jesus should not die, should not go to His death on the Cross, His Passion, and therefore all that follows.  While each of us can understand St. Peter's perhaps horrified response to this news that Jesus will be put to death in this horrific and scandalous way, it is nonetheless that St. Peter is responding in the voice of Satan.  That is, there is a taught contradiction between how God will work in the world to bring all to the possibility of salvation and eternal life, and the purely human, secular perspective about what is good and what should not happen.  St. Peter wants to preserve the life of Jesus, his Lord, at all costs.  But Jesus is, in fact, Lord, and Christ teaches what will happen and must happen, as hard as it might be to bear, to hear, to accept.  And St. Peter, like all the rest of us, must be prepared to make that exchange between his personal human point of view, and the one that God, the Lord, is showing to him.  That is a leap of faith that would be tremendously difficult for any of us to make in the same circumstances, I would dare to say.  But nevertheless, we know who Christ is, and that He speaks with the voice of God and teaches the reality of God in the world.  ("He who has seen Me has seen the Father" - John 14:9.  So, in some sense to deny what Christ is teaching them about what must come is not simply speaking with the voice (or desire) of Satan, but also blasphemy against the Spirit.  And here, further, through St. Peter, as happens in so many instances (but most notably after his denial of Christ outside the home of the high priest in Matthew 26:69-75), we find that even a kind of blasphemy of the Spirit is forgivable through repentance, for we know that St. Peter repents of his words to Christ here.  And this is the remarkable thing about the Gospels and about St. Peter, for simply imagine enduring such a rebuke from Christ, in front of his fellow disciples, as to be called "Satan" by the Lord.  While St. Peter's impulsiveness and even enthusiasm seem to occasionally get him into trouble (such as his changeable response to Christ washing his feet at the Last Supper; see John 13:5-10), the one constant we do see is his devotion to Christ, and in particular, his capacity for humility -- in both enduring the rebuke in today's reading and continuing as apostle, and in his return to all of them and to Christ following his humiliating failure in his three-time denial of Christ while Jesus was on trial inside the home of the high priest.  It is St. Peter who teaches us so much about the continuing journey of our faith in Christ, to return in repentance and continue with Christ.  Eventually, we know that St. Peter accepts the unacceptable, even asking to be crucified himself upside down so as not to be considered equal to his Master.  St. Peter comes to embody the principle of Christ's teaching in today's reading.  He willingly, through his life and the living of his faith, finds his life by losing it for Christ's sake -- and this happens not only literally in St. Peter's death, but also figuratively in so many ways throughout his life.  In today's reading, Jesus says, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? "  St. Peter answers Christ's questions for us with a depth of affirmation that there is nothing more precious in the whole world than the value of the soul, and the life to be found in Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

 

- Matthew 16:13-20 

 

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"  So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  My study Bible comments on today's entire passage that Christ's question, "Who do you say that I am?" is the greatest question that a person can ever face.  This is precisely because it is the question that defines Christianity.  Peter's correct answer to the question prevents the Christian faith from being seen or known as simply another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  This is because Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God.  Such a position excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  As Jesus indicates in His response to St. Peter here, St. Peter's understanding could not be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (see 1 Corinthians 12:3).  My study Bible points out that Christ means "Anointed One," the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  It also asks us to note that Christ first draws out mistaken opinions about Himself.  He does this to identify incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  My study Bible explains that Peter/rock is a play on the word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek (petros/petra).  This rock does not refer to St. Peter per se, but rather to "the faith of his confession" according to St. John Chrysostom.  The true Rock, my study Bible tells us, is Christ Himself (and so says St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4), and the whole of the Church is built on the faithful confession of Christ.  The gates of Hades are the powers of death.  In the Old Testament, my study Bible says, "gates" suggest a fortified city (Genesis 22:17, 24:60; Isaiah 14:31).  By shattering its gates, Christ has opened the stronghold of death to set free the souls of the righteous.  So therefore, the Church also shall not be stopped in her proclamation of salvation.  Moreover, my study Bible tells us that the term church is mentioned only twice in all the gospels, here and in Matthew 18:17.  This Church is the true Israel and the Body of Christ; her citizenship is heavenly.  

 

"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.  My study Bible says that the keys of the kingdom is a reference to a special authority that will be given both to Peter and the other apostles after the Resurrection (see Matthew 18:18; John 20:23).  St. Peter was not a leader over the others, but rather among them.  This truth was confirmed at the Council of Jerusalem (see Acts 15) where the apostles and presbyters met as equals, and where St. Peter advised, but St. James presided.  This is the New Testament witness concerning St. Peter -- his role should neither be expanded, nor should it be diminished in opposition to such claims.  My study Bible also notes for us that binding and loosing is a reference primarily "to absolve sins," according to St. John Chrysostom (see John 20:23).  But it includes all the teaching, sacramental, and administrative authority of the apostles.  This authority was in turn transmitted to the bishops of the Church, and it continues in effect to this day.

 

There is a kind of dual impact of the information revealed in today's reading.  There is first of all the authority which Jesus confers to His apostles, and particularly through St. Peter, who was known as "first among equals" in the continuing spirit of conciliarity which guides the Church and is its aim.  But there is also the powerful, extraordinary understanding that Jesus is the Christ -- and that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."  Let us remember that when Jesus will speak to the apostles of the sending of the Helper, the Holy Spirit,  He tells them that the Holy Spirit will be sent from the Father, and through Christ's prayers (see John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).  This is very important, because it truly teaches us that Christ's life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension has the effect of bringing humanity into deeper communion not only with Christ, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit.  For if the Father -- as Jesus says in today's passage -- is working in St. Peter to effect this revelation, then how much more is promised through the fullness of the effects of Christ's mission to us as Incarnate Jesus and His completion of that mission in Resurrection and Ascension?  We really cannot estimate the fullness of what this means, and the fruits it will bear, has borne, and will continue to bear in our lives and in our world.  We simply don't know how to calculate what God does among us, and what God will do.  But we can look around ourselves and see what that has meant, even if we can't know its fullness.  See, for example, the work of the secular historian and award-winning author Tom Holland, titled Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World, in which he examines the effect of Christ upon our world through the present day.  Moreover, this "remaking" of the world is ongoing, continuing not only through the present time but through the future we don't yet know.  We are assured of this in Revelation 21:15, in which "He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"  The English translation does not completely capture the meaning of the Greek, in which the word "make" is in a continuing present tense, better translated as "I am always making all things new."  For this is the reality of the Church and the fullness of Christ and Christ's ongoing work in our world, and we simply cannot know all that this entails, including all the possible dimensions it might indicate of which we are unaware.  But we can know the graciousness and love of God for the world and for us human beings, for so God has granted to us this enormous, inestimable gift of salvation, to be with God in the fullness of eternal life and what that might entail for us and for our world.  Let us marvel at this extraordinary gift, coming to us through St. Peter's confession on behalf of all of the apostles, and indeed of all of us, and through the revelation of our Father who is in heaven, as Jesus says. There is no greater honor nor gift in potential for all of us.  Let us truly place the value of this blessed treasure as is appropriate to is, for taken in this perspective, our faith is everything.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times

 

 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.  A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  

 

 Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

 

- Matthew 16:1-12 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read that after healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman, Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

  Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.  He answered and said to them, "When it is evening you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red'; and in the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.'  Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  It tells us that the time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these men are hypocrites who have not recognized the signs already being performed by Jesus because their hearts were hardened.  Thus they ignore the works happening all around them.  

 

 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah."  And He left them and departed.  Adulterous generation is an echo of the prophets, who used this term to indicate the faithlessness of the people in response to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13).  Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, my study Bible tells us, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  See also Matthew 4:5-7.  The sign of the prophet Jonah is a veiled prediction of Christ's death and Resurrection (Matthew 12:40), which will be the ultimate sign that He is the Christ.  

 

  Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.  Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have taken no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?  Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?  Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?  How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  My study Bible explains that the leaven of the Pharisees is their doctrine and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  It notes that the reason the disciples are painfully slow to understand is that they have such little faith; they would not fully realize Christ's teachings until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given.  Jesus here refers to the two separate feedings in the wilderness; found at this reading, and in yesterday's reading (see above).

 

Today's reading shows the disciples in a rather iconic place of incomprehension.  They don't understand what Jesus is talking about when He tells them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."  We, the readers, are supposed to understand this, which is quite interesting, because St. Matthew has just reported Christ's interaction with the Pharisees and Sadducees, in which He called them hypocrites.  But the apostles can't understand what He is talking about, and they come to the conclusion (after they reasoned among themselves) that "it is because we have taken no bread."  This answer seems to strike Christ in a way that we haven't quite seen Him react before.  He reminds them of the feedings of thousands of people in the wilderness, which happened not just once but twice, going over the explicit details of each multiplication of bread from a few loaves to thousands.  And He asks, "How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? -- but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  Finally, they begin to understand.  Throughout the Bible, leaven functions as an image of adulteration, and almost always in a negative way.  St. Paul writes, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9), speaking about a bad influence within the community, a doctrine that is not true.  Interestingly, in one of His parables of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus uses the image of leaven in a positive way, speaking of the influence of the kingdom which is transformational in its action (Matthew 13:33).  But, in this case, He is clearly indicating, as my study Bible said, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and Sadducees, made manifest through their legalism.  Jesus also says to the disciples, ""O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?"  Importantly, my study Bible explains that this "little faith" is linked to their lack of understanding, and that a fuller grasp of Christ's teachings would only come after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps there is a lesson there for us, in that so often we seek by pure reasoning to understanding moral teachings, or to approach Christ's teachings as purely philosophical or intellectual, subject to reduction to ethics.  But this is not the case for us either, inasmuch as it was not the case for the disciples.  For unless we also cultivate, secure, and honor the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and our need to guard our spiritual lives and hearts, so regarding of how we reason, we won't really fully understand Christ either.  For faith is not simply an intellectual process, or assumption of values or beliefs.  Faith is an active participation in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection, in the spiritual life of the kingdom of heaven which Christ preaches.  All of the practices of the Church with her sacraments and traditions (and the Bible is included in the Tradition of the Church) are meant simply to guard our lives within the power of the Holy Spirit, for there is established the Church in the first place.  For without the Holy Spirit, there is no Church, and no people of God.  Let us bear in mind that the disciples -- recorded for all of history here in St. Matthew's Gospel -- show us that even those hand-picked by Christ can fail to understand and miss the mark.  Jesus says to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."  Let us remember that it is the Holy Spirit which gives us discernment and understanding, and the grace of faith.  Let us take heed to keep ourselves on the path of the inner life of the heart Christ teaches us to keep and to know as the way in which we truly expand our faith. 

 

 

 

Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?

 

 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.  

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.

 

- Matthew 15:29-39 

 

Yesterday we read that, after a dispute with the Pharisees who came from Jerusalem, Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

  Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there.  Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.  So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.   My study Bible comments that Christ's healing of the multitudes here shows that these Jews actually had less faith than the Canaanite woman of yesterday's reading (see above).  According to St. John Chrysostom, Christ healed that woman "with much delay, but these immediately, because she is more faithful than they.  He delays with her to reveal her perseverance, while here He bestows the gift immediately to stop the mouths of the unbelieving Jews."  

 

 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."  Then His disciples aid to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?"  Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.  Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.  And He sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala.  This is a second, separate feeding of a multitude that Christ has done in the wilderness, and it should not be confused with the first in this reading.  They should not be confused with one another as they are two distinct miracles, which Christ will refer to as such later (Matthew 16:8-10).  My study Bible asks us to look at the variance in the number of loaves, for it is significant.  In the first instance, there were five loaves, which symbolize the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah or Pentateuch), while here there are seven.  Seven is a number symbolic of completeness; here it indicates spiritual perfection.  So, in the first miraculous feeding in the wilderness, Christ reveals Himself as fulfilling the Law.  But here He shows that it is He who grants spiritual perfection.  It's also important to note that these crowds had been with Him for three days; this is the same number of days Jesus would rest in the tomb.  My study Bible adds that participation in Christ's perfection can only come through being united to His death (see Romans 6:3-5). 

 

We might well ask the question, why two feedings in the wilderness?  Why would it be important for Christ to make one miraculous feeding of five thousand by multiplication of loaves and fishes, and then another, feeding four thousand men (and more women and children)?  My study Bible gives us an explanation in the symbolism of the numbers.  The first was symbolic of Christ as fulfillment of the Law, and the long-awaited Messiah in this sense.  In so doing, He is also the Lord who gave the Law.  The second offers us the dawning of the new covenant, spiritual perfection in Christ.  The three days, as my study Bible said, preview the three days that Christ will spend in the tomb, and through which He will defeat death on all of our behalf.  We enter into and participate in Christ's life, death, and Resurrection through Holy Baptism, and this leads us into Christ's life for us, through faith and grace.  The number four thousand is highly symbolic of the whole world; four is already consonant with the four corners of the earth, the four directions, and the four corners of the Cross, which is for the whole world.  Multiply that by one thousand and it teaches us the infinite resourcefulness of Christ to reach every person, and for all the future (and indeed, even to those who had died before His coming into the world).  So the two miraculous multiplications of food not only preview for us the Eucharist, but they teach us of the progression of spiritual history, the fulfillment of the Old, and the offering of the New for all, for the whole world.  Significantly, the first crowd of five thousand was among a predominantly Jewish region; here He is in a region of mixed Gentiles and Jews.  Coming right after our reading in which the Canaanite woman received a healing for her daughter, this is also significant in that it indicates the gospel going to the world, including the Gentiles.  Let us remember who feeds us the bread from heaven, for He is the bread of heaven and fills us with good things for the life of the world.

 

 

 

 

I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."  But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

 

- Matthew 15:21-28 

 

On Saturday we read that the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  My study Bible explains that today's story of ministry to a Gentile women from the region of Tyre and Sidon is an illustration of the Jewish orientation of St. Matthew's Gospel.   The same story of this encounter is found in Mark 7:24-30, but there are two major differences.  In St. Matthew's version here, he records Christ's words which concern the lost sheep of the house of Israel, while St. Mark does not.  Also, St. Matthew records this woman using the title Son of David, which is a Jewish term for the Messiah, and St. Mark does not.  It says that Christ went to the Gentile cities not to preach, but to withdraw from the faithless Pharisees (see Saturday's reading, above).  This is confirmed in St. Mark's version, where it's noted that Christ "wanted no one to know" He was there, and here where He says that He was only sent to the house of Israel.  

 

 And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is severely demon-possessed."  My study Bible comments that this woman shows immeasurable love, in that she so identifies with the sufferings of her daughter that she cries "Have mercy on me," as she sees her daughter's well-being as her own and her daughter's sufferings as her own. 

 

But He answered her not a word.  And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she cries out after us."   But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."   Christ refuses to answer, my study Bible notes, not only because she is a Gentile and His ministry before His Passion is first to the Jews, but also to reveal her profound faith and love.  Several patristic accounts see this disciples' request to send her away as an attempt to persuade Jesus to heal her daughter -- as if they're saying, "Give her what she wants so that she will leave."   My study Bible says that Jesus' response indicates that this interpretation is correct, as Jesus once more refuses to heal the daughter. 

 

 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!"  But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be to you as you desires."  And her daughter was healed from that very hour.  My study Bible comments that having evoked this woman's love and persistent faith, Jesus now reveals her humility.  She accepts her place after the Jews ("the lost sheep of the house of Israel"), who were the chosen people of God, but she still desires a share in God's grace.  His hesitancy was not a lack of compassion, but rather a conscious means of revealing the virtues of this woman, both to the disciples and for her own sake.  Moreover, her ultimate acceptance by Christ also points to the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church after Pentecost, no longer as little dogs (puppies), but as children who are invited to eat the bread of eternal life.  

 

In a modern Western context, we might be offended and surprised at Christ's reluctance to help this woman.  But if that is true, it is because we are viewing it through a lens that is not appropriate to its place and time, nor even the aims of Christ.  Just as when we study a subject in school, advances in understanding come to those who are prepared to accept them, and who have a foundation through which to properly understand them.  So it is with Christ who has come "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" for a reason and purpose.  The "house of Israel" is the one which has been prepared spiritually for the coming of Christ.  Indeed, if we look at the whole of the Holy Bible, we understand the New Testament to be the fulfillment of the Old.  Without that preparation of spiritual history under the old covenant, Christ could not be properly understood nor received with understanding.  Although of course, the gifts of Christ we understand come to all cultures and all peoples, indeed, expanding whatever is true and good and beautiful to be found in that culture.  But that does not erase the preparation and bedrock of Jewish spiritual history, the whole of the Old Testament Scriptures, the patriarchs from Abraham who was justified by faith, and all that we know from this history.  In the case of this individual woman, we observe her growth in the story.  That is, because of the difficulties which Christ gives to her, she grows into an understanding of Christ and acceptance of His mission.  She shows her humility (the most essential qualification and foundation for Christian virtues), she shows her patience and persistence, she shows her great love.  Most of all, she shows how much she really desires and values what Christ has to offer.  If we look at all of the parables of the kingdom of heaven which Christ has told in Matthew 13, we see the great emphasis on the cherished and priceless quality of Christ's gifts to us.  In our reading from Friday, it was observed that when the disciples were running into troubles and fears as they struggled to cross the sea, Jesus did not give them immediate relief nor lessen the conditions of difficulty -- but rather He added to them just before He announced His presence (walking on the water, they imagined He was a ghost!).  According to St. John Chrysostom, in this way Christ prepares His disciples to meet challenges, and even through difficulties to bear them with courage rather than seeking immediate relief.  This is perhaps one of the most perplexing ways to understand Christ from a certain modern perspective, but if we look at His life, if we look at the lives of the disciples, apostles, and saints, we find quite the opposite:  that this, indeed, is preparation for greater things for human beings, for the growth that we are capable of reaching and expressing.  So it is with this woman, for Christ -- through His challenges given to her -- in fact draws her out, bringing her virtues to the fullness of the encounter and granting her cherished grace.  Let us bear with patience and courage our own challenges, and understand that God's love works not to make things simple or easy, but to give us growth and courage, to expand beyond our old limits and into the greater potential we have in God's sight.  For this is God's always surprising love at work in us, and so often we may not understand it until we know it and grow through it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man

 

 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  

 

He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.  

 

"Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "

 

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.  for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."

 

- Matthew 15:1-20 

 

 Yesterday we read that, after feeding the multitudes in the wilderness, immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

  Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, "Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?  For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread."  My study Bible explains that the tradition of the elders refers to the interpretations of the Law by Jewish teachers.  In today's reading, Jesus refutes their views that ritual purity depends on outward actions.  Instead, it is the state of the heart (see verse 8) that determines a person's purity.  

 

 He answered and said to them, "Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?  For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God" -- 'then he need not honor his father or mother.  Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition."   According to my study Bible, Christ shows here that the commandment of God cannot be superseded by the religious traditions of human beings.  It says that devotion to God includes both obedience to God's commandments, and service to others.  These two things cannot be separated.  In Jesus' example here, it can be clearly seen that the tradition cited by Jesus is, in fact and in outcome, contradictory to the commandment of God.  See also James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:7-21.  

 

 "Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:  'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, / And honor Me with their lips, / But their heart is far from Me. / And in vain they worship Me, / Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 29:13.

 

 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear and understand:  Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man."  Then His disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.  Let them alone.  They are blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Explain this parable to us."  So Jesus said, "Are you also still without understanding?  Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated?  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.   For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  The Pharisees are scrupulous in their observance of their tradition.  For fear of consuming something unclean, they observe these practices.  But they are blind to the greater purposes of God as intended in the Law in the first place.  Thus, Jesus calls them blind leaders of the blind.  As hypocrites, their intentions are unfortunately not always pure; they care too much for their places, which Jesus will elaborate on in Matthew 23.  

 

Jesus' teaching, as my study Bible says, emphasizes the purity of the heart (Matthew 5:8).  What do we nurture in our hearts?  What do we turn away from?  These are the questions we ask ourselves in obedience to the teachings of Christ.  For Jesus points to the heart as the center of a person, where is stored our desires, compulsions, even thoughts.  He says, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.  These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man."  Elsewhere Jesus teaches, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45).  Out of these teachings proceed the practice of "guarding the heart."  That is, to be aware of what is going on inside of our own hearts, and not entertaining the things which Christ says are not good for us.  All kinds of thoughts and desires will pass through the heart, but  our job is to be aware of what we entertain and nurture within the heart, and what we discard and turn away from -- and towards Him.  This is part of the purpose of fasting, to teach us this kind of discipline, that it is possible to turn away from thoughts and compulsions that do us no good, and are not a part of what it means to love God.  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5) is, according to Jesus, the first and greatest commandment of all (see Matthew 22:36-38).  The Pharisees, in their legalism, seem to have lost all sight of this guiding principle for all the rest of what we do to honor God and to live our lives is a good and fruitful and spiritual healthful way.  Let us note that these men, the Pharisees in today's reading, have come from Jerusalem.  No doubt they come to scrutinize Jesus and His ministry, and they begin with their questions and criticisms.  But Jesus is ready to stand up for what He is here to do and to teach and to live, for all of us.  Note how He seeks to protect His disciples when they are criticized for not practicing ceremonial washing.  Let us take note how Jesus teaches us to be, in defiance of those with authority in the Pharisees, and follow our Lord's teaching and all the practices of the Church designed to help us to guard the important place of the heart, that our good treasure may be there in a good and pure heart.