Walk on the water; the bread of life

Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which his disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but his disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him."

- John 6:16-27

Today's passage gives us the fifth of the seven miracles or signs reported by John's gospel. We recall the important passage of yesterday, the fourth miracle reported, the feeding of the 5,000 with the loaves and the fishes.

At the end of yesterday's passage, Jesus had withdrawn to be alone, because the crowds of people that were fed by him had wanted to forcibly take him and make him a king. Frequently in the gospels, Jesus will withdraw "to a lonely place" for prayer and communion with the Father. It is the strict sign of his ministry that his judgment is just because he and the Father are one, they share the same will; he does, as Son, what the Father has given him to do. So, the disciples have waited for him and are on their own. It is dark and they are on the sea (the great lake which is called the Sea of Galilee) - and a storm brews up the sea with a great tempest of gusty wind. After three or four miles of rowing (about halfway across the lake), the apostles are terrified to see someone walking on the water toward their boat. "It is I, do not be afraid" is Jesus' word to them; immediately, once they receive him into the boat, they are at their destination. In yesterday's commentary, we spoke of "types" -- that is, images or events from the Old Testament which are renewed and transfigured in the life of Jesus, given shape and meaning and greater dimension through the expression of Jesus' life, works and teachings. My study bible points out that this image of crossing the Sea of Galilee is a kind of reenactment of the passage of ancient Israel through the Red Sea. Moses, my study bible notes, led the old Israel through the sea to liberty. Christ walks on top of the water and leads his disciples over the sea to the "land where they were going." Walking on the sea, it further points out, is a sign of his lordship over creation, a key to a further understanding of what it is to be Son. We recall the miracle of the loaves and fishes, also an expression of identity as Creator, Logos. But I find a powerful poetic understanding in the goal of the "land" immediately reached as Jesus is received with them into the boat. This union is our goal, what we need on all of our journey.

Finally, the people who were fed with the loaves and the fishes have pursued Jesus and his disciples. So eager are they for his kingship, to make him their leader, they have pursued him no matter where he goes or what he does. They saw the boat of the disciples, but knew that Jesus had not started in the boat with them. Other boats had come from Tiberias, on the southwest side of the lake, and yet they cannot find Jesus. All set off in boats to Capernaum to pursue him, despite Jesus' desire to elude the crowds, even walking on the water! Finally, they catch up to him in Capernaum. "Rabbi, when did you come here?" But even this tenacious pursuit is not enough for Jesus in this case. They must understand what they pursue, and discern proper desires, what they are seeking and what he offers.

Jesus tells them: "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him." Regardless of how vigorously they pursue him, Jesus wants disciples who can go further, and deeper, into an understanding of his relationship to them and his identity. Jesus does more than offer us food and sustenance for our bodies, but he wishes us to relate at a deeper level, within the sustenance of soul and spirit that he is offering, in his true identity. He wants "all" of us, all of what we are. This is what he calls upon when he asks us to have ears to hear and eyes to truly see. This crowd, Jesus says, fails to understand his signs and that to which they signal. It is a spiritual reality that is in their midst, incarnate as human, relating on all levels and calling us to these deeper levels within ourselves, raising us to awareness in relationship to Him. The Father's seal is an extension of the Father himself, akin to saying that he is "in the Father's name."

This bread of life, which Jesus will elaborate on in Monday's passage, is more than we can imagine. But it draws us forth into relationship, taking us along toward the Father, to the height and depth of what we are capable of becoming as spiritual persons ourselves. As with the disciples on the boat, this relationship itself is the goal - together with the Son we are on a journey, and the goal is the relationship. This bread of life works as did the "leaven" (or yeast) and the "mustard seed" in Jesus' parables about the nature of the kingdom. We need simply to add it to ourselves, to our lives, and its effects will play out on our journey, and in us as we go along the way with this ingredient, this bread of life added to us. How do you see that as a goal? How does the journey unfold for you taking in this bread and sharing in its gifts? The goal is not an end, in itself perfect and finished. The goal, Jesus in the boat with us on that stormy sea, is a kind of destination which we continue to mine in our lives and go forward within that relationship. The bread of life never ceases to give, it is "eaten but never consumed." But we must desire what it has to offer, and never demean its reality by thinking our goal is simply a "perfect" material life alone.

The loaves and the fishes

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

When Jesus realized they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

- John 6:1-15

In today's passage, we are given the fourth miracle or "sign" in the gospel of John. In this important miracle of the loaves and fishes, we are once again given a "type" - an image or an event from the Old Testament which is "translated" or transformed in the life of Jesus, giving us a new picture and understanding of who Jesus is. John's gospel will tend to emphasize the spiritual reality behind any reported event, beyond the words in the parables and teachings of Jesus, even more emphatically than do the other gospels. But in all reading of the gospels, we must keep in mind that we are not merely reading a historical textbook. We are also reading something that gives us many dimensions of meaning and of allegory in the same way the parables of Jesus work. We are to have insight, we are to understand this literature as a type of poetic writing, that serves to feed us all that Christ is, in a multitude of ways, just as Christ fed the multitude in our story. As we believe Jesus was incarnate, the story of the life of this Incarnation teaches us on many levels beyond a reporting of the facts of the life, all at the same time. Scripture lives to us in many dimensions at once.

The story of the feeding of the multitude appears in all four gospels, so it is significant to all New Testament literature. My study bible says that the theme of Christ as the Giver of Life is continued throughout this chapter. A note reads: "Jesus, who gives himself 'for the life of the world' is depicted as the Bread of Life which is received through faith and sacrament."

In this story we have the fulfillment of a "type" of the story of Exodus. The Sea of Galilee is really a large lake (7 miles wide and 13 miles long). My study bible points out that Jesus and the disciples crossing this lake reminds us of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. The feeding of the 5,000 on the mountaintop reminds us of the manna that fed the Israelites in the wilderness. The Passover coincided with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which not only commemorated the Exodus from Egypt, but also the first food from grain eaten in the Promised Land after the crossing of the Jordan.

As a way of going from the surface to the potential therein - in the same sense in which Jesus "drew out" the vision of the woman at the well in Samaria regarding "living water" or Nicodemus' understanding of what it means to be "born again" - Jesus questions Philip about the purchase of bread, and Andrew cannot see the potential in the loaves and fishes. The power of the identity of Christ creates dimension beyond surface appearance, an infinite potential which we need faith to understand or perceive. Two hundred denarii corresponds to about 200 days' wages for a laborer. My study bible notes that barley was used by poorer people. It cost less than wheat and was ready for harvest in the springtime at Passover - again a correspondence to the "first grain."

Jesus first gives thanks for the bread. The verb to give "thanks" in Greek is "eucharisto" (ευχαριστω), from which clearly comes our word for Eucharist. The process we observe in the story is that Jesus first gives thanks, then the gifts are distributed first to the disciples and then they in turn give it to the people, and all partake. As with the manna in the wilderness, nothing is wasted or lost. In contrast to the manna, twelve baskets are left over - as my study bible points out, one basket for each disciple is leftover. Clearly this bread in its abundance will continue to be distributed, and we are intended to read it this way.

The Galileans see Jesus as Messiah, but mistake him for the Prophet of Deut. 18:1-19, whom they expect to be a political liberator to free them from the Romans, as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. But again, we must understand the "type" as transfigured in Jesus. He is altogether a different kind of liberator within the many dimensions of spiritual reality he brings to the world. As he created food for the multitude from the loaves and fishes, so Jesus will transcend merely an earthly understanding of liberation and take us to a level with Him beyond our immediate circumstances. I think it's also important to note that the multitude has followed looking for healing, because of Jesus' fame as a healer. In this gospel, Jesus' work and teaching always draws us deeper into His reality - into his identity as Son. He takes us with him into these dimensions of spiritual life, expanding our own sonship in relationship with him. We are fed with the bread of life, and life in us becomes abundant in an unending and irrepressible number of ways. Jesus does not want to be king; this is a mistake in the ways to see him and his role for all of us. In further reading in the chapter, Jesus will continue expanding on the "bread of life."

So, when we take the bread of the Eucharist, how are we to see this "Bread of Life?" How are we to understand and expect to be filled with "life in abundance?" How are we to know what it is to be touched by this potential, this living force of energy and grace and mercy? How do we come to accept to "hear and to see" this spiritual reality Jesus points us toward and offers us as he beckons to follow? I would like to point out that this door is open to us all the time, at each moment, whether we are at prayer or worship or partaking of the Eucharist. This "type" transcends time to repeat itself and offer us new vision of spiritual reality and especially of our part in it - our participation in this life and relationship to Christ. How do you take in the gift and open your eyes to it today, at this moment?

My Judgment is Righteous

"I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.

"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's, for the works which the Father has given me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me. And the Father himself, who sent me, has testified of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his form. But you do not have his word abiding in you, because whom he sent, him you do not believe.

"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me. But you are not willing to come to me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

- John 5:30-47

In this passage, Jesus continues his testimony regarding himself and his relationship to the Father. After he healed the paralytic at the pool called Bethesda, he was taken to task for healing on the sabbath, and for telling the paralytic to take up his bed and walk. At that time, Jesus expressed his relationship to the Father and further enraged those who accused him of violating the law. He then began to explain his relationship to the Father, and he continues in today's passage.

Jesus has explained judgment in yesterday's passage, and stated that the Father has given judgment into Jesus' hands. Today he continues in the vein and dialogue of language of judgment: trial, testimony, witnessing. As his nature and the Father's are one, Jesus says, his judgment is just. He follows what the Father teaches. God the Trinity is united in nature and will and energy, but the human Jesus expresses here the principle of the Father in whom all originates. I am by no means a theology expert, but one must consider the difference in the nature of time and its experience: in the eternal life of God the Trinity, linear time doesn't exist. But time defines our choices and decisions in our temporal world. My study bible expresses it this way: "In their manifestation in the world, however, all energy originates in the Father, being communicated through the Son in the Holy Spirit. Here there is a sense that the Son obeys the Father. This is because in His human nature, the Son has human energy--including human will--which he offers to God the Father as the source of all. This is his own will which must do the will of the Father."

In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (see Deut. 17:6). Continuing in the parlance of legal terminology and judgment, Jesus offers four witnesses for testimony to his identity: God the Father, John the Baptist, Jesus' own works, and the Old Testament scripture through which Moses testifies. Although Jesus says that he does not receive his honor, or glory, from men, he offers John the Baptist as a witness, because he knows that those to whom he is speaking do receive honor from men. He says that they cannot hear the testimony of the Father because they cannot see Him and do not know Him: Jesus is speaking of relationship of creature to Creator, and claims that if they knew the Father they would also recognize the reality - the identity - of the Son. But they can see and receive neither. The scriptures themselves are testimony of Moses, but neither can they perceive that to which Moses testified in their midst. Nor do they perceive in the works that Jesus does the reality of the presence of the Father, through whose will the works are done.

Jesus is testifying to relationship, to the nature of his relationship to the Father they claim to worship. And yet, we cannot get away from relationship: all are related in love -- those who testify and the One to whom all testify. His works are works of love, John's testimony is born not only of trust but also of love. The Father loves the Son and has committed all to him, and the Son's love for the Father is all. Moses was not just a man of faith and trust in the Divine, but one who acted of love for God and all that was revealed through the fullness of his prophecy and role as prophet. It is time, Jesus is saying, to understand the fullness of this gift of the Law, whence it comes and to whom it is pointing and testifying. And that presence is before them but they cannot see it, because they do not possess the relationship to the very thing to which the Scriptures bear witness. It is a powerful testimony, to come to understand what it is to worship "in spirit and in truth" and to come to understand what it means that "the law shall be written on their hearts."

Jesus says, "I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" There is a kind of duelling standard at work: either we receive testimony through that which is Divine, or we receive only the word of men to give glory to others. We recall that it is in John's gospel, a little farther along, that we will read of Jesus saying, "They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." From whence comes glory and honor? Is everything in life about the glory and praise we receive from others? Or are we called to a deeper reality that must live within us, a relationship of love with Creator, through which relationship extends to others, "in His name?"

Over and over again, we are taken to deeper levels by Jesus through his talks. Where do we begin in relationship, in faith and trust and love? Just as he follows the Father, so we begin with Creator, with something that is deep inside of us. We seek a relationship to that which is written on our hearts, a kind of love that the world cannot touch and that exists despite the hardness or fickleness of the world. Separately from the rules which govern human glory and honor, this powerful call is rewarding beyond the glory of the world and the "praise of men." Ultimately it is a sustaining depth of love that renews and refreshes. It gives meaning and power to life no matter what happens. It transfigures our experiences, and teaches us meanings, gives us values to be a part of. It teaches us dignity in its life-affirming power and its message of love: that Creation is good, and we are created for a glory beyond that which we can give to ourselves alone and that others can give by praise. It is love that sustains us and makes us who we are, and calls us forward in its truth. The righteous judge and his testimony works through love, and sees us in that light, and calls us toward it.

Son of God

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

'Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

- John 5:19-29

This discourse immediately follows the third "sign" in John's gospel, which was the healing of the paralytic at the pool called Bethesda. At this event, Jesus has healed a paralytic, and been taken to task for doing so on the sabbath. Furthermore, he revealed himself as Son, thereby making himself equal with God. This has enraged his critics, who are now ready to persecute him. In today's passage, Jesus expands on the relationship to the Father.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what he sees the Father do; for whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does; and he will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel." Jesus begins speaking about the nature of this relationship; it is so much a relationship of equality and emptying that the Father and the Son are one - one in will and one in action. All the power Jesus uses, in all the signs, the "works" we will see in this gospel, is of the Father.

"For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom he will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." Beyond even all the works and signs the Son will do, the Son is given the power of life and death - eternal life, not temporal. As great as this relationship is, it extends further than can be imagined: the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, so that "all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." A relationship of perfect equality is given by the Father to the Son: in nature, in honor, in power, even entrusting all judgment to the Son.

"He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Jesus, as Son, so represents the Father, that faith - trust - in his word is an affirmation of relationship to the Father, the restoration of eternal life through this relationship.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man." Jesus is now speaking plainly of the expected judgment. We recall that in the Jewish faith, there is already the expectation of the Son of Man who will judge and whose kingdom will have no end. (See Daniel 7:13-14 and 12:2.) This apocalyptic title, the "Son of Man," is clearly a reference to what they know, and Jesus is openly equating himself with Messiah.

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Again, Jesus' words here are a reflection of the vision in Daniel (see Daniel 12:2). Jesus is making clear reference here to an apocalyptic expectation from Scripture with which the authorities he is now confronting are well-familiar. Indeed, they are the guardians of the Law and the Scriptures. He is aligning himself with the expected Messiah, and clearly equating himself in nature, power and works with God the Father.

But there is more here than meets the eye, more than an explanation of this relationship of Father and Son and the open declaration of identity. There is also the notion of present time involved, the face-to-face encounter with a present reality in the Person of Jesus. Jesus tells them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live." Judgment is not just a far off time in a far off place, a land of eternal habitation far away. Judgment is immediate and they are also in its presence, depending upon how Jesus' word - that which reflects the will and nature of the Father - is received. "Those who hear will live." What does it mean to hear? We must understand this encounter, in which the Personhood of God is present, as a kind of eternal presence manifest at the present moment, now. Standing before them, in his word and works, there is power that means the presence of the Father and of the Judgment is entrusted in the person of Jesus and is immediately present.

My study bible points out that Jesus tells them that judgment is based on both faith ("he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent me") and works ("those who have done good ... those who have done evil"). A note reads, "The two can be distinguished, but they cannot be separated. Those who respond to the Son of God in faith and who do good will receive the gift of eternal life."

What I think is important to consider beyond all else of so much importance in these words is the immediacy of presence and encounter. What does it mean that Jesus says to them "the hour is coming, and now is" present with them? Judgment is not something that happens only in a far away time and place just as salvation and restoration are not. This is an eternally present reality which is with us at all times. It pervades the present, as Jesus in all his presence as the Person of the Son was incarnate in our world. This moment is with us in all time, as is his presence. We are to understand judgment as a product of this encounter, always available to us through grace and mercy. We can always turn to it, always receive it, hear it, and follow its nature with our action, our choices. Jesus' preaching in the past few passages has moved us closer and closer to an understanding of relationship, relatedness and restoration with the Divine. Now he has revealed his nature as judge, carrier of the judgment even in the present moment. But we must put a greater name to this relationship and its relatedness in us: it is Love, and God's nature is love. It is always present to us, and to turn away and reject it is not life.

Take up your bed and walk

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. but while I am coming, another steps down before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the sabbath.

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed." He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' " Then they asked him, "Who is the man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk?' " But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill him, because he had done these things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working." Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

- John 5:1-18

In today's reading, we're given the third "sign" or miracle of this gospel. Altogether, John records seven. The first two were the water turned to wine at the wedding in Cana, and the healing of the nobleman's son from yesterday's passage.

According to commentary by St. John Chrysostom and other Church Fathers, the feast Jesus attends in this passage is the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (or the Feast of Weeks), due to references to the Law of Moses later in the chapter. The Feast of Pentecost centers around the theme of the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. So, the theme in the text is underscored by the theme of the feast itself. The pool discussed in this story was a double-basin pool, according to my study bible, which has been discovered by archaeologists about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate mentioned in the reading. The water for this high-ground pool was from underground springs and was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.

My study bible states that the law of the Sabbath does not specifically prohibit the carrying of burdens. But this activity is mentioned in scripture (Jer. 17:21, Neh. 13:19), and was forbidden by rabbinical regulations. It's important to understand, my study bible notes, that the conflict here is between the authorities and Jesus; "the Jews" referred to in the gospel by the Evangelist are not the whole Jewish people, but rather the authorities who thought of themselves as guardians of the Law. It is important to remember that the Evangelist himself, the Apostle John, was a devout Jew, and this is a story set within the framework of Jewish life and faith.

After the healing, Jesus finds the man again in the temple, and tells him to "sin no more." It was a common belief, my study bible points out, that illness and misfortune were the divine retribution for sin. But, it notes, Jesus does not ratify this as an absolute principle. The paralytic's cure is to lead to conversion and a righteous life. For myself, I accept that all healing within this context is for restoration of right-relatedness to God. To "sin no more" is an admonishment to retain this relationship with Creator, the one who has blessed him with restored health.

When Jesus is confronted by those who would chastise him for healing on the sabbath, he replies that His Father's work in the world - my study bible calls it "God's sustaining and redeeming work in the world" - does not stop on the sabbath. Jesus has presented himself as an equal to God, so the offense is not simply one of healing, work, on the sabbath. He has outraged his critics, and pierced the net of what is deemed acceptable and what is not. The healing, the sign he has revealed, little matters to those for whom the Law is all.

The pool, according to some commentators, has been seen in imagery as a prefiguration of baptism. Via a perceived angelic action, people were healed. This served one person at a time, and worked for physical and temporal well-being. Jesus transforms this reality, and the "type" becomes a gift of life offered to all people in redemption in the person of Jesus - not via a place. Mediation is not angelic but in the Person of Christ present to everyone, and offers healing on all levels and for an eternal life.

So, this third miracle is a transformation on many levels. Importantly, though, we are witnessing a kind of action of the Beatitudes, in which the spirit and letter of the law are taught via Jesus that they must not be in conflict. Healing and restoration are the eternal work of Spirit and that which is life itself: the sabbath and all connected with it must serve this purpose. As we see from the image of the "type" which is transformed in Jesus (the example of the Bethesda Pool), Jesus' presence is transforming in many ways, on many levels. We are to understand that he is the fount and source of life, the sustaining "living water" that heals and transforms and redeems, making things new. We are to have eyes to see and ears to hear, and if we cling to old cherished law that somehow is in conflict with this perception of "life" - that is, of life itself - then we must choose to change our view or serve that which does not support life. How does this story teach us today? In what way do we serve life and help and goodness, redemption, to people today, without letting custom or cherished rules - made for the good - to get in the way? Are we capable of seeing which is more important, more good? We must be alive to that Presence to have discernment, to make a good choice, for life, healing, well-being, redemptive love.

Your son lives

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" Jesus said to him, Go your way, your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

Today's passage teaches us about the second miracle of John's gospel. The first was the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Since then, John's gospel has taught us about Jesus' "living water" which he described to the Samaritan woman at the well (see the readings from Thursday, Friday and Saturday).

We begin with the saying, "A prophet has no honor in his own country." This is repeated in every gospel. By "his own country," my study bible points out, the Evangelist is referring to Galilee, the region where Jesus is from. But all go to Jerusalem for the Passover, and as was reported earlier in the gospel (just prior to Jesus' teaching to Nicodemus), many Galileans believed because of the signs they saw Jesus perform at the Passover festival. But, we recall, faith because of signs is not enough for Jesus to entrust himself to people. God does not come by proofs but rather through a living relationship in spirit and in truth. We recall Nathanael's question, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" and his need to meet Jesus for himself, and also the faith of the Samaritans who believed because they encountered Jesus face to face for themselves. Relationship is different from shallow wonder at signs. John's gospel always teaches us to dig deeper than the surface. Salvation - Jesus' messianic vocation - is of a different substance.

So, we are again in Cana, the setting of that first miracle, the changing of water to wine at the wedding. This is also Nathanael's hometown. My study bible notes that Jesus demonstrated his "sight" from afar when he told Nathanael he had seen him under the fig tree, and knew all about him. Here, it points out, Jesus' demonstrates his vision as a healer from afar. He not only "knows" but also heals the unseen. But first, he admonishes the Galileans, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."

But the father is persistent, as was the Samaritan woman at the well. He wants what he knows Jesus has to give. And through the love of his son, and through his need, he pleads with Jesus through encounter. There is something deeper going on here. Just as at the wedding, Jesus' word - his very thought - as Logos, is enough to restore the health of the child. The nobleman has faith in this word, "Your son lives." The connection has been made. As he is on his way, his servants meet him and tell him, "Your son lives." The nobleman, seeking for himself to know the power of the presence of Jesus in which he has put his faith, asks what time the child was healed. The seventh hour is about 1:00 pm. This is the time, the Evangelist tells us, that Jesus said the words, "Your son lives." By noting this phrase three times, John is clearly telling us that it is the "word" of Jesus that creates this restorative presence, this abundance of gifts of creative power of the Logos ("Word"). My study bible notes, "The very word of the One who is the resurrection and the life gives life as well." Through this second miracle, Jesus has once again revealed himself and his divine nature.

In our earlier commentaries in the two weeks after Christmas, we noted the signs and wonders from God through Spirit that were manifest in the stories of Jesus' birth and young life. But beginning with the first miracle, at the wedding in Cana, something completely different was happening. It was the presence, the word, of Jesus that manifest creative power, life in abundance to us. In this second miracle, we note the same thing, as well as the similarities to the story of Nathanael (also from Cana) and of the faith of the Samaritans we read about in yesterday's reading. It is Jesus' presence with which we make a connection for healing and restoration. The child was restored to health and to his father, the wedding feast restored to its complete joy through the abundance of the good wine manifest from water, the living water restored not only the Samaritan woman but also all of her people to right relationship with God. Healing, abundance, and restoration are all ties through this Presence, through this Word. Faith happens through a deeper substance than awe and wonder at signs and reports of signs. It is clearly a relationship we're after. Given the power and presence of the Word, it is the relatedness that is in itself our restoration and healing. How do you engage this relationship for yourself, as did Nathanael, the Samaritans, and the nobleman in our story? How do you seek this presence in spirit and in truth for yourself?

The fields white for harvest

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’

- John 4:27-42

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well continues in today's passage (see also the readings from Thursday and Friday). In today's passage, the disciples come upon Jesus speaking with this woman. They are amazed that he is speaking with a woman, any woman. It was forbidden for Jews to converse publicly with a woman. She, also, is a Samaritan woman, from among the people considered enemies of the Jews. My study bible points out that Jesus' words and actions transcend ethnic and gender related customs of the time. Clearly, his gospel, his presence, is for everyone, at all times.

This Samaritan woman - to whom Jesus has revealed himself and his identity - effectively becomes the first evangelist. She goes and tells the people in the city about Jesus and bring them to him. In an early Church tradition, this woman was considered to have been baptized after the Resurrection and given the Christian name Photini ("the enlightened one" - "phos" means "light"). With her two sons and five daughters she went to Carthage to spread the gospel. She and her family were arrested there, taken to Rome under Nero, imprisoned and later martyred. She remains an inspiration and is considered a saint in the Eastern Church.

The disciples encourage Jesus to eat, to which he replies, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." Once again, John's gospel relates a story in which Jesus' words are misunderstood, and used to draw out truth in order to reveal deeper hidden spiritual meanings. "Surely no one has brought him something to eat?" the disciples reply. Jesus tells them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting." My study bible says that Jesus' food "is to bring people to believe in Him and be saved." My study bible also notes that as the townspeople are brought to Jesus by the woman later called St. Photini, they approach in what was thought to be traditional white dress. So the image is of the fields "white for harvest" in the original Greek. In this part of the Near East, it is also a common expression to this day to say that someone who is "pure in heart" has a "white heart." Jesus' harvest are those he will draw to himself and who will be drawn to him in return, those who are ready to hear and receive his word.

"The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps." My study bible notes that the Father is the sower, and Jesus is the reaper. Jesus is making an observation about how this relationship in spirit and truth works. All who invest in sowing and reaping help one another through the course of time. In this eternal kingdom brought into the setting of our world, time is bridged from teacher to pupil to teacher again; what is sown by some will be reaped by others through time. "I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour." The preparation for this harvest takes shape in many hands: the apostles will reap where the Father has sown and Jesus has gone first. So it is also that others are referred to who have prepared the way - Patriarchs, teachers, prophets, John the Baptist and more. In the communion of saints, all work together for this labor and harvest. And the work continues to the present time with us, today.

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world. The Samaritans, my study bible points out, "are the first to recognize Jesus as Savior of the world. The gospel is for all people." This harvest happens because of one woman's talk with Jesus. He eventually accepts to stay with these people for two days. They want to hear him for themselves - and they believe for themselves, because of what they hear for themselves. I think it's essential that we understand the truth in this story for all of us today. It's important to find faith for oneself, to be challenged by Jesus' words for oneself. This is a living, eternal presence brought into our world. We worship in spirit and in truth. As the "living water" this is something flowing, vibrant, alive, always giving. I encourage all my readers to find this reality for themselves: read, study and pray. Find the living water that is real and vibrant in your heart and make your connection with it as did these Samaritan people. Find Him for yourself, not just because someone else told you about it. It is still the same harvest, the same process, happening today, for you.

Remember, also, the people today in this part of the world who are descendants of the people of St. Photini, and remember them in their struggle as they continue in her faith where the church was born.

The hour is coming, and is now here

Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’

- John 4:16-26

This episode in the ministry and teaching of Jesus is so important that John's gospel gives a great deal of space to tell the story. This is the second reading concerning this story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, and we will continue tomorrow. Jesus and this Samaritan woman have met at Jacob's well. In yesterday's reading, Jesus told her of the "living water" that he offers. In the fashion typical of a story in John's gospel, she misunderstands what Jesus is speaking of, and asks him where she can find this living water.

Jesus, in today's passage, responds by telling her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." She tells Jesus that she has no husband, and he replies, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" As Jesus draws her out by taking a new direction in dialogue, he begins to reveal himself and his own nature. As in yesterday's passage we were reminded of Jesus' encounter with Nathanael by virtue of the association with Jacob and his vision, so it is that here again we have another reminder of this character trait of Jesus that was revealed in his meeting with Nathanael: he knows this woman thoroughly. She mistakes him for a prophet: "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." The Samaritans did not accept any prophet after Moses (see yesterday's commentary regarding their Scripture), but awaited another Moses-like prophet, a Redeemer. Here, she begins posing an important question regarding the dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans: the Jews worship on Mt. Zion and for the Samaritans it is Mt. Gerizim (Jacob's well is located at its foot). Again, we are reminded that the Samaritans' temple at this location was destroyed by the Jews in 128 BC.

Jesus reveals himself further, and invests in her the great purpose of his life in the world. "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." Commonly in the gospels, "the hour" or Jesus' use of the phrase "my hour" makes reference to the Cross. This transforming reality, this "final sacrifice" will change the nature of worship. "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews." This is the affirmation of Judaism and its revelation for the world as spiritual heritage, and the gospels' context of Jewish life. "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him." Finally Jesus reveals the nature of the transformation that will happen in his Person, through his life and sacrifice. The dispute between the Jews and Samaritans concerned a place of worship - where was the 'proper place?' But Jesus teaches a whole new nature of worship itself, in spirit and in truth.

Jesus' sacrifice, "the hour" that is present with her, will build a transforming reality that will change and offer a new kind of worship. Worship is no longer tied to a place, but to spiritual reality: the Holy Spirit and the truth of the person of Jesus, of Logos. These gifts of spirit and truth will belong to all, and in them will unite all to the Father in worship. It is this power of Presence that will lend any place, any circumstance, to worship -- not to a particular place. "God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." God's nature is spirit, and therefore the nature of worship is "in spirit and truth." God seeks those who can receive and practice this worship in the true relation revealed here. Like calls to like, in some sense; we can realize our deep relation and connection to Father, Son & Spirit through this understanding of worship and our capability through grace to practice it. This living relationship reminds us of Jesus' living water. My study bible notes that God "possesses a spiritual nature which cannot be confined to a particular geographic location. Those who believe in the revelation of Christ and have the power of the Holy Spirit can truly worship God anywhere." Jesus is calling on all of us, through his life, to reveal our own spiritual natures in union and worship with God in spirit and by receipt of this grace. Man is elevated in this understanding, this scheme of salvation. We are shown to be like God, and "like God" we relate and worship "in spirit and in truth."

The Samaritan woman says, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." She begins to catch on, to understand Jesus' revelation of himself to her. Her own understanding opens in the presence of this living water, the one whose "hour" will change worship and is present before her. Jesus tells her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you." "I am" is the great statement of the reality of the presence of God, the "name" revealed to Moses. This sentence literally reads, "I am, who speak to you." Even before his Passion and death and Resurrection, Jesus' "hour" as he has said is now here. His true presence is eternal and is before her, and he is revealing himself to her. This instance is called a theophany, a revelation of God, and John will use this formula of self-revelation again in his gospel. The great power of the Christ, of true worship, of Spirit and spiritual relation with human beings is revealed to this woman at the well. In this place where Abraham first established a site of worship (Shechem/Sychar), the first capital of the kingdom of Israel, the place of the Patriarch Jacob, Jesus has revealed himself to a woman - who is also a Samaritan, enemy of the Jews. This potent powerful teaching gives us the understanding that this revelation, this "hour" is for all of us. There is no one who will be untouched by it, who will go without this offer of living water, of the grace and redemption in the possibilities of relationship to Creator and our true nature in spirit. To whom is this revelation and relationship not offered? We are all called to this status, capable of relationship, or worship, in spirit and truth - called to our own likeness with God in spirit and truth. Grace exempts no one - not one of us - from this gift of elevation, to understand in relationship to God our true natures and capacity for worship.

The Living Water

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, ‘Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John’— although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized— he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’

- John 4:1-15

In yesterday's reading, we learned of Jesus' growing popularity, as compared to John the Baptist. Because the Pharisees have now taken note of this fact, Jesus returns to Galilee from Judea. But on the way to Galilee, he must pass through Samaria. Samaria was the region to the north, between Judea and Galilee. My study bible says that this town called "Sychar" in John's gospel is identified by scholars as Shechem or a village nearby. Shechem was the first capital of the kingdom of Israel. My study bible notes that the Old Testament does not mention Jacob's well, but that he did own property nearby. A note reads: "Wells and springs are significant in Scripture because of their rarity in desert life. In the Old Testament they often symbolize the life given by God, especially a life of blessedness." The well mentioned in this story is located at the foot of Mt. Gerizim. It is maintained as a shrine to this day, from which pilgrims can drink. My study bible points out that Jesus' tired and weary condition teaches us of his full humanity, that he shared all of life with us.

The Samaritans were traditional enemies of the Jews. They were a mixed race of peoples. They worshiped the God of Israel and were awaiting a redeemer, my study bible points out. But they accepted only the first five books (the Pentateuch) of the Old Testament as their Scriptures. They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim (at the foot of which is the well in the story), but it had been destroyed by the Jews in 128 BC. When Jesus asks for a drink of water, therefore, the Samaritan woman is shocked that he will have anything to do with her.

Jesus answers: "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink', you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." "Living water" in the common use means fresh, flowing water from a spring, rather than standing water in a pond or cistern. But as is characteristic of John's gospel (such as the teaching on baptism to Nicodemus), Jesus' words point to a deeper hidden meaning that he beckons his listeners to seek. The woman (again typically in John's gospel) misunderstands. She replies, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" This is actually the second reminder of Jacob in this gospel. The first was when Jesus met Nathanael, and told him that he would see far greater things than Jesus' awareness of his character: "You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." Jacob received this vision of the divine ladder, and as Patriarch he is considered a prefiguration of Christ by Church Fathers. So, this question from the Samaritan woman is a pointed question, and a very important one for the Evangelist.

Jesus replies, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." Jesus gives us his perspective on the "living water" that he offers, the gift of the Holy Spirit. As Jacob was considered Patriarch, in the new perspective of this gospel and the birth of the Church, Jesus is indeed, greater than Patriarch Jacob. Jacob was an ancestor that founded a race; but Jesus we consider Logos, Creator. Together with the Father and the Holy Spirit - that which is the living water - he is a fount of something eternal, unending. This is spiritual reality. The living water is a metaphor for what cannot be stopped, nor contained, nor limited, and which will always give without measure. This fountain, this living water, is that of life itself.

How do we consider this water for ourselves? The woman at the well must now come to question Jesus so that she understands him better. But it is he who has drawn her out, just as he will draw out and call upon each of us. How do you view this living water? What does it do for you? What thirst does it quench, and how long can we continue to draw from it whenever we need to? There are many ways in which we thirst, and many forms of its capacity to fill our need.

Whoever accepts his testimony has certified that God is true

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized— John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.

Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’ John answered, ‘No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.’

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.

- John 3:22-36

In today's passage, we get a picture of two men, both preaching and teaching, and in some sense, working side by side. We are in Judea, where John the Baptist has been baptizing and gathering many followers. Jesus' time (so far in this gospel) has mostly been spent in Galilee. His apostles also, for the most part, are Galileans. John the Baptist was a tremendously important and popular figure, widely thought in his own time to be a prophet, with many followers. I think we can easily gather from John's gospel the great significance Jesus' own followers would place on John the Baptist, and discern the importance of his figure in his own time and at the time of the birth of the Christian church.

I think it's interesting that a kind of public comparison between Jesus and John the Baptist begins over a discussion of purification. We can see in this topic a kind of "handing off" from the old to the new. Just as we have a kind of metaphor in the stone jars (stone for reasons of ritual purity) within which appeared the good wine at the wedding in Cana, created out of water by the very thought of Jesus, so we have a kind of trade off here from a discussion of purification - the old - to the new, a discussion of Jesus and who he is.

The Baptist's disciples tell him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him." John answers with these important words: "No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.' " John's humility points to heaven, to God. He does not claim any place for himself, but defers to what he considers to be God's will, to spiritual reality. What is given from above is the authority of Jesus. John himself points out his own declaration that he is a prophet, not the Messiah. John's preaching and baptism have been all along declared to be a preparation for the Messiah.

John continues: "He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." Again, there is the recall of the importance of Jesus' first miracle and its situation at the wedding in Cana. The bride is the Church - the people whom John's disciples note are flocking now toward Jesus. The festival of bride and bridegroom is an important religious metaphor throughout the Old Testament: God and Israel, the bride. The wedding feast is also the important central metaphor of teaching about who Jesus is as well; he is the bridegroom and the Church his bride. John uses this image to proclaim himself the friend of the bridegroom, the "best man." And so he is. As Jesus has called him, John is the greatest of the prophets.

John continues: "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all." John contrasts his identity with that of Jesus.

"He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony." A summing up begins here, of the gospel and its central character, the great identity of Jesus, here portrayed in the words of the Baptist. Jesus is from above, and testifies to what he knows - yet who will accept his testimony? Does it invalidate that testimony that others do not necessarily believe him?

"Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true." These powerful words teach us about notions of truth and purity of heart that elaborate on all we understand of trust and belief, and relationship. When we accept this testimony we certify that God is true, in every sense of that word. The word in Greek for "certify" means to "set one's seal" upon something. "He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." Jesus gives God to us. When we receive His word, we receive God. This puts us in a relationship of truth, of trust, that is unbreakable because it is true. We put ourselves in Christ through this receipt, our seal, and he puts himself and all that is of the Father in us. We are given without measure, in the fullness that Christ can give. And the great statement of relationship comes next: "The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath." The Father has given all to the Son, and the Son gives us all in return for our trust: eternal life. It all starts with the reception in our hearts, a capacity for this bond, this trust, and this truth. But the one from above, John says, is the one who can give this to us and cement this relationship that is true, that will not betray us.

For God so loved the world

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.’

- John 3:16-21

This perhaps most-famously quoted passage which we see so frequently comes immediately following yesterday's reading in which Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about baptism and rebirth in Spirit. In that passage Jesus compared the Spirit to wind, which blows where it chooses, and we hear the sound of it, but we don't know where it comes from, nor where it is going. Also in yesterday's reading, Jesus once again invoked the image of the one great sign he will leave, that he will be "lifted up" as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness to save the Israelites from deadly snake bites. Here, then, in our first verse that is so often quoted, we have Jesus' continuation of his commentary on that "sign" and its salvation. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

My study bible notes that John 3:16 is "the essence of the gospel: God's gift of His Son as the ultimate expression of His love for the world." I think it's interesting to understand the statement in its context. Jesus has just finished discussing baptism with one who cannot understand how it works (Nicodemus). Jesus therefore explains the mysterious workings of Spirit - both as mystery and as the way in which people are transformed, life is transfigured. Jesus explains that this is so that those who receive It can see the kingdom of heaven, and have eternal life. And then Jesus gives the great reason for his presence in the world and the sign he will leave, his "lifting up:" Resurrection and Ascension. So faith is tied in to this living reality of the Spirit: the symbolic death and our own "lifting up" out of the waters of baptism to receive Spirit, and his own Passion, death, Resurrection as a sign for believers.

"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God." This saving power of living Spirit, the reality of the Anointing that will belong to all of us, is given to us as gift, so that we too may join in that eternal life to which Jesus will be lifted. But St. Paul will also report that this great sign will be "foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews." This teaching, this sign, will confound many. And yet, its impact will build something as well. It will build faith in the whole notion of Resurrection and all of its aspects and impacts in our lives. No matter what happens in life, what happens to the body, Resurrection gives us a notion of continuing life, renewal, a place to put our faith and ask for direction. It is an eternal hope in the sense that we always put our hope in something that is triumphant over the world and its circumstances. Through this sign and this Resurrection, we know that the judgment of the world is false, and that there is a better Judgment to consider. In the darkest time, those who have faith in this sign have hope for a purpose and a Reality that trumps all, triumphs over all.

"And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil." Jesus tells us in this gospel that those who commit evil deeds prefer the darkness to the light. Let us consider a moment the contrast between darkness and light, evil and good. What are evil deeds? Evil deeds stem from every form of manipulation, greed, selfishness. Its great expression often takes the shape of tremendous violence with no respect for what is good, only for effecting a reality that serves selfish short-sighted motives empty of value except perhaps greed. Let us contrast the "giving" of Jesus - who gives his life - with the motives and effect of what we consider evil deeds, such as Herod's slaughtering of the Holy Innocents, for example. Jesus' Resurrection, his "lifting up" of which he's speaking here, is pointing to the great reality beyond the appearances of the world. It teaches us not only about the Kingdom and the Spirit, but also about our own value as human beings. It transcends worldly circumstances and appearance to teach us who we are. In that light of Resurrection, we indeed are exalted beings. God comes to our world to shed His light so that we too become like Him. But in the darkness of evil and selfishness, all we amount to is what we can plunder and take, the things we own that moth and rust will steal away, and death remains death. The evil therefore that wields a hand of death and violence rules the world in this vision of darkness without hope and without life. We must contrast these images of life: manipulative power vs. redemptive power, death vs. life, to understand what it is that John here is talking about in all its depth and meaning. And yet, we are still only touching the surface. In that Resurrection we have a hope of so much more, and we have values for which to live our lives that transcend the world of violence and death and greed. Mankind is elevated to something the angels serve.

"For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed." Deep down, Jesus is saying, the evil is aware that it is evil and that its deeds must remain hidden. There is a layer, a depth of reality, that even the evil itself must recognize. We recall the healings in the gospels in which demons all recognize Jesus and who he really is. In the strange poetic sense of the gospels and their quality of metaphor, it is in the darkness that we believe only in appearances via this power of manipulation. It is in the light that we understand there is so much more to life than appearance, so much depth behind the surface of who we appear to be. There is so much more meaning to life, and so much more that makes up a human being!

"But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." We hear the echo of the prayers of the psalmist (Psalm 36:9): that "in Your light we see light." A passion for the truth, for the light, is characteristic of those who are "pure in heart." We recall this phrase from the Beatitudes, and our discussion of the character of Nathanael, of whom Jesus said just a few passages before this one in John's gospel, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit," translated in the King James bible as "no guile." We are speaking of the depth of truth in the heart here, a heart that will seek out the light in order to come before it, and not hide from that light. Jesus is telling us about the depth of reality within a human being. He always goes beyond appearances, taking us beyond the idea that religious practice is only about "the letter of the law" and into the territory of the depth of the heart and what character we have. It is there that human beings are judged and known; that depth of the self, so far from the surface of life and its manipulation, violence, greed, possession, makes us so much more than our appearance to the world. It is the Judgment Jesus is speaking of where we are known in our hearts, and He is the knower of hearts. Think about what it means to seek the light of that Resurrection and all the possibilities inherent in us as human beings. We are so much more than the appearance we can make to the world. He calls us to Him in our hearts, all of us, our whole depth and being. It is there in which we seek the light so that we can be like the light, and share in His life.

No one can see the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit

When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

- John 2:23-3:15

This is yet another passage filled with many things to note. John's gospel gives us rich readings every day - and I hope my readers will be patient with me. My study bible notes that in the first paragraph of the reading, above, Jesus is aware that many are misinterpreting his signs. People "believed in his name" but Jesus understands the very heart and soul of people, and so he "would not entrust himself to them." They did not have the true faith he's looking for. So, from the first verses above we understand faith (Greek πιστις, "pistis" - a word that means "trust" as strongly as it does "faith") to be a mutually reciprocal relationship of trust. The verb form of this word, which is often translated into English as "I believe" is also the statement, "I trust." The "purity in heart" of "those who see God" (see the Beatitudes) therefore implies a depth of trust, for a relationship that can be deeply, infinitely penetrating, an eternal experience for both God and man.

Nicodemus, we are told is a Pharisee, and a leader of the Jews. He comes to Jesus at night, to avoid others seeing him. My study bible notes that Nicodemus disappears from John's gospel at this point, only returning when he seeks to defend Jesus' legal rights before the Sanhedrin. At the end, Nicodemus prepares Jesus' body for burial along with Joseph of Arimathea, a bold public expression of faith. His memory became one celebrated in the Church. According to some early sources, he was baptized by Peter and consequently removed from the Sanhedrin and forced to leave Jerusalem. Keeping all of this in mind, and Jesus' knowledge of people's character (remember his naming of Simon "Peter" - rock - and his understanding of Nathanael in whom there was no deceit), Jesus takes time to explain something important to this man Nicodemus. Nicodemus too has seen the signs Jesus performed during the Passover, but he is one that Jesus will "entrust" himself to, and teach.

Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." He is speaking of birth in Spirit and in faith in that which comes from above, Jesus himself. Nicodemus asks, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?" As Christ himself is begotten of the Father before the ages, and is now teaching about baptism and "rebirth" for human beings in time, my study bible notes that John's gospel will frequently lead us from the superficial understanding to the spiritual. And it is so here: Nicodemus is puzzled by these puzzling words, looking for their literal meaning. But, we're reminded, these are not scientific textbooks we're reading: this is spiritual literature and has as its function to point to that depth of relationship, understanding and trust. We are to understand something more deeply than its superficial meaning.

Jesus teaches: "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' " "Water and Spirit" is a clear reference here to baptism. We recall that John the Baptist baptized with water for repentance. We die to ourselves, in the symbolic immersion in water, to be filled with Spirit. It is not emptiness we are after, but nature transfigured. As Jesus came to the world to be like us, we are baptized to become like Him, to take on another nature that transforms, teaches, and into which we grow. Baptism is but the first step. We are restored to heaven in this sense, to an eternal kingdom and relationship with Creator. My study bible notes, "While the workings of the Holy Spirit are mysterious, nevertheless spiritual birth is integrated with baptism here and throughout the New Testament."

Jesus continues, in one of my most favorite sayings of the gospels: "The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." How does faith work? How does this transforming, transfiguring reality integrate itself with our human earthly natures and reshape us in Its image? We are not able to predict, it is not an achievement of will of the mind or our own effort, we cannot contain it, limit it, control it. The expression of the Divine in the world will always be something beyond our limits in every sense. And yet, we can know where it has been, we experience this birth and its effects. This saying about the wind is a poetic play on words. The Greek word for "wind" and for "Spirit" is the same: "pneuma" (πνευμα). It can also mean "breath," "soul," "spirit."

Nicodemus asks, "How can this be?" Jesus answers, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?" The "earthly things" Jesus has told Nicodemus about are the elements of baptism, and the transforming reality of belief as seen in those to whom Jesus can entrust himself, to the faithful who follow him, his disciples, which we will see at work, for example, in Peter. But Nicodemus presses for greater revelation of the Spirit and the heavenly reality. Chrysostom interpreted this passage as one that contrasts the "earthly" reality of the spiritual gift of rebirth in baptism with the heavenly reality of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father. But it seems to me that Nicodemus could be asking for an explanation of the Mystery of Spirit, how is this transformation effected exactly, and by what workings? Nicodemus does not understand even the power of Spirit at work in the world, although he is a teacher of Israel. This seems to me a contrast of faith in the law and insight into the workings of Spirit through Israel's history, creating the "types" we read in the Old Testament. Therefore, baptism and its transformational effect also remains a mystery.

Jesus says, "No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." The mysteries of this reality, Jesus is saying, belong to the One who has descended from that reality, from heaven. Jesus' testimony is true, because he is the One who has descended. And here Jesus alludes to the great sign he spoke of in Saturday's reading during the cleansing of the temple, in which the Son of Man will be "lifted up," "that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." Moses lifted up a bronze serpent to cure the Israelites from the deadly bites of poisonous snakes (see Numbers 21:9). Jesus will be lifted up on the cross. My study bible reads in a note: "As the believer beholds the crucified Christ through faith as Savior, the poisonous bite of that old serpent, the devil, and the bite of sin and death, is counteracted and cured. The moment of Christ's greatest humiliation becomes the moment of exaltation for completing His redeeming work. This is the first of many instances in John's gospel where Jesus teaches that He is the fulfillment of an Old Testament type." Jesus is not only the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, he is also the fulfillment of the reality of the faith of the Jews - his redeeming power saves us from death through the poisons of the world, in the sense of that Spirit-led transformation. Jesus promises that those who have faith in him will have eternal life, they will see the kingdom of God. My study bible notes that the phrase "kingdom of God" is frequently used in the synoptic gospels, but this is the only passage in which it figures in John's gospel. For John the Evangelist, the word "life" or "eternal life" is the equivalent.

So what are we to make of this passage so packed with meanings and understandings, alluding to mysteries too deep to reveal to we who are earthly? We understand the depth of the reality of Spirit and spiritual truth. We understand the power in the great Gift we are given. A gift, we understand, that is to expand not only to Jesus' death but to Resurrection and Ascension, and which happens through earthly humiliation - the great sting of the "serpent" that crawls on the ground as is so symbolic of what it is to humiliate a person. Jesus will experience all of the sting that life offers to us, and all of its suffering. In so doing he will elevate us to his home, and offer us a gift of that eternal life. But he's looking for those to whom he can entrust himself!