And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

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

- John 8:21-32

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught during the Festival of Tabernacles. He taught that He was the light of the world. Moreover that He was with the Father, and in all things they act together. The Father bears witness to Him, and He also testifies on His own behalf. The Pharisees seem to have no idea what He is talking about -- but the language of the Gospel is designed to adjust our thinking to embrace the unfolding of these mysteries through Jesus' teaching. In today's reading, He continues His dialogue in the temple.

Then Jesus said to them again, "I am going away, and you will seek me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come." So the Jews said, "Will He kill Himself, because He says, 'Where I go you cannot come'?" And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Jesus speaks referring to His death and Resurrection. The clear implications are that the time is running out; His mission is nearly finished, but it is not yet His hour. We remember that "the Jews" refers to the temple leadership. All concerned in this scene are Jewish, including those who will believe in Him. But the "double-dialogue" through which the Evangelist reveals divine realities in plain speech that is mistaken for ordinary understanding reveals to us His divine nature, and the reality we look to see for ourselves with the eyes of faith. The leadership still cannot understand what He is saying, even as others begin to believe. Perhaps they simply cannot understand; perhaps they do not want to. They are desperate to be rid of Him. What He seems to be saying, and it is quite provocative, is that if they cannot receive His reality, they will die without entering into it.

Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. Repeatedly, Jesus refers back to the Father. What He does, how He judges, the things He says, are all what He receives from the Father. He acts in concert with the Father. But the leadership, those most learned scholars of the Law and Scripture, seem to fail to understand at all what He is talking about.

Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. Again, this is a deeper affirmation of His union and action in concert with the Father. To "lift up the Son of Man" is of course Jesus' crucifixion; even in the event of foreseeing what is to come, He is certain of the Father's presence that is with Him. My study bible says, "Lift up has the double meaning of being nailed to the Cross and of being exalted by the Father upon the completion of His work." And we are told, many begin to believe as he spoke these words. It is as if the time is running out, and the light He has spoken of is breaking through.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." My study bible says that Jesus expects discipleship of all of His followers. As He continues with such faith in the Father's word to Him, so we must continue in faith to learn and grow in His word, and to abide in His word. The truth of spiritual freedom is a truth that sets us apart from all kinds of attachments and weights, false beliefs that drag us down. Most importantly, says my study bible, "being free refers specifically to freedom from bondage to sin, granted by the Redeemer through His death and Resurrection."

What does it mean to be spiritually free? I consider this condition to have a depth of understanding and layers of meaning. Freedom from bondage to sin means freedom from all kinds of attachment and delusions, false value systems. It means opening up our eyes to deeper mysteries and truth. And it is important that Jesus ties it to abiding in His word and continuing in discipleship: we always have room to grow, new things to learn, and many things to rid ourselves of -- delusions, false values, new ways to go forward and open up the path to learn. Truth is inexhaustible. Jesus began this dialogue by proclaiming He is the light of the world, and that whoever follows Him will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life. To follow that truth is to walk eternally toward the light, and discipleship does not finish. This, clearly, He offers to all people (even those who seek to persecute Him in today's reading). What truth do you need to accept today? What freedom do you need to embrace in His truth?

I am the light of the world

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

- John 8:12-20

In the previous reading, Jesus was teaching in the temple on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. He taught about the living water that He has to offer; the Spirit that will pour from Him. The crowd is divided about Him, while the religious leadership seeks to arrest Him. "No man ever spoke like this!" the temple police say, when they fail to arrest Him. Nicodemus, whom we remember from earlier in the Gospel when Jesus spoke to him about baptism, tells the leadership they are violating their own law by not hearing Jesus out. But the leadership can only answer him with sarcasm.

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." We remember that Jesus is at the Feast of Tabernacles, the commemoration of the wandering in the wilderness of ancient Israel, when they lived in tents or tabernacles. My study bible points out that at this festival torches were lit in the temple court, and singing and dancing continued all night. So, as with the water poured for libation in the previous reading, when Jesus taught about the "living water," we have another fulfillment in this reading, of the "true light" that is the source of all light.

The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me." Once again, we return to the theme of witnessing. And there is also repetition in Jesus' statement about where He comes from and where He is going - what are His true origins to which He will return.

It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me." Then they said to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come. In the face of great opposition, Jesus, here in John's Gospel, continues to proclaim His divine origin. He doesn't shirk from openly proclaiming His origin, His relationship with the Father, the nature they share. John will continually use words that have a colloquial sense that defies the meaning Jesus elucidates. It is as if they are speaking different languages: Jesus is speaking of a divine reality, and they "judge according to the flesh." But the difference opens up our eyes to the reality Jesus is trying to express. My study bible says, "The Pharisees either were unable to understand Jesus' words or were simply astonished that Jesus was claiming God as His own Father."

To understand Christ is to delve into the greatest mystery. How can one bear witness to the nature and reality of God unless one is also of divine origin? Jesus says the Father is with Him, and He is with the Father; therefore His judgment is true. Let us try to ponder this mystery, and recall that testimony also occurs within us, and it is the stuff of faith. The Father bears witness to Him, and the Father prompts confession and faith in us, a kind of recognition that comes via revelation. How does faith and witnessing work in your life? What witness do you rely on for faith? How do you come to trust? These are questions we can ask ourselves as we read of the Pharisees' pondering Jesus' words, as their frustrations grow in questioning Him and apprehending Him, and yet His hour has not yet come.

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So there was a division among the people because of Him. Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.”

- John 7:37-52

In yesterday’s reading, we read that Jesus has gone to the great autumn festival of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a harvest festival, which also commemorates the wandering in the desert – and the dwelling in tents (or tabernacles) of the ancient Israelites. Jesus went to the festival without public acclaim, but when there He began to teach in the temple, although He knows that by now the religious authorities seek to lay their hands on Him. He taught about Himself and His origins from the Father, the One who sent Him – and to whom He will return. He speaks about healing on the Sabbath – and compares it to their circumcision they will perform on the Sabbath; which is God’s work? The crowds are divided about Him, and the temple officials send the temple police to arrest Him.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. My study bible says that “the last day” of the feast is probably the seventh or eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. On this day there is included a procession from the pool of Siloam, carrying water to the temple for a libation; this commemorates the water flowing from the rock Moses struck in the wilderness. In the context of Jesus’ words, we see Christ as the fulfillment of the Scripture and the experiences of the ancient Jews in the desert: He was present in the rock, but now He offers true worship in the heart, and the “rivers of living water” are the Spirit which He will give. My study bible says, “Living water is the gift of the Spirit and the new life which springs forth by the power of the Spirit. Christ gives the Holy Spirit, and the believer’s heart consequently flows with new life. Christ does not force us, but is always available if we desire Him.”

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?” So there was a division among the people because of Him. An interesting division among the people. We understand the perspective of the world, and we can relate to it in our own times. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, we know. But the arguments will take place on the basis of limited information, and without a depth of faith when only literal understanding dictates perspective. The Prophet, my study bible says, was an awaited deliverer – not just a Messiah (or Christ), but rather a new Moses who would lead Israel out of bondage. But we see the perspective of the people, which reflects today perhaps our own social arguments and perspective about spiritual reality, and the different ways in which we might try to prove or disprove what are matters of faith.

Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” Then the Pharisees answered them, “Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” Even the police officers of the temple cannot arrest Him – they are stunned by His words. The Gospel teaches us also about the nature of this divine mission: His hour has not yet come, they cannot lay their hands on Him yet. The temple leadership refer back to themselves as authorities; it is clearly their authority which is so challenged in the presence of Jesus. In so doing, they condemn the crowds among which He will find faith, with great contempt for their “flock.” It clearly shows their desperation to hold onto their power and authority, and to assert it for themselves.

Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” Nicodemus we recall from the third chapter of our Gospel of John. He has asked Jesus about baptism, and Jesus taught him about being reborn in spirit. Nicodemus raises the question of the law; clearly the authorities are even violating the law they say they uphold. My study bible adds that their sarcastic response to Nicodemus shows their own blindness: the prophet Jonah came from Gath Hepher, a town in Galilee only three miles from Nazareth (3 Kings 14:25). They are desperate and showing their desperation; their one goal is to eliminate that which threatens their place, their authority, and “the honor that comes from men.” They are in a great haste to put Jesus behind them and out of the picture.

We have a divided crowd, confused and in dispute – and also afraid of the authorities. And the authorities are desperate to get rid of Jesus in whatever way they can, so much so that they brush off Nicodemus, also a Pharisee, with a trite justification that exposes an ignorance of the Scriptures they say they defend. I think we can make much of the similarity to situations we may find in our world today. What is truth? How do we know the truth of a person? How do we discern, and make a good judgment? When the forces of “the world,” which uphold so highly the “honor that comes from men” desire to cut corners, to belie the safety measures for standards of truth and justice that we have learned to establish in our world, then we know we are in trouble and in the presence of something that does not work for the good. Over and over again, one will read of persecution of martyrs in which all existing standards of justice are trampled and circumvented. What does truth mean to you? What does it have to do with justice? And we shall remember above all things that God is our source for the good, for what we understand to be fair and just, and Christ Himself is our teacher of the powerful need for the respect for truth in all forms in our lives. And the depth of truth Christ teaches leads us to love and to compassion and mercy. How is that missing from this scene, and its depth of understanding? Do we see it missing in the scenes around us as well?

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.

“Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.” Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.” Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

- John 7:14-36

In yesterday’s reading, we read of Jesus going to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. His brothers have taunted Him to show Himself – these members of His extended family do not believe in Him. He has gone to the Festival “not openly,” or publicly, as His “time has not yet come.” We are told that the crowds are divided in their opinions about Him, while the leadership seeks to kill Him.

Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” Jesus “appears” in the temple, without previous fanfare, and begins to teach. They all marvel at Him; He’s not a rabbinical scholar, not a Scribe, and yet He knows. How does He have this doctrine? Jesus gives them the answer Himself; and again we are in the territory where Jesus has repeatedly distinguished between the glory that belongs to and comes from men, and the glory that is of God – that comes from seeking to do the will of God, to please God. Those who love God will also recognize the soundness of what it is He is teaching. My study bible points out that St. John Chrysostom taught, as a paraphrase of Christ’s words, that if they were to rid themselves of their anger and envy and hatred, they would have no difficulty recognizing the reality of God in what He is teaching. Jesus claims He doesn’t seek His own glory but that of the Father – therefore He “is true, and there is no unrighteousness is in Him.”

“Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” We return again to the healing on the Sabbath, and the fact that He told the paralytic to take up his bed and walk (see reading from Wednesday, March 23, 2011). What is God’s work? Jesus has said that this is the work He was doing in this third “sign” or miracle of John’s Gospel: “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” His healing miracle is the true perspective of God’s work in the world, a miraculous gift of health; their emphasis on the letter of the law is missing the point. They are judging by appearance – again the perspective on the honor from men, and not with righteous judgment.

Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ? However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.” Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.” This is another dispute about His origins: Who is He really? He affirms they know where He is from, as a human being – but there is Another who has sent Him, whom they don’t know. Jesus is “from Him” and is sent by Him.

Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this man has done?” John’s Gospel takes us deeper into the controversy and the stirred up crowds, but “His hour had not yet come.” There are those who believe – they understand what others see only as breaking the law to be signs that only the Christ would do. As some seek to kill Him, others come to faith. It is still a time before the hour of His Passion. My study bible says: “His hour is the time of His suffering and death. Jesus Christ shows Himself to be Lord of time, a prerogative possessed by God alone. He comes to the Cross of His own free will and in His time, not as a result of the political machinations of the Sadduces, Pharisees, and Romans.”

The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him. Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.” Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?” Of course, He is speaking about His death, Resurrection and Ascension. His hearers, my study bible points out, as is so often the case, have no idea what He is talking about. But He is speaking of His own return to the place from which He came, to the One who sent Him. The Gospel once again leads us into territory where His words cannot be understood merely by the “facts” of earthly life; they need depth to begin to understand, a relationship to a deeper spiritual reality – as do we.

How would we understand Christ’s words today, if He were to appear to us as a teacher? Would we understand, or is the context so far out of our reach that we can no longer understand this perspective? What would it be like to be in the presence of Christ, to witness His signs, to hear His teachings? He claims His origins in today’s reading, as the crowd disputes who He is and whether or not He is true, and the leadership seeks to lay their hands on Him. There is no disputing the power with which He speaks, with an authority no one can claim. All things point to His origins and His love for the Father, that He seeks only God’s glory and not His own. Let us understand, then, this perspective that is so important to His teachings when we evaluate the good. What glory do we seek? Whose honor is it that is revealed? How does that relate to what we hear and what we trust? What do we seek in our own lives when we seek truth of any kind? All these things are there for our consideration, and Jesus will always bring them back to us, over and over and over again. Even His signs point to the reality of the Father, and this is where trust begins, and God – the ultimate Good - is revealed.

For even His brothers did not believe in Him

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him. Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” When he had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.

- John 7:1-13

In today’s reading, we find that the Lectionary has skipped over John Chapter 6, on the Bread of Life, which we will read after next week.

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. The Feast of Tabernacles, or Succoth, is an eight-day festival which occurs in the Autumn. It commemorates the wanderings of ancient Israel in the desert of Sinai. It is a harvest festival, and, as my study bible points out, it commemorates “a time when the chosen people lived in tents (or ‘tabernacles’). Along with Passover and Pentecost, Tabernacles was one of the three most important festivals of the ancient Jews.” The text teaches us that Jesus is a marked man in Judea, and has remained in Galilee, His home.

His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him. In the Middle East today, cousins are referred to as “brothers.” My study bible notes here that “His brothers are members of His wider family clan who themselves do not believe in Him. The Eastern Fathers understood ‘brothers’ as stepbrothers, sons of Joseph by a previous wife; while the Western Fathers understood them to be first or second cousins. Never are they openly called sons of Mary.” Regardless of the interpretation we want to give to the word “brothers” the implication here is clear: there are those among His own family and relations who do not believe in Him. This teaches us a great deal about the power of relationships in Christ, and that they in some sense break all other bonds and barriers we know. It also teaches us about Jesus, that those humanly closest to Him in His home doubt Him and ridicule Him, even as He is a “wanted” man. The taunts are pretty typical, and resemble the temptations He underwent in the wilderness to show Himself and to prove Himself. In our previous readings, Jesus has established that He cares for the honor from God, and not the honor from men.

Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” When he had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee. Again, it is a play on the study of what one values: the honor that comes from men or the honor that comes from God. “Showing oneself” depends on worldly opinion, which Jesus here has said He has testified against. He alludes to the “prince of this world” – and the time to come in which that “prince” will fully play out the hand of crucifixion.

But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret. Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?” And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.” However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews. Jesus does go to the Festival, as He attends festivals at Jerusalem during His three-year ministry, as reported in John’s Gospel. But He does it on the terms that are appropriate to Himself, not succumbing to the temptations handed to Him with a “worldly” perspective on showing Himself. This He will do at His Passion, when it is “His time,” but not before. But what we have here is a sort of snapshot of the population at the time, and where Jesus stands among them. There are those in the leadership who search for Him because they wish to do away with Him. And among the crowds He is in fact a controversial figure – opinion is divided as to His authority and authenticity. But none of the crowd will speak openly about Him for fear of the religious leadership.

So, a stage is set in some sense, for Jesus to enter. In all events concerning His life, we know that He follows the will of the Father for what He is to do in His public ministry. Each setting, every incident, is a stage for God’s use of the energies and power Jesus can bring to bear in His life as a human being: all is a sacrament for the glory of the Father. Thus, we see how He will enter Jerusalem and the Festival of Tabernacles at this time, just as He (and we) await His time which will come at the Passover. For the moment, we receive His wisdom in His actions in responding to those who will not believe, even among those of His own clan, and we await to see what unfolds at the Festival. In all things, He manifests for us the reality of the Presence of God, and unfolds His teachings, and fulfillment of the ancient Scriptures and our understanding of them. This He will do at the Festival as well, and we await His “signs.” If we think about it, that crowd pretty much sums up the way we ourselves feel among others in the world and the struggles with faith we all undergo in one way or another. The authorities who seek to persecute Him perhaps represent the “worldly” view that would condemn what it does not understand, and cannot perceive. How do you walk in your reality as it mirrors His? We will learn from Him.

For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me

“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 unto 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

Jesus continues His discourse from yesterday’s reading, in which He replies to the criticisms of the authorities after telling a man to “take up his mat and walk” on the Sabbath – a violation of rabbinical law. Jesus has replied by clearly laying out His own identity as Son and His relationship to the Father. When questioned about healing the paralytic man (the third sign or miracle in John’s Gospel), Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” In yesterday’s reading, He presented Himself as Son and also told of the authority vested in Him by the Father – including that of judgment.

“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.” Jesus clearly sets out His relationship to the Father. He is obedient in all things. My study bible says that “the divine will is common to the Persons of the Trinity, for all share in the same divine energy. 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.

“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.” My study bible points out that in Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses. Here Jesus offers witnesses of His own. First there is John the Baptist, who has testified of the coming of the One, and proclaimed Jesus to be the Christ. John was the lamp – the greatest among the prophets, and the one who proclaimed He who was to come. Jesus points to His second witness, the works He does, the signs or miracles that bear the presence of the Father. This reply to the authorities comes after His third sign, the healing of the paralytic at the temple, by the pool called Bethesda. Finally, here, Jesus speaks of the witness of the Father Himself. This passage reminds us of Jesus’ proclaiming that the word of the Father abides in us. We recall Jesus’ response to Peter’s confession: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Ultimately, we are capable of mystically “hearing” the Father’s word within ourselves.

“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 unto 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?” Finally, this somewhat complex passage adds a fourth witness to the list: the Scriptures themselves, through which Moses gives his testimony. They read about Him, but they cannot recognize Him before them, incarnate. It is only the love of God that would reveal Jesus’ identity to them – because it is in the Father’s name that He comes, not the name of some illustrious human being whom He would proclaim and thereby receive the honor that comes from men and is returned by those who recognize only this worldly authority in their lives. So, He asks them, “How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” My study bible says, “Jesus is aware they do not possess the love of God: it does not remain in them because they do not receive Him who comes in the name of His Father.” If they cannot believe Moses’ words enough to recognize Him about whom Moses taught, then how will they believe Jesus’ words?

Today’s passage gives us a focus on witnessing. What is it to you to witness? What does that mean to you? In what ways do you bear witness to God’s work in your life – and maybe even more importantly, what things bear witness of God to you? What gives you faith and where does it come from? I hope to accept that we all can bear witness, to one another and for one another. How does this work for you in your life? And where does the Father’s word bear fruit in you?

Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is

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 He 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

In yesterday’s reading, we read of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic at the pool called Bethesda. He was questioned by the authorities for doing so, because He told the paralytic to take up his mat and walk, a violation of scribal law. This is the third sign or miracle in John’s Gospel. Jesus then went on to proclaim Himself Son of God – a doubling of the violations that anger the authorities. In today’s reading, Jesus continues His answer to them.

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 He 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.” Jesus’ statement here teaches about the equality and union of will and action in the Father and the Son. It is a revelation of Himself, and of the workings of the Divine – even unto the giving of life.

“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.” A powerful statement about judgment and faith. Do we hear the Father reflected in the words of Jesus? My study bible says: “The discourse here shows the Father and the Son are so united in nature, will, and action that the Son fully shares the divine attributes of giving life and executing judgment.”

“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.” A statement about the resurrection of all to life, and the authority of judgment. I think it’s significant that He adds, “Because He is Son of Man.” Not only is this the initiation of this period in which judgment must be understand in a timeless reality of the end of time, but as a real and present reality with us in a spiritual sense. Jesus has shared our life as Son of Man: His authority rests on this sharing of a complete and full life with us, as one of us. My study bible says, “This judgment is based on both faith and works. 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.”

A note in my study bible teaches us as well: “That ‘hour’ is already present and ‘now is’ in that an encounter with Christ results in life or judgment as a present reality, depending upon one’s response.” What do you read in these words? How do you feel the resurrection, and judgment, is a kind of reality that is already at work in our present time, at each moment? It encourages us to go deeper into our faith, and to understand the important of choices in each moment, so that we are present to the full meanings and values open to us, and so that we may realize at an instant who we are in any encounter. How do you make your choices? Does the word of Christ bear the reality of the Father to you? It seems to me that, in order to fully be alive to all the power of life, we need to take our time and our moments, and each encounter, seriously – and be alive to the potential and possibility He brings.

Rise, 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

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. My study bible says that this is often associated with what is called the Jewish Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, due to the references to the Mosaic Law later on the chapter. The Feast of Weeks commemorated the theme of the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai.

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. Many translations leave out the verses regarding the explanation of the curative powers of the pool, because it is not found in the oldest Greek manuscripts. Tertullian (c. A.D. 200) and St. John Chrysostom (c. A.D. 400) are the first Church Fathers to refer to it. My study bible says that this was a double-basin pool which has been discovered by archaeologists about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate as it says in the text. The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs, and was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain. In this image is seen sometimes a prefiguring of baptism: healing is available for all in the Person of miracles, for the well-being of the full person in all ways – and without angelic mediation necessary. My study bible notes that it is possible the action of the stirring of the water comes from the bubbling up of the underground springs; on the other hand, one cannot discount the possibility of angelic action involved. It says, “The role of spiritual powers in the world must never be discounted.”

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. A great metaphor is indeed present in this text: without help, the man cannot get to the pool. But Christ appears for all of us; He is an ever-present help among us and with us. His love is expressed in His action for this man, who cannot be healed as he cannot get to the pool before others. How does this parallel our own feelings of helplessness and weakness? My study bible says, “Jesus asks an obvious question to stimulate the man’s faith.”

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.” My study bible notes, “Although the law of the Sabbath does not specifically prohibit the carrying of burdens this activity is mentioned in Jer.17:21 and Neh. 13:19 and was explicitly forbidden by rabbinical regulations. As always in John’s Gospel, we understand the term “the Jews” to refer to the authorities (and not the Jewish people – the paralytic was also a Jew), who felt themselves the guardians of the Law. It was commonly believed that misfortune was a divine retribution for sin, but Jesus does not ratify this belief: rather, my study bible notes, “the paralytic’s cure is to lead to conversion and a righteous life.” I believe, also, that it is important to value the gift of healing He offers.

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. My study bible says, “Confronted by His Jewish critics, Jesus argues that God’s sustaining and redeeming work does not cease on the Sabbath.” The authorities are doubly offended – not only has Jesus violated rabbinical restrictions but He also presents Himself as equal with God.

In this third sign or miracle reported by John in his Gospel, Jesus both fulfills and defies that which is taken as the Law. But it all depends on how things are interpreted. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” This is Jesus’ question He has asked elsewhere. But in today’s reading, His reply is that He is doing His Father’s work, as is fitting for the Sabbath. In the Church, we celebrate “liturgy” which means literally in the Greek our “common work.” So let us think today about what our work is in the world. We have the example of Jesus, who follows His Father. What “work” do you do in your life to please God? Is it pleasing every day of the week – or only restricted to the Sabbath?

Go your way; your son lives

Now after 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

In yesterday's reading, we read the continuation of Jesus' time in Samaria, and His encounter with the woman at Jacob's well. She testified to others about Jesus' encounter with her, how He told her "all that she ever did." Many came to believe through her, meeting Jesus and believing for themselves. Jesus counseled His disciples about their own missionary future, and taught them about the labor into which they enter - for which they have neither sown nor labored, but will reap the harvest. He said, "He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

Now after 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. The saying, "A prophet has no honor in his own country," is reported in all four Gospels. Here, it is referring to those who believe merely by being impressed by a sign, and not in true faith. It refers us back to earlier in the Gospel, when it was reported that many believed at the festival, but Jesus "did not commit Himself to them." Apparently, many who fall into this category were from Galilee, and were present at the festival in Jerusalem.

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." Once again, Jesus admonishes people about faith: it cannot be a product of signs and wonders, a kind of convincing through some great feat of power. Faith comes in other ways. The man is an official of Herod's court. My study bible points out that Cana, where the first great "sign" or miracle reported John's Gospel occurred, is also the home of Nathanael, whom Jesus knew at a distance.

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. Here is an example of faith. The man believed Jesus at His word. Faith is a kind of trust, a recognition, something that responds in us to God through relationship. It is the start and growth of a relationship of love.

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." My study bible says, "Jesus has demonstrated, by identifying Nathanael from afar, that He could see at a distance (1:47-48). He now shows He can heal at a distance -- He can heal the unseen." The seventh hour is about 1:00 P.M. Merely from the words, "Go your way," the official believed and followed. This is the third time the words "your son lives" are reported. The account here is similar to accounts of others in positions of rank and hierarchy: they understand authority and service, and this also works through faith. As the man hears, understands, and accepts the word of Christ in faith, so his servants are also instrumental in carrying out that word. In these men of authority and of power, there is no conflict between their worldly authority and their acting on Christ's word. One can be used to serve the other, especially in carrying out responsible and caring governance and authority over others. It's also important that we understand by now that Jesus has had faithful followers among the Pharisees (Nicodemus), the Samaritans (the woman at Jacob's well and her fellow citizens), and now an official of Herod's court. There are no restrictions whatsoever to inclusion in faith. All that is required is a heart that can receive.

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. Included in good stewardship and responsible authority is the care and protection of one's "whole household" - and so it is with this official. They are all received into the church in faith. Jesus' second sign, then, is a full conversion of many, each of us acting as instruments on behalf of others, just as Photini, the woman at Jacob's well in yesterday's reading, became the first evangelist and the Samaritans the first Christians.

How do we help to heal one another? How do we help to spread the word, and act as instruments of God's peace for one another? The question of good stewardship, responsible holding of worldly authority, also comes into play here. What do we do to live good and responsible lives in a world that may be filled with oppression or corruption in one form or another, and certainly is filled, even on the smallest scale, with violations or abuses of power? Our choice is within us, to have faith, and to bring that faith to others through our own example and through our lives in which we have a choice to be caring. Clearly, God's reality is one of love, as exemplified in today's reading. The official loves his son and is motivated by love to seek out the son's healing. That love, we cannot help but feel, is part of what prompts his faith in the word of Christ - and so his whole household, not just his son, is healed. Let us think about what it is to devote our whole hearts, our whole lives, to Christ, and how we live that life in the carrying out of our day-to-day tasks, how we care for others who may be under our authority in one way or another, and how we serve our faith and God by doing so. Each encounter is significant, from the smallest to the greatest, and one never knows what it will bring, or what effects it may have.

He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

- John 4:27-42

In yesterday's reading, we read about the woman at Jacob's well. Jesus is in Samaria, home to a people who were traditional enemies of the Jews. They worshiped the same God, but held only to the first five books of the Old Testament, the Pentateuch. Jesus revealed Himself to her through a series of questions and answers, gradually revealing more and more, drawing her in with His metaphors or riddles in some sense, a parable of "living water." Eventually, He told her, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?" Jesus has revealed Himself, in His full identity as Christ, to this Samaritan woman. They have spoken alone, no one else has been near. Quite clearly, Jesus chose to draw her out, in order to reveal Himself to her specifically. Now His disciples come upon this scene, and are astounded that He would be speaking with a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman. Jews were not allowed to converse publicly with a woman. My study bible says, "Jesus' words and actions transcend ethnic and gender-related customs of the time."

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" Then they went out of the city and came to Him. This woman, singled out by Christ for a theophany, or revelation of God, now becomes, in effect, the very first evangelist. An unlikely candidate indeed! And in that, we open our eyes once again to the revelation of the Gospel and what we must understand through it. My study bible says that this woman, according to tradition, was baptized after the Resurrection, and given the name Photini -- in Greek, this means "the enlightened one." Tradition tells us that she, along with her two sons and five daughters, went to Carthage to spread the Gospel. All of them were arrested under Nero, imprisoned at Rome, and martyred. In many branches of the church, she is called St. Photini, and tradition holds that she, who met Christ beside the well, was martyred for Him by being thrown into a well.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." Again, we have an example of Jesus drawing out people's understanding with statements that on the surface have a different meaning than the one He is introducing to them. His metaphors, or riddles, also appearing as parables, often work this way -- but this conversation is typical of Jesus' style of drawing out meanings for people in John's Gospel. In this case, we understand bread, or food, as that which serves the whole of the self -- particularly the spiritual reality of a person. His work and His food is to "do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work." We are introduced to evangelism via the woman at the well, and Jesus begins to teach His disciples what their commission should be, their food, as well.

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" An interesting statement, in light of the context and where Jesus and His disciples are -- as those from the city are called by Photini, they come to Christ for themselves. They are traditionally thought to have been dressed in white.

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." My study bible says that the Father is the sower and Jesus is the reaper. He will also send the disciples to reap. In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the Samaritan woman that the Father is seeking "true worshipers," who "will worship Him in spirit and truth." The fields ripe for harvest are the fruit of the labors of others -- but Jesus' disciples will be sent to reap the harvest. In this we can see all the labors of those who work and have worked for salvation in the world - we all enter into a harvest for which we did not work. All those "others" who have labored would of course include the countless figures of the Old Testament, patriarchs, prophets, John the Baptist and so many more. This ongoing labor is in some sense outside of our normal framework of time: it is a project involving those who have been "sent"in so many ways. Our process is ongoing, we all enter into one another's labor, and that of the Father and Son and Spirit. My study bible says of the disciples, "Their apostolic mission has been implicit from their initial calling." And, we can presume, His direct and special address to Photini is also a part of this process.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." My study bible says, "The Samaritans are the first to recognize Jesus as Savior of the world. The gospel is for all people." And so it is. St. Photini teaches all about what He revealed to her, and then they come to see for themselves. In some sense, this is identical to the process of picking His disciples we read about in the beginning of John's Gospel: Andrew is chosen, and then he brings his brother Simon Peter. Philip is chosen, and he finds Nathanael. But all have to come to Christ to truly find their calling, to experience this reality. And so it is with the Samaritans. There are no barriers to Christ, but each must come of his own choice, and see for themselves.

How do we find faith? It is necessary, in my opinion, to have our own spiritual encounter, whether that be at worship, in prayer, in times we call upon God or Christ to help us, at times we may least expect it. One thing is certain: Jesus has told us, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." In the Greek, we remember, wind and Spirit are the same word, pneuma. Jesus reveals Himself to the woman at the well, and we can learn from this that there are no barriers, no patterns, no stereotype to salvation but faith and those who are willing to worship "in spirit and truth." The Father still seeks those who will do so. Can you be an instrument of His labor, and help to reap the harvest He seeks?

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (thought Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says 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 nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

- John 4:1-26

In yesterday's reading, John the Baptist spoke to his disciples about Jesus' disciples baptizing. John's disciples told him about Jesus, "He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John told his disciples, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease."

Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (thought Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. My study bible points out that, because Jesus is wary at this time of confrontation with the Pharisees, He departs for Galilee. Samaria is a land in which the people, for the most part, were considered traditional enemies of the Jews. It is the region to the north on Jesus' journey, between Judea and Galilee. Sychar is a town identified with an area where Jacob owned property, according to the Old Testament. My study bible notes, "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 (Ps. 36:8). This particular well, located at the foot of Mt. Gerizim, is maintained as a shrine and pilgrims can drink from it to this day. Jesus is wearied and thirsty from the labors of His journey, showing His complete humanity which He voluntarily assumed. The sixth hour is noontime."

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. We can assume this is a rather shocking encounter, as evidenced by the question of the Samaritan woman. Not only is she a Samaritan, and He a Jew; it would perhaps also be unusual for Him to address a woman.

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says 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 nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" "Living water," according to my study bible, may mean fresh, flowing water from a spring or other flowing source, rather than a pond or cistern. Of course, we know that Jesus means something else, but she doesn't. He is once again, as with the Pharisee Nicodemus, drawing someone in to ask questions, to be curious, to find more. In the spiritual sense, "living water" - my study bible notes - symbolizes true life from God, who is the fountain of life (see Jer. 2:13, Ezek. 47:1-12, Zech. 14:8, Rev. 21:6 and 22:1).

The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Is Jesus greater than Jacob? Jacob is the Patriarch which both Jews and Samaritans revere, and it is he who had the vision of Jacob's ladder which was alluded to by Jesus in His first encounter with Nathanael. She still doesn't understand, of course, what Jesus is talking about, and wonders where she can get the water in the physical sense. Jesus makes His spiritual promises to her, and opens the door to her greater understanding. My study bible points out that while Jacob is revered and through him revelation of God has been given, Jesus is therefore in this picture the fuller revelation, just as He is introducing her to the "living" work of the Spirit, in the "living water."

Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." Before He proceeds, there is a kind of a test. Let us look to our lives, where we have been and where might wish in the future to go. It is also a revelation; Jesus once again discloses His knowledge of people (as with Nathanael and others in the Gospel). In effect, it draws her further in toward Him, and toward understanding. But I also see in it an encounter typical of a spiritual nature in Christ: we must face ourselves; all knowledge or mystery includes with it the transformation of who we are, who we know ourselves to be.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." This part of the reading is an expression of a dispute between the Jews and Samaritans. While they also worshiped the God of Israel, they had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim (as opposed to the temple in Jerusalem). Jacob's well is at the foot of Mt. Gerizim. The temple was destroyed by the Jews in 128 B.C. The Samaritans accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch) and also waited for a Messiah, a redeemer. Perhaps Jesus is the Prophet they await (after Moses).

Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews." Jesus begins, in context, to address the dispute among these peoples that she brings up. But He gathers them both in the assertion that worship at a particular site will no longer be an issue. First, however, He asserts the value and truth of the fullness of Jewish spiritual heritage, and the understanding of all the Jewish prophets who spoke of the One who was to come. And through this heritage, Jesus has been born a Jew, also in fulfillment of Scripture. It is through the fullness of such knowledge that we understand who Christ is.

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." Here is the revelation that unites Jew and Samaritan, and all of us who would worship, in a powerful truth: God is Spirit, and God must be worshiped in spirit and in truth. A living reality, among us and with us - not confined to one temple here or there, one church here or there; but living, among us, with us, within us, everywhere present and filling all things. What powerful words to tell us this message: the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God seeks us out - as Jesus seeks her out. This revelation cannot and will not be contained.

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." Jesus' words here reinforce the ever-presence of God, of spiritual reality. Ego eimi in the Greek, "I AM, who speak to you," is literally what Jesus says here. I AM, of course, is the name of God. Its use, according to my study bible, constitutes a theophany, or revelation of God (see Gen. 17:1 and Ex. 3:14). My study bible says, "Jesus reveals Himself to be more than the Mosaic Prophet and more than the Jewish Messiah; indeed, He is the Incarnate God Himself." What we learn here is about the power of the presence of Christ, of God: I AM teaches us the nature of God: ever-present, always with us, and filling all things. Jesus reveals Himself to the Samaritan woman.

It teaches us of the tremendous power of the Spirit at work within us and among us that Jesus would reveal Himself to this Samaritan woman. Misled regarding the importance of where one worships and the disputes thereof, not fully understanding previous Scripture and revelation about the Messiah, and not having lived a necessarily pristine or exceedingly virtuous life in a conventional sense, this woman nevertheless encounters that brilliance of Christ's Presence which is revealed for her. How does this happen except by a God who is ever-present for all of us, for each of us? It illustrates the nature of this relationship. God comes to us where we are, in a private moment, at an unexpected time and place. Jesus is alone with this woman for this tremendous and powerful revelation; and yet, it is recorded for us so that we know it. His disciples are away and no one else is near. How can it be that our God will be there for us when we are ready? We need not be entirely understanding, nor powerful, nor even prepared, but God is always present. I AM is what we encounter. Let us not be unaware, and let us always remember, wherever we are in life, to be prepared for such an encounter in spirit and in truth - "for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

He must increase, but I must decrease

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before Him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthy and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

- John 3:22-36

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught Nicodemus, a Pharisee, after a dialogue about baptism. He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus taught about the desire for everlasting life and its link to faith - what we love and keep within ourselves, what we choose - and its link to the light that has come and shines in the darkness. Today John the Baptist gives his testimony to faith and to the identity of Christ.

After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had not yet been thrown into prison. It's interesting to see that Jesus is baptizing in Judea, and at the same time John the Baptist also continues his ministry of baptism. There is no conflict in this! John continues to prepare all for the Christ and for Jesus' ministry.

Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" We note the disputes that arise, and we recall that reference to "the Jews" in John's Gospel most often indicate the position of the leadership. So we have a set of circumstances here in which decisions about purification are being made. John has been baptizing before Jesus started His public ministry; indeed, it is John the Baptist who has first testified of Jesus' identity, and who has led his disciples to be those who now follow Jesus. John's Gospel has taught us all this before we reach this point. Furthermore, the first reported incident in Judea is Jesus' cleansing of the temple - also a focus on purification. So, purification becomes an all-important concept, a very significant understanding to develop in context of the times and the power of preaching of these men. John's disciples, midst this scenario, come to him and tell him about Jesus' ministry and His success -- and those who are now coming to Jesus for baptism. He must reconcile this question for his own disciples now.

John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but 'I have been sent before Him.'" John the Baptist, in his brilliant example of the great humility of saintly life and those whom we venerate as servants of all, teaches his disciples about the power of God and ministry. His very first statement sets things in a certain context and order. No one has anything unless it is given from above. Just as John has taught about the One who will baptize in Spirit, so it follows that John now teaches about the work of the Spirit in the world, and through whom this baptism in Spirit is operating. He not only bears witness to God's work through Jesus, but also calls upon his own disciples to witness his previous statements of public preaching, that John himself is sent before the Christ.

"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease." The bride, of course, is Israel - the people of God. John the Baptist shares the joy of the fullness coming into Jesus' public ministry. He is the friend of the bridegroom, and he knows that it is now Jesus' ministry that must take priority and precedence. "He must increase, but I must decrease" is perhaps one of the most poignant examples of a statement by a man who is radically committed to truth and to spiritual understanding. His person is not what is important, but rather his person in the work of serving God. That is his great and powerful commitment and why he is both so honored in the Church, and was tremendously revered in his own lifetime as a holy man. This statement also opens up to us a great reality and question: What is the purpose of purification, if it is not to receive the fullness of this salvation?

"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthy and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure." Here John the Baptist, echoing the words of Jesus in His teaching to Nicodemus, testifies to the holy identity of Jesus as Christ. John the Baptist himself has spoken and taught of "earthly things" - of baptism and preparation for the One who was to come. John's words echo the teachings of Jesus to Nicodemus about the earthly and heavenly, and about the One who is sent and therefore has knowledge of heavenly things. But John takes it further and gives us yet another facet of faith: Jesus testifies to what He knows because He is Son and has been sent, but is yet rejected. And in our response to that testimony, we respond to the presence of God - the Father, Son and Spirit. Through His words, we are given the power and energy and reality of all that grace and presence, "for God does not give the Spirit by measure." In so doing, John the Baptist is affirming a kind of cosmic picture of our own importance in this grand scheme of salvation, of saving grace: how we respond to God's presence, through His words, is essential to our understanding of acceptance or rejection of the light in the world. John the Baptist is himself a great player in this vision, carrying his own service and witness as far as he can. We all have our own great roles to play in this vision of God and God's grace at work in us and among us.

"The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." All things are given to the Son - John the Baptist refers his disciples back to their original inquiry, and yet now so much more. "Everyone is coming to Him!" and at the same time, we understand the fullness of the Father's power in Him and of the Spirit as well. It is the Son who will play the central role in this cosmology for our world and our understanding of grace and salvation. As He will be raised up for a sign to eternal life, so our "yes" or "no" determines so much about our experience of that life, and what is to come.

How do you experience your faith? Do we all understand God's grace working through one another, teaching us all, witnessing and powerful? To this day, it is hard to find an understanding of Christ separate from the very real and powerful events that unfold today in our reading in the Gospel. How do we come to God? What role do we choose to play, and what does that have to do not only with our own salvation and the opening to eternal life that is offered, but also with that of others whom we may know? John the Baptist gives his all in the grace and love of God; he turns to his friend, the bridegroom, for whom he will be "best man." Let us understand, then, his invitation to each of us to play our own role in that grand vision of salvation, and our own imitation of him and of those who will come and do the same. Righteousness asks of us to be aware of the power of the roles we play in one another's lives, through the choices we make. Will we be bearers of that grace? John as Forerunner sends his disciples to Christ and gives us the great example he sets for us all. How do we do the same? Do we follow the words that are filled with Spirit so that others may learn through us as well? This is how He asks us to bear witness, in the words that we will be taught later in John's Gospel. "Love one another as I have loved you."