Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:

 "Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
The King of Israel!"

 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey,  sat on it; as it is written:

"Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

- John 12:9-19

Yesterday, we read that the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  It is Passover, the third Passover recorded in John's Gospel, the final year and final week of Jesus' ministry.  Let us note, as does John, that Lazarus has now become a target because of the extraordinary nature of the seventh sign in this Gospel, the raising of Lazarus, and the faith that resulted.  Jesus and Lazarus have become public attractions at the festival in the temple at Jerusalem.

The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem . . .   My study bible says that earlier Jesus had come to Jerusalem in a hidden, private way (7:10).  But now He enters the Holy City publicly.

 "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Hosanna is a liturgical shout which means "save now."  (See Psalm 118:25,26).  The entire Psalm from which this is taken is a Psalm of praise for God's mercy.  It includes another quotation that Jesus uses in confrontation with the leadership:  "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."

 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey,  sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."  My study bible says, "Jesus' deliberate action of riding in on a donkey signifies He is the prophesied Messiah of peace (Zech. 9:9), for kings and military leaders rode on horses or in chariots.  The Triumphal Entry marks a high point in Jesus' ministry as He brings His message to the Holy City and encounters the central authorities.  This event is celebrated on Palm Sunday, an acclamation of the lordship of Christ as King of kings."

His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"  The words of the Pharisees here strangely echo the prophesy made by Caiaphas in his position as high priest earlier, when he suggested that Jesus be put to death.  At that time, he told the leadership:  "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  John tells us that "this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad."  Here, "the whole world has gone after Him!" paraphrases His role as gatherer of the children of God from the whole of the world.

Ironies abound in John's Gospel.  Here, Jesus is welcomed as King and Messiah, but we know what is coming.  And Jesus has repeatedly warned His followers, His disciples, what is to come.  For the moment, the scene is one of a joyful welcoming into Jerusalem.  But those in power have other ideas, and they will do what they will do.  We often wonder in our lives why "bad things happen" to spoil plans, to make a "fly in the ointment."  We get stuck in thinking about "if only" this or that hadn't happened.  But the whole of the Gospel doesn't shrink from the flies in the ointment.  It faces the problems of the world fully and squarely on, and invites us to take stock of the world as it is, not as we wish it would be.  Many people criticize faith as "pie in the sky," or some sort of projection of how we wish things would be or could be.  We take comfort in a God who loves us in a way that is personal and tender, and this becomes fodder for those who would claim that this is simply a desire, a construction, of something we wish were true.  But that cannot be and is not the perspective of the Gospel.  St. Augustine, from whom I've quoted several times through this Gospel's readings, sums it up very perfectly when he points out repeatedly in commentaries that God -- the good -- will use even evil things for good purposes.  And that is looking the world in the face, accepting all that is, and understanding that faith asks of us to trust in this:  that there is a way forward through all things that is the way of faith, the way of the good.  Jesus "marches" triumphantly into Jerusalem, a lowly leader sitting on a young donkey, and those who greet Him do not do so with might and majesty befitting a king, but with joy and what is at hand.  He has no retinue of soldiers and armies, there are no weapons raised in salute to a mighty warrior here, but palm branches instead.  He was and remains supremely human.  The Gospel asks us to look at our own humanity and vulnerability, to make of it what we will, and to accept this place of reliance on God in an imperfect world.  What we are promised is that we, too, follow in His way.  We are called to witness, as imperfect vessels, as children of God.  But in that calling is our highest order, our greatest blessing, to be like Him.

Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always

 And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.  There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."

- John 11:55-12:8

Over the course of the past several readings, we've read about the raising of Lazarus, which is the seventh and final sign in John's Gospel.  (See earlier readings from Saturday,  Monday, and Tuesday.)  Yesterday, we read that many of those from Jerusalem who had come to mourn with Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.  Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?"  Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him.  My study bible explains, "Because Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29), the connection between the Passover and the death of Jesus is important, and John emphasizes it over and again (see 2:13, 23; 6:4; 12:1; 13:1; 18:28, 39; 19:14, 42)."

Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.   My study bible points out that the text gives us the third Passover mentioned in John.  It is the beginning of the last week of Christ's earthly ministry, and all narrated in careful detail.  It tells us, "The time for signs and miracles has passed.  It remains for the Son of Man to be glorified through the completion of His mission (12:23; 13:31; 17:1, 5).   As Passover draws near, the Lord returns to Bethany to spend the Saturday before Palm Sunday at the home of His close friends, Lazarus, Mary and Martha."  .

There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him.  Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.   Lazarus is at table with Jesus, part of His circle, going from the dead to the living.  Once again we note the consistent differences in the Gospels in the character and roles of Martha and Mary.   

But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"  This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial.  For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."  My study bible suggests that the account of the anointing here "contrasts Mary's act of devotion -- the 'extravagance of love' -- with Judas's bitter cynicism.  Anticipating His death, Jesus considers the anointing to be a symbol of preparation of His body for burial."

I'm always struck by Mary's act of devotion, a true expression of love, called here "the extravagance of love."  Did she know what was coming?  We have to go to Mary's character, I think, to understand this better.  Mary is the one who sat at His feet while He was teaching, rather than serve with her sister, about which Martha complained to Jesus.  That was in Luke's Gospel.  In John, we've just read that she sat in mourning inside the house while Martha went out to greet Jesus, in an act of hospitality.  Again in today's reading, Martha serves, while it is Mary who expresses this tremendous act of love and devotion.  We can find love and devotion in serving, certainly, and in hospitality.  We can find love and devotion among His disciples.  None of these things are questioned.  But in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”  Our Savior connects with our love for Him.  Once again, we really have to observe that while every sign or miracle is accompanied by some sort of faith, here faith has deepened into a great, extravagant, act of love.  The greatest mystics have spoken of this love for Christ.  Christ Himself uses the word when He spoke of the greatest commandments:   To love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself.   (It's interesting to note that the word for neighbor means the one who is "nearby.")  If we look at the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke's Gospel, used to illustrate the answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?", we find that it is an act of love that, in fact, defines just who a neighbor is.  Mary's great act of extravagance here shows us much more than her love and devotion to Christ, but is a vivid and living illustration of these greatest commandments.  It shows us what a heart full of love looks like, foolish and extravagant to others, and praised by Christ.  His words teach us again what "good judgment" is, that we can't -- as He's said earlier in John's Gospel -- judge by appearances, but we must judge by the heart.  And so, here Mary reveals her heart, via something she has saved up for the day of His burial, which she chooses to express to Him while He's still with her, even if it means doing so in front of others, and to subject herself to ridicule and criticism.  She breaks the "rules" for love.  Ironically, it's the "rule-keeper" here (Judas) who is the one who will betray Christ, whose behavior is ultimately self-centered (perhaps because of the public rebuke by Jesus in this scene).  It's the judgment of the heart that teaches really how much we love.  Let us remember that Jesus suggests here that with whatever measure we give love, that is the measure of who we are, that this story will be told as memorial to this woman wherever the gospel is preached.  It is her "remembrance" of Him that is expressed, and it becomes the memorial, throughout time, to herself.  So, how do we measure love?  How much is too much?  Consider in what way you invest your love, and how it is returned.  The greatest commandments, and all of Jesus' acts, tell us how love and relationship are entwined in faith, and how that faith grows and blooms in use. 

You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people

Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."  And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish."  Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.

Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. 

- John 11:45-54

For a clear perspective on today's reading, one must include the readings of the past several days.   On Saturday, we read that Jesus was sent for by Mary and Martha, telling Him that Lazarus was ill.  Jesus delayed His trip to Bethany, declaring that "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  In Monday's reading, Jesus reached Bethany and was greeted by Martha and Mary sat in mourning.  Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."  Martha then told Mary that Jesus, "the Teacher," was calling for her and she rose and went out to meet Him.  Yesterday, we read Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."


Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.  Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.  If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."   Those from the temple in Jerusalem who were mourning with Mary speaks to the Pharisees about what has happened at Bethany.  Here, my study bible suggests that the leadership acknowledges Jesus' signs and are concerned that the Romans will intervene militarily if a popular movement around Jesus gains momentum and threatens the established order.

And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.  My study bible tells us:  "Caiaphas, being high priest of Israel, is given through his office the authority to speak prophetically.   Caiaphas means only that the death of Jesus would spare the nation from Roman intervention.  But the greater prophetic meaning of his words is that the death of Jesus will be for the salvation of the Jewish people and many others throughout the world."

Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.  Therefore Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples. Jesus is aware of the plot against Him, and remains, for the time, away from Jerusalem and the leadership.

The leaders decide to get rid of Him, and the reason is simple:  the Romans may believe He is establishing a great kingdom, a movement, and come and take away everything, even the places of the leadership.  Jesus has not preached revolution, He doesn't have an army, but nevertheless Caiaphas speaks in a prophetic capacity because of his office as high priest.  Many commentators historically reflect the note in my study bible, that Caiaphas, in spite of himself and the meaning he perceived, did prophesy truthfully.  Jesus will bring many together, the "children of God" who were scattered abroad, children from "many nations."  Ephraim, the name of the place to which Jesus has withdrawn near desert country, has the meaning of great fruitfulness, applied to an Old Testament figure through whom the meaning was many offspring, descendants of Joseph in Egypt.   A later descendent was Joshua, who would lead Israel into the promised land.   St. Augustine, once again referring to the power of good to use even evil things for good purpose, writes, "We are here taught that the Spirit of prophecy used the agency even of wicked people to foretell the future. The Evangelist, however, attributes this power to the divine sacramental fact that he was pontifex, that is, the high priest" (Tractates on the Gospel of John 49.27.20).   However we may look at it, the ironies abound in our text.  The Romans themselves are seen here by Origen as symbols of the Gentiles who will be brought under one yoke in Christ (as they rule the Gentile world).  Eventually the Romans  will conquer the city, destroying the temple and scattering the people.  Caiaphas' prophecy, made with one intention on his part, will have the opposite effect.  But it seems quite clear that this seventh and final sign in John's Gospel, the raising of Lazarus, is the stupendous act that seals Jesus' fate with the leadership.  He is now gathering followers very close to home:  this one man must die because He, in fact, brought another to life from death.  Ironically it is His death that will bring many, many more into one Church.  Caiaphas' plan that Jesus should die for the nation had the effect desired, but with opposite results.  And ultimately, it comes down to a question of faith:  who are you going to believe?  It becomes a question of whether or not one puts faith in Christ, wherever He is leading, despite one's fears of doubt or loss or outcome.  I think, overall, the way we need to see this text, as it is written, is that Jesus is the pivot point.  Do we follow in faith?  Or do we reject His call?  There are many issues at play here that we could point out:  scapegoating, selfishness, and a rejection of all the good that Jesus has done.  But ultimately, even a prophecy given with "wrong intent" becomes a true prophecy because of the power that is at work here.  In our lives, we may find ourselves in the same place as Caiaphas, powerfully fearing what we have to lose.  But Christ gives birth to a Church, a new family around Himself, one made up of those from every nation, Jew and Gentile.  This new people, this outcome, centers around one thing:  our love for Him. 



 

Jesus wept

 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."  Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."  Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

- John 11:30-44

To properly consider today's reading, we must start with the reading from Saturday, in which Jesus was told that Lazarus was ill, and He delayed His journey to Bethany by two days (see This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it).   Yesterday, we read that when Jesus came there, He found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Marta said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

  Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him.  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."  Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, "Where have you laid him?"  They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."  Jesus wept.   Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"  And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"  My study bible says here, "As true man Jesus shows by example that weeping is the natural human response to death.  As true God He shows compassion upon His creation when the soul is torn from the body."  We once again observe Mary here, and the real love that is between all of these friends.  "The Jews" are the people from Jerusalem, connected with the temple, who are also there to mourn.  They act as a sort of chorus, and remind us of events that are to come in Jerusalem.

Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb.  It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, "Take away the stone."  Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."   A note tells us:  "Jesus comes to the place of burial.  A corpse that has by the fourth day begun to deteriorate is enough reason for Martha's warning.  Embalming was prohibited in Judaism.  The body was simply anointed with spices and other aromatic substances which would keep the stench of decomposition at bay for a time."

Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Jesus refers to His earlier statement to Martha (in yesterday's reading).

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.  And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.  And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."   My study bible says, "Again we see the Evangelist's insistence on relating Jesus' dependence upon the Father for all His works.  Jesus prays for the bystanders, that they may have the insight to see the glory of God in the miracle."

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"   My study bible tells us that this loud cry for everyone to hear is a reminder of Jesus' earlier words in John's Gospel, "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth" (5:28-29).  For context, see The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all the things He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth.  Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  A note here says, "That Lazarus came out bound in his linen graveclothes is interpreted by patristic writers as an indication he will need them once again:  he will eventually die.  The Savior's grave linens, by contrast, were left in the tomb.  He will have no more use for them, for He will never die again."

In yesterday's commentary, we considered Martha and Mary, the two sisters who form such a great part of these recent readings.  I'd like to point out in today's reading the faith of Mary, saying to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."  To me, it implies an absolute faith in the character of Jesus, in His Person and identity.  Leading on from there, we read that "Jesus wept."  He also "groaned in the spirit and was troubled."  "Jesus wept" is notable for being the shortest verse in the bible, and it's also a great occasion because in all of His healing miracles, there are times when we're told that He's moved with compassion (meaning literally in the Greek a deep feeling in the "guts").  In Luke's Gospel, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem as He beholds it from afar, knowing of their rejection and the consequences to come to the city.  But here, Jesus weeps despite the fact of what He is about to do, what is about to occur, an occasion of tremendous glory.  To my way of thinking, this makes this particular occasion quite unique in a particular sense -- and it tells us of His great compassion:  the return of God's love for our love.  The text implies that He's moved by Mary's tears, and the tears of those from Jerusalem who weep with her.  But Mary's absolute faith and love come first in the text.  It's almost as if this extraordinary occasion is manifest because of relationship, the sense in which both faith and love are already present strengthens Christ's response.  We're reminded of the many miracles in which faith plays a part, faith is present first.  But here, John's text tells us something deeper:  that there is more to faith than belief.  The depth of faith is really love.  Perhaps that is the reason why, at the beginning of the chapter, when John is introducing the idea that Lazarus is ill and that Jesus has been sent for, he tells us that Mary is the one "who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick" (see John 11:1-2), even though this event will not be described until the following chapter.  John's Gospel, through this stupendous miracle (the seventh and final sign of the Gospel), opens up to us a world of faith that is something deeper and more potent than belief that is merely an assent to a set of professed ideas.  This faith deepens into love:  Creator for creature and creature for Creator.  And, perhaps even more powerfully, I think it's important to see that our love itself is a part of this dance, and is an energy that deepens and sparks the response of the Creator.  Jesus is moved as a human being, in a bond of love to all of these people, that the mourners from Jerusalem comment on.  But I don't think it's an accident that the obvious depth of love here is extraordinary in the Gospel, even as the miracle itself is the final and most awesome occurrence of the sign of God's presence.  Jesus here is fully human and fully God, but He's also fully a friend in the deepest sense of love.  Let us remember that God responds to our love.

I am the resurrection and the life

 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.  Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.  Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.  Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Marta said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"  She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.

- John 11:17-29

On Saturday, we read that a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

  So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.   We remember that Jesus delayed His trip to Bethany by two days.  My study bible says that there existed a rabbinic opinion that the soul lingered about the body for three days, but from the fourth day on there was no hope of resuscitation.

Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away.  And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother.   My study bible tells us that "official mourning began on the same day as death and burial (immediate burial was necessary in warm climates).  Weeping and wailing lasted three days; lamentation lasted the rest of the week; general mourning lasted 30 days following death.  During this time mourners constantly came and went from the home of the deceased."  Here, the text indicates that this family is prominent enough so that many in the religious leadership have joined in their mourning.

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.   A note here reads:  "Not unlike the incident of Luke 10:38-42, the two sisters react differently to what occurs.  As the one busily responsible for the duties of hospitality, Martha heads out to meet Jesus, while Mary remains at home.  sitting is the correct posture when mourning and greeting mourners (see Job 2:8, 13; Ezek. 8:14)."

Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."  Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."  Marta said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?"   A note says, "Your brother will rise again is misunderstood by Martha as indicating the final resurrection.  Thus Jesus declares, I am the resurrection the life.  Whoever believes in Christ already has eternal life and therefore shall never die spiritually."  As is typical of John's Gospel, a misunderstanding due to common perception develops into an opening for Jesus to reveal yet more truth about Himself.

She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."  And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you."  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him.  Martha, the sister of hospitality who went out to Jesus, confesses her faith.  In her own way, Mary, who is sitting in the house in mourning, immediately responds to Jesus' command.  If we think about these two sisters, we can see different ways that we go about living our faith.  These sisters are often pointed out as being "two ways to God."  Often, for women themselves, these two sisters exemplify different ways of being Christian, one for the extrovert (Martha) and one for the introvert, Mary.  In still other ways we find Martha and Mary becoming icons for different ways of serving the Church, depending upon temperament.  Martha is always the one in charge of hospitality:  in Luke's Gospel, she's serving, while Mary is sitting at Jesus' feet.  Here in today's reading, she's the one who goes out to greet Jesus as He comes as guest to their house, while Mary is sitting inside mourning their brother.   Some might contrast the two sisters by labeling Martha as the example of  active works while Mary is the one who prays, a more contemplative character.  In Luke's story, Mary is praised by Jesus as the one who chose "the better part" while Martha is "distracted" by the many things concerning her good works.  In either case we find two women who are both loved by Jesus and who are both faithful.  I find it interesting though that there is something in common in both stories regarding the actions of the two women.  In Luke, Mary sits at Jesus' feet listening to His word (presumably with the rest of the disciples), and Jesus said she has chosen the better part, the one thing needful.  While Martha is actively going about the duties of hospitality (serving the guests), she complains that her sister isn't helping her.  Mary awaits Jesus' word (again in sitting position, we note), while Martha actively is reaching out, through duty, but in so doing, encounters Jesus' word for her.  Both come to His word, His teaching:  one in correction, and the other in receiving as a student or disciple.  In today's reading, it is Martha who reaches out again in the duties of hospitality, receiving a guest, albeit a beloved and highly respected one.  In so doing, although she initially misunderstands in the common perception of the time, she is instructed by Christ.  As Mary sits inside in customary mourning, she also responds immediately when the word or command of Christ comes to her -- and again, it comes to her as from the "Teacher."   In some very subtle way, the text seems to be saying that either way, it's Christ's word that comes to us.  Whether we are at prayer awaiting His word, or we are reaching out in some way with a dutiful kind of a work, Christ's word, the word of the Teacher will come to us to instruct.  Mary, perhaps, in Luke's version, chose "the better part" as Jesus said.  But both receive His instruction and teaching.  The important part here that illuminates this text for us is Martha's confession of faith, while Mary, perhaps, already believes.  In the next chapter, we shall read about Mary's extraordinary faith in her act of love.  Let us remember that the Holy Spirit has room for each one of us in our uniqueness.  As unique personalities, each created by God, we come to Christ one way or the other, but we are united in our faith, in our relationship to Him.  He calls us as we are.

This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it

 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"  Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."

- John 11:1-16

The events of yesterday's reading took place at yet another Festival, this time the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah), for which Jesus was again at the temple in Jerusalem (see Thursday's reading and commentary, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me).   After Jesus told them, "I and My Father are one," the religious leadership took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

  Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."  When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."    Here begins the account of Jesus' seventh and last sign in John's Gospel.  My study bible says that the account of the raising of Lazarus (beginning in today's and over the course of the next few lectionary readings) "exemplifies the truth that Christ is the resurrection and the life (v. 25).   This miracle . . . [is] the sign which sealed the decision of the Jewish authorities to put Jesus to death.  Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about 2 miles from Jerusalem.  Lazarus is the same  name as Eleazar (lit. 'God helps')."  It also notes that the Evangelist assumes that the reader already knows about Mary's anointing of Jesus which is actually told in the following chapter.  As with the man blind from birth, this sad state will be an occasion for the glory of God, Father and Son.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.  Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again."  The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?"   Jesus' waits two more days before beginning the journey toward Bethany.  This will assure that there can be no doubt of Lazarus' death, which, as my study bible puts it, "will underscore the magnitude of the miracle."   His disciples remind Jesus that His death is sought by the leadership in the temple, as we read in yesterday's reading regarding events at the Feast of Dedication.  Bethany, where Lazarus and his sisters are, is in Judea, near to Jerusalem.

 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?  If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.  But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him."  These words take us back (once again) to Jesus' teaching before He healed the man blind from birth:  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up."  Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well."  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  My study bible notes that sleep is often used to signify death (Acts 7:60: 1 Cor. 15:6). 

However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.  Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.  Nevertheless let us go to him."  Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."   A note here reads, "Thomas, if not with full understanding, speaks the truth:  dying with Christ, in baptism and sometimes in martyrdom, will become the seal of Christian discipleship."

Today's reading speaks about the glorification of God.  If we look up this Greek word for glory here (δοξα/doksa) we find several meanings that reflect upon one another to add to our understanding.  Among other things, this word means something that "evokes good opinion," or honor, or renown.  It can also mean "splendor."  In the Old Testament, the word used for glory is "kabo" - to be "heavy," suggesting a substance added to something, a depth of  intrinsic worth that doesn't necessarily meet the eye, a value (as in the weighing of a precious metal).  In the Greek, we also have an understanding of this word for glory which reflects light, as in splendor:  brightness, such as that of the stars and planets in the night sky.  So we get a depth of meaning when Jesus suggests that the death of Lazarus, which is not to be permanent, is for the "glory of God"  (of both the Father and the Son).   The events that follow will add depth:  glory, meaning, understanding, illumination.  Tied in with this illumination is testimony, witnessing.  And there, we have to go back to the previous sign, and look once again at the healing of the man blind from birth, about whom Jesus said that his blindness was not the result of sin, but "so that the works of God may be revealed in him."  When Jesus also states there that "I am the light of the world," He gives connotation between glory and witnessing.  To witness truly is to add light to something, to reflect light, to illumine -- and to add depth, meaning, and good opinion.  If we think about the oath administered to the formerly blind man by the Pharisees when they ask him about Jesus, we'll see a full circle:  "Give God the glory!"   John's Gospel ties in the themes of glory, light, illumination, and witnessing.  That is, true witnessing.  The works He does, the works of God, are the true witnesses to who Jesus is, as He has repeatedly insisted to the authorities.  When we choose to do our best to "walk in the day" and to "walk in the light" we must accept that we, too, are seeking to witness, to give God the glory.  When we seek to reflect His light, to "let our light so shine before men," we also are giving testimony, weight, reflection, renown, and good opinion to God.  Thereby, all of our lives, every moment, can become an occasion for witnessing, for glory, for the illumination of light and the "adding to" of meaning and value of God's kingdom, of God.  As disciples, this is how and why we seek to live in that light, as reflection of that light.  Let us remember something incredibly important:  the final two signs in John's Gospel occur on occasions of deep sadness and loss -- that of a man's blindness from birth, and the death of Jesus' very dear friend Lazarus.  In an earlier reading, we cited St. Augustine writing about the betrayal of Judas:  "Yet our Lord made a good use of [Judas'] wickedness, allowing himself to be betrayed so that he might redeem us.… If God employs the evil works of the devil himself for good, whatever the evil person does by making bad use of God’s good gifts only hurts himself. It in no way contradicts the goodness of God"  (Tractates on the Gospel of John 27.10.44).   Here, we can once again cite Augustine's thoughts and note how the glory of God in this Gospel comes especially on the occasion of tragic events.  Let us remember that every occasion of our lives can be one for witnessing in the way we respond and move through and turn to Christ.  In this way truly our lives become a testimony adding glory to God, reflecting light and value (or to put it another way, light and salt).  We remember the testimony of St. Paul:  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV).  Let us remember this through everything we think is "less than" or "imperfect."  It is the hope in every loss.  It's the blessing of the Beatitudes.  It is the great paradox of the fullness of the Gospel.  It is our message from the Cross, His Way.  This is the true way of Resurrection.

I said, "You are gods"

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?  If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.

And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were true."  And many believed in Him there.

- John 10:31-42

Yesterday, we read that, after the events of the Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkot (John chapters 7, 8 and 9), the healing of the man blind from birth, and Jesus' expression of Himself as the Good Shepherd, there was a division again among the leadership in the temple.  They have tried to arrest Him twice and continue to question Him.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   Several months later,  it was the Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, on Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.   I and My Father are one."

 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.  Jesus answered them, "Many good works I have shown you from My Father.  For which of those works do you stone Me?"  The Jews answered Him, saying, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God."  My study bible says here that in response to the leadership's question (and here we remember that "the Jews" is a term used to denote the religious leadership), Jesus reveals Himself here as fully God (I and My Father are one).   It says that "one means one in nature.  He was God before the Incarnation, and He remains fully God after that union of God and man in His one Person.  The verb are indicates the Father and the Son are two Persons.  They are always distinct, but united in essence, will and action.  Jesus' bold claim causes a violent reaction"  they attempt to stone Him, accusing Him of blasphemy."

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"?  If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?"   My study bible quotes St. John Chrysostom's commentary here:  "If those who have received this honor by grace are not found with fault for calling themselves gods, how can He who has this by nature deserve to be rebuked?"   Jesus is quoting from Psalm 82:6.  The psalm is one whose topic is injustice, and the blindness of those who judge unjustly in "the congregation of the mighty."

"If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."  Therefore they sought again to seize Him, but He escaped out of their hand.  And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.  Then many came to Him and said, "John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this man were true."  And many believed in Him there.  Again, Jesus turns to witnessing, who and what are His witnesses?  True to His teaching, He gives His own "fruits" as the way to know Him:  His works.  Are they not the works of the Father, such as healing a man who was blind from birth?  (See readings from Monday and Tuesday.)  Jesus once again goes away from Jerusalem, to the place where John the Baptist was first ministering in baptism, preaching repentance for the preparation of the coming of the Messiah.  And we see an example of faith here:  although John himself performed no sign, people believe what he said about Jesus.  Away from Jerusalem, those who listened to John have faith in Jesus.  Once again, the author of this Gospel is very careful to note the myriad divisions among the people about Jesus, believers and non-believers.  Not even the leadership is united in its opinion about Him.

If we look carefully at the Psalm from which Jesus quotes here, it's a very powerful thing.  We look carefully at Psalm 82, and it tells us that God stands in the congregation of the mighty ones, and judges among the gods.  But these gods practice injustice and they are not judging correctly.  They walk in darkness.  They do not provide justice for the outsiders:   the poor and the fatherless, the afflicted and the needy.  They do not "free them from the hand of the wicked."   Jesus' particular quotation from verse 6 is a reminder that “you are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”   It's a warning about judgment leading to Judgment.  While we are created in the image and likeness of God, our ungodly behavior, our practice of unjust judgment must necessarily lead to God's judgment.  The "princes" here are the "princes" of this world.  In some potently ironic sense, these men standing in judgment of Jesus are acting as gods who would judge God.  Jesus knows they are on a road of deepening darkness, as the psalm indicates (They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable).  They are walking toward the practice of an extreme injustice, and they don't understand what they're doing nor the consequences of their judgment.  But Jesus is perfectly aware of what is happening, and of what is going to happen.  Scripture echoes Scripture here, in a mirrored reflection of what is truly happening, what He's here for, and of the results of His revelation in the world.  We're reminded of His teachings.  From the Sermon on the Mount, we read: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you."  In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us (speaking to  the Pharisees):  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (7:24).   Let us remember that we've been told,  "You are gods."   But the practice of godly behavior has everything to do with light and salt, and righteous judgment.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, on Solomon's porch.  Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.   I and My Father are one."

- John 10:19-30

Throughout chapters 7 and 8, Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem at the Feast of Tabernacles (see readings from Friday, February 7 through Saturday, February 15).  As He passed out of the temple (and avoided being stoned), He met and healed a man blind from birth (see What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes? and For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind).  Yesterday, Jesus continued speaking with the Pharisees who questioned Him:  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. Then Jesus spoke to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

 Therefore there was a division again among the Jews because of these sayings.  And many of them said, "He has a demon and is mad.  Why do you listen to Him?"  Others said, "These are not the words of one who has a demon.  Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?"   Again, we must note the divisions expressed in the text.  While the term "the Jews" is used to denote the religious leadership, what John's Gospel is telling us here is not all of these leaders are in agreement with one another.  They are divided over Jesus.  There are those who are trying to truly examine what is happening here.

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.  And Jesus walked in the temple, on Solomon's porch.  This next section of John's Gospel takes place at another festival.  My study bible says, "This encounter with the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem takes place approximately three months after the Feast of Tabernacles (chs. 7-9).  The occasion of Christ's presence in Jerusalem is again a religious festival, the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah), the festival of lights.   This Feast commemorates the rededication of the temple to the God of Israel after the Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the temple in 167 B.C. (see 1 Macc. 1-4).  The leaders of Israel's past are commemorated, many of whom were literal shepherds."

Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt?  If You are the Christ, tell us plainly."  Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.   I and My Father are one."  Again, we see the importance here of witnessing, as Jesus has done by offering several witnesses to His ministry in other parts of John.  Once again, He cites the works (or signs) He's given as witnesses to His identity.  He then refers back to His previous speech to them, in which He spoke of His sheep, and the recognition in them:  My sheep hear My voice.   They don't hear Him.  They don't recognize Him.  His sheep are given Him by the Father.  In the final statement here, "I and My Father are One," He clearly declares Himself.

The religious authorities seem to be waiting for some stupendous sign, some proof that will give Jesus an absolute right to call Himself Messiah.  It's perhaps a question of force they're waiting for.  But Jesus does none of that; instead, the things He offers as witness to His identity are the works He does in the course of ministry.  Healing a man blind since birth is a stupendous sign, something these experts in Scripture should understand.  But I think His emphasis on the works themselves that speak for Him, and also the sheep who know His voice tells us that they simply aren't ever going to come to any recognition at all -- and furthermore, nothing in His ministry speaks of force.  And this is the true sense we get here about Jesus.  He wants volunteers, He wants the sheep who know His voice.  There is something deep within the sheep that responds to Him, and this is what He is looking for.  This is how He knows His sheep:  they know Him, and they know His voice.  Nothing will happen by force.  For whatever reason, the authorities do not want to hear His declaration, "I and My Father are one."  A plain statement is not what they are looking for.  It's as if they want proof by force, proof that requires none of their faith, proof that leaves them out of any assent.  But Jesus wants the sheep who know Him and love Him.  He wants the sheep that are given to Him by the Father.  He wants a response of love to love.  No matter how we read the text, this is what we are going to find, and this is what we are going to come to over and over and over.  There is one force ruling this universe:  it is a God of love who wants us to respond in love.   "My sheep hear My voice."

I am the good shepherd

 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 

Then Jesus spoke to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.  And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.  Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."

- John 10:1-18

Over the past two days, we've read the story of the sixth miracle or sign in John's Gospel, that of healing a man who was blind since birth.  Through chapters 7 and 8, we read about the events at the Feast of Tabernacles, in which Jesus was also in confrontation with the Pharisees.  On Monday, we read of Jesus' healing of the blind man; see What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?  Yesterday, we read the leadership did not believe that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."

  "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.  But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."  Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.  Of today's reading, my study bible says, "This parable of salvation uses the symbolism of the shepherd and his flock."  It notes that this is the Gospel reading in the Orthodox Church on the days the Church honors her true bishops and theologians.  Here, in conversation that continues from the previous chapter and the episode of the healing of the man blind from birth, Jesus tells the Pharisees that they, rather than the blind man, are alienated from God.  My study bible says that Jesus' message to them in today's reading is that "they are blind, and false shepherds of God's people."

Then Jesus spoke to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep."  My study bible tells us, "In calling Himself the door, Jesus signifies He will bring His flock into an enclosed sheepfold with a central gate.  Normally a hired guard would tend the gate while the shepherds rested through the night.  But Jesus is the tireless Shepherd, always guarding the entrance.  No one can enter except by way of Him."

"All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy."  A note says, "The thief -- the devil -- steals, kills and destroys the virtues of Christian life and lays waste those who follow his heresies.  Life more abundantly is the life of God's Kingdom, offered us by Christ Himself (see Ps. 23:5)."

"I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep."  My study bible says, "This is a prophecy of Jesus' impending death, through which his people are to be reconciled to God the Father.  The good shepherd, Christ, and His under-shepherds look after the sheep even to the point of giving their lives for them."

"But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep."  A note here tells us that "the hireling, the non-committed religious leader, is contrasted with the shepherd, who considers the sheep his own.  The hired hand looks primarily after himself."

"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd."  My study bible says, "Other sheep are the Gentiles, who will be brought into the one flock under the one shepherd.  Hence, the Church cannot e divided along denominational, ethnic, cultural or family lines."

"Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."   Jesus' death clearly will be voluntary.  My study bible tells us that He does nothing apart from the authority of His Father.  It says, "If we seek to experience God's love and His power, we do so as Christ Himself does; by obeying willingly the Father's commands.  As He laid down His life for us, we lay down our lives for Him, willingly and out of love."

There are some things we can see from this talk about the Good Shepherd, some things that define for us who Christ is, really.  We notice that He never falls back upon His own authority here; it's not just because He is Son.  No, Jesus is the door because, first of all, His voice is something that characterizes Him -- and it's characterized by the fact that His sheep know His voice.  This is perhaps one of the most powerful statements in all the Gospel.  Christ's power as the door isn't because of some material kind of a force, it isn't because of some kind of power or authority such as we can imagine belong to kings or officials of states.  Christ's power or position as door comes precisely because of the loyalty and love of the sheep.  "My sheep hear My voice."  Whatever else we may say about Christ, His majesty or glory, or authority, or Sonship, this characterization of the Good Shepherd speaks to us of a depth of love and loyalty, something far more profound and even harder to grasp, in some sense, than authority and power.  The blind man who's been healed is an example of one of those sheep, who has given testimony and been thrown out of the temple.  Jesus says, "All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them," another validation of the power of the hearts of the sheep, and Whose voice it is they truly respond to.  He tells them, "The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. "  Here we get to a deeper element of faith:  that of trust (which is the true root meaning of faith or belief in the original Greek pistis/πιστις).   Again, Jesus contrasts the experience of the hireling with that of the true shepherd:  "I know My sheep, and am known by My own."  And, beyond these things, Jesus has yet more sheep, not of this fold, which He will bring in, who will know His voice.  Moreover, the final power, the final act of love, will be that He is willing to lay down His life for the sheep.  In light of this, the following statement becomes even more potent:  "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This command I have received from My Father."  In a truly existential act, Jesus will lay down His life and He will take it up again.  This is the final statement here, and it is the one in which He finally reveals and states His own power, His own authority.  But, as always, it is tied to the Father and His relationship to the Father.  In fact, however, the most striking thing of all is that this great act is not one of awesome, fearsome power, but one of tremendous love.  Jesus' crucifixion is an act of tremendously overwhelming love, clothed in total humility so there can be no mistake at all in its real intent.  There are no trappings of authority in the Cross, there will be no air of kingly majesty but rather the effects of humiliation and mockery.  Stripped down to the core root meaning of this self-sacrifice, there can be no mistaking that what we are left with is love.  And this is the great moving force of John's Gospel.  It is the whole meaning of the Good Shepherd.  If we lose that, we fail to understand Him at all.

For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind

But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."  He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."

- John 9:18-41

Through chapters 7 and 8 of John's Gospel, Jesus has been at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, an autumn feast commemorating the time Israel lived in tabernacles (or tents), sometimes also called booths.  Linking events at the Festival, Jesus has taught that He is the "light of life" and also about the "rivers of living water" that would flow from believer's hearts.  For the earlier readings concerning events at this festival, see readings from Friday, February 7 through Saturday, February 15.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus had passed out of the temple, hidden, avoiding being stoned by the Pharisees for stating, "Before Abraham was, I AM."   Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.  I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.  And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent).  So he went and washed, and came back seeing.  Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  Some said, "This is he."  Others said, "He is like him."  He said, "I am he."  Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?"  He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.'  So I went and washed, and I received sight."  Then they said to him, "Where is He?"  He said, "I do not know."  They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees.  Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.  Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight.  He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see."  Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath."  Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?"  And there was a division among them.  They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?"  He said, "He is a prophet."

 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight.  And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind?  How then does he now see?"  My study bible points out that the Jewish authorities (and we know that all the Pharisees are not in total agreement at this point) try to discredit this miracle or sixth sign in John's Gospel by denying that this man was blind from birth.  His parents are called in, even though the age of legal responsibility was 13.

His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know.  He is of age; ask him.  He will speak for himself."  His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.  Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him."  We remember that the term "the Jews" is used to denote the religious leadership; in this case those who have already sought to have Jesus arrested.

So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory!  We know that this Man is a sinner."   My study bible says, "With Jesus not present, the Pharisees harshly call Him a sinner -- but earlier when Jesus asked them face-to-face, 'Which of you convicts Me of sin?' (8:46), they answered by evading the question.  Give God the glory is an oath formula, used before giving testimony or before confessing guilt.  Ironically, the formerly blind man will indeed give glory to God.  The more he is pressed, the more tenacious he becomes in his belief."

He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you?  How did He open your eyes?"  He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen.  Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you also want to become His disciples?"  Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples.  We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from."  The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!  Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.  Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?"  And they cast him out.    Here we see the sort of typical progression of John's Gospel, with people in some sense speaking at cross purposes, but in the course of the conversation, revealing more.  Here the formerly blind man is witnessing, he's giving testimony.  His simple and honest answers just serve to infuriate the Pharisees more.  Again, there's the emphasis on a question asked by some in the leadership (in yesterday's reading):  How can someone who's a sinner do such things?  The leadership end by not only slurring Jesus, but also this man himself.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshiped Him.  And Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, "Are we blind also?"  Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.'  Therefore your sin remains."  My study bible tells us, "Having opened the blind man's eyes, Jesus also opens the eyes of his heart, offering spiritual illumination.  The man, 'seeing' the divinity of the Son of Man, worshiped Him (v. 38).  Jesus' coming brought judgment (v. 39) by increasing the accountability of those who saw and heard Him, but did not believe.  The brilliance of Christ's light becomes an illumination to some, but a blinding glare to others (v. 41)."

I think it's interesting to take a look at the witnessing of the man who is formerly blind, who is healed by Jesus.  We first of all find that it's just this one who has had the experience who can truly witness.  Not only do his parents refuse to say anything about his healing, all they can (or are willing to) speak of is his blindness.  This they know.  Out of fear, they won't say anything more.  In some sense, that's the man's first abandonment.  His own parents, out of fear of the religious authorities, won't speak for him.  He's on his own.  When he does witness, his statements are complete and simple.  It begins with a simple statement of fact, what he knows, what he's experienced.  When the leadership slanders Jesus, he won't take up their lead, he sticks to what he knows:  "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know.  One thing I know:  that though I was blind, now I see."  When they repeatedly ask him the same question, he says the obvious, "Why do you want to hear it again?  Do you want to become His disciples?"  These simple questions polarize the leadership, and they revile the man himself.  He finally tells them, "Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.  If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."  Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.  His honest and straightforwardly simple answers -- so simple, in fact, they may be taken merely for statements of the obvious -- get him thrown out of the temple.  But then something else happens, and Jesus finds him.  And then testimony leads to more, to real faith, to a relationship with Christ and the understanding of just who Jesus really is.  In the meantime, those who refuse to acknowledge the reality of Jesus and what He has done become even more polarized.  The divisions are important, because what we see here is the reality of a revelation:  it sets us up to make a choice.  I don't think that we can forget that this choice comes from the depth of the heart and it depends on what we put first within ourselves, what we truly love the most.  Jesus says, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind."  God will ask us to open up our eyes and take that journey, more deeply into the heart, more truly into the places where we need to accept what He's offering.  Like this scene here, we may find ourselves polarized internally.  What we know, or think we know, what we already have, may pull us in one direction -- especially if it involves the kind of "glory we receive from one another."  But then there's the knowing that comes from the experience of encounter, from the good fruits produced by the good tree.  It is the experience that makes the difference, the simple fact we stick to.  And we will find that this leads to a deeper relationship, further along the road, His Way.  It might mean separation from those who can't accept it, who are certain they know better.  But nothing transforms the way the experience does, nothing produces spiritual fruits the same way, and these things we will know about ourselves.  But it may mean we encounter the blindness, and even the outrage, in others.