If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead

 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'  Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

 - Luke 16:19-31

Yesterday, we read that Jesus taught, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?   And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.  Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." 

 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."    We remember that in this sequence of parables taught by Jesus, He's responding to criticism from the Pharisees and scribes that He eats and spends time in the company of sinners.  Jesus first taught the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin in response, expressing the joy of God and the angels in heaven at the return of one sinner.  Next He told the brilliant parable of the Prodigal Son, not only expressing the "Father's joy" at the return of the son who was lost to him, but also examining the resentment of the elder son who had never strayed.  To His disciples He taught the parable of the Unjust Steward, who was able to "make friends" through forgiveness by unrighteous mammon and thus please his master by settling.  In yesterday's reading, above, He taught what it was to be truly righteous, and that there is no circumstance in which the choice between what pleases God, and what seems to be in favor of "mammon" or whatever one treasures in this world, is always "on" -- the righteousness of God (and the Law) applies at all times.   So the Pharisees receive from Jesus a teaching about righteousness that, in fact, surpasses their own.  Now in these final verses of chapter 16, Jesus gives this parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.   We note the image of the poor beggar who hopes even for crumbs from the rich man's table, echoing the words of the righteous Syrophoenician woman, who used a similar expression in pleading with Christ.  She spoke of the "little dogs" under the table, but here it is the large dogs of the street who lick the sores of poor Lazarus, a fate as undistinguished and perhaps horrific as possible in this Middle Eastern setting.

"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried."  My study bible tells us that Abraham's bosom means heaven.  Abraham is included here among the righteous because he's in stark contrast to the rich man.  Abraham showed hospitality to strangers in Genesis 18:1-8.   According to commentary of the Fathers, that the rich man  . . . was buried is an illustration of the mercilessness of his soul, buried by the pleasures of the flesh.  John Chrysostom has commented that he was already buried by his life of "couches, rugs, furnishings, sweet oils, perfumes, large quantities of wine, varieties of foods, and flatterers."  That the rich man is unnamed means that he is ultimately forgotten (Psalm 9:6).

"Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' "  My study bible suggests that the rich man's appeal to Abraham as spiritual father isn't rejected; instead, Abraham accepts this role and calls the rich man son, showing himself to be compassionate even towards the most wretched of men.     A notes says, "The great gulf is not a geographical divide, but the complete separation between virtue and wickedness, a separation that cannot be overcome after death.  Note that torments have not changed the rich man's heart, as he still sees Lazarus as a servant existing for the sake of his own comfort."   And what we really need to see taught to us in this parable is the thorough and present reality of the communion of saints.  A man, not even a believer, calls out from Hades and converses with Saint Abraham!  Neither time nor space, nor even the differences between them separates Abraham from communication with the rich man.

"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "    My study bible tells us that some Church Fathers see this parable as being set after the final judgment, as punishment and reward are received by the two men simultaneously.  Others see it as being set after death but before Christ's second coming, since the man intercedes on behalf of his still living brothers.  My study bible says that the torment the rich man is experiencing is a foretaste of his final state.  From the perspective disclosed in this parable, we learn that souls of the departed have awareness of and concern for the state of those still alive in the world (see Luke 9:30-31, 2 Maccabees 15:12-16; Matthew 2:18).  But it also indicates that the intercessions the wicked are heard but avail nothing (contrast this to the "prayer of a righteous mam" in James 5:16).

It's interesting to think about what this parable teaches us about Judgment.  Whatever we might construe about it, the things my study bible tells us about communion of the saints (and communication with those who weren't exactly "saints"), the timeless and spaceless nature of the afterlife (the rich man freely communicates with Abraham across whatever gulf divides them and also regardless of when both lived in the world), and the "torment" of someone who failed to think seriously about righteousness in his lifetime (or possibly afterward as well, as my study bible pointed out), somehow all have to make an impression upon us to think about.  Let's remember Jesus was addressing not only disciples but also His critics among the Pharisees and scribes, and particularly making a point about righteousness even when dealing with "unrighteous mammon" (the things the world treasures).  Apparently this rich man spent all his time indulging himself without the slightest thought to caring about what went on outside of his doors.  He neither seemed to listen to Scriptures nor pay much mind to anything but himself and his life.  Now, we have to ask ourselves what "torment" means when someone is in a place where the common understanding of limitations of time and space don't apply.  Surely this isn't about bodily torment.  He's tormented in a "flame."  But once again, as we've done before in commentary, we have to examine what a "flame" can mean.  Flames aren't always negative things in Scripture; in fact, far from it.  A flame represents the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (in the tongues of fire), and God appeared to Moses in the burning bush (when Moses was told the name I AM WHO I AM).  What we can conclude from this is that where God is so fully present, God's righteous energy is tormenting to those who resist, who cannot behold and live with that flame, and that this, somehow, is the great gulf between those who love God and those who don't.  My study bible importantly points out that this man still seems not to have repented or changed his heart; he just cares about "his own" (his brothers) and wants to send them a warning.  But as Abraham replies, they have Moses and the prophets, and even if one rose the dead to warn them, they still wouldn't pay attention.  It teaches us about "hardheartedness," and what it is to not have "ears to hear."  To we who know of of His Resurrection, this one that may rise from the dead is understood as Christ.    That parable, in this context, works as a warning about being "choked by the cares and things of the world" as in the parable of the Sower.  It's not about shame or guilt but rather about our own complacency and a form of self-righteousness that isn't aware of the need to grow in this world, that our lives here are for something more than just self-satisfaction, that we are meant to become "like Him" as best we can, and most importantly, that like Moses and the righteous who've come before us, we want to be prepared to stand before that fire, on holy ground, to the best of our ability.  Let us consider the things we put off, what we shut our inner "ears" to, where our real treasure is.  Time, in this world, is precious.  Let's invite the flame into our lives to teach us, shape us, and help us grow to awareness of holiness.

You cannot serve God and mammon

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?   And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

- Luke 16:10-17,18

Yesterday, we read that Jesus also taught His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."


 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?   And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  My study bible says that the test as to whether God will bestow heavenly blessings (true riches) on someone is directly related to how one spends one's money.  What we consider our own is actually another man's, that is, belonging to God, or at least to the poor.   By tradition, my study bible says the Father's universally see a person's failure to give money to God's work as stealing.  It quotes Theophylact of Bulgaria as saying this is "nothing less than embezzlement of money belonging to someone else."  In this context, Jesus' words that no servant can serve two masters can be understood as saying that even in the realm of "riches" (mammon), it's God's law that must prevail in the ways in which we use all our resources.

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."  My study bible suggests that the things which are highly esteemed among men include money, power, position, and praise.

"The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."  My study bible explains that Jesus fulfills the Law in Himself, in His words, and in His actions.  He performs God's will in all its fullness (Matthew 3:15), and transgresses none of its precepts (John 8:46; 14:30).  Here He declares the perfect fulfillment of the Law which He's about to deliver, and grants righteousness to us, which is the goal of the Law (Romans 3:31; 8:3-4; 10:4).  Jesus fulfills the Prophets by both being and carrying out what they have foretold. 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."  My study bible tells us that under Mosaic Law it was easy for a man to divorce a woman; Jesus repeatedly condemns this practice because of its misuse and the kind of hardship it conveyed upon women (who could not divorce, and had no likely means of support nor social standing aside from marriage).  In this context, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes the eternal nature of marriage and its holiness.  This is a bond of love and care, and in that context it fits rightly into the rest of the themes of today's reading.   Our readings on this consistent subject (of righteousness and the Law) began when Jesus was criticized by scribes and Pharisees for eating with and spending time in the company of sinners.   Different schools of the Pharisees at the time of Jesus were divided on divorce; some followed a more stringent rule that suggested divorce should only be given on the grounds of sexual immorality, while others for any reason.  What that suggests is that here, consistent with all of His teachings in the past few readings on the subject of righteousness in our every day dealings, Jesus is giving a rather strict interpretation of the Law on the subject of divorce.  In so doing, He's perhaps calling out the Pharisees on their own hypocrisy in this respect, after He's been criticized for time spent with sinners.  He's effectively insisting on the righteousness of His ministry.

The consistent theme in our readings is Jesus' expression of righteousness in all things.  He doesn't defy the Law, He embodies the Law.  He clearly states that not only is His Kingdom one of righteousness, but it is also one of lawfulness.  His consistent theme is that the law of God, of righteousness, surpasses all things, no matter what we're doing and no matter what the subject.  If our subject is on the management of a company or a household, Christ gives us a parable (in yesterday's reading) in which shrewd dealing means a "forgiveness" of debts in order to come to terms and settle.  If you think about it, this is good judgment in all kinds of ways, and in the practice of law, a good settlement does just that:  puts an end to costly strife and makes a peace.  But Jesus says this kind of behavior applies on levels and terms of righteousness; it's not just shrewd business dealing, it's "good dealing."  To save sinners and to be joyful like the angels when one repents and returns to the kingdom of God is righteousness behavior.  It's a righteous attitude.  To hold marriage as sacred and to take vows of commitment seriously is righteousness; it's all in how one holds the value of relationships and other human beings.  It's God-like to rejoice over one who has been restored to you, who was lost and is found again, who was dead and is alive again.   So the laws of God apply in any and all situations; it's always up to us to be trustworthy in the "little" so that we are trustworthy in the greater.  All the ambitions of pride, of place, of status, mean nothing in the court of God.  What really means something is the law of the gospel message, the righteousness of the Kingdom.  It applies everywhere. 

I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home

He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

- Luke 16:1-9

 Yesterday, we read that  Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  Then Jesus told two parables which we read in Tuesday's reading:  one of the lost sheep and the other of the necklace.  See I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.   Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants." '  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "

He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, "What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'   So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."  My study bible notes of today's entire reading that a steward is responsible for managing his master's property and looking after the welfare of his master's servants.  It says that the point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God.  This is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death -- "when you fail"  -- the needy will welcome their benefactors into the everlasting home.

I think it's important to remember that Jesus is still addressing the criticisms of the scribes and Pharisees, but now He's speaking to His own disciples.  He has spoken so far three parables:  the first two told of the great love of God the Father, and the rejoicing in in heaven over one lost sinner.  The third told us about how our joy must also be when sinners find the gospel message, and join in this joy and love.  The parable of the Prodigal Son (yesterday's reading) is a beautiful illustration both of God's love, but also addresses that "older brother" who is perhaps in the role of the Pharisees and scribes who criticize that Jesus eats with sinners.  It's a hint about jealousy there in the story.  But today's reading takes another sort of turn, telling us about helping those who owe us.  Let's assume that, as in other examples throughout the gospels, this story of debts is really about sins.  That is, there are those whose imperfect lives somehow make them indebted.  Jesus uses "debts" as an analogy for sins in the Lord's Prayer, when He teaches us to pray, " Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us."   What we could say, therefore, is that this is a message to the righteous (or perhaps we could even say the "self-righteous") about forgiveness and mercy.  It may be a teaching to His own disciples about forgiveness of sins in the Church, in contrast to the Pharisees.   It's a kind of message that gives us a hint of the great joy in heaven that also arises from forgiveness, from the showing of mercy.  This steward in the end is praised by his master (whom we can presume is God the Father) for dealing shrewdly with those who owed the master.  Perhaps our own forgiveness is a kind of shrewd dealing, in which we come to understand that we all need some kind of forgiveness, and that peace is better than strife.  Whichever way we look at the parable, a traditional interpretation such as my study bible gives us, or the idea that our own forgiveness and mercy somehow stores up treasures and joy in an everlasting home,  let us understand that this sort of "shrewd dealing" is the kind of bargain that our Creator likes for us to make.  Let us consider our welcome in an everlasting home when we are able to do such a bargain of blessings, of mercy.  Ultimately, it's the master who decides what He prefers.

My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

* * * 

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants." '  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry.

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "

- Luke 15:1-2,11-32

Yesterday, we began with today's beginning verses:   Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  . . .  Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want."   Again, we remember this is the third parable Jesus tells in response to the accusation from the Pharisees and scribes that He receives sinners and eats with them.   The theme of the earlier two parables (in yesterday's reading, above) was God's love and joy at sinners who repent and return.  This third parable is the famous parable of the Prodigal Son, found only in Luke's Gospel.  We have been given traditional interpretations of the first two parables in yesterday's reading.  Here, my study bible suggests that the son's request for his portion of goods (which in Greek reads ousia, literally meaning "essence") is by tradition understood as human beings receiving a free will and rational mind from God.  It says, "As Adam did in Eden, the younger son uses these possessions to rebel against his father.  The far country represents life in exile from God."

"Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."   This is real "homelessness" in terms of the time and place of Jesus.  As my study bible puts it, it's "Jewish Skid Row."  For a Jew to be reduced to be feeding swine means he could not sink much lower than this.  Even the food of the swine is above his station!

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father."  To "come to oneself" is to come to true self; that is, to the person one is in relationship with Creator.  My study bible says that a person immersed in sin is living outside his or her true self (see Romans 7:17-20).   This prodigal realizes he's in a hopeless condition.  My study bible suggests that the bread symbolizes Christ, who is known through both the Scriptures and the Eucharist. 

"And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "  In Jewish culture, it was considered unseemly for an old man to run, but this father didn't stand by passively and wait for the son to return.  His impulse is quite obviously one of such tremendous love that all else is forgotten.  My study bible says,  "This self-humiliation for the sake of the lost indicates the way in which our Father, through Christ's sacrifice, actively seeks those who stray."

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet."  Tradition in the Church gives us significance of these objects lavished on the son by the father in the story.  The robe is considered to be righteousness granted by baptism (Isaiah 61:10), the signet ring is a true family identity (Haggai 2:23; see also Luke 8:21), and the sandals refer to walking in accordance with the gospel (Ephesians 6:15).

"And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'  And they began to be merry."   The fatted calf is more truly translated "wheat-fed bull-calf" or even literally "a bull-calf formed from wheat."  This is a male calf which was raised on wheat in preparation for use as a religious offering; that is, set aside for a "holy" use.  My study bible says, "As the reconciliation of the prodigal son was not complete without the sacrifice of the calf, so man's reconciliation to God is not by his repentance alone, but by Christ offering Himself on the Cross.  The festive dining on an animal 'formed from wheat' is a clear reference to our partaking of the eucharistic bread."

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him."  My study bible explains that this resentful older son represents the hardheartedness of the Pharisees to whom Christ was telling the parable.  It quotes Cyril of Alexandria here:  "God requires His followers to rejoice when even the most blamable man is called to repentance."   Our joy must be like that of the angels!

So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.' "   My study bible says that the failure of the older son to recognize his own sins leads to a self-righteous and merciless attitude.  He can't be happy for the reunion of father and son in his brother.  It contrasts this with the contribution of the younger son.  Ambrose of Milan writes:  "The one who seems to himself to be righteous, who does not see the beam in his own eye, becomes angry when forgiveness is granted to one who confesses his sin and begs for mercy."   Although the older son has all that the father has, he's indignant and charges "you never gave me a young goat."  His resentment becomes ingratitude.

It's interesting to observe that in yesterday's reading, we received the first two parables in response to the grumbling or complaints or the Pharisees and the scribes, in which God's great joy is described at the "finding again" of one sinner, the return of one who has strayed.  This joy is described rather vividly by Christ, even the joy of the angels of the realm of heaven at the return of a sinner.  It's a form in two stories in which we are told something about God, God's great love and joy at receiving any one of us, but particularly those who have strayed away and returned.  Of course this is an analogy for sin, or amartia in the Greek, literally "missing the mark."  But in this third and splendid parable which we find only in Luke, it is we who are encouraged to share the joy and love of God the Father.  Told to the Pharisees and scribes who grumble that Christ dines with sinners, it's an illustration not only of God's love and joy at any  one of our return, but also a story about how if we really share the message of the Kingdom, if we truly believe in the gospel message, this is what our joy is also like for one who returns.  It's an encouragement to be like God, and a suggestion that any lesser sort of love becomes particularly a form of ingratitude.   That is, those who always have the Kingdom present with them must also rejoice that others return and become a part of it -- this is particularly so in terms of those who by their own volition have strayed, and learned a hard lesson, and returned.  What we should see here, it seems to me, is how we are called to be like God, to share these traits of love and joy of the kingdom of heaven.  God and the angels rejoice over one sinner who repents and returns.  We not only understand the kind of love and joy that await us constantly and always (since spiritual struggle is always a part of our lives), but we also understand the love and joy that we are called to live out as well, and of which we are capable.  Thus, the whole of the story applies to us, each one, particularly those who believe and would also identify with the older brother who hasn't strayed.  Let us remember our joy in helping others to receive this gospel, and also the joy and love we feel in our own relationship to God!  It must be a part of the way in which we live our lives and commit to the Kingdom ourselves.  The stakes really can't be more dire:  what the father says here is "My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."  This is a reason to rejoice indeed.

I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them." 

So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

- Luke 15:1-10

Yesterday, we read that at this point in Jesus' ministry,  great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'?  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.  Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."   My study bible says that fellowship with sinners defiled pious Jews.  Jesus gives three parables in this chapter as an answer to this criticism by the Pharisees and scribes.  In today's reading, we find two of them (the third will be in tomorrow's reading).  In today's reading, says my study bible, the man in the first parable is traditionally seen as representing Christ, and the woman in the second represents the Church.  Tomorrow's reading will include the parable of the Prodigal Son, and, in that reading, the father is seen as representing God the Father.  My study bible quotes Ambrose of Milan:  "Christ carries the sinner, the Church seeks and intercedes, and the Father receives."

So He spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance."  My study bible tells us that in the Fathers' spiritual interpretation, the hundred sheep represent all rational creation.  That one sheep that goes astray symbolizes mankind -- human beings -- while the ninety-nine are the angelic realm.   Christ has come incarnate into this world, leaving the heavenly, in order to save that which was lost. 

"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."   A married woman, suggests my study bible, would wear a necklace of ten silver coins, and a bride is the image of the Church (see Ephesians 5:32).  This lost coin (drachma, in the Greek) which would carry the image of the king, symbolizes mankind, who, although bearing the image of God, has fallen from grace.  "Through the Church," my study bible says, "Christ enlightens the world, sweeps away sin, and finds His lost creation."

Regardless of how we may look at these parables (i.e. would an ancient shepherd really leave ninety-nine sheep alone in the wilderness to pursue one lost sheep?)  there is one thing that is really very clear in Christ's beautiful and brilliant storytelling:  we all understand what it is to lose something, even some small part of what we have, and to search for it and find it again.  We all understand the great and almost inexplicable joy in that something was lost to us -- no matter how small a piece of what it is that we treasure in life or that is important to us -- and it has been returned somehow.  This applies to old friendships, even lost family relationships, and so many other things we might think of as special to us or precious in some sense.  We know what joy that is to recover something we thought was lost to us, especially after making a careful search when the odds were against us.  I've had this experience recently, in which an old colleague from long ago suddenly found me via the internet.  I had searched, but not found, but suddenly my old friend became active via social media.   She was like the lost sheep that I'd had to give up on, who suddenly was found again.  It was a feeling of great joy.  Christ loves us in ways that we can't understand, and we can imagine that the joy in heaven that comes from beings quite pure in heart is something ecstatic, even beyond our own comprehension somehow.  If we, who know love in our own imperfect ways, can experience joy at finding what we thought was lost, we can get just a glimpse of this joy in heaven that Christ here is speaking about.  He's giving us a heavenly point of view in these parables.  He's teaching about the Kingdom of God, and He's teaching us about God and God's love for us.  And this gives us a great revelation about the nature of the Kingdom into which we enter; it's one of tremendous love, where that love encompasses a complete rehabilitation of relationships.  The joy experienced from salvation isn't just our own joy, it's the joy of God, it's the joy of heaven, it's the joy of all the angels.  So when we understand that this joy awaits us, that so many beings -- an infinite and incalculable number -- await our presence "with them," how can this not affect us in some way?  It seems to me also tied to prayer, in which our prayers are heard in this place where so many rejoice at our presence, with them.  In the communion of saints, after all, there is a kind of timeless place, unbound by restrictions of space, in which we meet and know one another, in which communication is direct and all are present to one another.  This makes us think again about the love and joy in which we can participate, which we can feel and experience, which awaits us in this realm of the Kingdom.  This is the reality that Christ has brought into the world, for us to join into and be "found again.  This is the place that intersects within our world, that is in our world but not "of it"  (see John 17:15-16, Romans 12:2).  It is this place of tremendously inconceivable, beyond-our-understanding, infinite love and joy that Christ invites us in to experience, to come to know, to be a part of.  This is the mystery of the Kingdom, opened to us so that we can catch even a glimpse of that which embraces and loves us.  Shall we not participate? 

Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out

  Now great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'?  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Luke 14:25-35

On Saturday, we read that Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."


Now great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."  My study bible tells us that this command, to hate one's kindred, and his own life also isn't to be taken literally.  Instead, we're to "hate" the way our relationships with others can hinder our dedication to the Kingdom.  This is what takes precedence over everything else, including family ties.

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."   Jesus is talking about the cost of discipleship.  We note now that "great multitudes" are going with Him, so He's speaking to these crowds, the ones who follow as He is by now such a popular figure.  Once again, we note that my study bible says this "cross" to bear is a burden that is different for every person, dependent upon their own circumstances, but dealing with struggles that work via faith for their own salvation and for the salvation of those around them.  This is a repeated admonition; found also in Luke 9:23 (see this reading for context). 

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish'?  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."  My study bible refers us to 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, in which St. Paul speaks of building up from the foundation of Christ.  But once again, what we note here is Jesus' extremely strong admonition about the cost of discipleship:  that people must go into this with eyes wide open and aware of what costs they may incur as His disciples.  Whatever gets in the way of this endeavor is going to be required to be discarded; our own conflicts and contradictions will be apparent, and, as disciples, we must be prepared to deal with them in favor of a life dedicated to what it is that Christ asks.

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   My study bible references salt as something that has preservative powers, its necessity for life, and ability to give flavor.  Salt has for millennia had both religious and sacrificial significance.   (See Leviticus 2:13, Numbers 18:19, 2 Chronicles 13:5).  Eating salt with someone meant to be bound in loyalty.  Christ has also called His followers the "salt of the earth" in the Sermon on the Mount  (Mathew 5:13). 

It seems to me that in today's reading Jesus speaks very rationally and logically.  It shows us His awareness of the world, and the things of the world.  He asks who doesn't count the cost first before he starts to build a high tower, a construction project that requires planning?  What king, He asks, doesn't count the cost first and estimate his supplies if he's planning to make war against another king?  We note that although the lectionary now skips from chapter 11 (Saturday's reading) to chapter 14 today, the theme remains of a sort of battle going on here, one kingdom against another (at least in this particular example).  We must first count the cost, we must estimate if we've got the gumption, the fuel, the necessary supplies, the capacity, the mettle, to go forward with this struggle.  Can we remain steadfast in this discipline, this discipleship, as His followers, His "learners"?  If we wish to be His "students" (as the Greek reads) we're going to have to be prepared for what this is going to entail and the things that are going to be asked of us.  He's asking for priority, first place, for the gospel of the Kingdom.  He will come first.  So we'd better count up the cost of what we may need to forgo and sacrifice, and that cost is pretty darn high, we might say.  Jesus speaks about salt as an image of the kind of disciple He wants, someone with plenty of "flavor," and this flavor with staying power.  We are those who must be able both to sacrifice and to remain loyal, bound in a pact with Him.  One might ask how salt would lose its flavor, but in the ancient world the components of salt were mined together with other minerals found in the same location.  As water from moisture or condensation might wash out the chemicals that make salt and give it its salty flavor (sodium chloride, which is easily water soluble), salt could indeed "lose its flavor."  Perhaps we could make the analogy of sacrifice and cost to what it takes to keep ourselves in the right condition or environment to retain our own "saltiness."  These are the things which we will be asked to let go of.  An abusive relationship, one that distracts us from union with Christ or being followers in the ways we're called, people who are bad for our own discipline of a life of the practice of His commands, His mercy and love, may be those that need changing, amending, or in some cases, pruning from our lives, letting go.  This is a sacrifice, a cost of discipleship.  Perhaps there are things we have learned from childhood that we need to let go of.  Any number of goals, or "shoulds" or aims that get in the way of Christ's mission for us, whatever that may be, and for every person this may be entirely unique, is what will challenge our discipleship and count as some sort of a cost, one way and another.  We really can't estimate this altogether, because a life following Christ may call on us in many unexpected ways, but we can be prepared through His words beforehand.  We can know what to expect.  I find that there are many ways of life that support a discipleship to Christ:  through work, art, daily life, love of neighbor, in all sorts of myriad ways even unseen to others, we may be called to our own discipleship, our own life of the cross that is taken up daily.  But we can remember that Christ will call on us to let go of things that seem entirely dear, in the long run, things that we are better off without.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.  But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

- Luke 11:14-23

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

 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute.  So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled.  But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  We should understand that between yesterday's and today's reading, there is a passage given to us last week by the lectionary.  See Our Father in heaven, in which Jesus gives the Lord's Prayer in response to a request by the disciples to be taught to pray.  About these verses, my study bible notes that "Beelzebub" was a deliberate corruption of the name of a foreign god, meaning "the Lord of the flies" as derided by the Jews.  Here it is a direct reference to Satan.

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.   Often we read that people seek to test Jesus by asking for a sign.  Signs are never given on demand, and those signs that we do read about in the Gospels are never "proofs" for faith but rather the product of faith, signs that the Kingdom is, indeed, present.  My study bible says that a sign is never given to those whose motive is merely to test (see 4:9-12).

But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.  If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?  Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub.  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they will be your judges.  But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you."  The finger of God is another term for the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 12:28).   Jesus speaks rationally here, very logically.  He shows them the error in their thinking and accusations against them.  How do the Jews, therefore, practice exorcisms, He asks, by which power?  Those who do so will judge His accusers.  But if Christ works by the finger of God (that is, the Spirit), then they had better think about what that means about the presence of the Kingdom!

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils."  Here is a real battle of power.  My study bible says that the strong man is Satan (also sometimes called the ruler or prince of this world, who "holds sway over the fallen human race," while the stronger is Christ (see 1 John 4:4).

"He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  My study bible says that it is the work of Christ to gather the children of God, while those who scatter are in direct opposition to Him.  Importantly, it points out that who work in opposition to Christ are different from those who work in good faith toward His purpose but aren't yet united to the Church (see 9:46-50). 

 To my mind, Jesus' final statement here is a statement of great power, and of authority.  That is, He's the ultimate ruler, the ultimate authority, and thus it is natural that "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  Christ as Lord of the Universe is above all; what is done in His name or for the love of Him is something imbued with power by the nature of His authority.  But we really have to remember what it means to love Christ.  To love Him is to follow His commands, His teachings. It's not enough to say that we are called Christian or that we belong to the Church.  What Christ has repeatedly iterated was the power of real love, loving God and loving doing God's works of charity and mercy, growing to be more "like Him."  This sort of faith, this trust and love of Christ, is what builds up the Kingdom in the world, and it is what makes that power so strong that it prevails over everything.  When we are united to that true power of the universe, this God who is love and who brings life in abundance, then we act in His will, in accordance with the Spirit that has been sent to us, and that is what truly gathers.  It's often said that God works in mysterious ways.  We can quote from Isaiah who has written:  "Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!" (Isaiah 45:15 NKJV).  That is, we may not see it as a sign or proof that works to convince the faithless, but in the end we may observe this power at work in our lives, in times of great conflict and difficult decision, even in ways that don't seem like an obvious victory, such as martyrdom.  The crucifixion of Christ is one obvious example of this!  For Christians, it is a triumph over death, an instrument of the most profound possible transcendence; for others, a stumbling block and foolishness.   Let us remember the faith we put into God's love, into His commands of love and mercy, and the great authority -- the highest power in the universe -- which we follow.  His commands are those that exalt humility, and yet His authority is absolute.

You are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her

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

- Luke 10:38-42

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

 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Therefore tell her to help me."  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   My study bible notes on this passage that Mary and Martha are sisters of Lazarus, the one whom Jesus raised from the dead (see John 11:1).  It says that Martha isn't rebuked for serving, bu rather for complaining and for being distracted, worried, and troubled.  It says, "In following Christ, we serve in order to facilitate the spread of the gospel (see Acts 6:1-4)."

It seems to me that this story in today's reading is a kind of "female" counterpart to Jesus' teachings on anxiety and unnecessary worry.  Perhaps we could say that, in fact, this reading is an "introduction" to such teachings, as His comments, "Consider the ravens . . . " come in the chapter after the next one.  We've already read that reading, however, as the lectionary schedule prepared us for Ascension day.  Here, Martha is in her role as the one in charge of hospitality, a character trait carried over into the stories that involve Martha elsewhere (specifically, the 11th chapter of John, in which Lazarus is raised from the dead).  But perhaps we can look at this reading as something "sandwiched" in between the appointing and sending out of the Seventy and the teachings on avoidance of unnecessary anxiety and worry.  Martha is playing her particular role in the grand scheme of things, the one who does the necessary job of providing hospitality.  Hospitality is a form of grace and mercy, of truly being a "neighbor."  Her sister, Mary, is the more "contemplative" one (if we may put it that way) and she sits at Jesus' feet.  She's playing her role as well.  In the story of Lazarus, it's Martha who comes out to meet Jesus as He approaches on the road, while Mary remains in the house sitting in the traditional position for mourning.  We assume that each of the Seventy sent out, as images of all those who will follow in serving to build the gospel message in the world, has a unique role to play, just as do Martha and Mary.  So the message here is about how to fulfill one's particular role, to use one's particular talents and skills.  Each one of us is unique in that sense, and so each one will bring a particular set of skills and talents into God's service.  The message here, as my study bible pointed out, is about the anxiety that goes with it.  We each have our own role to play, and as Jesus points out, Mary is playing hers, and she's chosen "that good part, which will not be taken away from her."   This is what is necessary for her.   Yesterday's reading was about being a neighbor to others, how we act that makes us neighbors, and we can also see some instruction in today's reading that is relevant to this consideration.  If each has a role to play, how do we keep from being distracted by wanting what someone else has, envying another "part" -- and acting in competition rather than, in a sense, complementarily?   That is, in a way that enhances one another's parts.  Again, one imagines that in the great scheme of things, each one has a role to play in the bringing of the Kingdom into the world, the gospel message.  Such is the illustration of the Seventy, and the stories we know about them from Church Tradition (see The kingdom of God has come near you).   So, Jesus' teaching against anxiety and complaints to Martha here is also a way of counseling that each has "that good part."  One size does not fit all.  It's a similar reminder to the one that comes at the end of John's Gospel, when, after being told to "Feed my lambs" and "Follow Me," Peter asks Jesus what John ("the disciple whom Jesus loved") must do.  Jesus answers him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."  Again, there is a cosmic sense in which we are to play our own role, rather than being so concerned with what others must be doing.  All of this comes under the category of worry and strife, anxiety that is unnecessary and distracting from our own purpose or passion.  This is a story -- in today's reading -- that I feel many women can still relate to.  Let us understand the essential nature of each of our roles.

Go and do likewise

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

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion.  So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

- Luke 10:25-37

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

 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'"   And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."    The lawyer cites quotations from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.  It's important that Jesus tells him, "Do this and you will live."  It helps us to understand something essential about the rest of our reading, about the power of our own choices and elective decisions.  We note that these choices are centered around the love of God, which must naturally extend to love of neighbor.

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"  Then Jesus answered and said:  "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."  My study bible tells us that Jerusalem is the place of peace, symbolic of communion with God.  But Jericho, on the other hand, was infamous as a place of sin (see 19:1).  To fall among thieves speaks of the natural consequence of journeying away from God and toward a life of sin (see John 10:10).

"Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.  And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side."  My study bible explains that titles and positions are meaningless in God's sight when good deeds don't accompany them.  It quotes Cyril of Alexandria, who says, "The dignity of the priesthood means nothing unless he also excels in deeds."  It adds that the failure of the priest and Levite to help the man indicates the failure of the Old Testament Law to heal the consequences of sin.

"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was.  And when he saw him, he had compassion."   On the other hand, here we have a despised foreigner, who is an image of Christ (John 8:48), for, as my study bible notes, He "came down from heaven" (Creed) to save even those who were in rebellion against Him.  Again, there is the emphasis on the elective choice one makes.

So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'"   My study bible says that the bandages, oil, and wine are all sacramental images.  Bandages reflect the garment of baptism, which delivers us from the wounds of sin.  The oil teaches us about the oil of chrismation, giving new life in the Holy Spirit.  The communion of the divine blood -- symbolized by the wine -- leads to eternal life.  "His own animal" indicates Christ who bears our sins in His own body, and the inn is a reflection of the Church in which Christ's care is received.  My study bible notes, "He pays the price for that care (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)."  We note once again the voluntary, elective nature of this care, this aid.

"So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"  And he said, "He who showed mercy on him."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."  Go and do likewise.  This is a command given by Christ.  It's a command not to ask, "Who is my neighbor?" but rather to act as a neighbor, to be a neighbor oneself.  We can't help but to continually reference the elective and voluntary nature of this command, of our following of these commands.  To love God with one's heart and soul and strength and mind isn't something born merely from having been baptized, or going through the sacraments of the Church, or any of the other things that are done to us.  This is something we choose.  In some sense, it is truly a response to God's love, but we have to note the emphasis here on our own choices, our own elective capacities.  Nobody is left out of this command -- not a Samaritan, nor a Jew, nor anybody else.  Nobody is left out of the capacity to follow this command.  Nor does Jesus show any requirement in this story for any pre-condition to loving God.  This applies to anyone, anywhere, to the best of one's own capacity and understanding for doing so.  The same goes for the second command cited by the lawyer, to love neighbor as oneself.  But then we get down to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" and Jesus answers that with a story that uncovers the voluntary nature of His response to the question:  We don't ask, "Who is my neighbor?"  Instead, He compels us to ask how we can be a neighbor, act as a neighbor, and He gives a response that teaches what it is to be a neighbor.  And what is it, really, that makes a neighbor?  Following the real commands here:  loving God with all one's heart and soul and strength and mind, and loving neighbor as oneself.  We don't choose who our neighbors are except to choose to be neighbors ourselves, and thus we answer the question, "Who is my neighbor?"  All of this is elective, voluntary.  It doesn't depend on who the person is who passes by on the other side, or where these people are, or what anybody already has as a personal affiliation.  What matters is the choice of the heart, the elective power of the moment.  If you choose to be a neighbor, it follows that both the actor and the recipient of this choice are "neighbors."  I think it's important that this story comes in Luke just after Jesus appoints and sends out the seventy apostles (this is after the first mission of the Twelve), because after the return of the Seventy from a successful mission, He rejoices that God has revealed so many things to "babes."  In this vein, too, we can see the elective nature of the reality of the Kingdom of God.  Their participation as apostles has nothing to do with a kind of worldly sense of preparation or qualification; this is what is indicated by the word "babes" Jesus uses.  Everything is focused and centered on the love of God and the willingness to serve God in the love of neighbor; all other things come from these two central commands.  Whatever Jesus teaches expands this, and His teachings center in love.  Here, in today's reading, the lawyer is given a command -- and of course, it's an inferred command to all of us -- "Go and do likewise."  In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, He adds another command, "Love one another as I have loved you."  Both are commands that expand upon the earlier ones, and particularly in the direct of the practice of active love.  Let us consider, then, what the obstacles are to following His commands.  There are none.  There are no requirements here that one has to be baptized first.  There are no requirements here that one has to be a Jew or another category of person.  There is just the requirement to be the person one is called to be, in the love of God and love of neighbor, in the practice of that love, in our understanding of how we practice that love.  Let us consider the nature of the heart, the true inside of a person, our own inner reality, and all the emphasis that Jesus continually puts on that.  "Go and do likewise."  Let us show mercy; let us be "like God."  This is where our identity lies.

I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes

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

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

- Luke 10:17-24

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

 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."  And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."  My study bible tells us that "I saw Satan fall" describes an event that took place before the creation of the world.  It says that five times Satan set his will against God (Isaiah 14:12-15; see also Revelation 12:7-12).  To trample on serpents and scorpions is a figurative allusion to devils and demons.  But the greatest gift of all is to be part of the kingdom of heaven, of service to the gospel of the kingdom.

In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."    My study bible tells us that "babes" here, as referred to by Jesus, are people of simple faith and open hearts (see Luke 18:15-17).  There is a command here in revelation, in the things given or revealed to people; those here referred to as babes are the open-minded, the ones who can receive, to whom the Son has chosen to reveal the Father.

Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."    Jesus emphasizes not only the astonishing nature of the revelations given to these men, but also how precious they are. 

I wonder, sometimes, if we can understand just how precious this gift is that we are given.  It is the gift and blessing of the kingdom, the capacity to participate in the kingdom of heaven, to have the Father revealed to us through the Son.  Here, Jesus emphasizes the unique and precious, priceless quality of this gift of revelation -- this blessing given to these "babes," little children without formal learning and education.  It seems that we take so much for granted, that so much that has been revealed as reported in the Gospels has become not only the things we know and count on, the familiar, but even the sadly discarded and unvalued.  It's a strange thing to consider Jesus' words in the Gospels, this great and powerful revelation of the kingdom, and the obviously exalted value placed upon our capacity to enter into the kingdom by Jesus, and to share in its mysteries -- and at the same time to think that somehow in today's world there is so much that just slips by us, all too familiar, or perhaps even discarded and unknown to so many.   It's tempting to take so much for granted.  The world offers so much, there is so much distraction, entertainment, shocking daily news, free invitation to be involved with so many things -- the power of the gospel may get shuffled under so many other things with which we busy ourselves in life, so many ways in which there are so many other things to think about or to consider or be involved with in our day to day lives.  It puts one in mind of the parable of the Sower, and Jesus' illustration of what it is for the seed of the word to fall among thorns, which choke the seed with "cares, riches, and pleasures of life" and so prevent spiritual fruition.   We are, so many of us, in such a place, choked with all the distractions that the world offers us -- and there are so many, and in such abundance.  It makes one reflect that perhaps we are now so surrounded by so many "thorns."  But this is why it is essential that we remember to stay centered and renew ourselves in prayer. Prayer has a way (and this is particularly so in the practice of contemplative prayer, such as the Jesus prayer practice) of refocusing and renewing, rendering us in a place where we have a chance to recollect who we are, as did the Prodigal Son when he "came to himself."  It's important that we remember who we are by remembering God, and refreshing ourselves in prayer that gives us renewed energy, centered in the power of the gospel message, the freedom that lives in Jesus Christ.  This is a freedom from the thorns, a freedom to choose, and to remember who we are and what we must be about, the things that give life meaning beyond what we chase or what distracts us, and the delusions we follow that give ourselves an idea of self that is temporary, transient, and often empty.  Our reliance is on God in this centered place, where we can encounter what we truly value, the rock we hold onto, and that supports and sustains when the more worldly things let us down, such as the "praise of men" we may come to rely on without this great value of the gospel that teaches us where and who we truly are in the sight of the One who knows that we are precious enough to reveal a Kingdom to, even if we are just "babes."