The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."   Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:

"I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."

- Matthew 13:31-35

 Here in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, Jesus has begun to preach to the large crowds in parables.  He began with the parable of the Sower. Later on, He explained to His disciples why He has begun speaking in parables, and also explained to them the meaning of the parable of the Sower.  In yesterday's reading, He put forth another parable to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."   Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  My study bible tells us that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples.  According to the commentator Theophylact, they began as just a few men, but "soon encompass the whole earth."  The parables also tell us about faith entering a person's soul, causing an inward growth of virtue.  Such a soul can become godlike in time -- eventually capable of receiving even angels, figured in the "birds of the air" that can nest in the branches of the mighty mustard plant.   (Interestingly, there are a couple of candidates for which mustard plant Jesus was referencing.  Here's a photo showing birds in a type of mustard tree called Salvadora persica, and another in which we can note the tiny "berries" the birds feed on.  Here's a photo of another type of mustard plant, Brassica nigra, from which we get a good idea of its height.)

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables;  I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  This quotation is from Psalm 78:2, but with a twist:  the things revealed by Jesus' parables (and indeed, by His Incarnation) are mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, things "kept secret from the foundation of the world."

The really tremendous thing about Jesus' parables is that there are seemingly myriad ways they can apply to our lives, and in our understanding.  We can have various experiences that give us glimmers of meanings upon different occasions.  The tiny quality of the mustard seed can be evoked by a chance word that sparks an insight.  We can look back upon a time many years earlier in which a sentence we read, or perhaps something mentioned to us in passing started a personal train of thought that resonates meaning in a continued path of spiritual growth.  What may not have seemed important at all at the time still gives us a solid sense of how our faith grew in us.  Truth can come like that through Jesus' teachings, as we read Scripture and find meanings that grow and evolve and change throughout a lifetime of experience and new struggles with our own faith.  Jesus' parables in today's reading emphasize height and growth from tiny beginnings of mustard seeds, and yet also a depth of permeation from a small amount of leaven.  Both are the action of the "kingdom" or the "word" within us and in our lives.  If we look at the photos of the birds in the branches of the mustard tree (also known as "toothbrush tree," among other names, for the efficacy of its twigs as chewing sticks), they suggest a sense of great freedom, of liberation, in which we are free to live in God's image for us, and by God's word for us.  We're not bound down by the "ruler of this world," but rather liberated in the good nurturing of Christ's truth.  The birds suggest angels (messengers) that are referred to by Theophylact, which spread Christ's liberating truths to others.  There are all kinds of ways in which tiny mustard seeds can sprinkle a good word and bear fruit, and we never know where such will take root and grow.  Let us also remember the leaven, which can do its secret and hidden "enzymatic" work to change the texture of the whole.  (And by the way, "enzyme" comes from Greek, meaning "in sourdough" -- in other words, leaven.)   In this context, Jesus' admonitions about the importance of the words we choose become magnified, too.  Just look at today's reading:  two powerful parables in five short verses, telling us of mysteries kept secret from the foundation of the world.  Small beginnings are in the hands of God!

First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

- Matthew 13:24-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught His disciples about the Parable of the Sower, after explaining to them why He was speaking in parables to the crowds.  Jesus said, "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "  Here Jesus builds on the previous parable of the Sower.  The good seeds are sown, but "while men slept," the enemy comes and sows seeds of his own.  Tares are weeds that closely resemble wheat; it takes effort and knowledge to tell the difference between them.  My study bible likens this to falsehood that comes after truth, and false prophets that come after true ones:  even so, the Antichrist will come after Christ.  The devil, it says, fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  We must take note that this happens while men are sleeping:  heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  My study bible tells us that this parable also explains why the Church does not condemn nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  It says, "Just as wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who might ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if condemned before Christ's judgment."

There are times when everyone wonders why God allows evil people to do evil things.  Considering all the splits in the Church (if we consider Christ's Church a universal whole), we may wonder why there isn't some great revelation from above or why Judgment doesn't happen sooner to clear it all up!  How many people would wish for Christ's return into the world to deal with the messy problems of filtering out heresy from truth, true teachings from false, and to put an end to our questions?  Jesus answers an important anxiety here by telling this parable, about allowing the tares to grow side by side with the wheat.  Nothing happens until the final harvest, which is the Judgment.  Until that time, we "grow side by side," so to speak, with things that may be evil, that mislead, that aren't really good for the world.  And this is the state of things right now in the time we're in.  We await the harvest when everything will be "sorted."  It's important that we remember Christ has given us this parable.  I hear all too often questions about why God would allow one thing and another to happen, but here, right from the beginning and during Jesus' ministry, we are given a parable that explains and gives to us this picture of the authentic and true growing side by side with the false.  As such, it seems to me, our focus must be on our own growth, taking care to nurture those who also seek what is true.  The Judgment isn't up to us.   But we are given this parable in order to be aware, and in order to know the importance of discernment.  Not practicing judgment doesn't mean we don't evaluate the true from the false teachings.  It doesn't mean we're not on the watch for "false prophets" whom Jesus has likened to wolves in sheep's clothing.  Here in the parable, Jesus teaches that the enemy sowed the bad seed "while men slept."  And in His preaching, as in the Sermon on the Mount, He's taught us to be alert, awake, always watchful.  He taught, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:15-20).  We are encouraged to discernment, to watch the "fruits" so that we can understand the false from the true.  In these metaphors of growth in examples from nature -- plants and trees -- we're given a strong reason for patience, forbearance, and awareness.  The false and the true will grow side by side, and it's up to us to learn to tell the difference even as we are in the current time, the current circumstance.  Sophistry will give us many examples of words that sound good, but are misleading or falsely reasoned.  Whatever complaints we may have about the world in the times we live in, or even the difficulty of our faith, one thing we know is true:  this is the picture Christ has given us of His will for this time, and as such, it's up to us to do the discerning in our own lives and in our own choices.  We focus on the good growth, the true word, and we do our best to help nurture and grow others.  We work at discerning the true from the false.  We stay alert.  Christ tells us that the "bad" are not uprooted before their time is so that the good grain also takes hold and grows to harvest.  Jesus' teaching here fits with the instructions He's given His disciples to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."  So it is in our world, in this time as we await His Return, His harvest.

He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

- Matthew 13:18-23

In yesterday's reading, Jesus had just finished telling a large crowd of people the Parable of the Sower.  The disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   Here, Jesus gives us a complete explanation of the parable.  It was made to His disciples, as opposed to the crowds who stood on the shore and listened to Him preach, but it's in the Gospel, so that we can read it for ourselves.  What I find, as I have written about this parable through the years, is that each one of these steps can be each one of us at times.  We all deal with times when the word doesn't seem to have taken root at all.  Sometimes a word we receive with joy later becomes lost when difficulties arise!  The cares of this world can take their effect of choking the word out of us when we're overwhelmed, and affairs may have us in a panic.  If we stay stuck in any of these places, then we've failed to take hold of what is offered.  But the good news of the Kingdom isn't just about a one-time decision; it's on offer for those of us who reconsider, and take back that path He sets us on, challenged and turning back to the right road.  We will all deal with these conditions.  What really matters is the depth of our faith, our ability to turn back again, and make the decision in our hearts that this is the right way -- this struggle is worth all of it.  That's the good ground that shows through, over the long run of a lifetime.  Repentance, in this light, becomes our greatest gift.  Jesus delineates very carefully the things that can trip us up, where we might lose our place.  But it's a way to let us know that all these things will come, so that we're prepared for them.  Life isn't going to be just "smooth sailing" because we grasp this word and take hold of it.  He wants followers who can weather the storms and stick with it, returning to the path, His Way.  We are in it for the "long haul."  As Christians, we don't just give up.  The good news is that His word will sustain us through it all.   It's the experience of faith, through time, that helps us to see "more" in His teachings.  When we're challenged beyond what we know to deal with in life, it's prayer and help from faith that can keep us going and get us through difficult situations.  Others can pray for us and help, and calling on the resources of Church in all its forms can have an extraordinary effect on our resilience and resourcefulness.  That would include praying with saints, calling on pastors and fellow worshipers, and asking for prayers in services.  A lifetime of difficulties in an imperfect world becomes occasion for God's grace, God's help, and opportunity for God's glory shining through our challenges.  He is with us, His word is with us, and our faith is much more than our own effort alone.  Let us remember our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in times of trouble.  Scripture also tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive

 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

- Matthew 13:10-17

Yesterday, we read that on the same day Jesus taught that "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother," He went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  Here we are entering into an all-important area of our faith.  What are "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?"  My study bible tells us that these mysteries are not merely obscure concepts nor are they religious truths that are only for the elite.  Furthermore the understanding of the parables isn't just an intellectual process (and neither is faith).  We note that even the disciples find the message hard to understand!  Rather my study bible reminds us that this message is taught to all the people, and it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  "Simple and innocent" implies first of all a heart that loves truth -- simple meaning straightforward, and innocence implying what we truly desire, a real and pure intent.

"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'"  My study bible tells us of Isaiah's prophecy that it reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  God doesn't deliberately "cause" their their ears to be "hard of hearing" or their eyes to be "closed."   But Christ leaves us to our choice, a depth of true desire.  The passage is from Isaiah 6:9-10.  To be truly healed is to be reconciled, "face to face" with God, in right relationship.

"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  While we know the disciples certainly don't understand everything, Jesus tells them, "Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."  The important thing is what they are open to, the faith that leads them as followers of Christ.  In Him, the kingdom of heaven is present -- this is what the prophets and righteous men of all the ages have desired to see and to hear; and the disciples are blessed.

Let's think about the use of parables.  It's a way of filtering out those who really want this message that Christ has, this presence of the kingdom that's come near, from those who really aren't interested.  Faith is like a deep chord that sounds somewhere in us we can't really hear, but somehow we respond to it.  It leads us forward, as if there's a depth of being that's central to us that somehow keeps us heading in one direction.  The parables work to tease out that direction, even if we can't completely grasp the fullness of all the meanings contained therein.  And I think that's Christ's purpose in telling them.  We're not alone in this venture; it's not just all about us.  But it is about a place in which we respond to the presence of the Kingdom in our midst.  It's about a part of us that responds to the work of the Spirit in us, and allows the Spirit to work hand in hand at that depth we can't quite consciously grasp.  I once heard a description of how the human voice works:  there are two basic tones made by the larynx (or voice box) in our throat:  everything else, all sound and all capabilities of the human voice such as singing, come from how those chords then vibrate in various places in the body.  In some sense, our response to Christ, our deep inner "yes," might be like those deep basic tones, and all the help that we get in life from both human and divine sources magnifies that in us and helps that "word" radiate and become more a part of us and a part of our lives.  Scripture, for example, helps to magnify our basic "yes" into something that lives in us, and that we live out in our lives.  It is the presence in the world of Christ that builds and grows that distinction -- His parables are a key to understanding it, and His affirmative "yes" to this process of drawing out those who respond from those who do not.  That's why and how faith is not just an intellectual effort, but involves a great deal more of what makes up a human being.  Faith involves also intuition and creativity, an impulse and drive for truth, life in us that can't necessarily be quantified nor predicted.  The purpose of the word -- those seeds cast by Christ who is the Word Himself, and the Sower -- is to allow them to be planted, and take root, and grow.    Let us remember this is a lifelong process, and that spiritual fruits are generated in time.  Let us have ears to hear and to respond.

A sower went out to sow

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 13:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus concluded words addressed to some Pharisees, who had claimed that He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons. (See the readings of Friday and Saturday in which Jesus warned that we'll give an account of even every idle word, and taught to make the "inner" tree good so that it bears good fruit.)  Jesus continued, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here in the middle of Matthew's Gospel, we begin chapter 13 with the Parable of the Sower.  It's a parable that is central to Jesus' ministry, because the sower is Jesus.  He portrays Himself in this "word picture" as the Christ, the Messiah, who is the sower in the earth, as foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  Throughout the Old Testament Scripture, metaphors of sowing and harvesting appear, images of daily life (see Psalms 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Josel 3:12-14).

In recent readings, the split between Jesus and the religious leadership has become very clear.  When the Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus of "proof" that He's the Messiah, He scathingly retorted that the only sign this "evil and adulterous generous" would receive was the sign of Jonah, who was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights -- so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.  He continued, " The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."  Citing outsiders, foreigners, who give tremendous examples of great faith -- known from the spiritual history of Israel as told by Scripture -- Jesus tells the Pharisees, the experts in the Law, that they will be judged by such.   After that was added Jesus words, that His "brother and sister and mother" are "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven."  This parable of the Sower gives us an image of Christ, the Word Himself, who sows His word in the world.  It teaches us in hidden meanings, revealed by these images, of what it is to hear the word and truly receive it, and bear fruit of it.  In tomorrow's reading, and in the reading following that, Jesus will elaborate for His disciples and teach them meanings of this parable.  But for now, the word goes out in pictures, from which our faith has to draw out an understanding, and by which we are drawn in to faith as well.  Such is the working of His parables.  This one, about sowing the world, is given at just the time when there is a turning point in the ministry, and the word will be given to the outsiders who will not fail to respond.  It's the beginning of a direction, if we have ears to hear, that Christ's "sister and brother and mother" will come out of all the world.  This is also the beginning of Jesus' great preaching style of the use of parables themselves:  meanings hidden in images for those who may come to faith, wherever they may be found.  In the image of the Sower, we are given a point of reference for what continues today, even here on the world wide web, that goes out to all the world.  The multitudes who pack the seaside to hear Him speak -- like "all the fish in the sea" and the sands on the shore -- tell us about this mission and where it is headed, where it is still going on.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother

 "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it be with this wicked generation."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

- Matthew 12:43-50

On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, as He spoke to the Pharisees who criticized Him (they claimed He cast out demons by the power of the ruler of demons), "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it be with this wicked generation."  We have to put this statement into context:  Jesus has been addressing the Pharisees who've blasphemed the work of the Spirit through Jesus' ministry, calling it evil.  He's been preaching to them that they must take care of their inner state; repentance has to involve personal change, commitment and vigilance.  They've demanded a sign from Him, so He compels them to believe, and He's called that evil as well.  My study bible reminds us that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 106:34-39).  Therefore, we guard our hearts as an ongoing practice of true mindfulness.  My study bible says, "Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its abode."

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."  Jesus emphasizes the unification under one will; that is the will of the Father.  It's a counterpoint to the statement He's just made referring to the "spirit" of the Pharisees.   Everything begins with a depth of love of God.  My study bible suggests that Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity and mission (see John 7:5), and that He points to a spiritual family based on obedience to "the will of My Father."   We recall that the term "brothers" in Jewish and more widespread Middle East usage even today can indicate extended family and cousins.

What do you love?  It seems that this is the basic question Jesus is really asking us.  He speaks to the Pharisees (even as He's teaching the crowds) about making the tree good, so its fruit will be good.   He says, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."  (See Saturday's reading, above.)  Everything connects to the internal reality we nurture, what we embrace, and how we're vigilant in that embrace.  He speaks of giving account of "every idle word."  And He tells the Pharisees (and the rest of His listeners) that "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you are condemned."   He invites us in to this place where our mindfulness requires us to be on constant guard of what we love and what we nurture in our inner lives, because all of that is reflected in and by what we do, what "fruits" we produce.  Watching what comes out of the mouth gives us a good idea of what is inside the heart.   What He seems to be teaching regarding the "unclean spirit" in today's reading is about the importance of a constant commitment to this process.  It's not enough to think one time that something was a mistake, because it's natural that whatever habits will have won't disappear so easily.   People who struggle with the pernicious difficulties of negative self-talk, for example, understand this all too well.  But it works equally with all kinds of temptations in myriad forms.  Whatever it is, Jesus speaks of the things that separate us from God.  In effect, without a real commitment we may wind up in a place seven times worse than before.  Speaking of His family, He reaffirms what He's just stated in the negative form ("The last state of the man is worse than the first"), only in the positive flip side:  "Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."   The Pharisees can hide their behavior, anyone can feign regrets, but if the inner life doesn't really change then there is an empty space waiting for the same old behaviors and influences and motivations to take root and multiply.  To make a commitment of love to God, to seek the will of the Father, is to place oneself in a different orientation, and to unify oneself with Christ.  This becomes a constant work, a constant effort.  Speaking in terms of a spiritual battle, Jesus' talk of the Spirit and of demons remains backdrop to the human struggles we witness in the story of Christ and in our own lives.  The Pharisees have accused Him of casting out demons by the power of the ruler of demons, but Jesus explains just what demonic activity is like and how it influences people -- while we're given the juxtaposition of His emphasis on an alliance with Him, by truly seeking the will of the Father.  And so it remains:  so much depends on what we seek actively to ally ourselves with, whom we seek to please, who we love.  These are constant, ongoing choices that require an ongoing effort.  Let us recall Jesus' many teachings that His followers are not to be asleep nor complacent, but awake and alert, knowing His return could come at any time, and when we don't expect it.  We must remember that it's our job to serve with Him.  As our Master He is also our example as the Suffering Servant.

By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned

 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

- Matthew 12:33-42

Yesterday, we read that one was brought to Jesus who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."   This is a theme repeatedly used in the Gospels.  It's the idea that "by their fruits you will know them" -- the works we do betray what kind of person we are internally.  The "fruits" here are spiritual fruits.  And the way to heal what we do is to heal the internal person.  This is why there is such a strong emphasis on repentance, or "change of mind."  This is a direct warning to the leadership to look to their hearts.  It hearkens back also to John the Baptist and His warnings to the same people:  "Every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (3:10).

"Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."   A "brood" are "offspring."  Vipers gives us a picture of demonic activity, and suggest a surreptitious poisonous effect.  This is another phrase that was used by John the Baptist for the Pharisees and Sadducees, as they came to be baptized by him and he asked, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (3:7).  Again, Jesus emphasizes how the inner life creates the outer.  Moreover He emphasizes the language we use, and not for the first time.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus likened name-calling to murder (5:22).  Here, the emphasis is on our language, even every idle word.   The men to whom He speaks here have just called His work as that which comes from the power of demons.  He's warning them that their own words will condemn them in judgment.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." In some peculiar way, these men defend their behavior by demanding a sign from Jesus that He's really the Christ, the Messiah.  They've scathingly attacked Him for works that did good for people but were performed on a Sabbath (like healing a man's hand, in Wednesday's reading).  They've claimed He casts out demons by the power of demons (in yesterday's reading, above), although doing so was also an act of healing, and a prophesied sign of the Messiah.   This demand is made with malicious intent, not honest searching.

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."   Jesus characterizes their demand for a sign as unfaithful -- to be both evil and adulterous is to be disloyal to God, to break covenant.  The only sign He will give them is the sign of Jonah, who was three days and three nights  in the belly of the great fish -- so He as Son of Man (a messianic title) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (in death).  Jesus then returns to the subject of faith, citing those who showed far more faith than the Pharisees, examples from Old Testament Scripture.  He cites the foreigners, those from the Ninevah (present day site of genocidal violence against Assyrian Christians) who listened to Jonah's preaching and repented -- a condemnation made stronger because a greater than Jonah is here, Christ Himself.  He cites another foreigner from far away, the Queen of the South, who came to listen to all the wisdom of Solomon, for a greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus emphasizes the importance of what we say, and the importance of our inner lives, and how these things are tied together.  If we don't take care and pay attention to the inner life, we're not going to do much about the fruits we produce, whatever works we do in the world.  Repentance (literally meaning "change of mind" in the Greek word metanoia) is the tool for that.  But it involves a commitment for real awareness.  That is, the kind of consciousness that Jesus calls us toward when He reminds us that even every idle word we'll have to answer for.  Are we slandering people?  Do we measure what we say?  This is a really key way of practicing awareness, mindfulness!  How do we interact?  Are we saying what we really mean?  Do we look to the heart -- and there our relationship to Christ -- for a good intent, discernment, helpful guidance?  These men have committed an outrageous spiritual injustice, a true blasphemy, by calling the good work of the Spirit the work of evil.  It's a strong, vivid example of what to avoid.  But Jesus reminds us that it's the work of each of us to know our own hearts, to practice the kind of mindfulness that seeks to be aware of the choices we're making, and that means right down to the words we choose, for "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you

 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

- Matthew 12:22-32

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees were plotting against Him, He withdrew. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,  My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.   He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;  And in His name Gentiles will trust."

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  To heal the blind and mute is a sign of the Messiah.  This is why the people ask, "Could this be the Son of David?"  The Pharisees at this point are looking for reasons to condemn Jesus.  Beelzebub -- or Baal -- was the prince of "the dung heap", or lord of "the flies" (derisory terms used by the Jews for this god worshiped by the Philistines; see 2 Kings 1:2-16).   Here the Pharisees refer to Baal as the ruler of the demons.  Jesus answers with direct logic and knowledge of warring kingdoms:  the demons fighting against one another couldn't be strong.  Furthermore, if He casts out demons by demons, then by whom do Jewish exorcists under their religious authority (for there was such a tradition) cast out demons?  He puts it very bluntly:  they must consider what they are saying.  If He casts out demons, contrary to their assertions, by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God is present.  He is the stronger man.  Those who are not with Him are against Him, and those who don't gather with Him scatter abroad.  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  Here's the "real deal," so to speak.  The work of the Spirit in the world -- as they know full well -- is God's work in the world.  What Jesus condemns is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, a blasphemy against what my study bible calls "pure goodness."  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because they don't know much about Christ.  But the Spirit's divine activity is known from Old Testament Scripture, in which they are the official experts.  That type of blasphemy won't be forgiven, says my study bible, because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.   In the tradition of the Church, blasphemy against the Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  St. Chrysostom teaches that it would be forgivable if one repented of it.  This declaration by Jesus is made knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling divine goodness "evil," and that they are deliberately choosing to do so for their own reasons.  They are past repentance.

Why would people deliberately blaspheme the Holy Spirit?  It's rather ironic, to say the least, that it is Jesus who will be brought up and "convicted" on charges of blasphemy.  A different charge will be made in order to bring Him to Pilate and have Him put to death, but that is simply because Pilate wasn't a religious authority, and blasphemy charges would have meant nothing to him.   Jesus is a popular figure, and so it was necessary for His death to have been an act by the Roman state.  But we can ask ourselves why these religious authorities would do such a thing if they truly understood that the Spirit was at work in Christ.  Perhaps they thought that the sanctity of their positions, and their places within the establishment group of the temple leadership, ensured them.  Perhaps the Gospel is simply trying to allow us to see -- as so much in the Old Testament Scripture does as well -- that a position in life, even one of religious authority, doesn't preclude us from sin and terrible error.  It really serves to enforce the fact that it is the circumcised heart and humility toward God that is the best and only protection that we're on the right track.  Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees is that they've made such an idol out of their own traditions built up around the Law that they criticize Him for doing good -- for fulfilling the aims of the Law in the first place.  But none of this would be happening if it weren't for envy, at least this is the position of the Gospels.   Pilate, veteran of politics, will see that.  But it must be a dire warning to us that envy can blind us to the true reality of something we should know better about.  Envy can trip us up in matters of the greatest importance.  It is a kind of archetypal sin; after all, it's the one ascribed to Satan.  Jesus' popularity with the people is very strong, as was John the Baptist's.  And now the signs He's producing are those associated with the coming of the Messiah.  That is a threat to the positions of these men who criticize and find fault, and Jesus does nothing to diminish the growing split between His work and the anger of these men.  He tells them the truth, a truth He knows they won't believe.  So as we're heading into the time of His ministry in which He accepts this growing split, we note Jesus' mission and strategy:  He has attempted to avoid direct confrontation with the leadership, but He does not back down from doing the good works He's sent to do.  He doesn't stop teaching, even about the presence of the kingdom of God in their midst.  He doesn't stop defending the work of the Spirit.  He is our Suffering Servant, One who's humble and meek and lowly of heart, who is compassionate, but who will not stop His mission for any reason.  He's humble enough to accept what is happening, and His signs are for use only to build up the faithful.  Let us remember His focus, through all things. 

Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

"Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!
I will put My Spirit upon Him,
And He will declare justice to the Gentiles.
He will not quarrel nor cry out,
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench,
Till He sends forth justice to victory;
And in His name Gentiles will trust."

- Matthew 12:15-21

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,  My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.   He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;  And in His name Gentiles will trust."  Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.  His ministry and kingdom are one of peace.  He is the Servant who heals and preaches the good news, the One who calls Himself "gentle and lowly of heart," whose "yoke is easy" and "burden is light."  As the Jewish religious authorities take the road of hostility to Him and His message, even as John the Baptist is imprisoned and will be beheaded, the text recalls Isaiah's prophecy that He will declare justice to the Gentiles, and in His name the Gentiles will trust.  As the prophecy (Isaiah 42:1-4) declares "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets," so Jesus does not make His identity as Messiah fully known.   Nor does He establish a reign by coercion or force, or even stupendous signs.  My study bible says that the reasons for secrecy include:  (1) the growing hostility of the Jewish leadership; (2) the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leaders; and (3) our Lord's desire to evoke genuine faith not based solely on marvelous signs.  As Christ is the primary Servant, so by extension are all who follow Him.  In the final sentence quoted here from Isaiah (42:4), the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost is foreseen by the prophet.

 Jesus' mission doesn't go the way anyone would predict, from a "worldly" point of view.  Throughout the Old Testament, we read of the people of Israel demanding a king, and the failure of king after king to adhere to the covenant with God.  Jesus comes into the world as the fulfillment of prophecy, of the long-awaited King, the Messiah.  But He's nothing like a political messiah.  And He's nothing like a worldly king.  His kingdom doesn't work the way a worldly kingdom works.  It doesn't come with observation.  It doesn't come with force and coercion, but rather its King is "gentle and lowly of heart."  He doesn't impose the yokes and burdens of kings and other kinds of monarchs or rulers, doesn't impose tribute and taxes.  His "yoke is easy and His burden is light."  But most of all, this is a kingdom of love, and love is a voluntary gift.  It can't be coerced.  Love is rooted in freedom.  The faith He calls us to is a voluntary contract, a communion, a covenant of loyalty, of hearts.  And so, the mission must speak for itself and provide its own call to those who would be subjects of this kingdom.  He will lay down His life for His friends -- and this will be the ultimate invitation to communion.  So He's our Servant, in the form the Kingdom must take because it's nothing like the "ruler of this world" would produce, and the ruler of this world "has nothing" in Him.  The justice and victory of this Kingdom is about the hearts and minds of its subjects, a communion of saints, a covenant of love in the commands of Christ.  Ultimately, the mission unfolds in a way that teaches us best about love, sets us the highest example, and teaches us the most about God.   The Suffering Servant stands injustice on its head, because true justice transcends a simplistic notion of retribution.  His love brings ultimate justice in His own act of sacrifice that opens the door to reconciliation and healing for all the rest of us.  And that is the great victory in which we can all trust.

The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath

 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?  Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

- Matthew 12:1-14

 Yesterday, we read Jesus' response to the fact both He and John the Baptist are criticized, particularly by the religious establishment, and His ministry rejected in certain cities where He's done great works (see Monday's reading, Wisdom is justified by her children).  At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

  At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  Given what we've read in the past couple of readings, here it's clear that the Pharisees criticize in ways that indicate they are simply looking for ways to do so.  Plucking a few heads of grain from a neighbor's field was allowed by the Law (Deuteronomy 23:25).  But here they are criticizing as if Jesus and His disciples are reaping the grain.  That is, harvesting a crop.  Reaping would be unlawful on the Sabbath.

But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?"  Jesus provides examples from Scripture of "blameless" violations of the Sabbath, such as when David and his men were hungry and allowed to eat of the showbread (1 Samuel 21:5-7).  Jesus' examples show that the law isn't absolute over human need or service to God.  My study bible notes that the partaking of the showbread by David and his men is a kind of prefiguring of the Eucharist.  The showbread was forbidden for anyone to eat but the priests -- but in Christ the Eucharist is given to all the faithful.

"Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."    My study bible tells us that as true Author of the Law, Jesus is Lord over all of it.  As Lord, He teaches us that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances.  It's a direct teaching against the type of legalism whereby the Pharisees seek to condemn Him and His disciples.  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" is found in Hosea 6:6.  The teaching is also found earlier in Scripture, when Saul as king insists he's right before the Lord because he's made a sacrifice, and Samuel the prophet corrects him, teaching that in God's sight obedience is better than any ritual sacrifice (see 1 Samuel 15:22).

Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.  Here we're told that the Pharisees are directly looking for another reason to accuse Him.  Jesus does not defer to their legalistic thinking, but uses the opportunity to teach yet again.  To save the life of an animal on the Sabbath was legal.  But Jesus goes to the heart of His ministry when He says, "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  It simply affirms to the Pharisees that they must rid themselves of Jesus, who clearly challenges their authority.

What is the value of healing?  What is the point of the Law?  Let us be assured that this great, miraculous sign, this work of healing, isn't done only to rebuke the Pharisees, to disavow their notions of legalism (because surely Jesus knows that whatever He does isn't going to change their minds but rather give them a further opportunity for condemnation).  This example -- as any other sign Jesus performs in the Gospels -- isn't meant as "proof" to "convince" anyone, because faith doesn't work simply intellectually or by signs.  This is a vivid and stunning teaching example for all those who will follow Christ in faith.  It also teaches us how He is the fulfillment of the Law, because the word of God remains true:  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."  We have to remember that Jesus isn't speaking of sacrifice in a vague or superficial, intellectual way.   It is He who will make the greatest sacrifice of all, for the purpose of love.  He's speaking of ritual adherence to the Law, where the Law itself becomes a kind of object of idolatry, and used in order to condemn what is done for the purposes of God.  The Law itself was a gift which had as its aim to build and create community, to build a "people of God."  Ultimately, this reconciliation to God is all about the essence of healing.  The fullest healing is in restoration of relationship of human beings to God, who is love.  It is within that relationship that human community is shaped.  Jesus' expression of mercy is an expression of the wholeness that comes from restoration to right-relatedness with God.  Ironically, Jesus is condemned for "working" on the Sabbath, but this man's hand is restored so that he may take his place in community and be capable of work -- for example, to harvest.  This is the restoration of God, and in particular of Christ -- to restore us to our place in the community, to include.  And this, indeed, is also the purpose of the Law.  Again, in another irony, the Law provided for those who would glean.  That is, for the poor who could come and pick up what was left over in a field after a harvest.  That inclusion was itself an expression of God's mercy and notion of community in the Law.  Christ is fulfillment of all of it, and He leads the way to examine our own attitudes of "correctness," while exposing the roots of unjust criticism.  The Lord of the Sabbath teaches us what the Sabbath is really for.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light

At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

- Matthew 11:25-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His response to those who scornfully look upon John the Baptist (who is now imprisoned) for his ascetic and rough life, and who have also criticized Him for eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners:  "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;  We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "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 in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

 "At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for it seemed good in Your sight."  The wise and prudent are those who criticize Christ and John the Baptist for their different ways of bearing the Kingdom into the world, their holiness that is not in conformity with the wisdom of the world, but strange and different -- each for different reasons.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus criticizes particularly religious leaders and compares them to playing children, who are dismayed equally that John is too ascetic and rough, and Jesus has sat at table, eating and drinking with tax collectors and other sinners.  So the wisdom and holiness of the Kingdom that is present goes unrecognized by the "wise and prudent."  Instead it has been revealed to babes.  My study bible quotes Theophylact as noting that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice, but because of their own unworthiness.  They are the ones who trust their own wisdom and judgment rather than God.  God withholds this understanding from those who'd scorn it so they don't receive a greater condemnation:  to understand and refuse is to encounter a deeper judgment.  Jesus praises the wisdom of the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for the surprising ways in which Jesus' ministry is unfolding.  He is emphatically pronouncing it good.  Other commentators such as Origen tell us that the "babes" are the Gentiles, unwise in the ways of the God of Israel.

"All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."   This is a profound theological statement, an understanding of Logos, the Son.  Whatever His mission, Christ has had it fully placed into His hands by the Father, and it is He alone who reveals the Father.  It is, in fact, Christ alone who decides to whom the Father will be revealed.

 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Who are those to whom this great mission will be revealed, by whom it will be received?  Jesus invites those burdened with toil and struggle, and those who suffer.  What He emphasizes here is His own humility, an offering to the "babes" who are perhaps buffeted by the world.  My study bible says that Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  A yoke, it says, could be seen as a sign of hardship, burdens, and responsibilities.  But Christ's yoke is different, it's easy because it conveys the power of God at work in each person.  And the reward is much greater than one's personal effort.  Cyril of Alexandria has commented that this offer is to everyone:  to the Jews who struggle in bearing the demands of the Law, and to the pagan Gentiles, who struggle with idolatry and the kinds of worldly power and sin it brings.  A yoke and burden also characterize language of kings in terms of the tax and tribute they levy on their subjects.

The harsh criticism and harsher reception that both John the Baptist and Jesus will receive is addressed in Jesus' speech here.  He speaks of being gentle and lowly of heart.  This sort of gentle is the type of "meekness" that doesn't engage in aggression for its own sake -- the ideal of strength under control and grace.  Christ's authority is complete, as He's also stated, but it's the authority of grace, of the Kingdom of God, of love.  To take on this yoke is very different from the worldly sort of power that demands adherence to its expectations.  Both John and Jesus will be murdered at the hands of the state, but both offend in particular the religious authorities and leaders of the temple who jealously guard their places.  I think there's a very canny and deep wisdom in Jesus' statement that He's gentle and lowly of heart, and that He calls to those who labor and are heavy laden.  This is not a call to the power brokers, the ones who call the shots.  It's a call from One who is gentle and lowly of heart to the others out there who are the humble of the world.  What He offers isn't something that appeals to those enamored with a kind of worldly power and status that will always have contempt for what is humble.  Jesus brings a Kingdom into the world that stands the values of worldly kingdoms on their head -- that offers a kind of love and grace that is inherently at odds with the "ruler of this world."   He will teach His disciples that to lord it over others is the opposite of His hierarchical structure.  Jesus' power is to heal, it's for community.  It draws in the excluded and seeks to repair.  It calls those by faith and by adoption who don't belong because of worldly status.  It's a voluntary kingdom, and does not coerce.  This is an entirely different sort of power to manipulative power.  It's the power of love.  It's not the power of shoulds and musts and political sloganing, and it's not the power of the crowds or mobs.  It's the power that comes through "gentleness" and humility, the wisdom that manifests through "outsiders" like Jesus and John the Baptist, and it calls to those who can see past the false promises of power that binds and manipulates and burdens for the self-glorification of others, and misses the glory of God who is love and truth.  It's in the contempt for the humble that worldly power is exposed, and Christ's life -- and death -- will surely play this out.  Have we got the heart to receive Him?  

Wisdom is justified by her children

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:

'We played the flute for you,
And you did not dance;
We mourned to you,
And you did not lament.'

 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "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 in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

- Matthew 11:16-24

 In Saturday's reading, we read that after the disciples of John the Baptist departed (they had been sent by John, who was imprisoned, to ask if Jesus is the Coming One, or if they should wait for another - see And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me), Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before you.'  Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

"But to what shall I liken this generation?  It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:    'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;  We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Jesus is giving an image of a children's game of the time.  The children would divide into two groups:  one would be a group of pretending to be musicians, and the other was supposed to respond properly to the music mimed.  Playing a flute was meant to evoke music of dance, and the other group of children were meant to respond by dancing.  To "mourn" was to sing songs of mourning, and the other group was expected to properly lament.  Jesus' illustration of complaining children is meant to be an image of people behaving as if "the tail wagged the dog," demanding the "proper" conduct or works of those who bear the Kingdom into the world, in accordance with their own expectations and demands.  My study bible says He's drawing a parallel to the religious leaders who responded wickedly both to the Baptist as being too ascetic, and to Christ as being too liberal in mercy and joy.

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "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 in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."   My study bible tells us that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.  Jesus gives a list of places where His works have been done -- this "breaking in" of the Kingdom into the world.  And what has the response been?

So much depends on how we judge things, how we "see" them.  Jesus compares the "opinion-makers" of His time with petulant children, complaining that they'd ordered up this or that, but that the ones revealing the presence of the Kingdom -- both Jesus and John the Baptist -- fail to fit the bill.  The prophet whom Jesus has called "more than a prophet" (in Saturday's reading), John the Baptist, has preached repentance and preparation for the Messiah via baptism, living an extreme ascetic lifestyle, even dressed in animal skins and eating the food the wilderness provides.  Now he sits imprisoned by Herod Antipas, and he will be beheaded through the desires and machinations of Herod's wife.  But there are complaints about this greatest of all prophets and herald of the coming Kingdom:  he's too ascetic, and too rough, unused to a soft life and filled with the spirit of the prophets before him, particularly Elijah.  Christ's grace comes with a mission and ministry filled with great healing works, and salvation for sinners -- He's sat at table with tax collectors and others -- and it's much too lax, too generous for those who would criticize His lack of overt ascetic practice, the same who found John a little too rough.  But "wisdom is justified by her children."  In the Greek, we read that wisdom is justified by her "works" - another way to think of "reproduction."  In other words, whatever holy expression has come either from John or Jesus is a product of holy wisdom, a feminine word in the Greek, but considered to be that which comes from Logos -- another reflection of Christ, or the Son, Himself.  Just as He is the Kingdom, so is He present in the works that bear the Kingdom so "violently" and startlingly into the world, shaking everything and everyone up -- and giving so much fodder for criticism and rejection.  It's this Kingdom breaking into the world that we must take care to receive with good judgment.  The works of the Kingdom, however different each may appear from another, are all "children of wisdom."   We have a great, long history of works by saints as varied and myriad as there are disciples and believers, each bearing yet more works that are "children of wisdom."  It is the Son Himself who is justified by these children, "good works" of prayer and fruits of holy wisdom, however varied or vast they may seem to be.  This is because every circumstance, every culture, all beings must receive a manifestation of the Kingdom appropriate to the "one thing necessary."  So much depends on whether we can receive what wisdom brings to us, demanding that we accommodate it and not the other way around.  This Kingdom breaking through into the world is not for those who wish it conform to the commonplace and expected, but for those who are ready to expand, even to be shaken out of the old.  This means that what we know from the past is good, but what Christ reveals is better.  In Revelation, the One seated on the throne calls us to attention, commanding and declaring, "Behold!  I am always making all things new" (my italics), in the real sense of the original Greek.  We're the ones who need to embrace holy wisdom.  Wherever the Kingdom is, such will always be its works and effects for us, and our lives -- the spiritual fruits of holy wisdom.