The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornernstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes

 Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat himn and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.

"Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornernstone.
This was the Lord's doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.

- Mark 12:1-11

Yesterday we read that the day after the cleansing of the temple, Jesus and the disciples came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Then He began to speak to them in parables:  "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower.  And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.  And they took him and beat himn and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.  Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'  But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.'  So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard."  This is a parable about the Incarnation, the mission of the Son to the world.  The man represents God the Father, and the vineyard is God's people.  The vinedressers are the religious leaders to whom the care of the people is entrusted.  Each servant sent by the owner is an Old Testament prophet.  They repeatedly call the people back to God, but each is abused, even killed.  Finally the beloved son sent by the owner is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, there are two levels of traditional interpretation here.  First, Christ was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the ancient city gates), and also that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.

"Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?  He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.  Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornernstone.  This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"  And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them.  So they left Him and went away.  Jesus is quoting from Psalm 118:22-23.  The stone is Christ.  They know what it means to reject the stone that becomes the chief cornerstone.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells them, "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  My study bible cites John Chrysostom, who tells us that this saying illustrates two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the tone are the people who suffer from the effects of their own sins while yet in this life.  Those on whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who become powder (abolished) in the final judgment.  This was a theme understood already in the religious culture; these men know very well the parable is told against them.  All it will do is alarm them further that Christ will take away their places of authority.  Their earlier question (in yesterday's reading) as to His authority is answered here:  it is "the Lord's doing" and "is marvelous in our eyes."  They risk the loss of what they have; the parable illustrates what happens when we mistake God's work for a materially-minded kind of job. No one "owns" the Church, but we are all to be good stewards.

The theme of Judgment runs powerfully in the Old Testament Scripture of the period just prior to Christ's Incarnation.  There is a particularly strong expression of this in 2 Maccabees (the story of a mother and her seven sons), in which it is understood that God gives correction to His servants only to raise them up, but those who harm them without remorse or repentance will face judgment.  But Jesus fulfills this in yet a more remarkable and full way, for He is the stone Himself of whom the Psalmist sings.  It's important that we know that the people in the temple understand this, and so do the leadership against whom Jesus has told this parable.  They will not make their choices without His teaching, and their understanding of Him.  Neither, apparently, will the people.  It is the function of a prophet to warn, to teach people of their error.  In this way, choices that are made afterward carry a greater burden of responsibility, because understanding has been given to them.  The word of God -- especially as conveyed in prophetic speaking -- carries with it the means of Judgment.  One either accepts or rejects that word, that teaching.  In so doing, judgment takes place, is made possible.  Of course, life is a series of moments, and there is opportunity for repentance and forgiveness.  But the coming of the Son, and then after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, will be God's way to prepare the world more fully for Judgment, as each one of us becomes yet more responsible for acceptance or rejection of the word of God, of the Spirit's work in us and in the world.  With great grace and opportunity comes fuller capability and also responsibility.  In Mark chapter 4, Jesus has taught, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”   His warning takes on great urgency as we understand He is the stone that will be the chief cornerstone, the one that brings everything together.  This stone is often called the "foundation stone."  It's the one set first in a masonry foundation; all the rest of the stones are set in relation to it.  In quoting from the Psalm,  Jesus is telling the religious leadership to align themselves with Him.   What is the prophetic function in our world today?  This is an important question to ask ourselves.  The world seems to be filled with people who somehow proclaim they are servants of God, that their message and work comes from God.  We can see it all around us, and even in some of the more horrific forms of violence we see in the headlines.  So what is a true servant of God?  How do we know that we serve the "chief cornerstone"?  In a time when there is so much confusion and conflict, it is essential that we find ourselves in prayer.  Repentance and self-examination are important themes of Lent.  It is right to place ourselves before God in prayer, and seek to discern God's will for us, to dedicate our hearts to what is truly good.  It is a time to recollect ourselves as we prepare for Easter and consider His Passion.  In this light, we understand that the events of this world don't necessarily convey to us the full picture.  We need God's help and grace to see through the confusion and misleading narratives we may be given by the events of the world and by those who would use faith for their own purposes.   Let us align ourselves with the chief cornerstone; let us find His love in our hearts and give ourselves to prayer for discernment and for the work of the Holy Spirit.  Let us pray for the spiritual ears to hear, and the humility to accept the message.

The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me

 Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"  But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

- Mark 11:27-33

Yesterday, we read that the day after Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (commemorated as Palm Sunday), when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'   And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Then they came again to Jerusalem.  And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him.  And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"   The religious leadership questions Jesus after His cleansing of the temple.  Who gave Him authority to do such a thing?  How can He prove this authority?  Jesus has been welcomed into Jerusalem (the Triumphal Entry) by those heralding Him as Messiah.  His first act was to cleanse the temple.  This challenge is like so many others; they want Him to prove He is Christ, the Messiah (see for example Mark 8:11-15).

But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?  Answer Me." Jesus has consistently refused all demands that He "prove" His authority and identity.  This time, He responds to their question with a question of His own, turning the tables on those who quiz Him.  He never takes up the temptation for "proof" from those without faith, who ask out of malicious motive.

And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.  So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."   Both the question to Jesus and Jesus' question back to the elders require the same answer.  John the Baptist was widely understood by all the people to be a holy man; if his authority was of heaven, then so much Jesus' authority be so.  In this answer of Jesus, we see exposed the cowardice of the leadership on two accounts:  they fear the people, and they cannot answer honestly.  My study bible tells us that Jesus' refusal to answer directly teaches us not to answer those who ask about holy things with malicious intent.

We can understand the anger and even frustration of the authorities in the temple (the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders).  Jesus has been welcomed into Jerusalem by those who greet Him as Messiah, but where is their authority?  They have not recognized Him as such.  He has come into Jerusalem, and after being welcomed into the city by those who believe He is the Christ, His first act is the cleansing of the temple -- throwing out the money changers and traders in animals for sacrifices (yesterday's reading).  It is an open and direct confrontation of the practices going on inside the temple.  Repeatedly Jesus has been asked for proofs -- a sign from heaven -- as a challenge from the religious authorities.  Here is yet another one.  But Jesus refuses any and all challenges for "proofs."  His response to the leadership turns their own question on its head, as it is they who must answer His question about the baptism of John the Baptist, whom they don't dare criticize.  We know what these men will eventually plan against Him, but for now He has won the day, so to speak, at least here openly in the temple before the people, whom the leadership fear.  Jesus will say to them at His arrest, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me" (see Mark 14:48-49).  The issue of the anger of these men teaches us a great deal about the use of power, and about position, and how we either use what we have carefully or we do not.  But the really important question here truly is about authority.  What gives the temple its authority?  From where does the authority of offices of temple leadership come?   We could ask with Jesus, is it from heaven or from men?  Clearly the authority of the temple itself, and of all the offices and ranks of those who serve in the temple, comes from heaven, or at least is meant to.  Without that authority, what is there?   In their failure to discern the reality of the presence of God, the holiness that is clearly in Jesus' works and ministry, they fail also to uphold the power by which their own authority has rank or is given.  They've forgotten their own purpose, neglected their duties.  Jesus cleansed the temple (in yesterday's reading), saying that it was meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, and they had made it a den of thieves.  Here we see the hollowness of rank without the authority which comes from truly honoring God, as all they are concerned with is to plot against the Man who seems to be denying them their places.  What it does is give us a picture of a lack of self-awareness and what that does to us.  These men project their own vainglory and envy onto Christ, whom they seem to assume is simply trying to take their places.   This is what they fear.  They have no insight into their anger and envy, no self-examination that would give them the self-knowledge to try to understand honestly whether Christ's power is indeed from heaven or from men.  They don't understand Him.  This becomes the crux of the matter that they ignore; their own hard-hearted incapacity for self-knowledge makes them blind.  Their outrage means they can't see straight.  Their unwillingness or inability to serve God first becomes a stumbling block to insight.  It would mean giving up too much of what it is they prefer before all else, and this turns them into the kind of hypocrites Jesus will rail against in His sermons (see Matthew 23).  They are the blind guides who fail truly to honor that which sanctifies the temple and the altar which they serve.    The great teacher Gamaliel will have wiser words of guidance when he counsels the Sanhedrin to let Jesus' early followers and their plan or work alone, for "if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God" (Acts 5:28-29).  A lack of real humility leads us to this type of blindness, in which we act as judge and authority without the love of God coming as first priority in our hearts, and so we cannot help but project our own flaws onto others.  This is the crux of the need for humility, particularly in any one of us who wishes to have authority.  We run the danger of preferring the "praise of men" to the praise of God.  It is a warning to all of us, for it's perhaps our greatest temptation.   We never know where God is calling us; it's our job to be always aware.   One needs humility for discernment.  The blindness here is a common problem for each one of us, perhaps our greatest vulnerability.

Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'   And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

- Mark 11:12-25

On Saturday, we read that Jesus and the disciples came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.   The lectionary skips over Mark 11:1-11, the reading for Palm Sunday, Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.

 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.   Since this is Passover week, we know the time of year most likely corresponds to April; figs ripen in the warmest weather so it's not the season for figs.   But Jesus comes upon a tree that is lush with foliage, giving a promise of an early first crop.  (Fig trees do give a first limited early crop, from branches that sprouted the previous year.)  Finding not even one fig, Jesus condemns the tree which bears no fruit.  In Scripture, says my study bible, a fig tree is often a symbol for Israel (Hosea 9:10 compares the promise of the early Israelites to the "firstfruits on the fig tree in its first season").  As those to whom this Kingdom has been offered, we are all called upon to bear spiritual fruit (Matthew 21:43; Galatians 5:22-23).

So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"    Those who bought and sold in the temple were those who traded in live animals to be used for sacrifices.  The money changers are those who exchanged Roman coins for Jewish temple money.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar, and so were considered defiling for the temple.  This isn't the only time Jesus will give a message to the leadership that their hearts are far from God, that they use the people for their own gain.  In Mark 12, for example, Jesus warns about the scribes that they "devour widows' houses."  But it is a question of the primary purpose of the temple. My study bible says the cleansing of the temple points to the necessity that the Church be kept free of earthly pursuits.  As each one of us is also a temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) this is also a teaching about where our hearts and minds must be; Lent is the right time to think about cleansing our minds and hearts of "worldly" matters as our priorities in life, and to infuse all our concerns with prayer. 

And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Jesus' teaching is astounding, "astonishing" to the people.  No one has ever heard anyone like Him, He is garnering tremendous attention.  Fear and astonishment go hand in hand in accompanying Christ, in people's response to Him.

Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  The curse and withering of the fig tree is a prophetic act, as traditionally interpreted, and one that signifies judgment that the Messiah has  come and been rejected.  It's a sign that the old covenant is being replaced with a new one (Hebrews 8:13 says that the old has become "obsolete" and will "vanish away").  The Church will be filled with both Gentiles and Jews; this is a sign for the disciples that they will be following Christ's will in building this Church.

So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."   Jesus takes this time to talk about the power of faith; cemented within that power is forgiveness, the capacity to forgive.  All things are given up to the Lord at all times.  Everything is in the hands of God.  This is the great secret to holy power.  Let us note that forgiveness doesn't mean one "justifies" whatever harmful or hurtful thing that has been done, but it does mean that all one's work and thoughts, heart and soul, are given over to how God wants us to live our lives, particularly in response. 

In today's reading we have a couple of instances of Jesus' great power.   He not only takes the authority to cleanse the temple, but the people are astonished at His teaching.  Then there is the cursing and withering of the fig tree, and Jesus' talk on the power of faith.  The old covenant is being loosed, and a new one is taking its place, for all the people of the world.  In the midst of revealing the power of faith, Jesus speaks of the necessity of forgiveness to accompany all things.  We can't really talk too much about forgiveness, because it's an inexhaustible subject.  It's one that can be a great stumbling block, full of difficulties for all of us.  But it's important to remember that we can always pray for our enemies, we can pray to God to help us to forgive and to find a way to do so.  This doesn't mean that we see bad acts as good, and it doesn't make them just go away.  It doesn't mean they haven't happened, nor that we don't continue to suffer from their bad effects.  It doesn't mean that we pray that every bad aim of a misguided person be regarded with God's favor.  What it means is that we pray, essentially, for each one of us to find God's will -- ourselves and others included, and thereby and therein find reconciliation.  It is the "giving up" part that is important about forgiveness.  In the Greek, the word means giving up, releasing, letting go, even sending away or permitting to leave.  Forgiveness means that whatever has happened, our relationship is not just between ourselves and that other person or persons who have caused offense.  It is rather a relationship with God in the center of it, mediating all things and guiding us in all things, giving us the perspective and the relationships that we need.  What we must come to realize through forgiveness is the grace that works beyond all worldly justice, and fulfills true righteousness as we don't have the perspective alone.  Forgiveness leaves us free to focus on the things that are truly of God, placing ourselves in God's hands for how we respond to an often unjust, cruel, and ignorant world.   It is the counterpart to cleansing the temple so that it is "free" to be a house of prayer for all people.   This is the way we hold nothing back from fullness of prayer within ourselves.  We do what it takes to be fully in the place God calls us to, letting nothing stand in the way, and giving it up to God.  Jesus predicates our own forgiveness for trespasses (that is, both deliberate and non-deliberate error) with this capacity to forgive.  And in it we find real covenant, because all things in this way come together in God, in our faith and reliance on God.  Let us consider the ways in which God's power may be fully at work in our lives, how fully we may come to prayer, and how truly we may trust.  Forgiveness means we hold no part of ourselves or the experience of our lives back from God's love and grace, the fullness of real communion.  We have to face real hurts, and acknowledge what it means to "give up" damaged parts of ourselves to God.  In so doing, we may find more that needs to heal within us, and so recover more truly who we are.  This is the greater capacity for faith which Jesus addresses here, a place where we may dwell more fully in prayer and dialogue.

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. 

- Mark 10:46-52

Yesterday we read that Jesus and His disciples were going on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And he said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 Now they came to Jericho.  As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"   Here in blind Bartimaeus' cry is the plea -- the prayer -- of all humanity.  "Have mercy on me."  It is the refrain heard in our churches, it is the strong ground for any and all prayer.  Bartimaeus calls Jesus by a messianic title, "Son of David."  He has faith that Jesus is Messiah, the Christ.  Jericho was a place associated with sin (see Luke 10:30, the setting for the parable of the Good Samaritan).  It is also a very ancient city, with archaeological excavation dating relics found there to the stone age.  An allegorical interpretation to this story is that Jericho symbolizes a fallen humanity.  Christ passing through thereby becomes an image of His Incarnation.  Bartimaeus' blindness is this context is a symbol of humanity's affliction.  What makes him stand out, even engaging in somewhere "scandalous" behavior by crying out, is his faith in Jesus.

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.  Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer.  Rise, He is calling you."  And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.  So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."   And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.  This same word, translated as "be of good cheer" is identical to the one used by Jesus when He walks on the water to His disciples earlier in Mark's Gospel (see 6:49-50).  It really means to take courage.  Bartimaeus casts off his garment, going to Christ "without cover," so to speak, revealed without hiding anything.  Jesus frequently asks, "What do you want Me to do for you?" making it clear that the believer must clearly state his or her true desire.  Like so many others, Bartimaeus is told that his faith has made him well; the restoration of his sight a powerful metaphor for healing in so many ways, and for right-relatedness.  We note that he follows Christ on the road to Jerusalem, as the restored believer follows Christ on the road to the Kingdom.

The allegorical interpretation to this story is an ancient one, given traditionally by Church Fathers.  But that doesn't stop us from understanding the impact of the story also in terms of its individual tale of this blind beggar, Bartimaeus.  Jesus travels through Jericho, and everybody seems to understand that He is on His way toward Jerusalem.  He goes, as Bartimaeus' cry says to all of us, as the Anointed One, the son of David, on His way to His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem.  Blind Bartimaeus has faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, and also that He can restore his sight.  The restoration of sight to the blind was a sign expected to be performed by the Messiah (see Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-5).  My study bible says that this was "a power God had reserved for Himself" (compare John 9:32).  If we look at the story of Jericho in the Old Testament, we read about Rahab the prostitute, who helped shelter the spies sent by Joshua to help take the city for the Israelites.  In the New Testament, Rahab is listed as one of the ancestors of Jesus, presumably later marrying into an important Jewish family and becoming great-great-grandmother to David.  This itself is a kind of metaphor for salvation and healing, the transformation from one who is "fallen" into a member of the Kingdom.  Jericho, in so many ways, becomes a symbol for the transition from a place of blindness in sin to one of illumination and change.  It tells us some important things about what healing means, and how "to the clean, nothing is unclean."   That is, the transformation of Rahab from prostitute to ancestor of Christ mirrors Bartimaeus' transition from blind beggar to one who is fully restored and following Christ on the road to Jerusalem.   This is true for all of us, who may find ourselves in a blind world in which we don't really see what is what, a world that calls on us to prostitute ourselves in ways we don't necessarily see our way through clearly without help from Christ.  Faith becomes the key to grace that unlocks the doors which hide what we can't see, that shows us a way out of the dead ends which keep us stuck.  This ancient place, Jericho, is a scene of so many things in human history.  (Just prior to Jesus' time King Herod the great, murderer of children and members of his own family, also had a grand Roman-style palace built here.  His fields in Jericho were forcibly given to Cleopatra through the influence of her lover Mark Antony -- a great picture of the corruption of power on all sides.)   It gives us a picture of all the ways of the world, and the light that comes from Christ into it.   He leads the way to Jerusalem and His entry into it as Messiah, the One who will open our eyes to understand that His power is to love and to serve all, to give His life as a ransom for many.

Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all

 Now they were going on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And he said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."  And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

- Mark 10:32-45

Yesterday we read that as Jesus was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a came to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."  Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 Now they were going on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed.  And as they followed they were afraid.  Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him:  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  The disciples are both amazed and afraid, because Jesus is boldly going to Jerusalem, leading the way to the place He has avoided throughout His ministry.  They know that the leadership is plotting against Him.  Being both amazed and afraid is a repeated reaction to Jesus in the Gospels.  This is the third time Jesus has predicted His Passion, and it's more vivid than before.  He prophesies they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him.  My study bible says that His repeated predictions of the Passion were intended to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events they would face.  It also clearly affirms that, knowing what is going to happen, He goes voluntarily of His own will and choosing. 

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, "Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask."  And he said to them, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory."  Perhaps John and James are inspired by Jesus' setting His sights on and leading His way toward Jerusalem.  They feel the Kingdom is imminent, as they understand Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah (Jesus has, after all, prophesied that He will rise again on the third day).  We can sense the focus of the request, even though Jesus has just prophesied quite clearly and graphically His suffering and death.  To sit on His right hand and His left is to hold the places of highest honor in His Kingdom. 

But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared."   John and James Zebedee will indeed drink the cup of martyrdom and persecution.  James will be the first martyr among the apostles, and John will face exile and persecution.  My study bible explains that to drink the cup is an indication once again of the voluntary nature of such sacrifices, and the baptism Jesus refers to is death (He was completely immersed in it, and yet it cleansed the world -- see Romans 6:3-6).  Jesus' Kingdom is one which is not ruled with the arbitrary power of worldly kings of His time, nor with the sheer manipulative power we might understand today.   Rather it is one of voluntary service; the places of honor are prepared by God.  St. John Chrysostom writes that no one could occupy an equal place on the right and the left of Christ.  In the Orthodox church, the places of saints (human beings given honor) are chiefly occupied by icons on the right and the left of Christ:  the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women), and John the Baptist (greatest born of women). 

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  This is the clearest expression by Jesus of the difference between worldly power and the power of the Kingdom.  To "lord it over" others is not the aim and goal of holy power, but to serve.  He sets the supreme example of service by the example of the His death, to give His life a ransom for many.  For many, explains my study bible, is an Aramaic expression that means "for all."

So what is power?  How does one use power?  What is greatness, and how is it connected to being a "man of power" (or a person of power) within the ranks of hierarchy and ruling position?  These are questions we're invited to think about in today's reading.  To be the greatest in a kingdom is a question of authority, of strength, and of position.  But Jesus' aim in His ministry is not for worldly power.  His aim is to bring a different kind of Kingdom into the world.  His aim is for a heavenly Kingdom, the will of the Father to be done "on earth as it is in heaven."  What does it mean to be a part of a Kingdom in which Christ is at the helm?  Certainly in today's reading He teaches us the first rule.  Those who would be greatest must be servants of all.   I think we cannot get this confused with simply the desire to do what others ask of us.  (Jesus does not simply give to John and James what they desire.)  The head of this Kingdom is Christ, and He teaches us to pray that the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We know where our direction comes from.  Service does not mean simply doing what others would desire of us without discernment.  Without discernment we have no sense of what this Kingdom is about, because we leave behind its direction, its head, its true nature.  Service by Christ, in the form of His Passion and death and Resurrection, comes to all by virtue of its benefits, blessings, and liberation offered and given for all human beings.  It comes in obedience to the will of the Father, not "going along" with the leadership and their choices.   Humility, as the greatest saintly virtue, becomes the capacity to sacrifice in order to serve God and humanity; it is a necessary quality for discernment, the capacity to serve God -- to place God's will ahead of one's own.  Christ stands worldly power on its head not simply by teaching about service and humility, but by sacrificing "worldly" notions of what is good for God's notions of what is good.  How can it be that God the Father is served by the death of Christ on the Cross?  St. Peter spoke for all human impulse when he denied that Jesus should go to his death.  But Christ's response to Peter was to tell him, "Get behind Me, Satan!" (see Mark 8:30-35).  God's plans for true service are from a perspective too great for us, for human sight, and often seem to make no sense at all.  Jesus' death on the Cross is most certainly a scandal, for essential reasons.  Therefore we must come to yet another conclusion about service and the power of the holy:  that it may be a scandal to fellow human beings and within the social context in which it takes place.  This is the paradox of faith, a perspective too big for us to see in so many ways and at so many times.  Power itself becomes essentially a kind of paradox within our point of view of Christ and of Christian faith.  How do we have power by serving others, by self-sacrifice?  If power means "impact," then we are on quite another trail of thought.  Jesus may not have been crowned a human king over a human empire, but in terms of the liberating power of His sacrifice there is no doubt of the ongoing impact -- yet another incalculable mystery we can't see nor define for its vast perspective far beyond our sights.  To serve, then, means understanding what service truly is, how holiness impacts the world as a force of liberation from our assumptions of how one uses power, or how free we truly are.  Jesus' death on the Cross will come voluntarily.  It is neither an affirmation of the ways in which He will be betrayed nor of the desires of the leadership to rid themselves of Him.  But one needs particular eyes and ears to understand this, a particular discernment, the capacity to truly see.  Above all, this happens through grace, and the strength conferred in faith to know how to serve the greatest good for all.

Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me

 Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a came to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Mark 10:17-31

In yesterday's reading, Jesus came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."   Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"   It's important to focus on the fact that Jesus is now in Judea, shortly to begin His journey to Jerusalem.  This man comes to Jesus for advice, and approaches Him as a "good Teacher."  He's not one of the Pharisees or scribes who come to test Him.  And yet, He's not one of His followers, for whom Jesus is more than this.  Jesus first teaches what this man knows:  the commandments given to Moses (see Exodus 20:12-16,Deuteronomy 5:16-20).  My study bible suggests to us that while Jesus doesn't deny that He is God, His answer is designed to lead the man to this knowledge.

And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth."   This the young man has already done.  He understands that the formal observance of commandments doesn't convey righteousness before God.  My study bible suggests that he sensed that he still lacked something, and had an earnest desire for eternal life.  So he continues to press Jesus for the answer -- he knows he's not there yet.

Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack:  Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me."  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  What is the way to perfection?  To follow Christ; He is the fulfillment of the Law.  (See Matthew 5:17-20, in which Jesus teaches that "unless your righteousness first exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.")  My study bible says that each will follow Christ in His own way, the path will be different for each.  But anything that gets in the way must be sacrificed.  In this case, Jesus speaks to this man's attachment to his wealth.  Let us note the importance of what is taught here.  The Gospel says that Jesus, looking at him, loved him.   These are words of love, not condemnation, and not exclusion.  St. John Chrysostom has commented that the instruction to give away his possessions is the least difficult here:  following Christ in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.  We also must see the exchange Jesus names here.  By selling what he has and giving to the poor, he will have treasure in heaven.  

Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"  And the disciples were astonished at His words.  But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!  It is easier for a came to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."   There are various opinions over Jesus' saying that uses the image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  In the Talmud there is an expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  Some say that there was a city gate that a camel could barely squeeze through if it were unloaded first of all its baggage.  Some suggest that the word for camel in Aramaic is close to the one for "rope" -- and so it is meant as a kind of analogy for breaking everything down.  But whatever the root of the expression, Jesus gives us a sense of the difficulty with which we detach from our possessions, and particularly the things that define us in a worldly sense.  The disciples clearly understand the difficulty, and how it applies to many more than just the very rich, as they ask, "Who then can be saved?"  Jesus' answer teaches us that under all circumstances, God gives us an identity, an alternative to the worldly and to what we know.   To trust in riches is to have faith in riches, as opposed to faith in Christ.  In the Greek, the root of the verb to trust is "faith."  Everything depends on where we invest our trust, our faith.

Then Peter began to say to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time -- houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions -- and in the age to come, eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  As often happens, Peter speaks for all the disciples.  They have left behind everything to follow Him.  Jesus promises a return on what is sacrificed, many blessings but with persecutions -- and in the age to come eternal life.  Jesus doesn't teach that disciples must leave families behind.  My study bible cites St. Chrysostom as saying this refers to keeping faith under persecution even if it means to lose one's family, or to accept that unbelieving family members may be cut off because of one's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  It is also suggested that the "hundredfold" is meant not in an earthly, but a spiritual sense:  fathers and mothers of the Church, brothers and sisters in Christ, houses of worship and fellowship.   "Many who are first will be last, and the last first" clearly gives us a picture that this "return" may not happen in accordance with time as we understand it -- and as the disciples understand it.  They are the first of His followers, but the rewards of the Kingdom don't come in a worldly sense.  Sacrifice is accompanied by humility and acceptance of God's way.

What does it mean to give up what we're most attached to?  Today's example is of a wealthy man who desires eternal life.  He approaches Jesus as a good Teacher for advice.  To give up all one's possessions is most surely a difficult call for anyone, but what Christ teaches here, it seems to me, is about worldly identity.  What we're attached to defines us, gives us a sense of who we are.  For this wealthy man, life is about place, position, family.  There are few of us immune to such a problem, as the disciples' response, "Who then can be saved?" is clearly meant to imply.  But great wealth perhaps exacerbates and exemplifies the problems of attachment.  There is no doubt of the modern psychological understanding of problems that can accompany great wealth, nor the problems of spoiled children.  But in today's example, we're not talking about a spoiled child.  This is a man who attempts to be righteous in his conduct, who finds Jesus and asks for advice, and Jesus loves him in return.  This is a teaching about going the full mile to find true righteousness, perfection.  It is about giving up whatever gets in the way.  It is similar to the teaching to the apostles about cutting off a hand or foot, or plucking out an eye, if something  that constitutes our own character gets in the way of being true caregivers to his flock, to the little ones (in yesterday's reading).  Jesus is talking about whatever becomes a stumbling block, an obstacle on the road to the place He leads us.  It's not a matter of simply clearing up the extraneous, but a matter of detaching even from our most cherished ideas of who we are and who we must be in life.  God may have a way of calling us beyond and outside of all of it, even to a kind of shame or scandal -- and losing one's position and social standing by giving up possessions would certainly cause a form of public shame to many people.  This is the place where Christ becomes everything we have, the alternative to worldly identity.  As my study bible notes, this path may be different for every person.  There are those of us with great abuse or hurt to contend with, and Christ offers an alternative to the victim identity as well, a way to forgiveness; in my opinion, the only way.  Only He can offer us who we are in His sight; the world cannot supply us with the love that mends all things and makes all things possible.  Here is where we start, in this place where we are prepared to accept what He offers, and to detach from the places where His love will take us, show us, form us.  That is the life He offers.  Can we take it up?  A lifetime journey may find us far away from where we started; with humility, with God, and with grace, we may find the journey a hundredfold more rewarding than anything else we thought we wanted.

Of such is the kingdom of God

 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."   In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." 

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

- Mark 10:1-16

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His talk to the disciples about who would be greatest in the Kingdom.  As those who will be charged with caring for His flock, He taught them to receive humble believers ("little ones") not only as if they were receiving Christ Himself, but even His Father.  He continued, "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

 Then He arose from there and came to the region of Judea by the other side of the Jordan.  And multitudes gathered to Him again, and as He was accustomed, He taught them again.  The Pharisees came and asked Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?"  They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God 'made them male and female.'  'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter.  So He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."    Under Mosiac Law, divorce was very easy -- for men.  Under Roman Law both men and women could divorce.  Jesus speaks against common practices of His time, and the misuse of divorce.  This isn't the only time He condemns (in Matthew's Gospel, He speaks against it twice).  Jesus' teachings are always about love and community.  What He is against here is divorce because of "hardness of heart."  Men simply had to write a certificate of dissatisfaction.  But women were left without means and social standing.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus allows divorce for grounds of "sexual immorality."  For the early Church, this taught that marriage bonds could be destroyed by sin and abuse (divorce was permissible in cases of threat to child's or spouse's life and desertion), but this was always understood to be a spiritual tragedy.  Marriage, as spiritual union given by God, has an eternal nature.  Jesus' private teaching to His disciples emphasizes the seriousness Jesus gives to marriage, and is remarkably notable for its equal treatment of and responsibility conferred to husband and wife.

Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them.  But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.  Once again, as in recent readings (Monday's and Tuesday's), little children (as symbol of "little ones") become central to His teaching.  Earlier, He was teaching about the care that must be given by His disciples to the "little ones" of the flock, even the reverence with which they must be received.  Here, He emphasizes their goodness and praises their understanding -- that all must come to faith with the kind of faith exemplified by a child.  Jesus' blessing of the children can also be seen in context with His pronouncement of the sanctity and eternal character of marriage.  It is an emphasis on the goodness of community, and the goodness essential need for inclusion of every single one of its members:  men, women, and children.  This is a great teaching on the Kingdom, and how it cherishes the life of all persons, all faithful.   Consistent with His teachings taken together, there are no "little ones" in terms of care and love, no  soul is diminished in its value and belonging by virtue of social stature.

Jesus' essential inclusion is always a great lesson to us.  By that I mean that Jesus' notions of community are repeatedly given to us as both inclusion and needful of all those who approach Him.  In His healing miracles, He repeatedly brings people into the community who have been excluded, such as in healing a leper or the woman with the twelve years blood flow.  Restoring a withered hand or the capacity for a paralytic to walk is also restoring them to full participation in community.  When He heals Peter's mother-in-law from a fever and she gets up to serve them, He has restored her to her rightful place in the home and even in His ministry - one in which she is needed and valued.  (I hope I needn't mention the honor in serving Christ to my readers.)   It is always a question of community.  Here in today's reading, we have important lessons which cannot be lost upon us.  The first is the eternal quality of marriage as a spiritual institution.  This is the ultimate sense of community, that we are a part of something that goes far beyond what we know or understand, even what we know and understand of ourselves.  Our bonds in Christ, and this outside of "father and mother," go much further than is imaginable; this is what it is for marriage to be a holy institution, a kind of spiritual mystery, a divine reality.  This bond can be abused just as the bond between Creator and creature can be abused; it's something to care for and to cherish, not to take for granted -- and in this sense is also like the bond between Creator and creature.  Our souls, it seems, depend on what we cherish, what we acknowledge as a gift, how we go about making the best of what we can.  Marriage is no exception.   Male and female, we are all included in this.  Jesus' pronouncement on marriage is a firm affirmation of who and what constitute essential elements of community:  there is nobody secondary or lesser in His statement.  There is none who is not necessary, of great value.  And this extends to children.  I don't think we can minimize Jesus' praise of the faith of children.  It's not only meant as an example or metaphor for all of us, although Jesus makes that clear too.  This is real praise of children, a cherishing of the littlest ones.  He invites us in to consider their value to Him, especially in their faith which serves as the greatest example to us.  We can't minimize what that means in terms of a child's value to community in the sight of Christ, and particularly on spiritual terms.  If faith becomes the measure of who we are, then children top us all, at least in the way Christ approaches them in today's reading.  It tells us something dynamic about the nature of citizenship in the Kingdom, that truly the littlest ones must be welcomed, loved, and cherished just as if they were Christ Himself, or even God the Father (as He taught in Monday's reading).  It teaches us about how truly essential each is, and how we may only strive to recover the innate understanding in the part of ourselves that remains a child.

Everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where

'Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.'

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

- Mark 9:42-50

Yesterday, we read that Jesus and the disciples passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.  Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desire to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."  Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire -- where 'Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'"   We have to take this statement in the context of yesterday's reading.  Jesus has taught the disciples about "greatness" and what it means, in response to their own disputes about who would be greatest in His kingdom.  Their primary care is that of the little ones -- those who come in faith to Christ.   They are in their care, and in the face of the simple and humble faithful the disciples are to see not only Christ, but also the Father.  Here His tone turns very stern as He issues a warning -- three times reiterating a quotation from Isaiah (Isaiah 66:24) in order to emphasize the dangers to their own lives in the Kingdom should they fail in this mission.  The primary concern is the care of the "little ones," and in that service all sacrifices are to be made for their good.  To cut off a hand is to give up what can lead to abuse of position:  covetousness, for instance, the desire for wealth, exploitation and stealing from these faithful.  No matter what personal character trait one must give up -- even if it feels like cutting off a hand -- that will be far better than the results of harming the little ones.  The foot that would cause one to sin can be seen as a symbol for leading oneself (and others) astray, wandering from the path that Christ has set out.  The eye that causes one to sin can be another kind of covetousness, of envy, of a glance that is predatory rather than caring, objectifying as commodity rather than seeing Christ.  There are many ways in which power and authority can be abused. Jesus is telling them that their authority and greatness rests on their good care of the little ones.  This is the harshest warning possible about the results of any form of exploitation, false teaching, leading astray.  To cause the little ones to stumble is to create brokenness, put obstacles in the way to their faith, harm their spiritual welfare.  We can think of many ways in which that can happen at the hands of those who are supposed to be caring for the souls of the humble and those in need of spiritual care.   The only true answer is for humility in those who would be great -- to the point of casting off their own weaknesses and temptations, no matter what it takes.  Their own self-sacrifice is necessary to save themselves.  

"For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it?  Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."    To be seasoned with fire is to be tested; this is a promise Jesus gives for everyone.  My study bible says that this testing is to see if one's faith and works are genuine (see also 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).  Salt was a symbol of covenant, and Jesus is quoting here from Leviticus 2:13.  Sacrifice, challenge, even a test of fire -- none of this is to be made for any other purpose except to strengthen covenant between Christ and His faithful.  Salt is the covenant that binds believers and their shepherds together, even believers from different flocks (as stated by Jesus in yesterday's reading, above).  Those faithful who receive even a cup of water and thereby assure reward, and those who offer in the name of Christ, do so in covenant by faith in Christ.  It's by this fact that if they have salt in themselves, they must have peace with one another.  Christ is that peace.  For salt to lose its flavor (a possibility in ancient sources of salt, in which the "salty" component of the seasoning could be lost through exposure to moisture) would imply metaphorically that a true commitment to covenant was lacking.

Jesus is the communion that glues the faithful together.  In yesterday's reading, He spoke about those who were not part of the same group with the disciples, but were casting out demons in His name.  It is faith "in His name" that becomes the binding agent of covenant, that links us all together.  We extend a cup of water to another "in His name" -- because of faith in Christ.   Those who receive who bear Christ in their hearts also convey a blessing on the giver.  Here Jesus tells the disciples they must be prepared for sacrifices, to let go of everything within themselves that interferes with the proper care of the little ones in whom they must see not only Christ Himself, but also the Father.  This is done for covenant, for the tie that binds all, Christ Himself.  Every sacrifice is done with a purpose, for covenant, to strengthen the communion in Christ.  Jesus calls for sacrifice -- especially self-sacrifice on the part of those who will lead, those who would be "greatest" in the Kingdom.  Every temptation for abuse of power must be sacrificed, any tendency that gets in the way of nurturing and caring for the "little ones" -- humble believers who come to them in faith.  This is the only way to honor and cement covenant, and He is that covenant.  So the real question becomes "How do we truly honor Christ?"  He is the mediator and covenant between all of our relationships, particularly in how we treat each other.  By honoring Him, His covenant, He also creates our peace with one another.  So what is greatness in His kingdom?  It is being able to care and nurture for all who come to Him.  You never know who that might include; Christ's teachings are for all of us.  In everything we do, He is the negotiator, the mediator.  This must be our awareness in every encounter.

Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.  And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desire to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."

- Mark 9:30-41

Yesterday, we read that when came to the disciples (having come from the mountain of the Transfiguration with James, John, and Peter), He saw a great multitude around them, and scribes disputing with them.  Immediately, when they saw Him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to Him, greeted Him.  And He asked the scribes, "What are you discussing with them?"  Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.  And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.  So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."  He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him to Me."  Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.  So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?"  And he said, "From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.  And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So He said to them, "This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting."

 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it.  For He taught His disciples and said to them, "The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him.  And after He is killed, He will rise the third day."  But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.   Once again a secret is revealed to the disciples, but in a hidden way (He did not anyone to know He was passing through Galilee).  Not only is He Messiah, but they must understand He will be betrayed, killed, and He will rise on the third day.  This is the second time He predicts His Passion and Resurrection for the disciples; they will understand He goes freely.

Then He came to Capernaum.  And when He was in the house He asked them, "What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?"  But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.   The disciples seem to understand, given the confession and recognition that He is Messiah, that the message of the Kingdom is imminent.  They just don't seem to understand how that Kingdom will be manifest, and how they will play their roles in the Kingdom.  Who would be the greatest is a question of who the "great men" will be in a worldly kingdom, who will have prestige, authority, and power.  They kept silent when Jesus asked what they were disputing; clearly there is some embarrassment over having disputed this question.

And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."  Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them.  And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, "Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me."    Jesus teaches them about greatness in His kingdom.  They must first of all recognize their duties.  They must see even a little child they receive -- indicating all those who come in the faith of "childlike humility and simplicity" (in the words of my study bible), that is, all those who are poor in spirit -- as if they were receiving not only Christ Himself, but also even the Father.   This is the first lesson they must realize in their places as those who would be great in His kingdom.

Now John answered Him, saying, "Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us."  But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.  For he who is not against us is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  It's important to understand these statements in context.  Jesus has shown them a little child -- symbolizing all the "little ones" who will come to them in His name, and in order to teach how they must receive them.  Here John's remark about someone who does not follow them who was casting out demons in Christ's name is meant as a question:  Does His teaching include even those who are not a part of their group?  Theophylact has commented that John's remark is voiced as regret:  his conscience is pricked by what Christ has said about the "little ones."  On the other hand, my study bible notes St. Ambrose, who sees John as expecting full obedience.  But in both cases, Jesus' response expresses that those who act in good faith are not excluded, even if they aren't numbered among the disciples.  My study bible quotes Theopylact as saying, "See how divine grace is at work even in those who are not His disciples."

It is intriguing to consider Jesus' words in today's reading.  He tells His disciples, "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  This is a statement about a communion between people, between all those who have faith in Him.  We see a kind of reciprocal action:  there are those who will give even a cup of water in the name of Christ.  Because they who receive belong to Christ -- the giver will by no means lose his reward.  There is reciprocal action here in the sense that each party plays a role in that communion, and thereby through each there is a blessing received.  Christ prompts us to charitable action; at the same time we see in the heart of any believer that we give a gift to Christ Himself.  (Please note that this recognition does not eliminate our understanding that we are also to love to our enemies and to pray for them.)  There are many in the world today who suffer for the love of Christ, even who are persecuted in His name.  We can look around the world at those who would target specifically those who are Christian, who profess faith in Christ.  What is our responsibility in recognizing the suffering of these people?  I think first of all we must see the mystical connection that Christ makes between those who have faith in Him.  This is not a complicated question.  It is a question of recognizing the love of Christ at work in each heart that embraces Him.  It is faith that makes the connection, faith that has to shape our identity as part of His Kingdom.  It is really a question of how we are to relate to one another in this Kingdom.  Who are the least of these?  Do we stand by and do nothing to help?  Are our concerns not also with His Kingdom wherever it may take root?  It is important that we recognize God's love in the love of Christ, important that we see it is in loving Christ that the Kingdom roots itself in the world.   This is where we meet, where blessings are given and received.  There is no question, in Christ's words, that a denial of such reception is also a denial not only of Himself, but of the Father.  This opens up a multitude of questions we can ask of ourselves.  How do we live our faith and understand that the "little ones" may be found anywhere in the world?  Can we recognize their need?  Can we recognize their suffering?  Do we lose them in the general need of the world, or is it a tragedy for those who seek to bear this Kingdom to be lost to the world?  Do we overlook them to be "fair"?  Does that not mean we overlook Him?  How do we receive them?