He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him

 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Than Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 

- John 6:52-59

Yesterday we read that the religious leaders in the synagogue at Capernaum complained about Jesus, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"  Than Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent Me, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.  This is the bread which came down from heaven -- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead.  He who eats this bread will live forever."  These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.   The term the Jews indicates the religious leadership; it is used like a political designation.  As the text tells us, Jesus is speaking in the synagogue at Capernaum; those who listen are also those who have followed Him from the feeding in the wilderness, after which they sought to forcibly make Him king.  Here, He elaborates on the food for which they should labor, the bread which came down from heaven (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study bible says that the eucharistic significance of this passage is indisputable; Jesus speaks of the Mystical Supper of His Church.  It adds that He was crucified in the flesh and His blood was shed on the Cross.  On the third day He was raised in a glorified state.  We receive the grace of this sacrificial offering by coming to Him in faith (6:35) and by receiving Holy Communion in faith; in Communion, we eat His flesh and drink His blood, granting the faithful eternal life.  In so doing, He abides in us and we in Him.  My study bible quotes St. Hilary of Poitiers:  "There is no room left for any doubt about the reality of His flesh and blood, because we have both the witness of His words and our own faith.  Thus when we eat and drink these elements, we are in Christ and Christ is in us."

As we shall read in tomorrow's reading, Jesus gives us a "hard saying."  That is, it is hard to believe the doctrine of Christ's flesh and blood in the Eucharist.  As we read from the comment of St. Hilary (c. 310-367), the doctrine of the flesh and blood of the Eucharist was accepted from the earliest centuries of the Church.   It was understood as a Mystical Supper; that is, these elements are mystically present and accepted as Mystery.  In the quotation from St. Hilary above, he cites the witness of Christ's words and of the Church's own faith as to the truth of this understanding.  In the Eastern Church, there was never developed any doctrine "explaining" how this happens, such as that of Transubstantiation.  It is still accepted and regarded as Mystery that the elements of bread and wine are changed.  In the West, there have been varied debates historically about the Eucharist.  But for nearly the entire history of the Church, whether or not one ascribes to one particular theory or another, the doctrine of the Eucharist has remained essentially the same:  that Christ's body and blood are mystically present, and that in accordance with His words above, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him."   This is central to our faith, the very keystone:  that we are invited, even commanded, to participate in His very life, even in the here and the now.  In an entirely mystical way, Christ lives in us and we live in Him.  In His words above, there is an eternal life conveyed through this participation; life itself is given through Him.  He Himself conveys communion in the life that is unified as one Body.  Our understanding of ourselves as Christians will always come down to this cup, that that which He has given for us becomes our food and drink -- Him abiding in us and we in Him.  While all of us may not be brilliant theological scholars or exalted saints, we can understand this through our own experience.  We are invited into something -- not as chance observers but as fully fledged members of one Body, His Body.  He does not reserve something back from us.  We are plunged fully into the reality of His words and His life.  Just as with Holy Baptism, there is not conveyed here a kind of partial project, a faint hope, a slight participation.  We are all in.  He is all for us, and invites us to be all for Him.  We may not find a full understanding of how this happens, but we do find our faith and its workings in the Eucharist.  We find a depth that can't be breached otherwise.  And we find that we are all equal in sharing in that cup.  All of these things convey His faith to us, that which He asks us to enter and to abide in, so that He may abide in us.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world

 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.  Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

- John 6:41-51

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught to the people who had followed Him after the feeding in the wilderness:  "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."  And they said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?  How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?"  Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.  No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.'  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me."  We recall that Jesus is in Galilee, the region from which His family comes and where He was raised.   Jesus quotes from Isaiah 54:13, referring again to the mysterious connection that faith confers with God, and how that connection draws people to Him.  The Jews, we remember, is a term most often used by John to designate the leadership.  Jesus is speaking in the synagogue at Capernaum.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.  I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.  This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."  Jesus speaks of Himself once again as the bread of life.  He is the living bread which came down from heaven, and it is He who gives life, even everlasting life.  Jesus begins here a discourse which is full of the significance of the Eucharist.  As the living bread that gives life, He speaks of the Mystical Supper of the New Testament Church.  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will continue to express the eucharistic meaning of the events which are to come.

Jesus not only introduces the meaning of the Eucharist in today's passage, but for the first time He speaks of the sacrifice that He will make, the bread which is "My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."  These same people who hear His discourse are those who have followed Him from the feeding in the wilderness, in which 5,000 men, and more women and children, were fed from five barley loaves and two small fish.  They wished to make Him king because He'd fed them, but He evaded them.  In Saturday's reading, Jesus taught them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  He is directing them to something more, something different -- that is, something entirely different.  How can it be conceivable to them that the bread of life is His flesh, which will be given for the life of the world?  And yet, it is to this that He directs them, and to which we are directed.  That is, into a life of participation in His life, which in turn gives us life.  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will continue to speak about the Eucharist, giving an even more graphic depiction about His flesh and blood.  But what we start with today is His gift, that which He will give for the life of the world.  We note that He speaks not only of the life of human beings and those who have faith in Him, but for the life of the world.  His renewal of life is not for individuals only, but for the life of the world.  In the original Greek of the Gospel, the word translated as "the world" doesn't simply mean planet earth.  The word is cosmos, meaning all of creation, a whole universe.  This isn't simply the moon and the stars and the planets, that which we think of as physical creation.  It's also every order of created life, such as the ranks of the angels which we don't see.  Jesus speaks of life and renewal and the centrality of the Cross and His sacrifice.  Let us consider the impact of His words, and what it means to give thanks for the life He offers.

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

- John 6:27-40

On Saturday we read that when evening came, Jesus' disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  [Jesus had gone alone back to the mountain -- see Friday's reading.]  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  What a powerful statement this is; putting our trust in Christ is the work of God.

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."   As so frequently happens in the Gospels, the people immediately ask for a sign.  We should keep in mind that these are the people who were fed in the wilderness by Christ (Friday's reading), and who have sought to forcibly make Him king because He fed them.  For Scriptural reference to their quotation see Exodus 16:4, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24.  This is a good illustration of how Jesus uses language to point to something higher, deeper, more foundational to faith, and that leads into mystery.  They know the story of Moses and the manna from heaven, but the true bread from heaven is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.   Even so, they still do not understand that He is referring to Himself as the bread of God.

And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me I will by no means cast out."  Jesus states plainly that He is the bread of life.  But these do not believe, they do not receive His words somehow.  And Jesus links even this also to the Father; those who do come to Him, who have trust in HIm, are those "the Father gives Me."

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  For Christ, everything refers back to the Father.  Those who are sent to Him are from the Father, and of all that is given to Him He will lose nothing but raise it up at the last day, and each person who trust in Him may have everlasting life.  Let us note the subjects being raised up -- the implication is for the whole of the creation (all that is given to Him by the Father), and for those who believe in Him.  He has come down from heaven, not to do His own will, but "the will of Him who sent Me."  Since Christ has two natures, my study bible says, He has two wills -- the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, at Constantinople (680-681), it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another, but "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."

Jesus speaks of belief:   that belief in Him is the way that we may work the works of God, that those who believe in Him are those given by the Father whom He will not lose but raise up at the last day.  He remarks on those who have seen Him but do not believe (those who ask for a sign).  If we explore the concept of belief, we must always turn to the roots of this word in the original Greek of the Gospels.  This word's root is trust.  We must choose to entrust ourselves to Christ, to be persuaded of the validity of His words, that He Himself is true so that we can put our faith and trust in Him.  It's a similar idea to meeting a person and deciding whether or not they seem trustworthy, whether or not we will put our faith into what they have to say to us or be persuaded of the validity of their words.  There is a connection to be made here, and this is what Jesus goes by.  The demand for proof means that something is missing, the trust element is not there despite their encounter with Him already.  Faith itself is a work in Jesus' proclamation in today's reading.  It is what we do when we work "the work of God."  If we think about it, faith is truly a lot of work.  Every moment we have choices to make, and in those choices we also have the internal struggle of whether or not we find trust in Christ's words and directives for our lives, whether or not we will place our trust in the path that leads to Him, His way, and seek His guidance, the place that He has for us.  In Jesus' words today, we are reminded that to put trust in Christ involves a kind of depth of intuition (to use a rather inadequate term).  That is, we may have a depth of instinctive turning to Christ.  At times of trouble, we find ourselves praying.  Our own capacities for faith are built into us as human beings.  Every day, and all throughout the day, we put our trust into one thing or another.  We look before we cross a road and put our trust in our assumption that there is no car coming to endanger us, for example.  We trust that what a salesperson tells us about a product is true, or that a store will honestly refund our money if we find a product defective.  Life is a series of choices to trust or not to trust in something or someone.  So Christ asks for our trust, not by proofs, but by a kind of love that is deep inside.  Faith works also in mysterious ways, because once we do trust, we will find all kinds of "proofs" and workings of our faith in our lives.  Through this trust -- like putting trust in a spouse or friend or partnership -- we grow to learn more of Christ.  Moreover, Christ puts His trust in us as disciples.  Our commitment and dependency grow.  This is all about the work of God, the work of faith.  Do we put our trust in Him?  Do we need further proof first?   On what is trust based?  Let us remember the examples of the disciples in the Gospels; they begin with a little faith, and that grows -- and in some cases it does not.  Who do you trust?  In what do you put your trust?  Jesus offers us Himself as the bread from heaven, the bread of God.

It is I; do not be afraid

 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." 

- John 6:16-27

Yesterday we read that Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundered denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."    Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

  Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.  Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.  But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."  Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.  Yesterday's reading gave us the fourth miraculous sign reported in John's Gospel, the feeding of five thousand men (and more women and children) in the wilderness.  This is the fifth sign, given here.  Both are part of a chapter which has parallels to the story of Exodus.  In yesterday's reading, there was a fulfillment of the passage in which the Jews ate unleavened bread, as they'd left Egypt without taking provisions (Exodus 12:39).  In today's reading there is a parallel of Israel's crossing of the Red Sea, when they walked on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here Christ has sent His disciples across the sea, and then walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.  In the Greek, It is I is written ego eimi, or I AM, the name of God given to Moses (Exodus 3:14).   For the second time in John's Gospel, Jesus is declaring His identity in the text (see also John 4:26, in which He uses this same phrase in the Greek when speaking to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well).

 On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"  Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.  Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."   We see how desperately the people follow Jesus, and conclude how strongly they feel they need Him.  But Jesus did not want to be taken by force to be made king (see yesterday's reading, above).  Here, Jesus tells them bluntly that they seek Him, "not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."  He then tells them there is a kind of labor to do, but it's not the labor they are thinking of.  They are aiming for the wrong goal.  In our next reading, Jesus will answer their question when they ask how they may work the works of God.

In today's reading, we are given to understand how desperately the people search for Christ.   Elsewhere in the Gospels, we're told that Jesus is filled with compassion for the people who come to find Him, because they are weary and scattered, "like sheep having no shepherd" (Mark 6:34, Matthew 9:36).  This is the way that we find these people, who have made such a diligent effort to follow Jesus.  But Jesus takes the opportunity for teaching, to tell them the truth.  They labor and search for the wrong thing in this circumstance.  That is, there is something else more important to put first, and to seek in Him.  Everything points to an understanding of faith, and the kind of faith that Jesus wants from us.  There is a type of dependency encouraged here, but it's not one that ignores our intelligence and our capacity for labor.  Neither is it one that ignores our creativity; rather true faith and dependence upon God encourages us to use and to develop all the skills and talents with which we are endowed by God.  The type of faith Jesus wants us to place in Him is more about leadership for our lives; good direction, and an invitation into the life that He promises to us.  Jesus' words to His disciples, "It is I; do not be afraid," mean that He is always at hand for us.  Our faith is what teaches us exactly how this dependency works, and we go forward learning more about what that means, and deepening that relationship of faith, as they do.

This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundered denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."    Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

- John 6:1-15

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse to the leadership in Jerusalem (see the beginning here), who accused Him not only of violating Sabbath rules by healing a paralytic, but also of blasphemy by calling God His Father, and thereby declaring Himself equal to God (see Tuesday's reading):   "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  My study bible tells us that the sixth chapter of John, similarly to the way in which the beginning chapter paralleled the creation story of Genesis, parallels the story of the Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt.  Here there's a parallel to the Exodus account (Exodus 11-17) in which God first performed His signs against Pharaoh, then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of the Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here in today's passage, the multitudes follow Christ because of His signs.  This too takes place at Passover.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundered denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" My study bible says that Christ tests Philip's faith here, because Philip needed help in understanding Him (see 14:8-10).  Two hundred denarii would be over six months wages for a laborer.  Andrew shows that he has greater faith than Philip.  He knows that the prophet Elijsha had multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), and so he offers the five loaves and two small fish that has been brought by a certain lad.  But Andrew is still weak in faith, questioning what these provisions could do for so many people.

Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.   This miraculous feeding of five thousand men (and more women and children) parallels the passage in the Exodus in which the Jews ate unleavened bread as they were hastily driven out of Egypt and had brought no provisions (Exodus 12:39).  Jesus feeds this great crowd with earthly bread as they had brought no provisions, because they had rushed out to see Him.  As Moses led the twelve tribes of Israel, so Christ has the disciples gather up twelve baskets of fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."    Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  Although Jesus had performed greater signs than this one, the crowds fed by Him were so desirous of an earthly Messiah that they declare Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  But this happens only because they were filled earthly things, as Jesus will later comment to them (see 6:26).  Because of this misunderstanding, my study bible says, Jesus departed from them.

All the concerns about who Jesus is mark John's Gospel.  We call Him King and Messiah, but He will not become an earthly king of the type the people are expecting.  In  worldly way, we might think that if He were a worldly king He'd be able to institute and teach what He has to teach people.  But faith just doesn't work that way.  Nothing happens with Christ by coercion or deception.  He wants people to know who He is, to understand Him.  He won't even assume worldly power without the faith He seeks in people.  Throughout the Gospels there will be people who fail to understand Him, and who cannot accept His identity.  He will be accused of blasphemy because of who He says He is, and He will be put to death for it.  But He never accepts the misunderstanding to His advantage.  His truth seems to be inextricably linked to fundamental notions of freedom.  Those who cannot accept His truth are free to reject it.  He will not assume a place in others' eyes based on falsehood.  He is continually working to open the eyes of people to God and to Himself and His identity.  And that work goes on through the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit sent at Pentecost.  He chooses His battles and His moments, but He always tells it true.  This is an example for us of purity; what it means to be the same on the inside as on the outside.  Contained in it is an understanding of freedom and free will that always respects this fundamental principle that belongs to human beings.  We're not forced into faith, although faith is what He's looking for.  In the readings that follow, Jesus' words will create for us parallels of this feeding in the wilderness with the Eucharist, His own being which feeds us.  He  will experience a great falling away because of the hard sayings He will give.  But He always tells it to us as it is; the freedom in which God creates us to live seems to ask of us always what we can accept, what we can receive, what faith we find in our hearts.

How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.  If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

- John 5:30-47

Yesterday we read that (after healing the paralytic on a Sabbath) Jesus answered and said to the Jerusalem leadership in the temple, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.   Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

"I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study bible says here that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- for all fully share the same divine nature.  When we read that the Son obeys the Father, this is referring to Christ's human will, assumed at His Incarnation.  He freely aligned His human will in every aspect with the divine will of the Father.  As He is our Teacher, we are called to "Follow Him" and do likewise.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"   My study bible tells us that Jesus is anticipating the argument and speaking the thoughts of the religious leaders (as He does in Luke 4:23).   In Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here, Jesus offers four witnesses in order to confirm His identity as Messiah and as Son of God.  The first is God the Father, the second is John the Baptist.   As third witness, He offers His own works, and finally the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony.

It seems to me that a key component of Jesus' discourse in today's reading is found in the following remarks, made just after Jesus cites the leaders' diligent and constant searches of the Scriptures, in which they believe they have eternal life.  He notes that the Scriptures speak of Himself.  He then tells them, "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"   This failure to know Him, to understand Him, to believe Him, runs through the entire discourse.  There is a contrast between the worldly perspective, in which the understanding only of worldly honor ("honor from men") is contrasted with the love of God.  That is, the preference for the honor that God gives to the honor that comes from other human beings.  Everything comes down to the first great commandment, the love of God with all one's heart and soul and mind (Matthew 22:37-38).  On this point, Jesus is not only entirely consistent, but with these men, He shows us an example of what the failure to honor this first and greatest commandment does in us.  We lose the plot, we replace love of God with other priorities, whether we do so intentionally or not.  We place other gods before us, because this is the nature of what it is to be human beings.  Moreover, we are unable to recognize when God is at work in our lives, or those through whom God is working.  Our capacity for worship must be fulfilled in a proper way, otherwise we place first something different in the place of that primary love.  It becomes a  key question in our choices and our psychological and spiritual well-being.  We fail to perceive properly without it, and it sets up for us a proper relationship to the world as well.  It is with this perception that Jesus adds, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"  Finally, we must take note of this statement:  "Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved."   Here is the fullness of the mission of Christ, the meaning of the Incarnation.  Everything He does, He does not do to condemn, but to save.  He tells these men the truth about themselves and their mistaken perspectives in order to save them.  These are His words and His aim, plainly and clearly stated.  Even those who would condemn Him, He has come to save.  But can they hear His words?  Will they choose to do so?   With His own questions ("How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?"), He seems to reflect the psychological and spiritual impossibility that they will hear what He is telling them, that they will receive what He says and does to save them.  Let us consider our own places.  What can we hear?  What do we understand?  His saving mission continues.  Will we take it up and participate in the life He offers?  What do we put first before all things as the most precious truth we have?

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

- John 5:19-29

Yesterday we read that after the healing of the nobleman's son, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.   For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.  Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."  As Jesus has declared God to be My Father, the leadership understands that this implies absolute equality.  That the Son can do nothing of Himself, my study bible says, proves that His every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  In the context of the whole of today's reading, Jesus reveals that the Father and Son are completely united in nature, will, and action.  Therefore, the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment. 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."  Here, Christ reveals that His judgment is based on both faith and works.  When He speaks here of the dead, my study bible notes, it refers both to the spiritually dead, who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead, who will rise in the general resurrection.  He will confirm this statement in the raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:38-44) before He goes to His own death on the Cross.  All who fall asleep in faith receive the same reward.

Jesus 'raises the stakes,' so to speak, in today's reading.  What does it mean that He is the Son of God and Son of Man?  In front of the leadership, He confesses His identity, Who He really is.  And that is immediately linked to judgment.  They will judge Him, but He is the One who will judge all of us.  It tells us something about the power of the Incarnation, the saving mission of God in the world.  God becomes a human being, not only so that He can lead the way for human beings to become "like Him," but also, because this becomes possible, He is in a position to judge.  He lives as one of us, and He also offers us the gift of eternal life.  What are the conditions?  The one who receives the gift is one who "hears My word," and "believes in Him who sent Me."  In addition, "all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."   To be able to truly hear Him is indeed a gift, and we may grow in that gift.   Grace somehow works in a highly mysterious way to touch our hearts and thereby our entire beings -- to sharpen our senses, to help us grow in this gift of life, even as it may affect the lives we live now.  This is the first time Jesus has touched on such deep subjects in John's Gospel.  This great truth of judgment is revealed to the leadership.  Will they take His words seriously?  Or are they concerned with their own authority to judge and to censure?  What sentence will they pass upon Him?  God calls upon all of us to hear, but gives us so many chances to do so, and so many ways to act on that word.  Are we awake to those times?

Do you want to be made well?

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.   For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. 

- John 5:1-18

Yesterday we read that after the two days He departed from Samaria and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.  So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.  This feast is considered to be the Feast of Weeks, or the Old Testament Pentecost.  It is a celebration of the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai.  The references to the Law of Moses later in this chapter confirm this interpretation, my study bible tells us.  It notes that the double-basin pool referred to here, which was believed to have curative powers, has been discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  The water for this high-ground pool came from underground springs and was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  One understanding is that it functions as a type of Christian baptism.  Under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing after an angel touched it.  The waters were special in that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, as the animals were washed in the same water.  But the grace was limited to the first person to enter.  However, under the new covenant, baptism is given to all nations as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6), and is done so without the mediation of angels.  Baptism therefore grants the healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body.  Its grace is inexhaustible.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."  Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.   St. John Chrysostom cites that Jesus singled out this man, who had waited for thirty-eight years, in order to teach all of us perseverance, and also as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time.  Jesus asks the man, "Do you want to be made well?" for possibly several reasons.  First, it makes public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in a situation that seemed hopeless.  How could a paralytic ever be the first into the water?  Christ draws attention away from the water and toward the need that we have for someone to help us.  This is fulfilled in Christ Himself, my study bible says, who became human in order to heal all.  My study bible also notes that not everybody who is ill truly desires healing.  Sadly, some may prefer to remain infirm in order to have license to complain, or possibly to avoid some particular responsibility, or to elicit the pity of others.  This miraculous healing is the third sign given in John's Gospel.

And that day was the Sabbath.  The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.'"  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, my study bible says, it is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:27, and also explicitly forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  That Christ is Lord over the Sabbath is made clear by His command ("Take up your bed and walk"), and also by the man's obedience.  We make note again that, as is most often the case in John's Gospel, the term Jews here is used as a sort of political term, and refers to the leaders and not to the people in general.  All of the people in the story are Jews, including Jesus and the healed man (and John, the author of the Gospel).  The malice of the leadership is noteworthy; they focus only on the violation of the Sabbath, quizzing the healed man only about who told him, "Take up your bed."  They ignore altogether his extraordinary healing.

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."   My study bible tells us that the fact that the man was found in the temple shows his great faith.  He had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, rather than departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  To sin no more is an admonition which we can take on several levels.  First of all, this man is the recipient of the grace of God; to further sin would be like a rejection of the gift, an unawareness of where his healing comes from.   My study bible notes that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), it's not always a one-to-one event, as the innocent often suffer, and the guilty are often spared earthly sufferings (see in addition 9:1-3).  But there are times when our sins do lead to our own suffering in this world.  According to St. John Chrysostom, such is the case with this healed paralytic.  Christ's warning here seems to be suggesting that the sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  In any case, our great hope is to flee from sin altogether.

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.   For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.   The man doesn't report Jesus to the leaders in a malicious way, but rather as a witness to Christ's goodness, my study bible says.  Even though these leaders were only interested in the violation of the Sabbath, the healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing about carrying his bed.   To declare that God is My Father implies that Jesus is equal with God, which the leadership clearly understands.

 Elements of today's reading give us a sense of some responsibility in terms of our own lives and healings.  That is, Christ seems to indicate to this man in various ways the responsibility that he bears within his own condition, and even within the relationship to Christ.  He is first of all asked, "Do you want to be made well?"  It might seem rather obvious in the context of the story that the man wanted to be made well -- he'd been waiting there presumably for decades for someone to help him into the water.  But, as my study bible points out, it isn't obvious at all.  There are all kinds of ways in which we may somewhat paradoxically benefit (perhaps in "hidden" ways) from remaining in an unhealed condition, whether that be spiritual, mental, physical, or emotional.  There are hidden perks to situations that are seemingly impossible to reconcile with well-being.  The question itself conveys a kind of responsibility for making up our own minds what we truly want, and for asking that of God.  It is a way to be shaken into taking inventory, to be made conscious of where we stand, so to speak.  After Jesus heals the man, He next finds him in the temple.  This conveys another kind of responsibility:  the man has gone to the temple to thank God for the gift of his healing.  He knows where grace has come from, he knows what dependency he has upon God.  This is another stage of responsibility; had he not been in the temple, Jesus would not have found him again.  It is a level of acknowledgement of the reality of his circumstances that this healed man has come there to the temple.  But Jesus also builds on that choice and responsibility by telling him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  There is a level of spiritual responsibility that Jesus conveys to this man, that he is in a place where he must take responsibility for actions and choices -- and even for his own health and well-being.  In some sense, to continue to sin would be to flaunt God's help and grace, to slide into a place of forgetfulness and apathy about his condition.  The grace of God -- Jesus' help and healing -- should have a way of waking him up to the urgency of the time, of the moment, and the need to stay awake and focused.  We could liken it to the consciousness required in recovery for all kinds of issues and problems.  Jesus' words are not just an idle warning.  He never wastes words, and certainly not commands such as this one.  They are a call to awareness.  Have you had a wake up call?  Do you know when grace has been active in your life?  Have you ever been given a second, third, or fourth chance?  May we all awaken to His warnings and commands, and take our lives as seriously as He indicates we must.

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

On Saturday, we read the final section of the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, and her encounter with Christ.  (See the readings of Thursday and Friday for the earlier parts of the story.)  At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So, when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  So central to the Gospels is this understanding that a prophet has no honor in His own country that it appears, in one form or another, in all four (see also Matthew 13:37, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover festival reported earlier in John's Gospel (2:13-25).  This is the second time that John has disclosed to us that Jesus performed many signs at that feast, although we don't know specifically what they were.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study bible says, St. John Chrysostom gives more credit to the Samaritans (see Saturday's reading, above) for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."    Jesus is admonishing people in general here and not specifically the nobleman (you is plural both times).  My study bible tells us that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn if the miracles cease (19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  My study bible remarks that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand the true Lordship of Christ:  that He is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Neither does he understand that Jesus would have the power to heal even should the child die.  He inquires about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting in Christ's authority.  But after all is confirmed he and his whole household believe.  In healing the child from a distance, therefore, Jesus not only heals the body of the child, but also the soul of this nobleman.

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second of seven signs that John's Gospel reports to us.  (We note that John also tells us Jesus did many other signs which he does not report in his Gospel.)  My study bible says that having revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  This shows that His divine power knows no earthly limits.  While there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle that is recorded in Matthew 8:4-13, there are also crucial differences.  These, it concludes, are clearly two different encounters.

The fact that there are no limits to Christ's power should tell us something very comforting, and also in which we can put our trust.  That is, there are no worldly obstacles to His power.  There is only the determination that God's will is to use power and authority in particular ways and for particular purposes.  By definition, God is so far beyond our own understanding and ways of being that what these purposes and ways are will remain mysterious to us.  Revelation is all about what it is that God chooses to give us and to teach us, both about ourselves and about God.  In today's reading, we're given to understand not only that God's ways are not our ways, but in particular that by applying a worldly way of thinking to Christ, we fail to know Him.  We fail to grasp what we are dealing with.  This is why faith is essential to our relationship and participation in the life He offers.  It is by faith that we begin to grasp something of God.  It is by faith that we are capable of sustaining this kind of relatedness and communion with Someone who is so far beyond what we are.  The demand for proofs is quite an interesting thing to think about, because there are indications here in this reading that reply to our constant demand.  John tells us clearly, in the words of Jesus, that "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." Proofs put Christ down at our level.  We demand that God conforms to our expectations and judgment.  He will say to all who demand one that "a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign" (Matthew 12:39, 16:4; Mark 8:12; Luke 11:29).  The connection through faith asks for something more and something different.  The food we desire is participation in Him, in the love and grace of God, in the work of the Spirit, in the communion of saints.  When we pray for our daily bread, this is a direct plea for the Eucharist and all that it means and adds to our lives and forms of community for us.  If we desire only proofs, we will never get enough to satisfy an impossible and spiritually infantile demand that does not recognize the love that is offered, nor the life it contains.  What is the work of faith?  How does it pull us and draw us?  What does it give us?  This is what we're asked through the Gospel today, and Jesus' words and teachings.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified

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

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

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

- John 4:27-42

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

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  My study bible says that Jesus' disciples marveled not only that Jesus was speaking with a Samaritan, but that He was speaking with a woman who was unaccompanied was potentially scandalous.  We can learn more about Christ and the faith He teaches in the same way that His disciples did, by observing His actions in His dealings with women:  see 7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  This Samaritan woman becomes an early evangelist.  She testifies to the advent of Christ and brings others to Him (see the following verses in today's reading).  An early tradition tells us that after the Resurrection this woman was baptized with the name Photini.  In Greek, this means "the enlightened one."  With her two sons and five daughters, she went to Carthage to spread the gospel.  Later she was martyred with her family under the emperor Nero, by being thrown into a well.

In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."  Jesus fulfills His role as Messiah by doing the will of the Father; this is therefore His food.  It teaches us, as well, that we are to perform the will of God in our own lives, without being distracted by earthly cares (6:27; see also Matthew 4:4, 6:25-33).

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom here, who comments that Jesus' command to look (behold) is given because the townspeople are approaching.  They are ready and eager to believe in Christ.  Jesus compares these foreigners (considered to be so by the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  The command equally applies to all believers to look to those around us and share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race, origin, or ethnicity.

"And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  St. John Chrysostom teaches us that those who sow and those who reap are the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apostles, respectively.  The prophets all sowed in preparation for the Messiah, but they did not see His coming and so therefore did not reap.  The apostles did not do the preparation -- but in their own lifetimes they will draw thousands to Christ.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So, when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."   My study bible says that the fact that these foreigners are among the first to recognize Jesus as the Savior of the world shows that the gospel is for all people in every nation.

Jacob's well is located near the modern city of Nablus, a Palestinian city on the West Bank populated by descendants of the Samaritans of Christ's time.   As current tensions between the populations of the region are familiar to us, so we can understand the tension between  Samaritans and Jews of Christ's time and earlier.   They are a part of a long history.  What today's reading teaches us is an important lesson in the centrality of Christ for all of us.  It doesn't really matter what tensions we have between us, nor what differences we may find between ourselves -- whether that be for whole populations, such as nations or groups of any kind, on the family level, or even as individuals.  All of these differences -- no matter their duration -- are bridged in Christ.  In yesterday's reading, the Samaritan woman remarks to Christ, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  She brings up the matter of contention between the populations, and we know that a little over a century earlier, the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerizim had been destroyed by the Jews.  But Jesus will not engage in such matters with her.  Instead, He resolves the issue by proclaiming, in essence, that the basis for this historical argument is untrue, by revealing the higher truth that God is Spirit, and so must be worshiped in spirit and in truth.  This is the true reality of the revelation of Christ:  He is the center of all things, and the resolution of all things.  While we may not easily recognize this ourselves, while Christians themselves may contend with one another about all kinds of issues, the truth is that He remains the resolution.  It is in Him that we find the way to love one another even through our differences, that we find a true peace which is reconciliation in Him, that we learn all that He has to bring into our lives, including the joy of fulfillment in identity as those who put our faith in Him.  The very fact that God is Spirit gives us an enormous wealth of information that there is mystery beyond what we know, that reconciliation essentially lies in faith.  There are many things that Christ teaches through the discipleship offered to these individuals who populate the Gospels.  Jesus does not reveal Himself to scoffers, He teaches discernment, He chooses His battles in accordance only with the will of the Father, He teaches all of His followers to "love one another as I have loved you" (13:34, 15:12).  We are given the Holy Spirit in order to help us to grow in that likeness that is possible for us through the Incarnation.  But do we take these seriously?  Do we get caught up in our own "proofs" and understandings and dogmatic insistence on what must be?  Can we find ways to love one another in Him?  The conversion of these Samaritans and their welcoming desire for Christ to stay with them teaches us a very important lesson:  that what is necessary is not a truth that drives us apart, but the truth that teaches us better things than we already think we know, deeper things He can reveal to us, something we can only get to with faith.  Let us consider where He leads us, and how we get there.  Let us make note, also, that Jesus does not simply make a convert out of this woman by telling her what (presumably) she would want to hear.  He tells her the truth about her husbands (or lack of them), and He tells her, a Samaritan, that "salvation is of the Jews."  It is the truth that unites; it is we who do the work of faith in that truth.  This Samaritan woman, enemy of the Jews and least likely person for Christ to speak to, becomes one among the first evangelists.