These are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came d devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And he said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.'"

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

- Mark 4:1-20

Yesterday we read that Jesus and His newly-chosen twelve, went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but it subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came d devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  A new turning point has come in Jesus' ministry, and there is a type of further winnowing of His approach to the public, in a time when there is almost a furor of interest in Him:  He begins to preach in parables.  Parables are "word pictures."  They give a glimpse of truth through what might be termed allegory, or riddle, or proverb.  Such parables fill all of  Scripture; they are images from people's daily life, chosen to illustrate the deeper things of God.  But Jesus is the greatest teller of parables; in both the powerful messages available in the parables and in the simplicity and directness of the images He chooses, He excels beyond anyone else in their telling and their message.  But there's a deeper meaning in this shift in ministry:  Jesus is at the point where He wants those with ears to hear.  He's looking for those with a capacity of faith to desire what He offers, who seek Him out not for show and not for healing or miraculous wonders, but with an internal spiritual hunger for the true food He offers.  My study bible says that parables give us glimpses of God whose thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Parables will give to each one according to their own spiritual degree of understanding and their internal desire for the things of God.  The Gospels introduce us to the parables of Jesus with the parable of the Sower.

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And he said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.'"  St. John Chrysostom comments that Isaiah's prophecy (quoted here by Jesus, see Isaiah 6:9-10) doesn't mean that God causes spiritual blindness in those who'd otherwise have been faithful.  It's a figure of speech common to Scripture which reveals that God gives people up to their own desires (see Romans 1:24, 26).  God permits self-chosen blindness.  We recall from yesterday's reading (above) the crowds that come to see Him, the hostility of the leadership, the panic of His own people.   Among all this, Jesus seeks those who truly desire the fruits of the Kingdom and its reality within and among us.

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  My study bible says that Jesus reveals Himself in this parable as the promised Messiah.  He's the sower, foretold by Isaiah (Isaiah 55:10-13).  We note the possible manifestations of faith or lack of it:  there are those for whom the word never remains at all in the heart, those who are immediately glad but the word never takes root, they endure only for a time.   They stumble immediately when there is hostility or adversity to the word.  The thorns are the things that choke the word in us:  they are the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things that enter into the heart and crowd out the word.  To endure in the word is to bear fruit, each according to his or her capacity.

 Jesus' words speak to us about faith, about the mission of faith.  They explain what He is here for, those whom He looks for, the aim of His entire ministry.  He's looking for those who will endure.  The word goes out into the world which is hostile to it.  Jesus expects that we will face adversity to this word within our hearts.  He expects that we will find all kinds of temptations in life -- and desires that crowd out our desire for God or seek to replace it.  The demand for all kinds of things in the world:  the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the many, many other things that seem so good to chase in life will give us plenty to distract us and seek to replace the desire for the word of God within us.  All of these things that Jesus names teaches us about our faith:  that it's not just a one-time acceptance He's looking for.  He's not looking for people to sign up and sign on.  He's not looking for membership or roster rolls.  He's not looking for an "Amen" or a crowd that wants to cheer Him.  There is nothing like that going on here.  Jesus instead is here for serious commitment, for even a lifetime of struggle.  What He wants are those who are willing to go the long haul; whose desire is sincere and genuine, and will not fade away with the advent of other things that take us away from Him.   This is a serious adult business, one that takes in all the problems of this world and is willing to reckon with them for the true prize, the soul that can bear fruit from the word, from the seeds planted in the heart.   Jesus gives no one rose-colored glasses.  He doesn't promise an easy life.  This is anything but a hard sell.  He doesn't even preach in ways that are direct but rather "hidden."  He wants those who really and truly want this and are going to hang on to it throughout the whole of life, and that's where He takes us today -- into that sobering, wise, understanding, and prepared place that acknowledges life as a struggle for what is good and worthy of us.  He's looking for those who will be His friends, and to whom He will be true Friend.   This Lent, let us consider what gets in the way and crowds out the word in us -- and weigh what is of true worth for us to pursue and choose for the long road.

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

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but it subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." 

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that, after the Pharisees began to plot with the Herodians to destroy Him, Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So he told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  Jesus' fame grows exponentially. We're told in recent readings that people come to see Him from all over Israel, and even from Tyre and Sidon, not merely from Galilee.  There are such great crowds who come to see Him that no one can even have a meal in the house.  The scribes come down from Jerusalem.  All eyes are on Him, so to speak.   At this His own people begin to panic (that is, His relatives from Galilee); they themselves go to lay hold of Him.  His behavior is unseemly, it's completely public, He's upsetting the leadership.   The scribes claim that He has Beelzebub, and casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.  Beelzebub was a Jewish reference to the god Baal; it was a slur of the title given to Baal by the Philistines who worshiped Baal; it means prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here the scribes call him the ruler of the demons.  Jesus replies with a commonsense and rational answer, which also tells us something about Himself:  He is the stronger man who plunders the house of Satan with His own power and authority.  My study bible tells us that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but it subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."   My study bible explains that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine action of the Spirit.  That is a blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity these Scriptural experts know from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven.  It comes from a willful hardness of heart, a refusal to accept the mercy of God.  The Church Fathers teach that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" and nor does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if one were to repent of it.  Jesus makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil."  They are beyond repentance by their hard-heartedness, their own choice to be so.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." My study bible tells us that Christ's family hasn't yet understood His identity and mission and the nature of His unfolding ministry.  With all the publicity and the hostility of the leaders, it is most likely startling and unseemly.  We read above that His "own people" think He is out of His mind,  and we know how His own townspeople will react to Him (Mark 6:1-6).  Jesus points to a spiritual family, which is based on obedience to the will of God.   It also notes that in Jewish usage, brother can indicate any number of relations.  Abraham called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).  Mary had one son, Jesus.  The brothers mentioned here are possibly step-brothers (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or cousins.  At the Cross, Jesus commits His mother to the care of John Zebedee (John 19:25-27), unthinkable if Mary had had other children to care for her.

We can imagine how startling and even strange Jesus' ministry must be at this stage.  He's being called one who works by the ruler of the demons by the religious leadership; His family thinks He is out of His mind.  His mother and brothers come inquiring after Him.  We might find it startling that His mother Mary is included here; she, after all, is the one who was given the divine word through Gabriel about the child she was to bear.   She was told that He would be called the Son of the Highest, and that He would receive the throne of His father David.  To all of it Mary replied, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (see Luke 1:26-38).   But nothing is spoken here of revealing precisely how all this would come about, and what the nature of His ministry would be.  Perhaps the closest a prophesy comes to telling Mary just what to expect is Simeon's prophecy, made when Jesus is presented in the temple as an infant:  "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (see Luke 2:25-35).  Nevertheless, this is not a rebuke of His mother (nor even His brothers).  Rather it is a statement, as my study bible says, of where true relationship comes from and what constitutes family for Him.  Neither does it exclude His mother.  St. Augustine writes of Mary, "She did the Father’s will. It was this in her that the Lord magnified, not merely that her flesh gave birth to flesh.… When He said, 'Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it,' He was in effect saying: 'My mother whom you have called blessed is blessed for the reason that she keeps the Word of God, not that the Word was made flesh in her and dwelt among us, but that she keeps the very Word of God through which she was made and which was made flesh in her'" (Tractate on John 10.3.2).  In other words, the honor He gives even His mother isn't merely of the flesh, but there's a higher and greater honor in those who love the will of God, and in that Mary is most blessed, as is affirmed here by Christ Himself.  How would our lives look if we gave this honor to one another -- if we honored in those around us the love of God?  It is a focus on the heart, an emphasis that elevates not a kind of coded snobbery of those whose faith is obvious or apparent.  Jesus' railing against religious hypocrisy sees us through that!  Instead, it is a kind of devotion to pure goodness, one that values true discernment, a love of the Good itself, that constitutes true relationship and relatedness to Christ, an internal honor that is in fact the substance of true family.  Let us consider what links us to Him in truth, what we elevate in our hearts, and to Whom we owe true obedience.  It is the most important question we answer, the way we need to find where we belong.

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So he told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

- Mark 3:7-19a

On Saturday we read that Jesus and the disciples went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So he told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.   We get a twofold movement in the Gospel, which we see throughout all the stories of Jesus and His ministry.  As the authorities begin to take hostile notice of Him (above, in Saturday's reading, the Pharisees began to plot with the Herodians how to destroy Him), Jesus withdraws from the public.  It's not yet His time, the "hour" of the Cross, which He calls His glory (see John 12:23-33).  But again, the unclean spirits know who He is, signifying a different realm from the worldly in which He is recognized.  There is a double withdrawal here, He wishes to keep His messianic and divine identity a secret.  It is not the time for revelation.  His ministry will reveal His identity in its fullness and at the proper time.

And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. As public notice of Him grows, along with the hostility of the leadership (the Pharisees) which now has begun to collaborate against Him with the powerful of the state (the Herodians), Jesus went up on the mountain, a holy place, in order to appoint the twelve as both disciples (those who will learn from Him) and apostles (those who will be sent out).  Their work is to be with Him, and He will send them out to preach, to have power to heal sicknesses, and cast out demons.  It's as if the opposition of the worldly powerful signals a time for a proper expansion of His ministry by sharing power and wisdom with those who will go out and bear His kingdom into the world.

The "movement" of Jesus' ministry gives us an impression of change and transformation, constant evolution and response -- even suggesting to us the action of the Holy Spirit.  God sends out God's Son in mission into the world, and as the world responds so does the holy action of God.  As the hostility of worldly leadership grows in opposition to Christ, so does His mission expand, by investing human beings with what is holy and sending them out to bear the Kingdom into the world.  We can see movement in the smallest details of the Gospel, even in the names given in this list of the Twelve.  Mark tells us that Simon will be given the name Peter, that James and John Zebedee are given the name "Sons of Thunder" by Christ.  Interestingly, we're given the name Matthew among the Twelve, to whom we've been introduced as Levi in the previous chapter (see this reading).   It indicates that within the community for whom Mark writes this Gospel, Levi/Matthew is known.   But it tells us something once again about the movement of the holy, the action of God at work.  Peter and the Zebedee brothers are transformed, named into something by the One who is the Word and named creation into being as Lord.  Levi has become Matthew.  Levi means "pledged" or attached to something, the name that was given to the lineage of the Jewish priestly class and those who served in the temple (as the tribe or descendants of Levi).  But Matthew means "Gift of the Lord."  It suggests that Levi who was a tax collector and sinner now is disciple and apostle through the grace of God.  His very life, through His spiritual transformation, becomes a gift of God.  What did not prevail in his lifestyle through a worldly inheritance became possible through grace.  And that is the thread that runs through everything in the Gospels -- that movement which is inherent in the understanding of grace.  It never stops and it's never at rest; it is constantly in action.  That action may happen in hidden ways from us, but it is always moving, causing movement, making patterns, transforming, at work in us.  We may see the world as static or bound by matter; but the reality of grace is constant movement.   Jesus has told His disciples that He would make them fishers of human beings (see this reading),  and "fish" would become a symbol of Christians (the acronym for the ancient Greek word for fish forms the first letters of "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" in Greek).  Jesus miraculously feeds crowds twice with fishes and barley loves that He multiplies.  But in the constant movement of the work of grace in the world we can also see an image of fish that constantly swim through streams; patterns and movements of the holy working deeply within us, below the surface of the world, emerging to make themselves known with a kind of suddenness that tells us of this movement that was happening all along.  Matthew, then, is truly a gift of grace as is the whole reality of Christ's Kingdom in the world.  Whatever seems to be happening on the surface -- the hostility of the leadership, the difficulties and struggles of this fledgling movement, even Jesus' eventual death on the Cross -- there is something below the surface always happening, growing, moving, at work and alive in constant action and energy.  This is the image we need of the living Kingdom, our understanding of what may be hidden but will be revealed.  We note how the Gospel also lets us know its work may be rejected; one of these chosen Twelve will also betray Him.  Let us consider the cost of our own failure to go where grace wants to take us, the rejection of its energy, action, and movement for our lives.

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." 

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. 

- Mark 2:23-3:6

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"   And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Jesus emphasizes mercy, while the religious officials appeal to the law.   In yesterday's reading, above, Jesus referred to Himself as a physician, who goes where the need is for healing.  He tells them that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  That is, the Sabbath was given for the wholeness and healing of human beings.  Mercy -- acting as physician -- recognizes those needs.  He furthermore cites the example of David and those men with him, who ate the showbread when they were in need (1 Samuel 21:1-9).

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  My study bible says that according to certain traditions that had been built up around the Law, healing was considered work, and so was not permissible on the Sabbath.  The Pharisees believe that they serve God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism makes them insensitive to God's mercy.  Again, we see Jesus' emphasis as physician, one who heals where the need is.  The Herodians are those who support King Herod, ruler or tetrarch of Galilee for Rome.

Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  The emphasis is on human need, and comes after the reading in which He replied to criticism that He dined with tax collectors and other sinners by saying, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  In yesterday's reading, the medicine was repentance.  In today's, it is care of the body.  The Pharisees are over-rigorous in their legalism; the Law contained provisions for need, exceptions to zealous enforcement in cases where it caused harm.   Jesus speaks as Son of Man, as the Son who is incarnate as human being.  As Lord He is author of the Law, but as Son of Man He is also one of us.  He emphasizes the true aim of the Law, the care of human beings.  Jesus as Son of Man is also a new revelation of God in the world, and He brings expansion in our understanding of God's love.  St. Gregory Nazianzus wrote (in a critique of Apollinarius, who claimed that Jesus did not have a human mind, but only a divine one), "For that which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved."  In other words, a less than fully human Jesus cannot truly provide salvation -- healing -- for human beings.  The very purpose of the Incarnation is for our salvation in Christ becoming one of us, and so uniting human beings to our Creator through His life and mission in every way possible.  As Son of Man, He is here to heal us.  And as Son of Man then, He is also Lord of the Sabbath -- because the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  His authority is vindicated and justified through the Incarnation.  God's love and condescension is given for us, God as Physician.  Every act of God is not a demand that we serve God simply in order to serve or because God needs our worship, but so that we are in right-relationship to Creator, so that humankind is healed and restored to full and true health.  That the Sabbath is made for man reveals God's extraordinary love for us, as does Jesus' incarnation as Son of Man.  In every way, we are assured of God's love, that God wants what is best for us.  This is, in fact the true purpose of the Law, and it is the true purpose of the new covenant of Christ.  When we lose sight of that fact, then we lose the true faith we need so that we may in fact be healed.  It begins with God's love, and there is also the fullness of our faith as well.

Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?

 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"   And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

- Mark 2:13-22

Yesterday we read that Jesus entered Capernaum again after some time spent only in deserted spaces, where people would come to Him.  It was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."   And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

 Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.   Levi is also Matthew.   Specific areas were assigned to Jewish tax collectors by Roman overlords.  These tax collectors were free to collect extra revenues for their own profit.  They collaborated with the occupying Romans, frequently committing fraud and extortion as they were backed by the state authority.  Other Jews hated them and considered them unclean (Matthew 11:19).  Here we see Levi/Matthew called by Christ, and he responds, leaving the tax office.

Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Levi invites his friends, celebrating his Teacher, and the finding of salvation with Jesus.  He apparently draws other tax collectors and sinners to Christ.  For the scribes and Pharisees, it is all shocking.  But Christ's defense is quite simple.  He goes where the need of the physician is the greatest.   His medicine is repentance, made possible through mercy.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"   And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."   In Jewish practice, fasting was typically done two days a week (Luke 18:12), on Monday and Thursday.   (In the practice of the early Church, this was changed to Wednesday and Friday.  See Didache, chapter 8.)  In addition, there were public fasts that were regularly observed or occasionally proclaimed (2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21-23; Esther 4:16; Joel 2:15).  Fasting was essential on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning (Zechariah 7:5; 8:19).  But the time of the Messiah was a completely different reality -- the opposite of times of mourning.  The day of the Messiah is a wedding feast, a time of joy and gladness.  Jesus proclaims that that day is here, and declares Himself to be the Messiah or Bridegroom.  My study bible adds that for Christians, fasting (such as is traditional in this period of Lent) is not gloomy but rather desirable.  It is a "bright sadness," because by fasting we gain self-control and prepare ourselves for the Wedding Feast. 

"No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."  The old garment and old wineskins stand for the Old Covenant and the Law, according to my study bible.  These are viewed as temporary and imperfect, while the new wineskins are the New Covenant and those in Christ.  The new wine is the Holy Spirit which dwells within renewed people, who cannot be constrained by the old precepts of the Law. 

If we simply think "legalistically," that is, simply according to a law-like structure, then once a sin is committed, it remains a stain.  But love and mercy work differently.  It's not that the law is unimportant or that values and codes are unnecessary.  But mercy becomes a primary focus of Christ's ministry.  Repentance becomes a key to healing.  Love focuses on a goal, a place of being.  It asks us to come into right-relationship, it pulls us toward something.  It is not merely a set of ideas or principles.  The tax collectors of Jesus' time were vilified in their communities, and with rightful cause.  They were seen not only as sinners, practicing extortion, but also traitors to their own people.  But Christ is a physician.  He sees redemption as the healing of sickness, repentance as a cure.  With Christ, with love, there is a chance to return, to do better, to dwell in a place where love can work through our lives.  It is not a question of finding a formula for this to happen, but a work of the heart that can expand and grow and change.  Here is the real key to the metaphor of the wineskin:  Christ asks us to expand and grow and change.  He asks us to make a commitment for the longterm, that where this communion with Him leads us, we are willing to go.  We're willing to repent -- to literally "change out minds" in whatever direction He as physician will lead us.  There's little question that to change one's life or lifestyle is not necessarily a simple thing, but faith comes into it.  In faith, we trust that Christ will help us to find a way to remain in communion with Him, to find a way to be in the world which does not ask us to sin.  For these tax collectors, to become disciples of Christ could not have been easy, but it was worth what it takes to be with the Bridegroom and to dwell in the place of love and communion the Kingdom offers.  Not only is it necessary for us to expand out of legalistic thinking to live in this place, but we will need a way where we expand to follow Him, to find the places to which He leads us, the life He offers.  Matthew/Levi becomes one of the Twelve Apostles.  He goes from tax collector to the author of the first Gospel in the New Testament.  Without the physician's medicine, how would this be possible?  Without the communion of the Bridegroom, where would such inspiration come from?  Only faith can do this for us, and life becomes a kind of continual repentance, always taking us to new places, asking us to change our ways of thinking and being, to adapt and expand like the wineskins filled with the new wine of the Holy Spirit.  Repentance isn't just about regretting past actions, it's about opening up to new ways of being and thinking which are better for us, and allow the Spirit to work through us.  It asks us to remember that in the original language of the Gospels, disciple (Greek μαθητης) means "learner."  None of what would result from Christ's ministry was predictable, but in all ways asked His followers to continue forward, to expand and to change.  So He continually asks of us in our lives, if we respond to His call to the wedding feast and the work along the way.  We will be not just invited, but remain with Him as the friends of the Bridegroom.

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you"

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."   And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

- Mark 2:1-12

Yesterday we read that as soon as Jesus and the disciples had come out of the Capernaum synagogue where He had been preaching, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.  Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door.  And He preached the word to them.  Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.  And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was.  So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven you."   And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, "Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"  Mark gives us the details of Jesus' explosively-growing public ministry.  They can't even come into the house anymore, as there are so many people gathered there to see Jesus.  The people who need Him and what He offers so desperately wish to approach Him that they even open up the roof over Christ's head to lower down a paralyzed friend.  My study bible has an interesting emphasis on this passage.  It notes that one purpose of Christ's coming into the world is to forgive sins, and thereby freeing humanity from its bondage.  To forgive sins, it says, is a greater power than physical healing.  As the scribes correctly note, God alone can forgive sins.  Therefore, the easier task is to give physical healing.  Although Christ is fully God, and He holds the authority to forgive, He condescends to those gathered and heals the man in order to draw people to God, who is glorified by the people.

One part of this story is always striking, and that is the faith of the friends of the paralytic.  Their efforts for Him are like prayers.  It's perhaps ironic that while we think of prayers ascending to Jesus, these people reach through the roof to send the paralytic down to Jesus.  But the story here is their tenacity, and their creativity.  If they cannot easily reach Jesus, they find the means necessary to do so, even if it's unconventional, even a little bit outrageous.  But faith works like that.  There are paths we may take that seem circuitous, even crazy to some.  The path to our faith doesn't necessarily come easily.  This paralyzed man doesn't easily get to Jesus.  First he must rely on his friends to help him, and that's just the beginning of the journey.  How could he have considered coming in through the roof?  Another commentary on this passage emphasizes faith; that faith is a necessary and indispensable condition for salvation.  Faith itself works in mysterious and unpredictable ways.  In the example of today's passage, we see that faith is like water -- it flows in streams, in rivulets, underground, even in condensation through the atmosphere.  It forms its own paths and winding journeys to its source.  Here we learn that faith is collective as well as personal; the friends form a part of this healing, and so it is when we pray for one another, even when we ask those among the communion of saints to pray for us.   A profound truth contained in today's reading is just the surprising and unpredictable ways in which our faith will work.  No one could have foreseen that a paralytic would come in for healing through the roof.  The scribes, we can see, are outraged by what Jesus has to say -- that He can forgive sins.  There is more than one astonishing truth revealed here.  One is tempted to point out that just as a paralytic can come through a roof for healing, there are no limits to what God can and will do to save a world.  He even condescends to become one of us, a human being.  How can we put limits on God?  We cannot.  By the same token, we can't put limits or predictability on our faith either.  We just don't know where the journey will lead us, or what God's purposes are in honing our desire for God, in shaping our commitment, refining it and strengthening it.  The struggle for God will teach us to surpass what we may think of as our own limits, and to learn true spiritual creativity in manifesting and pursuing that faith.  There are all kinds of pathways to follow, and each, while retaining characteristics of love and devotion, may be as unique as the person or persons involved in every story.  To lower this man through the roof means there are no limits to be set that will define the journey.  There is only God who calls us and asks us to make that effort, whatever it takes for us to do so, and however it guides and shapes who we are and who we become.   To be forgiven is to be freed, liberated -- it is to be set free to find God's limits upon our lives, which are far and away beyond our own.   The paralytic is a kind of metaphor for being "stuck" in sin, in the repetition of wrong-headed ideas, mistaken belief, a way of living that isn't really best for us.  Faith demands that we stretch, and offers us the freedom to do so.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

- Mark 1:29-45

Yesterday we read that after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."  And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"   But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

 Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.  But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.  So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her.  And she served them.  Even in this shortest of the Gospels, we are given Jesus' life not only in its public aspect, but also in private.   Here, after preaching in the synagogue and astonishing the people, Jesus and the disciples go to their "headquarters," which is Peter's family home in Capernaum.  There is need for His healing here, too, as Peter's mother-in-law is ill.  The setting is intimate; He takes her by the hand and lifts her up, and she is restored to her place in the home, a place of honor and respect.

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.  The public in need comes to Jesus; all come to Peter's family home to be healed, and others come to see what is happening.  The demons know Him; Jesus does not want them to speak because His divine and Messianic identity is at this time a secret.  My study bible gives several reasons for this:  the growing hostility of the religious leaders; the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith that is not based solely on marvelous signs.  That the demons know Him is also a sign of a deeper reality at work here, another realm we don't see but with which Jesus is familiar and where He is known.  The word mystery comes from a root meaning "secret."

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him.  When they found Him, they said to Him, "Everyone is looking for You."  But He said to them, "Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth."  And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons.  Again, we are given multiple dimensions of Jesus' life, and here is another example of intimacy.  In His private life, He sets out an example to the disciples of spiritual life.  He goes very early in the morning, while it's still dark, to a solitary place to pray.  Jesus sets the example of continual prayer and devotion to prayer life.  A solitary place is where He can be free from distraction, although so many people seek Him and have need of Him.  My study bible says that Christ's ministry comes forth from His communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and flows to people in their needs.  His praying in the morning shows us that we must put as first priority our commitment to God; only then are we equipped to serve others.  Prayer in our own lives strengthens us for what we need to do, and supplies to us as well wisdom, discernment, renewal, and faith.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."  As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.  And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  However, he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.   The biblical law regarding leprosy is found in Leviticus 13-14.  Deuteronomy 24:8 describes the purification of lepers and leprous houses, a duty which was entrusted to the priests.  My study bible explains that leprosy was considered a direct punishment for sins.  As lepers were considered unclean, they weren't permitted to live in the community or to worship in synagogues or the temple.  to touch the unclean was forbidden (Leviticus 7:21).  But Jesus touched the leper, showing His compassion, and also that He is not subject to the Law but over it.  To the clean, my study bible says, nothing is unclean.

Although Jesus' fame is spreading everywhere, Mark's Gospel also gives us His intimate moments.  This is a sign of the testimony of disciples, as they share not only His public ministry but also His private life.  They learn by living with Him.  We're told that Mark's Gospel was written for the community at Rome that was ministered by Peter, and so the stories we know of the intimacy of life in Peter's home in Capernaum, which served as a kind of headquarters for the Galilean ministry, seem to come out of this history.  The story of Peter's (Simon's) mother-in-law appears in all the Synoptic Gospels, and we're given the details of Jesus' touch; He takes her by the hand and lifts her up, and she takes her place again in the household, restored.  It's Peter and those with Him who seek out Christ in the earliest hours of the morning.  There is a deep privacy and intimacy in the gesture toward the leper; Jesus reaches out his hand and touches him.  Someone was there to witness and to tell us the story of Jesus' personal ministry, full of moments like these in which He reaches out to those whom He heals.  Without the kind of discipleship in which they learned by sharing each of these moments with Him, we would not be able to learn as they did.  We would not know the deeply personal and humane character of Christ, we would only know the public ministry, the divine Messianic identity, the miraculous healings -- but not His character and persona, His compassion, His love, His devotion to the Father and to constant prayer.  What we are given is the true "personhood" of Jesus (if you will), His character and personality, the fullness of the Person, and not merely a distant and magisterial image.  We are given the fullness of identity in these moments, the same Person to whom we pray and with whom we are also invited into the true intimacy of communion.  We, too, may know this kind of discipleship and the immediacy of His love.  This distinguishing mark of the Gospel gives us the power of that love at work within and for each one and also for all.  Without His prayer (and the many direct examples given us in the Gospels), what would we know of Him?  What would we understand?  His relationship to the Father also informs us about ours, and what we are a part of through faith.  God condescends not only to be one of us, but to be with us at all times and in every way.  Let us be grateful for that which truly sets Him apart and stamps our faith:  God who is with us and has made Himself known to us.  His sacrifice for all those who are His friends will be the gesture of love, and there is no greater.

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"   But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

- Mark 1:14-28

In yesterday's reading, we started reading Mark:  The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD;  Make His paths straight.'"  John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beats; and the angels ministered to Him.

 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel."   My study bible says that Mark's emphasis on John first being put in prison before Jesus begins preaching reveals that a key purpose of the old covenant, which was to prepare the people for Christ, had been completed (Galatians 4:1-5).  The time of preparation, therefore, is fulfilled.   To repent, it says, is to do a total "about-face."  As discussed in yesterday's reading and commentary, to repent is to do a complete "about-face."  In Greek, the word for repent literally means to "change one's mind."  Repentance, my study bible says, is a radical change of one's spirit, mind, thought, and heart -- a complete reorientation to a life centered in Christ.

And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.  Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.  When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.  And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.  Mark's is the earliest and briefest of the four Gospels.  What is not in the text is that these first disciples had already heard the preaching of John the Baptist, and were prepared to accept and to follow Christ immediately.  Although they are illiterate and unlearned in religion, my study bible says that these "people of the land" who are called by Jesus will be revealed at Pentecost to be wisest of all.

Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit.  And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"   But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.  Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this?  What new doctrine is this?  For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."  And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.  My study bible notes that the word immediately occurs nearly forty times in Mark's Gospel, and nearly all of them before Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.  The sense of urgency and purpose permeates Mark's Gospel as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem to fulfill His mission of redeeming the world.  It makes Mark's account not only the shortest but also the most direct of the four Gospels.  To teach as one having authority is to teach from one's own knowledge and wisdom, rather than the scribes who would quote from famous rabbis.  But Christ's authority, as noted by the people, extends further -- even commanding the unclean spirits, and they obey.

Mark's Gospel moves along quickly.  We're given events due to their importance to the early Church, and most likely the ministry of Peter in Rome during a time of persecution of Christians under Nero.  The urgency present in the Gospel perhaps reflects the time of persecution, and a time when war was looming over Jerusalem and its outcome unsure -- but the Church had Jesus' warnings.  There is a sense of things moving quickly, and a cosmic influence present in those events giving them an even greater importance than one might assume of the great events of the world, its rulers, and wars of empires.  In this context of urgency we hear the repeated use of the word immediately.  Things happened quickly for the early Church.  The Twelve Apostles (with the exception of Judas, of course) traveled the known world spreading the message of Christ.  If already by Nero's time Christians were significantly enough in the vision of the emperor to result in persecution, then we can simply imagine the immediacy of the growth of the Church.   War in Jerusalem meant that even apocalyptic events were happening for the Church, of the greatest significance to the whole history of the Jews and the ministry of Christ, the suffering Messiah.  Such times presented to the early Church the greatest uncertainty.  Within that context, Mark sets out the stories important for the community that was itself facing suffering and persecution as did Christ.  Jesus is different from all the teachers of the synagogue the people know.  He acts decisively, He speaks with authority, and He astonishes the people because even the demons are subject to His commands and obey Him.  He commands His disciples to "Follow Me," and they do so immediately.  All of these things reflect the urgency and fast pace of shifting times of great import for all of history.  They reflect the need for discipleship, strength, courage, and commitment in His followers who must be like Him, and take up their own crosses for the sake of the Kingdom.  In this context, these words, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel" take on potent significance for each believer.  It was a time of choices, decisive change in which a world was to disappear forever, and new history take shape.  The whole community centered at Jerusalem would have to be uprooted in haste, and the Church itself become one of diaspora.  For the early Christians, it was a time to be aware of what was happening, to be alert to events in ways others could not perceive.  What Mark's Gospel seems to hold for us is a reminder that time does not stand still; that the moments of our lives and the choices we make are also important and have consequences.  There are all kinds of things that may take time -- and the journey of faith is a lifetime -- but right now there is always the decisive action of faith just before us, the choice to follow Christ immediately.   

You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:

"Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You."
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beats; and the angels ministered to Him.

- Mark 1:1-13

 In our previous readings, we were in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John.  Over the course of the past three readings, as we enter into Lent, Jesus gave us what is known as His High Priestly Prayer, which He prayed at the end of the Last Supper.   See the first and second parts of the prayer here and here.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus prayed, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in the Prophets:  "Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You."  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.'"  Gospel, according to my study bible, literally means "good news" or "good tidings."  (In the Greek this word is εὐαγγέλιον/Evangelion.  Another straightforward meaning is "good message.")   My study bible adds that this refers not to Mark's writings per se, but to the story of the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the good news of our salvation.  If we consider it, what it implies is the message of the whole of Scripture and the spiritual history preparing us for Christ.  The beginning, however, refers to these opening events of Christ's public ministry -- specifically, the preparation by the one known as the Forerunner, St. John the Baptist, and Christ's encounter with John.   The good news begins with the prophets, two of whom are quoted here, Malachi and Isaiah (Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 40:3).  John is thereby immediately linked with the long line of prophets of the Old Testament, of whom he is considered by the Church to be the final and greatest.  Malachi and Isaiah, and all the prophets altogether, prepare us for this salvation message, the coming of the Christ.  John the Baptist's ministry was all about the preparation spoken of by the prophets.

John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.  Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.  Now John was clothed with camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And he preached, saying, "There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.  I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."  John's preparation for the Messiah is one of repentance.  In the Greek repentance is metanoia, which literally means "change of mind."  More generally, it is to turn around, so to speak.  His baptism is one of repentance, but it is not Christian baptism which includes chrismation.  We're given the details of John's dress to further identify him as in the long line of the prophets of Israel.  HE is dressed similarly to that of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8).  Jesus will say that John fulfills the prophecy of Elijah's return (Matthew 11:14).  John pronounces the tremendous news, that the One is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.  

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.  And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beats; and the angels ministered to Him.   Jesus' baptism is what is known as a Theophany, a revelation of God.  This event is also called Epiphany (meaning something like "shining forth" or "manifestation" which gives depth and meaning to circumstances).  It is the appearance of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit.  Manifesting the love Jesus explicitly prayed about in the High Priestly Prayer in Saturday's reading from John's Gospel, above, this shining forth gives us the nature of all:  the love expressed by the Father, the true nature of God and the communion into which we are invited (1 John 4:7-8).  In another manifestation of that love, the Holy Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted for forty days, which is the foundation of our period of Lent we've just begun. 

John the Baptist was a figure of great influence in his time, and remained so for centuries afterward.  As an ascetic, he was the figure whom the earliest monks sought to emulate.  John, as we can see from his prophet's dress and lifestyle, lived purely focused on the kingdom of God, and the Messiah whose coming he heralded.   John is not at all a "worldly" figure, he is rather the one who loves God as fully as possible.  Many Christian saints have modeled their lives in similar fashion.   For those of us used to thinking of modern life as having all kinds of conveniences and luxuries as a key to good living, it may seem utterly paradoxical to think of a loving God that might ask us to deprive ourselves of these good things.  But what is missing from that question is the power in the love of God, and what that does for our lives.  If we are to put that first, and to put away all the things that take us away from the experience of that love, there is a fullness that we simply discount otherwise or fail to understand at all.  We all know the paradox that the more we have of some seemingly very good thing, the more we want.  Knowing and understanding what we truly need and how we need it becomes key to knowing ourselves as human beings.  We were created by a loving God for love and to be communing within that love; all the things of this world may be used to distract us from that very foundation to the fullness of our lives.  This is why Jesus teaches us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).  Epiphany is the manifestation of a greater reality behind all the things we think we see.  It is the shining forth of truth and depth that we might be missing when we only know the surface of things; the showing forth of true nature -- and thereby our true nature.  We are meant for something more than the material; on this our joy and salvation depend.  The Holy Spirit immediately acts to drive Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  We're told that He was with the wild beasts, and that the angels ministered to Him.  How is this a part of God's love?  How is it that One who is without sin needs to be tempted?  But Jesus sets the tone for all of us:  if even He is tempted, so shall we all be.  His temptations are material:  to power, to control, to security, to wealth, to fame.  But the exchange means He would be absent from the love of God, without which all the meanings of life become empty and dissolve into nothingness, a blind search for what we have lost.  The depth of love is lost. And this is salvation:  He brings that love to us in the good news of the Gospel.  Changing our minds is the way, turning around to understand the foundation we need for all else, that which builds up true meaning and depth and value, worth the sacrifice He will make -- worthy of whatever sacrifice is asked of us.  As we begin Lent, let us consider what all this means for who we are and may become.

I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them

 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

- John 17:20-26

In our current readings, we are reading what is known as the High Priestly Prayer, whcih Jesus prayed at the end of the Last Supper.  See the first part of the prayer in Thursday's reading, "Father, the hour has come."  Yesterday we read that Jesus prayed, "I pray for them.  I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.  And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.  Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You.  Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name.  Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.  But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.  I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.  They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.  And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth."

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one; I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  My study bible notes here that the Church in every generation participates in the life and glory of the Trinity.  Christians enjoy two kinds of unity, it says:  with God and with one another, the latter being rooted in the former.  Jesus is the glue here that seals us all together:  The Father is in Him and He in the Father, and He prays that believers may also be one in Them.  Note that Jesus prays also of this shared unity in glory, perfection, and love.

"Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.  O righteous Father!  The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.  And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  The key to all of Christ's ministry is love:  the ultimate goal of Christ's prayer, and of life itself, my study bible says, is for the love of the Father to dwell in each person. 

We have all heard the phrase "God is love" at one time or another (see 1 John 4:7-8).  But Christ's words here in the High Priestly Prayer really exemplify and elaborate for us the truth of this statement.   Love begins with the Source of all things, God the Father.  But Jesus' prayer sums up true communion in Him:  the love of God the Father, present in Christ whom the Father has sent, also dwelling in each believer, makes unity of the whole.  This is a love that is in itself perfection, and leads us to perfection and true glory.  It is that which glues and holds all together, against which even the gates of hell cannot prevail.  St. Paul writes, in Romans 8, "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  This is the experience of one converted, who has found the truth of Christ's words in the prayer for himself, and preaches that love to all who may come to know it for themselves.  We may not completely understand the impact of such love on those who lived two thousand years ago, but each person in every generation needs to experience it for themselves.  Christianity is an experiential faith, a communion that is not simply an intellectual concept or a utopian dream.  It is a living faith made of persons and in the Persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Spirit.  Above all, it is a reality of love that is present for each one.  As human beings, we all strive toward the true fullness of love, but that fullness is present for us to dwell within us, to teach us, to grow in us, so that we may share in the true glory of God and also shine that light into the world.  This is His truth and His word that may dwell within us and among us.  In chapter 16, Jesus tells His disciples at the Last Supper, "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."  John's Gospel (and also the Epistles that bear his name) gives us the fullness of God who is love,  in whose love we are invited to participate and welcomed in communion.  Like Christ, to experience this love is to know that we are never alone.  That communion remains the balm for a world always in need of what it brings to each one, and to all of us.  To deny the presence of that which seeks to tear us away from love is futile; we can see the "worldly" all around us.  His sacrifice, the greatest love of all, is made for each.  Of this we can always be assured, in the darkest of times when we need it most.