An enemy has done this

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

- Matthew 13:24-30

Yesterday we read that Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees:  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who had told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

Today's reading in the text follows upon the Parable of the Sower, which was given in the readings of May 7 and May 8.

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"  My study bible points out that this parable builds on the previous parable of the Sower (see readings of  May 7 and May 8).  But here, Christ gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  My study bible says that as falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets, so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds first appear similar to wheat (the tares are weeds, plants that resemble wheat but do not give its grain), so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  That the devil (an enemy) sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people apathetic.

Jesus clearly presents the world here as a sort of battleground; or, if not clearly a battleground, at least a place of struggle.  There is a man who planted good seeds, but an enemy who sows what is not good, what doesn't give a good harvest, and which in some way isn't good for people.  It trips us up, it doesn't give what is good and nourishing but makes only a false promise by its appearance.  This is Christ's picture for us of the world in which we live, and even the good ground of our souls.  There is a struggle going on, and it's a struggle for truth.  But so important is that truth, that it is akin to our very nourishment, the staff of life.  The enemy is one who wants to do us harm with falsehood, false fronts that give us nothing for life.  So goes the battle for the soul.  In this understanding, what we choose to believe in is ever so important -- and those who seek to deceive are committing truly a great deal of harm.  Here we come to an important sense of Christ's message and mission:  the things we believe are essential to who we are.  They are of the utmost importance.  Truth isn't just a concept among many to choose from with equal value.   Of incomparable value are human beings to God; therefore how we live, and what we base our lives on, what we truly allow to become a part of ourselves, become essential in the struggle for life and for life in abundance.  All throughout Scripture, a sense of relatedness determines who we are, the things in which we share, how we take on identity.  The emptiness of a life of hypocrisy captures as well this sense that if we ally ourselves merely with an appearance of goodness or sanctity, then we have no true substance upon which to rely -- either when times and struggles become difficult, or when we face our Creator and all facade is stripped away.  He calls us to life and to life more abundantly, in the treasures of the heart.  For this we need a substantial truth which feeds and nourishes and provides what we need for that life.  We need Christ, who calls Himself the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  We are beings in a battleground, a place of struggle, although it is hidden from our sight -- as the tares were sown while people slept.  Christ is here as liberator, the one who gives us the truth we need.  But our own worth and the struggle for real value is something in which we participate and make choices for ourselves, and so the struggle is ours too.  What this says to us is to give us a challenge, to consider how lightly we hold our own value and how great -- even in a cosmic sense -- that value truly is.   To what do you ally yourself?  How dear is the truth to you?  What is spiritual worth, and how important is it?   Jesus speaks elsewhere of treasure in heaven, even paradoxically also referring to that which we give away (19:16-21).  In future readings in chapter 13, the unsurpassable treasure He will refer to is the kingdom of heaven, which we are also taught is within us. It is indeed an enemy and a thief who would seek to take that away.

Who is My mother and who are My brothers?

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

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

- Matthew 12:43-50

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

"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  My study bible notes that when the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Deuteronomy 31:20; Psalm 105:34-39).  Therefore it is important, essential that we guard our hearts.  Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, my study bible tells us, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its above.  Jesus reminds us of the importance of the concept of repentance; our choices count for something, one way or the other, and we always have the choice to continue down a bad road but not without consequence.  In this particular case, He's still speaking to the Pharisees and scribes, continued from yesterday's reading, above.  The number seven is symbolic of completeness, indicating that going from bad to worse may mean our entire being is affected (see 6:23).

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who had told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And he stretched out His hand toward His disciples ad said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."   Jesus' relatives haven't yet understood His identity or His mission.  Christ points all of us toward a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of My Father.  It's important to understand, also, that brother can refer to any number of relations.  Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14).  Boaz referred to his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3), and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9).   From the earliest understanding, it has been maintained that Christ had no blood brothers, for Mary had only one Son, Jesus.  These brothers mentioned in this passage are either stepbrothers (sons of Joseph by a previous marriage), or they are cousins.  The fact that Jesus, from the Cross, commits His mother to the care of John (John 19:25-27) substantiates this understanding.  If Mary had had other children to care for her, my study bible says, it would have been unthinkable to do so.

Jesus teaches us that His love is extended to us through something quite different than the usual ways we think of as creating family:  through the soul.  As God is the Creator of the soul, our return to God is rightful place, and true adjustment to identity.  It is in this identity that we find the kind of family that Christ speaks about.  A return to Creator is inseparable from a desire to live the will of God -- "My Father in heaven."  There is no contradiction in this:  we know the same will is shared between the Three Persons of the Trinity.  But in the same sense, so we also come to desire and build and participate in communion with God.  In some particular sense, Christ's mission into the world is to bring human beings into that communion.  Hence, we become His mother and sister and brother.  The ways in which this happens link us up to the previous verses in today's reading:  the warning about the unclean spirit and an outcome worse than the first instance.  "Unclean" is a translation from a word that more closely means "impure" in the sense of adulterated or mixed with something else; that is, sinful.  Because it is the Holy Spirit who is at work in us to create a life based on the values of Christ's ministry, that is, on this seeking of the "will of My Father in heaven," so we have as active in us this Spirit that brings us into all truth, and illumines the ministry of Christ for human beings.  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our "Comforter" -- or rather, the word Paraclete, which in Greek means "the one who comes when called."   This meaning is akin to a defender, a counselor, an advocate.  This is the One whom we need in order to stay in the right place, to deal with an adversary, to continue a life based on the teachings of Christ, to guard the heart.   We are taught that we all have a guardian angel, and so the forces that array to help us in this "good fight" are many, even myriad.  Let us remember, however, Christ's warning, and also His offer.  He gives us a family, one based on the truth of God and the reality of Creator, the true place from which we all come and where we find a home in His love.

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign

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

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

- Matthew 12:33-42

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

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."  Brood means offspring.  Coming from the context of this discussion (which began with yesterday's reading, above), brood of vipers is an allusion to demonic influence.  John the Baptist also used this title for members of the religious leadership (3:7) and in a similar context of bearing the fruit of one's heart, indicating their deception and malice.  In Scripture, the heart refers to the center of consciousness, as my study bible puts it, the seat of the intellect and the will, and the place from which spiritual life proceeds.  It is the center of a person.  My study bible notes that when God's grace permeates the heart, it masters the body and guides all actions and thoughts.  But on the other hand, when malice and evil capture the heart, a person becomes full of darkness and spiritual confusion.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."  But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."   At this point in Jesus' ministry, after so many signs have been done by Jesus (see, for example, the healing in yesterday's reading, above), the Pharisees reveal their wickedness by demanding yet another sign.  My study bible says that Jesus does not cater to those who demand a sign out of wicked intent.  The only sign to them will be His Passion and Resurrection, which He calls here the sign of the prophet Jonah, referring to the three days and three nights when Jonah was "buried" in the belly of the great fish.  Adulterous generation is the same one used by the prophets for Israel, when Israel was unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 2; Hosea 2:2-13; Ezekiel 6:9).

Jesus speaks of judgment, and tells the scribes and Pharisees who demand a sign that the men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.   The Ninevites were foreigners to whom Jonah was sent by God to preach repentance; the king of Nineveh in response ordered the entire community of Ninevites to repentance.  The Queen of the South (the Queen of Sheba) came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, which was also a gift of God.  What can be inferred from Jesus' words is also an indication of the power of the Holy Spirit; where this is at work, witnessing becomes an important potential in each of us.  How we respond to the work of the Spirit in the world, as Jesus said in yesterday's reading, determines the reality of judgment in the world.   Holiness is not so much about the power of an individual as it is about the work of the Spirit and how we respond to the Holy Spirit, as Jesus clearly indicated in yesterday's reading (see above) when He said, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."   At the same time, this remains a testimony to the power of repentance; Jesus does not say that people will never be forgiven for such a sin.  It is both a statement of the importance of our response to the Holy Spirit, and also the power of repentance in faith.  When Jesus tells these men of the religious leadership that the foreigners who responded to the holiness of God will stand with their generation to judge it, this is a statement of the power of the holy.  All their knowledge and understanding, their inheritance as descendants of Abraham and the holy men and women of Israel, does not stand for them as insurance against the reality of what is in the heart.  For all their knowledge and position, it is the active and living love of God, the alertness for the truth of God present to them, that will really count in the sight of God.  And so this lesson also applies to us.  We are the inheritors of Christ's ministry in the apostles and their spiritual descendants, but we, too, must be alive to the work of the holy, of the Spirit, of God present in our world, or all our worship and knowledge and practice means quite little.  We can make an idol of anything; it is living faith that Christ asks of us, a true communion of love with God the Holy Trinity.  How do we make that faith living and active?  Where do we find the place of love in hearts where that communion lives?  This is the powerful question we are asked, and warned about, in today's reading.  Let us be aware that these men know Scripture and practice, the Law and the Prophets, and practices of worship better than anyone else.  They are indeed the religious authorities and the keepers of all that is held holy.  But Christ asks of us not to be like them.  The whole of the Scripture honors those with the humility to have eyes to see and ears to hear, and who respond to the love and presence of God in the heart.  The focus is on the heart; it is the Holy Spirit's presence that creates the whole of the Church and the reality of the Kingdom in the world.

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come

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

- Matthew 12:22-32

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

  Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."   The name Beelzebub comes from a title for the god Baal.   For the Jews, this reference is a slur, meaning prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies."  Baal was a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here, Baal is called ruler of the demons.  The impossibility of demons fighting against themselves, my study bible tells us, illustrates both the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to blaspheme against the divine activity of the Spirit; that is, blasphemy against pure goodness.  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven as the Jews did not know much about Christ, my study bible says.  However, blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity was known from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven -- this is because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.  In patristic teaching, it is clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is neither an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus call this sin "unforgivable."  According to St. John Chrysostom, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person repented of it.  Jesus makes such a declaration with the understanding that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that these are beyond repentance by their own choice.

My study bible speaks about the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees, which leads to blindness concerning Christ, and even to the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  It is an important illustration for us about character, and the things that truly lead us to stumble and to sin.   Both pride and envy keep us from seeing things as they truly are.  Pride leads us to forget about a higher good, a greater depth of knowledge that God leads us toward, and it keeps us from a true focus on God as our source of what we know as good.  Moreover, pride blinds us in ways that have to do with cutting ourselves off from ways in which we may learn more, come to a deeper understanding of what is good, and improve our own lives.  Pride cuts off the Pharisees from Christ, as they are so overwhelmed with the need to express their superior positions and authority, they cannot see nor hear what He is truly about.  Envy is also a way of cutting down another person, but it comes from a lack of thankfulness for what we do have, a lack of appreciation of our own place with Creator.  It cuts off communion and it is also blind to the real communion that exists in the love of God.  It is almost always harmful to community in ways that are subtle and varied and can be unintended.  If we envy others for what they have which we think we do not, then we are missing our own blessedness -- and casting aspersions on the place where we, too, are loved by God.  When both pride and envy seem to pervade the minds of the disciples (on more than one occasion), Jesus teaches them that humility will be the way to greatness within His Church (see these readings for the depth of Jesus' emphasis on casting away what ails us in forms of pride and envy).  Humility and service become ways in which we express the grace that is available to us, and recognize our place is with God who loves us, not merely in competition with others from a limited perspective about who we are and what our capabilities are.  In this week in which we consider the great gift of the Holy Spirit after the celebration of Pentecost, let us consider the myriad gifts we fail to grasp and develop when a limited perspective on our lives is all that we have, when we allow pride or envy to get the better of us.  It diminishes us, in the end, and keeps us from the love of God that gives us so much.  It is the great gift of grace and of the Holy Spirit that leads us to all truth, teaches us to develop our talents and other gifts, leads us to wisdom and real joy which is internal.  Let us consider, then, the truth of the Spirit and all that we are given and is truly at hand when we enter into that communion of love, mercy, and the beauty of God.  As my study bible notes, it is the Holy Spirit that has been at work throughout the history of God's people.  Let us remember the Spirit is present with us in abundance through Christ.  Our true spiritual lives flow through His gift.  St. Paul writes, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).  If sons, then heirs.  Pride and envy have nothing to offer us but blindness to all that we may inherit, and the mystery that awaits our fulfillment as those who may become "like God" in the work of the Spirit in us, the presence of the Kingdom.

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

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

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

 - Matthew 12:15-21

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

 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust."  Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah, my study bible says (Isaiah 42:1-4).  Among His reasons for secrecy are:  the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders; the people's misunderstanding of the Messiah as an earthly, political leader; and Jesus' desire to evoke genuine faith not based only on marvelous signs.  The Servant of Isaiah refers first to Christ, and by extension to all those who follow Him.  In Isaiah's prophecy is also foreseen the mission to the Gentiles after Pentecost.

In a worldly sense, we tend to view appearances or images as full manifestations of a concrete reality.  But in God's sight, we get quite a different perspective, particularly when it comes to Godly attributes, like power or beauty or goodness, and even truth.  Isaiah's prophecy makes it clear in any number of places that the Holy One, the Messiah, does not come to us in a form that makes it clear to common sight that He is divine.  He has, instead, the appearance of a servant.  He does not come as a conquering warrior or one who declares his achievements in an earthly sense, nor a fearsome warlord such as people understand of history, but rather "He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench."  This is the paradoxical way of God.  True to the word of my study bible, it is the way the holy has come to work in the world as well, and among those who follow Him.   When St. Paul prayed about an infirmity that plagued him, he was told, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."  St. Paul adds, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Beauty is also seen as the grace which accompanies a form that the world might not recognize.  In Isaiah 53:2, we read of the mystery of the self-emptying beauty of the Servant of God:  "without beauty, without majesty (we saw him), no looks to attract our eyes."  Paul Evdokimov calls this a type of kenotic veil thrown over His splendor.  St. Peter writes, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:3).  In other words, notions of external beauty may be instead within, and imperishable.  Evdokimov writes that "in this case, the very infirmity becomes ineffably 'beautiful' for in going beyond its infirmity in a veritable trans-figuration, the obstacle is made to serve the spirit in a mysterious bending to the secret destiny of a being."  He compares the tradition of the "fools for Christ," saints who intentionally appeared to be crazy or in some way outside the norms of society, as those who went to the depths of shame as part of their vocation in order to sow light -- a "show," he writes, which was often seen only by the angels.   This paradoxical beauty is only found in humility, with our example set by Christ.  There is no more powerful example of this than Christ on the Cross, a veil of shame hiding the hour of His glory from those who could not truly see.  It is something so seemingly alien to our world that is bathed in increasing power and reliance upon images, which are blasted upon us in every form and at ever-increasing speeds and intensity through the power of media and technology.  One wonders where humility may be valued in the cultures of technology, or where a search for genuine beauty will be found or even attempted in generations who can rely on a kind of internal loop of feedback only they increasingly select for themselves.  Perhaps this lack of value of humility or understanding of inner worth and beauty that does not rely upon images in the eyes of others is responsible to some extent for problems of violence and inexplicable crimes of rage among the young.  It may give us a choice as a successful way for the vulnerable to deal with bullying, as opposed to the images of violence and absolute victory or vindication in popular media and fiction.  In this sense, Christ as healer is a key to what we are missing, and when the Church fails to uphold this paradox and gives us instead only models of worldly "success," then we are failing our children and its subsequent generations.  The entire "model" of Isaiah is one of humility, even suffering, and servitude as that which characterizes the most beautiful One of all, the One who will "send forth justice to victory" and in whose "name Gentiles will trust."  This is a far cry from those who make sure to project the image of morality to the world in their charitable deeds (Matthew 6:1-2), or who constantly seek only to shame others.  In the Gospels we have plenty of examples of the latter in those who seek to shame Christ or John the  Baptist, and do not recognize their holiness or the work of God in their ministries (see Wednesday's reading).  Let us consider, then, Isaiah's Suffering Servant, and the beauty of God at work in those whom perhaps only the angels see in truth.  It is all about the soul, the truth of a person, the heart and the inner life, the sacrifices we may make in service, in the love of God that is genuine and flows to others even in ways not seen by the rest of us.

If you had known what this means, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath

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

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

- Matthew 12:1-14

Beginning with Monday's reading, Jesus has been responding to questions from disciples of John the Baptist, and also speaking about the Kingdom of God and its presence in His ministry.  Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.  Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.  All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath.  And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!"  But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?"  My study bible notes here that the Pharisees are rigid in their legalism.  The Law allowed plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field (Deuteronomy 23:25), but they consider it "reaping" and therefore unlawful on the Sabbath.  Jesus provides Old Testament references of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath, and thereby demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God.  That David and his men partook of the showbread (1 Samuel 21:5-7) is a prefiguration of the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament this was forbidden to anyone but the priests, but in Christ it is given to all the faithful.

"Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.  But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."  Christ is Author of the Law, and Lord over all of it.  As Lord, my study bible says, He teaches that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances.  Jesus quotes from Hosea 6:6.  It is the second time He has done so; the first was in response to criticism that He dined with and made disciples of tax collectors and sinners, also with an emphasis on healing (see this reading).

Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.  And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand.  And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" -- that they might accuse Him.  Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.  Here is love in action, Christ's active work of mercy as an example of what He has just preached.  It is a defining act of God's presence in the world, by the Son of Man, Incarnate and with us to reveal God and God's truth and love.  Again, Jesus cites a common example of exception to the law, an allowance to save an animal.  The image here is one of God as life-giver, meaning that He is here not simply that we may have life, but that we may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

What do we reject when we reject God?  This event calls us to be alert to what it is that brings life more abundantly to our world, to human beings.  Is it lawful to do good?  To save life?  These may seem like simple questions, but when we are faced with dilemmas of choice, it is often hard to discern what is meant to restore or give life -- or especially to enhance the quality of life for human beings and for all the world.  How do we judge?  We can observe in the Pharisees' reaction also something typical for us as human beings.  They are outraged that Jesus has made a direct challenge to their criticism, and their role as enforcers and upholders of the Law, its regulation and application.  They are blind to the effects of His work, and do not consider what is being revealed to them.  It tells us a story that revelation of God will have a dividing effect between those who embrace this reality and those who do not (10:34).   The flash of spiritual light means we must make choices, and those who reject will be driven further away.  It tells us that this powerful revelation is meant ultimately for judgment, although until that time we each are on a journey in which there is room for more than an abundance of mercy from a God who is love and who desires mercy and not sacrifice.  Let us consider, in the all-too-human image of the Pharisees, what the story tells us about ourselves.  To what do we cling, and for what do we give up what might be a precious image of ourselves?  Here, there is One from whom they may learn, but they are blinded by their outrage at His challenge to their ideas and authority.  Ultimately it must be the love of God that leads us to where we each need to be.  There are all kinds of things we may sacrifice for, but there is One whose love gives us so much more in return, and who calls on us to live it.

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

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

- Matthew 11:25-30

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

At that time Jesus answered and said, "0. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father.  Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."  My study bible cites blessed Theophylact, who comments that God has hidden the mysteries from the wise of the world, not out of malice toward His creatures but because of their own unworthiness -- it was they who chose to trust their own fallen wisdom and judgment rather than God.  Moreover, out of love God withholds this revelation from those who would scorn it so that they do not receive an even greater condemnation.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  My study bible says that Jesus' yoke is submission to the Kingdom of God.  A yoke could be seen as a sign of hardship, burdens, and responsibilities (1 Kings 12:1-11; Jeremiah 27:1-11; Sirach 40:1).  In Christ, however, the yoke is easy, for the power of God works in each person.  Moreover, the reward is infinitely greater, it says, than any effort man puts forth.  Gentle is literally "meek" in the original Greek of the text.  It's the same word Jesus uses when He preaches, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (5:5).

Obedience to God is obedience to love.  This is submission to the Kingdom of God, in the words of my study bible.  Christ explains this yoke as easy, and the burden we take on as light, for He is not an abusive authoritarian ruler of violence; He is instead the God of love who Himself is gentle and lowly in heart.  Synonyms for this include "meek" as indicated above, and also "humble."  Let us consider what it means that we worship a God who describes Himself as having the personal characteristics of gentleness, meekness, humility.  It stands the reality of worldly power on its head.  It gives us a sense that what we worship, and what we seek to learn from, is all love -- a different way of being, a different kind of enterprise to learn about when Christ speaks of those who are meek who shall inherit the earth!  He stands what we "know" on its head, and in that light justifiedly tells us that it is a blessed thing, something to be thankful for, that God the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, has "hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes."  So much so, that Jesus adds, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."  In our worldly ways, we tend to confuse the language of obedience, submission, discipline, and sacrifice with that of the power of violence demanding submission.  But when we speak of God -- and in particular God the Father whose attributes are all shared with the Persons of the Trinity -- we are speaking of love.  The Lord of the universe is one who describes Himself as meek, gentle, humble, lowly of heart, and it is to these attributes of leadership in His sight that we submit in order to learn from Him.  For the graciousness of God is so overwhelming that all of our reaction should be as St. Peter's was when Jesus declared that He must wash the feet of the disciples:  "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" (John 13:1-17).  The Lord of the universe is a Lord of love, who washes us in His love and prepares us to serve in that same spirit and, maybe most importantly of all, to learn that love and to practice it.  This we are not capable of doing for ourselves.  It is the "wise and prudent" who trust themselves to know what only God can reveal to us.  In service and submission, we find the healing and correction we need to become "like" God; it is in this Kingdom that we seek to participate and learn and grow in that love and to share it with one another.  Let us consider which yoke and burden we prefer, as we look around ourselves and find the abuse of power hidden among so many, regardless of the compassionate masks they seek to wear.  It is in God's truth and authority that we can trust instead.

Wisdom is justified by her children

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

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

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

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

- Matthew 11:16-24

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

 "But to what shall I liken this generation?   It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying:  'We played the flue for you, and you did not dance; We mourned to you, and you did not lament.'  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'  But wisdom is justified by her children."  Jesus' quotation references a game played among Jewish children in which they would divide into two groups.  One pretended to play musical instruments or sing, and the others would respond in a way opposite to what would have been expected, either dancing or mourning.  Jesus is drawing a parallel to the Jewish leadership and their responses to both John the Baptist and Himself.  John the Baptist they criticized as too ascetic, and Jesus is criticized for being too liberal in mercy and joy ("a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" -- see this reading).   That wisdom is justified by her children is an important statement regarding our assumptions about holiness:  the Spirit works as it will, and those who do God's work in the world justify wisdom by their fruits.  Holiness is ever-creative and manifests myriad forms, coming from the Source of life itself; neither is it contained by our assumptions or reasoning (Isaiah 55:8).

Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:  "Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida!  For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.  But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.  And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."  My study bible says here that it is a far greater sin to have seen Christ's works and rejected Him than never to have known Him at all.  This conveys an important understanding about testimony and its effects; it is never made in a vacuum.

What does it mean to be blind to holiness, goodness, wisdom?  It is a mistake to assume that good works are simply done only for those who'll be interested in them.  A true testimony is, in effect, an act of God.  One moved by the Spirit or through whom the Holy Spirit works is not acting alone, nor in a manner that is simply characterized by personal choice and therefore not pertinent to others.  Every holy act, every gift, is given in community.  This even extends to personal prayer if it is true and pure.  When we choose to live as a part of this Kingdom, it makes an impact -- perhaps unseen -- in the community of the world.   It is a kind of energy that is at work in the world, and it is the energy of love and mercy manifest, even when its effects are in some sense shocking or disturbing.  Jesus uses the examples of Himself and John the Baptist.  John scandalized with his asceticism; he lived in the wilderness, wore clothing from the skins of camels, and lived purely for God, seeking no kind of worldly comfort but for that love alone.  Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners, giving scandal by His love for those who need Him as physician, and His joy at being with them, as friends of the Bridegroom.  But wisdom is justified not only by the ministries of both John and Jesus, but by all her children who are to come.  It should be noted that in Greek, the word for wisdom is feminine:  sophia.  Moreover, the word here translated as children literally means "works."   Therefore we understand that the works to which Jesus refers, and the children He cites, are those "works" inspired by the Spirit in those who love God.  Through participation in the Kingdom, they are this mutual love manifest.  The condemnation of rejection therefore really comes from a rejection of God, and this is why such works are never done in a vacuum.  Rather, it calls us to account, whether or not we like it.  Holiness touches on the deepest part of ourselves.  It calls to the heart.  It a call is from our Creator.  We can choose to ignore or remain in a place of ignorance or lack of understanding, but we never leave the business of what it is to be a human person created in the image and likeness of God, nor the joy contained in the life God offers to each of us in love.

Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:

'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.'

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 11:7-15

Yesterday we read that when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples concerning their first apostolic mission (Matthew 10), that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:   The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John:  "What did you go out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see?  A man clothed in soft garments?  Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.  But what did you go out to see?  A prophet?  Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.  For this is he of whom it is written:  'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'"  There is irony here in Jesus' statement, as those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses, and John is locked up in prison in the house of King Herod Antipas.  But John wore nothing like soft clothing, and preached in the wilderness, baptizing and wearing the clothing of a prophet in the style of Elijah who also lived in the wilderness in radical poverty for the sole love of God, as Matthew tells us in chapter 3:  "Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey" (3:4).  Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1.  It is Malachi who prophesied Elijah's return at the time of the Messiah (Malachi 4:5).

"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  My study bible says that in terms of the Old Testament Law, John the Baptist is the greatest prophet.  The New Covenant is of such incomparable value that those who share in the New Covenant are greater than John was without it.

"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  There are several interpretations that have been given to the idea that the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, my study bible tells us.  Some say that it refers to the idea that the Kingdom breaks into the world "violently," that is, with great power and force.  Indeed, Jesus seems to contrast prophesy and the law with what occurs with John, who is the last and greatest in that lineage, which is the arrival of the Kingdom with presence.  Others have said that the Kingdom of heaven is a reference to Christ Himself, who has been incarnate since the days of John the Baptist, and who will suffer the violence of the Cross.  According to St. John Chrysostom, the violent who take the Kingdom by force are those who have such earnest desire for Christ that they let nothing stand between themselves and faith in Him.  Another thing we must consider is that the prophets all prophesied in the Holy Spirit; but it is John who announced that He who will baptize with the Spirit is present, and witnessed the Spirit's presence with Jesus at His baptism (see Matthew 3:11-17); it is the Spirit in which the Kingdom is truly present to us.

"For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.  And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study bible notes that John does not ascribe to himself the role of Elijah (John 1:21), but Jesus does.  John fulfilled the mission of Elijah (Luke 1:17, 76) and his destiny was similar.  But John is honored over Elijah as John prepared the way for the advent of Christ Himself.

Some important thoughts about the Spirit and the Kingdom, and its presence and manifestation in the world.  It is the Spirit who made possible the birth of Christ as human being; as Matthew puts it, Mary was found with child of the Holy Spirit (1:18).  In Mary we see the image of the burning bush which Moses observed (Exodus 3:1-2), in the midst of which was a flame of fire, and though it burned the plant was not consumed.  It is the Spirit in which we as Christians are invited to participate in the Kingdom and its presence of beauty and light and meaning.  In light of Pentecost, today's passage gives us much to think about concerning the true nature of the Kingdom and what Christ has to say about its presence with us.  Saints Peter and Paul enumerate for us gifts of the Spirit via their Epistles, and St. Paul teaches us about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).  In one of the most beautiful compositions of the fruit of the Spirit, St. Paul teaches us about the greatest of all gifts, love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).  In all of these ways, the Kingdom fashions those who participate in it as greater than John the Baptist.  The real question is how we participate in what our forbears understood as the true beauty of the Church, which is the beauty of the Spirit.  All of these fruits are not borne of simple work or our own fashioning.  They are rather given through the gift of contemplation, through that which works through true prayer, participation in the Kingdom.  And that must be what we seek, as Jesus invites us to do here.  This must be that which we focus upon as He points the way and teaches us about the great and unsurpassed gift of the ability to participate in this Kingdom.  All the prophets and the law prophesied until John, but now something with power and force is happening, something altogether new, but we need to embrace it with all our hearts, and truly live it.

Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:   The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." 

- Matthew 11:1-6

On Saturday we read that while Jesus was speaking to John's disciples, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.  And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"  The lectionary skips over several verses in chapter 9, and also chapter 10, in which the disciples are sent out on their first apostolic mission and Jesus preaches extensively about the nature of His mission on earth (see these texts here).  We note first of all about today's reading that John the Baptist is in prison.  According to patristic teaching, John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask this question so that he may guide his disciples to Jesus.  Undoubtedly, John' own faith was strengthened through Christ's response.  As we note also, in chapter 10, Jesus has just sent out His apostles on their first mission, also extensively teaching them what the mission of the Church will be like.  It is a time of transition, a new covenant, as exemplified in Christ's response to John's disciples in Saturday's reading, above.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:   The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."  These signs were predicted to accompany the coming of the Messiah by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1).  Jesus performed these miracles, my study bible says, in the presence of John's disciples (Luke 7:20-21), so that they could see with their own eyes works that only the Messiah could do.

Coupled with our previous reading (above, in which Jesus preaches to John's disciples about the need for new wineskins to hold new wine), we get a taste of what is happening, a shift in history, an intervention in time that is a bold revelation of God's work in the world.  Christ comes into time as the divine/human "Theanthropos" (to use the theological term for our Messiah who is both God and human).  The Logos becomes Incarnate in order to intervene in a world under the power of the evil one.  Patristic teachings conclude that whether or not our world had been a "fallen" one, the Incarnation of Christ would have taken place.  Our Lord and Creator condescends to us from love, and in so doing brings Himself in order to heal and bring us closer to Him.  John the Baptist is considered the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and Jesus' word to his disciples conveys the idea that the time of the Messiah has come, the fulfillment of prophecy is at hand.  We live in the time Christ announces has come, and so we still keep in mind what it is that we serve and the faith in which we seek to live.  It is a time of healing and correction:  "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."   It is essential that we keep in mind this mission, because it is ongoing.  The ministry of Christ is here to heal.  But what that means is that we take note, in our world, of what needs healing.  We should keep in mind that Christ did not come simply to "fix" everything, but to invite us into this struggle of a change of leadership, so to speak.  He is Liberator, but we still live in a world awaiting a judgment, in which its prince is still effective in seeking to hold captive, to blind, to make lame and ill and deaf, and most particularly to inhibit life.  From the earliest apostolic teachings, we are given a contrasting way of life and a way of death (see for example, the Didache, the oldest known teaching document in the Church).  In Judaism also, there existed this tradition.  But what we as moderns tend to lose sight of is that all of this spiritual battle cannot simply be fixed by what we think of as progressive advances.  Christ as the Person who is Truth, as Logos, certainly gives us the impetus for a search for truth, for an improvement in all forms of healing the ailments of the world.  But separately from our spiritual source of light, how do we use and implement whatever material tools we have in the world?  Abstraction alone cannot give us spiritual wisdom and insight.  Most of all, our own limitations still apply.  We need to seek what it is we don't know, and the help available to us.  We remain with our blindness and limitations, and we remain distinctly human as the examples in the Gospels constantly remind us of all we need to learn and how we need to grow, especially in wisdom, just as the disciples do.  Let us consider that our Liberator seeks our participation in His spiritual battle, with the weapons of prayer, love, and virtue -- and the power of faith -- as those we need for His mission for us.  The theologian Fr. John Anthony McGuckin writes, "When Truth is a living person, we can  no longer try to make it synonymous with mere accuracy."  In other words, through our faith, we are given a fullness of truth in which we seek to participate and which will always pull us forward into what we do not yet know, in which truth also embodies the good and the beautiful.  Rational abstraction cannot give us such a mission, but only Christ the Logos who has become one of us can do so; and through our faith this mission continues now.

Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.

- Matthew 9:18-26

Yesterday we read that Jesus passed from where He healed the paralytic, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in that house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Now do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.    It's interesting that the ruler (of the synagogue in Capernaum, elsewhere called Jairus) comes before Him.  Here the text is translated that he worshiped Jesus.  (In Mark and Luke, we're told that he fell down at Jesus' feet -- the word literally means that, but it is also a word widely used to mean "to worship.")  Jesus has just had a confrontation with Pharisees over the tax collectors with whom He was dining, so it's significant that this ruler of the synagogue has faith in Him.  My study bible notes that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39, 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Jesus is of one essence with the Father, He has this authority (John 5:21).

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  The healing of this woman once again demonstrates (as with the leper in this reading) Christ's power to cleanse and to heal.  In the Old Testament, my study bible notes, hemorrhage caused ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).   This woman who has suffered for so long accounts herself unclean, but she nevertheless approaches Jesus in secret and with great faith, as Jesus notes.  He brings her good cheer because of her faith, and He also corrects her thinking, in that she could neither hide her touch from Him, nor is she excluded from His presence because of her illness.   Finally, even in these circumstances, Jesus remarkably exhibits her faith to all, so that they might imitate her. 

When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.  Once again, Jesus disrupts the social order as all are agreed the girl is dead; so much so that they ridicule Him.    The flute players and the noisy crowd are there to mourn and wail as all are certain the girl is dead.

It's seemingly paradoxical to juxtapose the many facets of Jesus on display here.  He has explicitly said in the Sermon on the Mount that He has not come to destroy but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (see this reading).   For instance, in healing the leper, He commanded that the leper then make a testimony to the priest as the Law declares (8:4).  But Jesus is more than one who honors the Law, He is the true author of the Law.  As such, His fulfillment takes us more truly into the heart and meaning and intent of the Law.  He is here, above all, to heal -- and this is the ultimate intent of the Law.  The woman with the blood flow may be ceremonially unclean, but it is her faith that makes her well.  It is her connection, her covenant with the Lord that is at work in what she does.  In yesterday's reading, He quoted from Hosea, telling the criticizing Pharisees, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The repentance of a sinner, and the healing of this ailing woman and Jairus' daughter are one and the same in the action of Christ as Physician:  all are in need of His healing and reconciliation with Him as Christ, as Creator.  Whatever it is that ails, He is here to heal.  In taking on our afflictions in full humanity, He becomes the instrument of healing, and of sacrificial love -- as even in the worst of circumstances or condition, He unites our humanity to His divinity through faith.  This is true healing, individually and communally, and it was also the purpose of the Law.  But in His Person we have more than the Law, we have the fulfillment of the Law.  Let us consider the woman in this story, as one with a blood flow making her unclean for twelve years, who has suffered terribly and is outcast from community.  He not only heals her, but makes an example of her faith for the whole crowd.  In her we are given the revelation of the astonishing good news of God's desire for mercy and not sacrifice, a fulfillment of Hosea's prophecy.  What was intended for protection of a community is not to be used as an instrument that prolongs and compounds suffering; instead we are taught about the power of faith and the true nature of God as compassion.  And this is where He is forever, because He has suffered with us, and brought us the good news of His love.  Where is our faith in all of this?  How do we live our communion with He who came to be one of us, with us?

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick

 As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.

Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in that house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Now do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

- Matthew 9:9-17

Yesterday we read that after healing the Gergesene demoniacs, He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city of Capernaum.  Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed.  When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."  And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"  But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?  For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins" -- then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And he arose and departed to his house.  Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.   Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in that house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Matthew the tax collector is also called Levi (Mark 2:14).   Jewish tax collectors such as Matthew were assigned by Roman overlords to specific areas.  They were free to collect extra revenues for their own profit, backed by the Roman state.  They were widely despised and also considered unclean because of their collaboration with the occupying Romans, their fraud, and their corruption (11:19).  As Jesus is dining with them and has accepted a tax collector as a disciple ("Follow Me"), the Pharisees are offended.  But Jesus' defense is simple, and also central to our understanding of Christ and also of the Eucharist:  He goes where the need of the physician is is the greatest.  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" is from Hosea 6:6.  My study bible says that this is not a rejection of sacrifice per se, but rather shows that mercy is a higher priority (see Psalm 51).

Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Now do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."  Jews typically fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12) at Jesus' time and by tradition, on Monday and Thursday.  Additionally, there were public fasts which were regularly observed or occasionally proclaimed (2 Chronicles 20:3; Ezra 8:21; Esther 4:16; Joel 2:15), especially on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning (Zechariah 7:5, 8:19).  But Jesus presents the reality of His Presence, reflecting that the Jews saw the day of the Messiah as a wedding feast, which is a time of joy and gladness, a covenant which is the basis of life itself.  Jesus is proclaiming that day, and that He Himself is the Messiah/Bridegroom.   For Christians, then, fasting would be transformed.  My study bible says that it is not gloomy but desirable, a "bright sadness."   Fasting is viewed as a way to gain self-control and preparation for the Wedding Feast.  The old garment and old wineskins stand for the Old Covenant and the Law. My study bible says that in view of Christ these are imperfect and temporary; the new wineskins are the New Covenant and those who are in Christ.  The new wine is the Holy Spirit who dwells within renewed people, who cannot be constrained by the old precepts of the Law.

Christ as Physician is perhaps the most central image to the Gospels that we can think about.  His entire ministry and, indeed, the impact of the Incarnation, is to heal.  This is His mission.   Reconciliation is much more than a restoration of covenant between God and God's people.  It is rather a mission to heal and to restore a world in the image of its creation and through the sacrifice and love of Creator.  In this light, everything that Christ does is designed for healing, as medicine.  The Eucharist -- Giving Thanks -- is medicine for all of us in this perspective.   It is a way of drawing us closer to Creator, to the image in which we are created, unifying and linking us to Creator through what He has declared is His Body and Blood.   The ultimate unification is the wedding feast which we await, the return of the Bridegroom.  All of this is both declared and implied in today's text, as Jesus dines with those who are despised by the community for what they do to earn a good living -- often accompanied by extortion and seen as traitorous to the community.   Matthew is overjoyed to find that the Messiah is His Lord as well, and we know him as the author of this first Gospel.  This celebratory feast in His home is to introduce His friends to Christ, the Physician, the One who has come to those who need Him the most, whose medicine is mercy.