Tell the daughter of Zion, "Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey"

 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  

"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.'"

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 

- Matthew 21:1-11

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus and the disciples went out of Jericho on their way toward Jerusalem, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

  Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her.  Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall just say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and immediately he will send them."  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "Tell the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.'"   Today's reading gives us the image of Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  It is celebrated by the Church on Palm Sunday (so named for the branches spread by the people on the ground, verse 8).  My study bible explains that by Christ's time, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political Messiah who would deliver Israel from Roman control and reestablish David's kingdom.  But in humility, Christ shows that He has not come to establish an earthly kingdom.  He doesn't ride on a horse nor in a chariot, but rather on a donkey -- which is a sign of humility and peace (see Zechariah 9:9, quoted by the people who welcome Him).   Noteworthy also is that Matthew reports a colt as well as a donkey.   In patristic commentary, the two animals are seen as representing the faithful Jews and Gentiles who are brought together in the Kingdom, the colt being an image of the "untamed and uninstructed Gentiles who would pass from unbelief to faith" (Vespers of Palm Sunday Orthodox hymn).  My study bible adds that the entrance into the Holy City declares the establishment of the Kingdom of God.  It is also a promise of Christ's final entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem with all believers, and of His accepting the New Jerusalem as His pure Bride (Revelation 21:2).  

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.  They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:  "Hosanna to the Son of David!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  Hosanna in the highest!"  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?"  So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  The people who spread their clothes on the road before Jesus did so as if paying reverence to a King.  My study bible says that this is spiritually interpreted as our need to lay down our flesh, and even our very lives, for Christ.  The people's cry comes from Psalm 118:25-26, associated with messianic expectation.   It was recited daily for six days during the Feast of Tabernacles (Heb. Sukkot, also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom).  On the seventh day of the festival, as branches were waved it was recited seven times.  Hosanna means, "Save, we pray!"

 Jesus enters into Jerusalem, welcomed by the crowds.  We note that they call Him "the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."  This is not precisely who Jesus is, although He is welcomed in a way that suggests the welcoming of a king, or the Messiah.  The verses from the psalm they chant are used at the Feast of the Coming Kingdom, which commemorates the time Israel wandered in the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land.  Perhaps the text is meant to give us a sense that although these crowds welcome Him, all is not understood about Jesus.  There are mixed messages running through the crowds, and this is something important for us to understand.  Is He a prophet?  The Church does not say so, and He has indicated this is false in this reading, in which He asked the disciples specifically who people say that He is, and who do they think He is.  The messianic expectations of the time also lead to those in the crowds expecting the manifestation of a kingdom of Israel that will last forever -- if He is truly the Messiah, people will reason, then why is this new kingdom not appearing for them?   They've surely heard of the miraculous cures that have happened and all about His ministry.  Jesus even enters into Jerusalem from the East, as was expected of the Messiah.  But in His choice of transportation we find an expression of humility, not a warrior king, and that is indeed a message about what type of Messiah He is.  In John's Gospel, Jesus teaches to the Samaritan woman that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  The people who will remain His followers must see through all of this, the worldly expectations, the varied and conflicting messages that stir the crowds, the misunderstandings -- and the intentions of the leadership -- in order to understand precisely what this means.  What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth?  How do we see past our own worldly expectations to find spirit and truth to lead us?  Neither do the people expect that the Messiah is divine, but rather an exalted human being.  Jesus defies all expectations in His ministry.   He defies the expectations, desires, and even demands of the desired Messiah.  He challenges every assumption about Himself.  Even these who proclaim and welcome Him do not necessarily understand Him.  There is an important message for all of us here, in that it is not what the crowds say about God or Christ that matters.  It's not what the rest of the world thinks about our faith that counts.  The God who is Spirit and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth will often be misunderstood and miscategorized, ill-defined and distorted by people's desires of God.  But the message of the heart is something else altogether, and it requires great humility to accept it -- and ongoing prayer to continue in His path for us.  God's life of spirit and truth will always ask of us to tear away our expectations, to check our own desires and projections, and to find His love, His way.  Without the necessary humility, we won't come to that understanding of the life He gives us -- and without the commitment to spirit and truth in the heart, it's much too easy to be misled by the strong emotions and persuasion of the crowds of our times.  Let us consider this Man on the donkey's colt, and remember that He became one of us for all of us.  So many expectations are always placed upon Him.  Will we, too, be disappointed if He doesn't fulfill all of ours?  Or will we be capable of shoring up our faith and resetting our compass to His light?

Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

- Matthew 20:29-34

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again." Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.   These two blind men greet Jesus using significant titles.  They call Him Lord, which is the common title for God, and also Son of David, a title which is deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, my study bible says, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn about His mercy.  There is also a traditional spiritual interpretation to this miracle.  The blind men symbolizing future generations who would come to faith only by hearing, and without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (John 20:29).  The ones who try to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who try, in every generation, to silence the Church.  But nevertheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

I'm always intrigued by Jesus' question to these blind men, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  It's such an open-ended and direct question.  Jesus asks it with perfect confidence.   There seems to be no doubt here that the question will be met with a reasonable answer, nor that whatever was asked, He couldn't respond fully.  There is no hesitation here.  After all, Jesus has just finished responding to a request by two of His closest apostles, John and James Zebedee, and their mother, who obviously is one of the ones traveling with His ministry, by telling them that they didn't know what they were asking Him, and furthermore, that what they wanted wasn't His to give (see yesterday's reading, above).    But this is different.  These are not people who are already His followers.  These two aren't even a part of the crowd that has come to see Jesus on His way to Jerusalem.  They only know He's there because people tell them who is passing by.  Furthermore, the whole crowd tries to tell them to be silent, but they shout all the more.  Perhaps the most important aspect of this story is just what they shout to Jesus in the first place, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  This is a prayer.  And it is such an important prayer that it would be turned into the most commonly heard prayer in Church services ("Lord have mercy") and also be made into the basis for the Jesus Prayer, the practice of monastics and others for constant prayer (following St. Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing," 1 Thessalonians 5:17).  These blind men give us the prayer of the Church by asking, "Have mercy on us, O Lord."  It is in this context of a prayer for God's mercy that Christ asks them, "What do you want Me to do for You?"  Moreover, in their prayer is a clear recognition that He is Lord and Christ (Son of David).    These blind men, who cannot see, nevertheless have clear sight when it comes to Jesus.  They both know Him and identify Him as Messiah and Lord, and appropriately pray for mercy.    Their faith becomes the bedrock upon which Jesus then asks them His question, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  In the context of prayer, we couldn't get any better example for what our prayers should be like, because their prayer sets up the appropriate relationship between them and Christ in the first place.   One more irony in this story that is notable for early hearers of the Gospel is that this takes place in Jericho, a place considered by many to be a place of sin.  In that context it really teaches us that it matters very little what our circumstances are, what it is we may be surrounded by, or where we come from.  Their social standing among the crowd and in the town (they are most likely begging by the side of the road when they are told Jesus was passing by) is also an indication of the same.  It is faith that makes our connection with Christ, and they are most properly in relation to Him by the very text of their prayer.  Blindness is another symbol for sin, or our state of imperfect seeing; it tells us in addition that we need not be perfect to come before our Lord.  But what we do need to be is truthful.  Let us consider the usefulness of this prayer.  We may use it at any time, in its version for use in the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me" or "have mercy on me, a sinner."  There are shorter versions of the prayer.  Simply, "Lord have mercy" or "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy," are two other versions used, and others are possible with this basis.  These two blind men pray by the side of the road -- and the occasion for this prayer is always proper.  The Church in its tradition teaches us to use it constantly, without ceasing, and calls it the Prayer of the Heart.  Let us learn a lesson from our Lord's question in reply.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again." 

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

- Matthew 20:17-28

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."    This is the third prediction Jesus makes of His Passion.  My study bible says that these repeated predictions were meant to encourage and strengthen the disciples for the terrifying events that they were going to face.  According to Theophan, it's as if Christ were saying, "Think on all these [words and miracles], so that when you see me hanging on the Cross, you will not imagine that I am suffering because I am powerless to do otherwise."  We note the details of this prediction:  He will be delivered to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  The precise and vivid nature of the prediction leaves no doubt that what is coming is fully known to Christ.  At this point, Jesus sets His journey toward Jerusalem.  Popular expectations would lead the disciples to believe there will be the manifestation of a worldly kingdom without end.

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask."  My study bible says that the request for temporal power and glory is unfitting for a disciple and shows an earthly misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God.  Matthew reports here that it is the mother of Zebedee's sons who makes this request, but John's and James' own involvement in the request is revealed in Jesus' reply, as you is plural in Jesus' words "You do not know what you ask."  As if to drive the point home, this isn't the first time the disciples are concerned with places of honor in this worldly kingdom they expect to manifest in accordance with popular understanding of the Messiah.  See also this reading, in which the disciples ask Him, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

"Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."   Jesus calls His Crucifixion a cup and His death a baptism.  The Cross is a cup because He drank it willingly, my study bible says (Hebrews 12:2).  His death is baptism, as He was completely immersed in it, yet it cleansed the world (Romans 6:3-6).  Christ's prophecy here of the participation in the same cup and baptism shows the life of persecution and martyrdom they would lead after Pentecost.  Jesus also declares here that the places of honor in the Kingdom are not His to give.  It doesn't mean that He lacks authority, my study bible tells us.  Instead, it means that they are not His to give arbitrarily.  He will give them to those for whom God has prepared them.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that no one could possibly occupy a position as an equal on the right and left hand of Christ.   As to the highest places of honor that can be given to human beings, the icons in the Eastern Church universally depict the Virgin Mary (most blessed among women -- Luke 1:28) and John the Baptist (greatest born of women -- 11:11) holding these places among the saints.

And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Once again (as in the previous reading, when the disciples asked "Who is the greatest in the kingdom heaven?") Jesus responds with a teaching on humility and the proper use of power in His Church.   As Jews, they consider the power-hungry Gentiles an abomination.  Jesus contrast these worldly rulers to Himself.  He serves all of us, although He is Lord of all.  He will give His life for all (for many is used as an expression in Aramaic and in Greek to mean "for all"). 

Christ emphasizes humility over and over again.  He contrasts this humility with the power-hungry kings of the Gentiles who populated the kingdoms of His time.  If we read about the history of Israel, and indeed the world, we read about kingdoms and conquering and ongoing wars carving out first this border then that one.  While kings were known for their worldly power, the family of Herod the Great was distinguished in its cruelty and intrigue.  His son, Herod Antipas, ruled over Galilee in Jesus' adult life; it was he who had John the Baptist locked in prison, and finally beheaded (see this reading).  In modern times, many of us live in countries where certain rights are guaranteed to citizens, but we can look around and see ongoing wars and violence in the pursuit of power on many scales and levels; in that sense, worldly power is quite clearly still with us as it was in Christ's day.  Jesus' words contrasting the type of humility He's looking for still ring a deep and loud difference between the pursuit of worldly power and an understanding of His authority.  Who are the littlest ones?  Why are they so important in His Church?  His disciples will enter into the cup and baptism that is His.  Specifically, John Zebedee will live a long life of exile and persecution; His brother James will be the first martyr among the Twelve (Acts 12:2).  Humility and service are all about surrendering to God our own impulses for power and living as God wishes us to.  To serve the littlest is to serve with love and care for Christ's family.  But Jesus speaks of more than service here.  He will give His life as a ransom -- for everyone.   Ransom is more than simply a payment.  A ransom is what sets people free who are held captive, imprisoned, or kidnapped.  A ransom is demanded by soldiers or mercenaries who hold hostages and demand payment to set them free.  Jesus is not talking about a payment to God; He's rather speaking of the sacrifice He will make for all of our freedom, so that we are set free by the things that hold us captive.  His willingness to go through His death and suffering is not only an act of supreme love.  It is also an act that sets all of us free, made with His authority and freedom as the Son.  As a human being, He faces and endures all that the evil of the world can set before us to deter us from loving God and finding ourselves in God's love.  It is a supreme act of freedom in "overcoming the world" (John 16:33) so that we, too, may participate in His life, death, and Resurrection and in that freedom that He offers to us.  We may suffer persecutions for the sake of this belonging to His Kingdom, but we are free in His love to find the things that make for life in abundance here and now in His love and as a part of His family.  Spiritual life is a mystery.  It is complex and has depths that we don't suspect, that a world which denies such existence fails to acknowledge.  But the experience of this love is unmistakable, and His words about love and service and the benefits of humility are undeniable.  John and James will enter into His work, His cup and His baptism.  John will leave us the most transcendent words of love in the Gospel, Epistles and Revelation that bear his name (whether each is written directly by him or by a disciple of his is irrelevant to the unmistakable and distinctive common thread that runs through all of them).   This is the power of Christ at work in our lives, to live and work for all and leave the world with beauty and truth that serve all.  Let us consider what He can do with our lives, His way.

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen

 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."

- Matthew 20:1-16

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  See also Monday's reading for the story of the rich young man.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.  And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.'  So they went.  Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'  They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.'  He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.'  So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.'  And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.  But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.  And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.'  But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong.  Did you not agree with me for a denarius?  Take what is yours and go your way.  I wish to give to this last man the same as you.  Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?  Or is your eye evil because I am good?'  So the last will be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen."  This parable is called the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.  It is a description for the disciples of the nature of work for the Kingdom in the world.  My study bible says that the vineyard in the parable is life in this world.  The day refers both to the span of a single person's life and to the whole of human history.  The laborers are all the people in every nation of the world.  Each hour, it tells us, can refer to times in a person's life, whether that is infancy, youth, adulthood, maturity, or old age.  It also has a second meaning in the span of history -- it can refer to those called during the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and finally Christ.  The generosity of God provides an equal reward both for early and late comers.  Jesus teaches that those like the apostles, who come early, should not be proud of their long service nor resent those who are called at the eleventh hour.  To the latecomers, Jesus teaches that it is possible even in a short time or at the end of one's life to recover and inherit everything.  In the early Church, this message was understood to apply specifically to the Jews (who were the first-called) and the Gentiles (those called later).  But in our time, it can be applied to those raised in the Church and those who find the Church later in life, both of whom receive an equal reward.  There is a renowned paschal sermon by St. John Chrysostom, recited each year in the Eastern Church at the midnight service of Easter as the day breaks.  It is based on this parable, applying it to the preparations of each person in approaching the paschal Eucharist.

So what does it mean to be a worker in this vineyard?  It means several things, as indicated by my study bible's notes and its use and interpretation throughout history.  For Jesus' immediate disciples, it no doubt functioned to explain to them their own place in the grand scheme of working for the Kingdom in the world:  there would be many who followed them.  Moreover, they themselves "entered into others' labors," as stated by Jesus after their encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria.  What we learn from these teachings is that we are not alone in our faith, not by a long shot. Whatever we do, whatever we understand, we build and are building upon countless others whom we don't know, and we contribute to this process for yet others to come.  But each laborer is worthy of his or her hire.  The same is true of those in all other nations, as preparation for such labor may come in many forms.  For the Greek-speaking world of Christ's time, in which Greek was the language of commerce, of literature, of all the sciences and philosophy, the Hellenistic patrimony was indispensable in forming the theology that would shape the church.  All of it would come into service for Christ.  As Christ Himself is the Person who is Truth (John 14:6), so whatever is true or good or beautiful can be a part of the labor into which Christ's workers enter.  The Samaritan woman did not know the fullness of the revelation to the Jews, but nevertheless she was ready for faith, as were her fellow villagers.  Our Church is in truth a multi-layered and multi-faceted and ongoing work of God, working through all of us, through those whom we don't know, through uncountable workers who've come before us and contributed each in his or her own way, and many more as well to come.  This is the true image of the Kingdom in the world.  Christ's teaching to all of us is that each may contribute to the beauty of His house, but only with the humility that teaches us that we each have our part to do.  The reward is equal.  This sets us on a par in that our true job is simply to focus on our part in this work, and to bear the burdens we're given and the yoke that is for us (11:28-30).  Let us look to the Master to teach us our particular work, and rejoice in the fullness into which we enter.

Who then can be saved?

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

- Matthew 19:23-30

Yesterday we read that little children were brought to Jesus that He might put His hands on then and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."   My study bible notes varied interpretations that have been given for this impossible image of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  Some suggest that the word wasn't came, but rather "rope" (which sounds alike in Aramaic), or that the eye of a needle was a city gate through which a camel possibly could barely squeeze if it were first unloaded of all of its baggage, which would symbolize wealth.  In the Talmud there is the expression "for an elephant to go through the eye of a needle."  We also must take into consideration Jesus' gift for figures of speech, His prolific images given to us throughout the Gospels and in His preaching.  But whatever this particular phrase refers to, my study bible says, it displays the impossibility of salvation for those who are attached to riches.  It's not a condemnation of rich people or wealth, but rather it is all about attachment and its difficulties.  (There are example of wealthy and powerful people who are holy in the Gospels, such as Joseph of Arimathea.)  The disciples respond, "Who then can be saved?" giving us a picture of the widespread application of difficulty conveyed here.  But by God's grace, even that which is impossible for human beings can come to pass.

Then Peter answered and said to Him, "See, we have left all and followed You.  Therefore what shall we have?"  So Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel."   My study bible notes about judgment that St. Ambrose of Milan, commenting on Luke 22:30, writes, "Christ judges by discerning the heart, and not by examining deeds.  So also the apostles are being shaped to exercise spiritual judgment concerning faith, and in rebuking error with virtue."  They won't judge with earthly judgment, but rather by the witness of their own lives.  God's kingdom, it notes, begins with the Resurrection of Christ.  Therefore this kind of discernment (judgment) has already been given to the apostles and their successors in the journey of the Church on earth (see also John 20:23).

"And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  Christ isn't commanding believers to divorce spouses and abandon children.  According to St. Chrysostom, this is a reference to keeping faith under persecution, even if it means to lose one's family.  It also means to accept that unbelieving family members could be cut off because of the believer's faith (see 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).  My study bible adds that believers are promised a hundredfold of houses and relatives not in an earthly sense but rather a spiritual one:  the fathers and mothers of the Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ, and houses of worship and fellowship.

So what is it about attachments that make them so difficult an obstacle to our faith?  Throughout the Gospels (and indeed, the whole of the Bible), we're given a message that our assignment in life is to choose what we truly love.  When Jesus is asked, "What is the greatest commandment?"  He responds with the first and the second: " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'  This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (22:35-40).  The Cross offers us this choice of what we will love first, and what we receive in exchange, as Jesus teaches the disciples in today's reading.  Wealth not only symbolizes attachments, but objects that we covet or take delight in can either enhance life and faith or they can stand as obstacles to putting the love of God first, as Jesus does in enumerating these commandments.  In Jesus' teaching here, great wealth can set us up for tremendous difficulties in finding ourselves, our true heart, putting Christ first so that all else is put into appropriate perspective.  In the Gospels figures like Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus play an important role in Jesus' life and ministry (and at His death on the Cross).  The centurion of Capernaum is cited by the local elders as one who has "built us a synagogue" and "loves our nation," and Jesus says of him, "I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Luke 7:1-10).  Even the family of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Jesus' great friends, seem to be of high standing in the community and known to many in Jerusalem.  In John's Gospel, it is Mary who anoints Christ's feet with a very costly bottle of perfumed ointment (see John 11, 12:1-8).   All of this is to note that the Gospels do not bar those of powerful and affluent standing from faith.  Rather, those individuals who are distinguished in their faith and are in such positions are they who put everything in service to their faith in Christ.  They not only act in accordance with such faith, but they also risk everything they have, including public standing, for their love of Christ.  Their testimonies to faith are in all of their choices.   Of the centurion at Capernaum we know nothing of his subsequent life, but according to various histories, the rest of these figures went on to serve in the Church in one way and another, and presumably leaving their former lives behind.  But their wealth did not stop their faith.  Rather, all that they had, owned, and did was in service to that faith, and in the Gospels, their lives are transformed in service to that faith.  Each of us has things to which we are attached, things which we perhaps crave or intensely desire.  As to the rich young man in yesterday's reading, his wealth likely defined his identity and family standing.  The poorest among us may have some objects to which we cling as prizes.  But the story of the Gospels is the story of faith -- and perhaps the greatest secret of all is that when faith comes first, then everything else is our lives is transfigured with meaning through our participation in the Cross, and the life, death, and Resurrection of Christ.  That would include all that we have.  This is the powerful story given to us in the Gospels and through the testimony of the entire Church in all of its history.  When we're faced with choosing between what we have and what He offers, let us remember this and choose wisely -- or else the great wealth becomes the obstacle to everything we might have if one is willing to "lose one's life in order to truly find it.

If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on then and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 

- Matthew 19:13-22

On Saturday we read that, after Jesus finished telling the disciples about conduct within His future Church and the values of the kingdom of heaven (see readings from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday), He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."  His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on then and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.  But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven."  And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.  My study bible says that, according to Theophan, the disciples rebuked the mothers for bringing little children to Christ both because their manner was "unruly" and because they thought children "diminished His dignity as Teacher and Master."  But Christ rejects this thinking, and He once again (as in Wednesday's reading) sets little children as an example of those who inherit the kingdom of heaven.  Children are therefore invited in the Eastern and other churches (even as an example to adults) to participate in the Kingdom through prayer, worship, baptism, chrismation, and Communion.  As in the earlier reading on Wednesday, Jesus will repeatedly urge the disciples to humility, and little children serve as an example of such.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?"  So He said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments."  My study bible says that this man (unlike the Pharisees in Saturday's reading, above) does not come to test Jesus.  He is rather seeking advice from one whom he considers to be no more than a good Teacher.  Jesus' response does not deny that He is God, but is rather designed to lead the rich man to this knowledge. 

He said to Him, "Which ones?"  Jesus said, " 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "  The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth.  What do I still lack?"  To observe the commandments formally doesn't make one righteous before God, according to my study bible.  This man has an earnest desire for eternal life and he senses that he still lacks something.  So, he continues to press Jesus for the answer. 
Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.   To be perfect, my study bible says, one must willingly sacrifice all and follow Christ.  As Creator, Christ puts us where we need to be and knows us more deeply than we know ourselves; this is a mystical reality for us as human beings.  Nothing is gained, my study bible adds, unless this sacrifice is given freely.  The specifics of how one follows Christ will be different for each person.  In this case, wealth had such a grip on this rich young man, that his only hope was to sell and give away all his possessions.  St. John Chrysostom, my study bible notes, says that giving away possessions is the least of Jesus' instructions here.  To follow Him in all things is a far greater and more difficult calling.

The rigors of discipleship may take us to all kinds of places which are unexpected when we begin the journey.  But one thing is clear, and has been clear from Christ's teachings to His own disciples before this point in the Gospel:  to follow Christ we will be asked to make sacrifices.  But those sacrifices, while seemingly nearly impossible, are not sacrifices of things we truly need in terms of what is best for us or wholly good.  In our earlier readings, Jesus has spoken to the disciples about cutting off a hand or foot or eye rather than harming one of the littlest ones who will be in their charge in the Church (Wednesday's reading).  Jesus makes a similar statement to all of us in the Sermon on the Mount (5:29-30), in the context of committing adultery.  These figurative images are meant to convey to us the importance of making sacrifices -- even of things seemingly indispensable to our character or that are deep desires -- if they are not really good for us, not really profitable in the light of the kingdom of God.  In other words, there is a distinction here between things which are truly loved and things which serve as attachments or distractions from our real purpose and true fulfillment of character and persona.  In this rich young man's case, it is not the riches that are evil.  If we take a cue from St. Paul, it is, in his words, the love of money (my italics) that is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), connected with greed and sorrows and as a snare that works to push people to stray from the faith.  What is important here is the attachment that keeps us from being fully manifest in that Kingdom as the persons we are called to be in His light and guidance.  If faith is a journey, then the things that we need to discard along the way are not things that lead us to love, but rather the things that lead us away from it and into the sorrows which St. Paul mentions.  Jesus clearly loves this young man (Mark's Gospel explicitly tells us so, see Mark 10:21).  He does not ask him to sacrifice his patrimony, inheritance, and possessions simply for the sake of sacrifice or to command a loyalty that is demeaning or humiliating.  Rather, Jesus expresses to this young man what is best for him out of the fullness of love.  This is something that is necessary for the rich man's well-being, so that he may in fact find himself.  What he will lose is that which leads him to a false sense of self and creates a false confidence in what leads him away from true substance and salvation.  What we can each take away from this encounter is something repeated many times in the Gospels:  that what seems like an intense and deep sacrifice is often that which we need to make so that we may, in fact, find ourselves -- find what is truly better, richer, stronger, and deeper.  It is so that we may find the depth of who we truly are and can become in Christ's light, and bearing likeness to Him.  We lose our lives so that we may find them, and this is the fullness of the meaning of the Cross and its way for us in each of our lives.  We may have, for example, a proclivity toward anger, or a desire for power over others, a habit of manipulation, or possibly we have relationships we would be truly better off without.  As my study bible says, for each person these instructions will be unique and different, depending upon what we truly need.  But the promise of a fuller, deeper, and richer personal life remains for each.  The disciples leave their lives as fishermen behind, and take on the role of pillars of His Church, adding along the way confidence, strength, leadership, wisdom, heroism.  What will you find when you lose what you think you need, in His name?  Such is the true mystery of faith.

Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."

- Matthew 19:1-12

In recent readings, Jesus has been instructing the disciples regarding conduct and leadership in the future Church (see readings from Wednesday and Thursday).  In yesterday's reading, we were told that Peter came to Jesus and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these sayings, that He departed from Galilee and came to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.  The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"  And he answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?  So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."  They said to Him, "Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?"  He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.  And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery."   My study bible says here that the basis of the Pharisees' test is Deuteronomy 24:1-4.  God's condescension -- God's allowance for human weakness -- does not override the original principle of permanent monogamous marriage as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2.  Jesus speaks with authority, and adds His own clear prohibition against divorce (see also Malachi 2:15-16).  In the ancient Church, the permissible reasons for divorce were expanded to include threat to a spouse's or child's life, and desertion.  But in all cases, the spiritual tragedy of such a situation was clearly acknowledged.

His disciples said to Him, "If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry."   But He said to them, "All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given:  For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother's womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake.  He who is able to accept it, let him accept it."  My study bible notes here that Christ steers the disciples toward an understanding of the holiness of virginity.   This isn't a rejection of marriage, but rather a special calling for those to whom it has been given.  Eunuchs were men who had been castrated, either by birth defect, disease, or mutilation.  They were often employed until quite recent times to guard women of nobility.  But Jesus uses this term figuratively for those who freely choose celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.  (Consecrated virginity is not to be confused with self-mutilation, which was condemned at the First Ecumenical Council in 325.)  See also 1 Corinthians 7:7, 25-38.

We are given what is still difficult advice regarding marriage:  monogamy is preferable and the intention of marriage in the sight of God.  Divorce is an allowance for our own fallibility and, yes, sinfulness.   But marriage, in the traditional sight of the Church, is also a way to grow toward God-likeness, specially-made for our human imperfection.  In growing in love, in learning to love, we give of ourselves, we make sacrifices, we give up things our selfishness might rather hold onto -- and we grow in likeness to the graciousness of God.  This is a picture of marriage as sacrament, part of a holy mystery of the Church.  It allows for our imperfections, and a grace-permeated marriage is one in which love -- as something we are always growing into -- becomes the point.  If we look at the characteristic fruit of the Spirit given to us by St. Paul:  love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control -- we see that although he lists love first, they are all aspects of love.  We can learn kindness in a marriage and its importance in the ways in which we treat a partner.  Goodness becomes important in terms of what we cherish in one another, and what we bring to the union.  Joy is possible for us in realizing the blessings of love.  Peace can be what we find in a partner who loves us and wants what is best for us -- and in our own capacity for love of our partner.  Faithfulness is possible even where we acknowledge our imperfections, as love rejoins even brokenness when we make a mutual effort.  Gentleness and self-control are indispensable to learning how to make a marriage work.  Let us note that Jesus is speaking in a context where initiating divorce was only possible for men, and He is mainly addressing men here.  Therefore, what He calls hard-heartedness is an ill-consideration for women and their position in the context of His time; any way one looks at it, women were of lower social stature than men in a number of ways.  But this isn't a political speech:  it is a spiritual teaching, and it is all about love that transcends everything else and is given by God.  That the two shall become one flesh is a statement of total union.  Historically, the Church (especially in the Eastern Tradition) has come to see both marriage and celibacy in devotion to God as two ways to union and faith.  In both cases, a devotion to God, a growing likeness to our Creator, is the point, for love is of God (1 John 4:7).  Faith gives to marriage a particular dimension that works in mysterious ways to help us find those fruit noted by St. Paul, to overcome hardship, to share those difficulties, to sacrifice for love and all its blessings.  In all cases, it is Christ we turn to for help and guidance, and to create meaning and value for all.  Let us keep in mind St. Paul's word:  All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23).  There is no condemnation here, but there is what is best for us.  Abuse can destroy what God puts together, a spiritual tragedy.  Let us understand what God gives to us.

Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?

 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

- Matthew 18:21-35

 Over the past couple of readings, Jesus has been responding to the question from the disciples, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" (see Wednesday's reading).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the disciples, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one who is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."   In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave instructions for mutual correction in the Church, teaching that first corrections should be made in private.  Peter then asks about forgiveness within this process.  Seventy times seven is a symbol of an unlimited amount. 

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."   My study bible explains that ten thousand talents is an impossible sum.  It is more than a laborer could earn in several lifetimes.  A hundred denarii is a significant amount from an earthly perspective (it is about three months' wages), but it's a pittance compared to the debt that is owed the king in this parable.  There is a spiritual interpretation to the parable also offered by some patristic writers.  Regarding the punishment described, the man represents the soul, the wife represents the body, and children represent a person's works.  So, the body and deeds are given over to slavery (or Satan) -- that is, excommunication to a worldly life without protection of Christ -- so that the soul might possibly be saved through repentance (see 1 Corinthians 5:5).  The point of this parable is to teach that God not only stays the punishment that we deserve, but forgives the entire debt in addition.  As God forgives us, so we are asked to grant the gift of forgiveness to others.

Let us consider repentance and what it means.  Sometimes it is only after going through hard times that a person begins to consider others and have sympathy or understanding for them.  Our culture values winning and success.  It really doesn't matter what end of the political spectrum or which social group one belongs to or values one espouses -- success within the eyes of a community becomes an important and coveted currency.  Experience teaches us that people will do all kinds of things, for all kinds of reasons, to gain such approval or success in the eyes of community.  And therein is the heart of Christ's message, it seems to me.  The Pharisees were the religious leaders of their time, and also perhaps the most righteous among the leadership.  Their code was fairly strict, and they held themselves to such high conduct.  But they are the ones who clash with Jesus.  Their self-righteousness and need for leadership position -- the regulatory role of the faith -- overcomes their capacity to see and hear what Christ is.  Their role in the story of Christ is a cautionary tale for all of us, because it is easy to play a role rather than honestly find the humility Christ asks of us in our lives.  Failure, on the other hand, is a kind of forced humility that has as a potential benefit the reckoning with an inner truth -- that our value and worth isn't based on the opinion of the world but rather on how we stand with God and how honest we are about who we are in that secret place with our Father who sees in secret.  (Practically all of chapter 6 relates to this struggle).  When we fail, we are faced with the question of coming to terms with real identity, and not merely all the things people say about us.   In yesterday's reading, Jesus speaks of Himself as the One who comes to seek that which is lost.  It is in our times of failure that we can most readily understand we are in need of His protection and guidance.  The unforgiving tortures that the world can give us serve to create an internal demand:  we are either going to find the truth of God's love for us or surrender to that slavish reality.  Let us understand not only the love God wants to give us, but rather the love God wishes to share with us so that we, in turn, share with others.  Don't jump on the bandwagon of social self-righteousness and vilification; rather seek the truth found in the secret place, the love found in the Kingdom.  It comes with self-knowledge of our own capacity for failure in the eyes of others, and a reckoning found in the righteousness of faith.  The Cross teaches us that what is real is in the depth of the soul; truth may be something hidden from the voices that seem to shout the loudest and condemn most harshly.  When everyone else seems to shout for blood, that is the time to step back and pray.  It is the great grace of the Savior's humility that teaches us about truth and righteousness.

The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one who is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

- Matthew 18:10-20

Yesterday we read that that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  (This is just after the second prophesy Jesus has given them of His suffering, death and Resurrection.)  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.   But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."  St. John Chrysostom teaches that not only the saints, but all people have guardian angels.  But, my study bible notes, the angels of humble people have greater boldness and greater honor before the face of God because of the humility of the person that they guard.  It is not the nature of God, but the weakness of human beings, that requires the service of the angels.

"For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one who is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."  Here is a display of the love of God.  Christ sees such value in one sheep that He will leave the others at risk to save it (unlike earthly shepherds, my study bible adds).  The ninety-nine sheep represent the righteous who remain faithful to God (Luke 15:7).  In accordance with some patristic writers, this is also an image of the Incarnation:  the ninety-nine represent the angels in heaven; Christ descended from heaven to pursue the one sheep -- humankind -- who had fallen into corruption on earth.

"Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."  Jesus gives us a model for Church discipline, which is based on mutual correction in three expanding stages.  Sin and correction, my study bible notes, remain private unless the offender refuses to repent (note that this mirrors Jesus' own behavior, as He corrects His disciples in private; see for example this reading).  All correction has to be done with great care and humility (see 7:3-5), with the highest concern being the salvation of the offender (see 1 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 6:1).  However, correction is necessary so that sin does not spread to others as well.

"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."   My study bible says that the authority to bind and loose sins is given to the apostles and transmitted to the bishops and presbyters they ordained.  This authority is given for the sake of the salvation of the sinner.  St. John Chrysostom writes that "seeing that he is not only cast out of the Church, but that the bond of his sin will remain in Heaven, [the sinner] may turn and become gentle."

Jesus presents the disciples with teachings about how His Church is to function after His death, Resurrection, and Ascension.  They don't know yet how events will unfold.  He's just given them two warnings about what is to come, telling them that He will be raised on the third day.  In yesterday's reading, their concerns came to light when they asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  It's likely they expect the worldly eternal kingdom of the Messiah in accordance with popular understanding, and so they ask about their positions in this coming kingdom.  But Jesus prepares them for what is come, teaching first of all about humility ("whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven").  In today's reading He gives us a model for correction in the Church, but begins with the model of God's love, teaching about the effort to save all, and in particularly those who are straying.  He pictures God as one of us, rejoicing over finding what was lost more than all that had remained.  Indeed, He gives them the word that He Himself is sent into the world as human being in order to save that which was lost.   And here we get the true "flavor" of Christ' ministry and the Church.  The Church is here to save that which was lost, to call us back to where we belong.  We are all imperfect beings, but we are meant to grow in likeness to our Creator, and this is the purpose of the Church:  to teach us to find the way to do that, to show us the way.  It is, in that sense, a portal, a doorway to the Kingdom, in which Christ Himself is the door (see John 10:9-16).  In the same passage in John, Jesus also calls Himself the good shepherd.  He's the one who gives His life for the sheep.  In this is an illustration of God's love, and in particular for those whose angels always see the face of "My Father who is in heaven."  Let us consider what it is to be a stray, a lost sheep.  Perhaps many of us have had this experience.  To be astray is not to really know where we are going, wandering far and wide from the place where we really need to be and where we have belonging, and in particular, a deep love.  It is always God's deep love missing from lives that are astray, and it is that love that pulls us back.  He will wander far and wide, our Good Shepherd who comes to the ends of the earth to find His sheep.  That is the kind of love that does not abandon, even when everyone else has (Psalm 27:10-11).  It is the king of love that will lead us back when we have no guide.  He is present with us when we call on Him.  It is this kind of love the disciples are to learn, and we who seek to carry His light must remember our call as well. 

Whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven

 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. 

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!  If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."

- Matthew 18:1-9

Yesterday we read that while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to disciples, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up."  And they were exceedingly sorrowful.  When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  He said, "Yes."  And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter said to Him, "From strangers."  Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free.  Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first.  And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me."  My study bible tells us that this question from the disciples indicates a selfish interest in worldly power.  Perhaps as Jesus has just warned them for a second time of what is to come, they presume that when He is raised up on the third day it will mean an immediate manifestation of the expected kingdom of the Messiah.  They therefore ask about positions in the kingdom.  But Jesus points to a little child as the model of true discipleship, and emphasizes the virtues that are required for entrance into the kingdom of heaven, which my study bible names as humility, dependence, lowliness, simplicity, obedience, and a willingness to love and be loved.  In icons, St. Ignatius of Antioch is depicted as this child.  In certain legends of saints,  St. Ignatius is the boy who gave the loaves and fishes (John 6:9). 

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses!  For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!"  Little ones, my study bible says, include all who have childlike humility and simplicity, all who are poor in spirit.   These men will have positions of greatness in the Kingdom, but they must understand that their way will be to love those who come into the Church, the little ones in their care.

"If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.  It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire."   As in yesterday's reading with references to images of faith, we find a repetition here in Matthew's Gospel.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus previously made reference to images of mutilation as preferable to the loss of one's entire life (5:29-30).   That was in the context of teaching on adultery.  These images are an illustration of taking decisive action in order to avoid sin.  They are metaphors for the difficulties with which we may part with our own proclivities and selfish impulses in order to serve a higher purpose and meet God's way of being in the world.  My study bible says that it also refers to harmful relationships that must be severed for the salvation of all parties (Luke 14:26; 1 Corinthians 5:5). 

What could it mean to cut off and discard a hand, or an eye, or a foot?   Jesus is directing the disciples toward the selflessness that will be required of them as custodians and pillars of His Church.  He's teaching them what kind of leadership will be required of them for positions in this Kingdom.  They've got a worldly model in mind, of the many kingdoms that populated the world at the time of Christ.  But His kingdom isn't to be like one of those, and the leadership required for His kingdom must be different.   If they wish to be great in His kingdom they must first consider the little ones in their care, the ones He entrusts to them.  The little ones come first, and any harm to a little one will result in the greatest loss and condemnation for those in leadership.  A hand seeks to take what doesn't belong to it, to grab something because it is there.  A hand can also cast abuse and commit violence against the less powerful.  An eye is covetous; it may seek to take what doesn't rightfully belong to it.  So much depends on how we look at things and at people.  Jesus encourages His disciples to love and care for the littlest ones who will be in their charge.  A foot can abuse and kick.  It can walk where it doesn't belong, it can overstep proper boundaries.  All of these abuses He alludes to with metaphors of mutilation are abuses of power with which we're all familiar.  They are the ways that the powerful and those in authority may exploit and abuse those with less power and particularly the littlest ones, the least powerful.  Jesus gives us a different model of leadership.  As disciples, all of our impulses come into question.  Even things we've never questioned before must be cast off in an effort to build true leadership and appropriate care in His kingdom.  It is the littlest ones that must come first.  These are the ones who will come to the Church looking for leadership and guidance, and the disciples must be prepared to give proper leadership and guidance as Christ has given as example, and which He will teach in His final command:  "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).  He teaches us what love is in leadership, but first of all teaching about what is most necessary.  The little ones, in fact, become the model for humility.  How do we measure up?  Which parts of ourselves are we willing to discard for His vision of leadership and greatness?