Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?

And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.  And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they forsook Him and fled.

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

- Mark 14:43-52

Yesterday we read that, at the Last Supper, their Passover supper, Jesus said to the disciples, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.  Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."  Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

 And immediately, while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him and lead Him away safely."  As soon as he had come, immediately he went up to Him and said to Him, "Rabbi, Rabbi!" and kissed Him.  Then they laid their hands on Him and took Him.   Once again, we note that Mark makes it clear that Jesus' betrayal comes from a close intimate, one who was a friend, one of the twelve.  My study bible also points out to us that the very fact that a kiss is needed to signal this mob is a commentary on those who comprise it.   Both the Jewish leaders and even the most common people, my study bible says, would have recognized Jesus, as He was teaching daily in the temple, and was welcomed to Jerusalem at the beginning of the week (see this reading).  What this shows is that these soldiers are mercenaries, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, a group which John tells us also included Romans; that is, a cohort of troops from a Roman legion (John 18:3).  The traditional liturgy of St. John Chrysostom includes a prayer for the strength not to kiss Jesus in betrayal as did Judas.

And one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me?  I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."  Then they forsook Him and fled.  John 18:10 identifies the one who drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest as Peter.  Jesus gives the admonition that His death has been foretold in the Scriptures, and that they must be fulfilled, a statement meant to strengthen the disciples at the hour of their greatest test.  It is a signal to them not to resist, and so they forsook Him and fled.

Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  And the young men laid hold of him, and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.  My study bible comments here that to flee naked is a great shame and humiliation (Ezekiel 16:39; Amos 2:16).  It notes also that there are some who teach that this young man was James, the brother of the Lord (Galatians 1:19).  Others think that this was the apostle John, the youngest of all the twelve.  But most others believe that this was Mark, the author of this Gospel, as the common literary device for a writer was not to give one's own name (see Luke 24:13, John 21:24).  The other evangelists don't mention this incident.  My study bible notes that they would not have been inclined to humiliate Mark, while Mark would have been more likely to relate such an event concerning himself.

 Mark gives us the details, in these last two verses in today's reading, of the young man who followed Christ, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body.  Let us keep in mind that the disciples had been hastily around from sleep, surprised by the contingent of Roman soldiers plus officers and servants of the chief priests and Pharisees.  John says there was a cohort of soldiers, which means there were several hundred, the equivalent of a modern military battalion.  John tells us also that they came with torches and lanterns and weapons, which Mark defines as swords and clubs.  We can imagine the shock for the disciples, and Peter drawing his sword and responding in haste.  Only Jesus really knows and understands what is happening, and continues to advise His disciples, reminding them of the fulfillment of the Scriptures.  Mark tells us of this young man, most likely to be himself, who follows Christ but is then seized by part of this group, and so flees naked away, a great humiliation.  It is a depiction for us of the desperation of this time, the panic of the disciples in their inability to act against what is happening.  In yesterday's reading, above, Jesus told them (and quoted from Scripture), "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'"  Mark gives us his own humiliation, an illustration that the sheep are scattered.  How would the Church recover and organize itself?  It is a teaching to us about overcoming the worst of times -- and about all things being in the hands of God.  Christ's continual admonition to them was to turn to prayer to resist the temptations that would come to them this night and through the events of His Passion; we get the sense of the panic and terror.  Let us recall His words in our own times of panic or terror, and the temptations that lie in times of overwhelming stress and fear, when we haven't got control over events that threaten us or fill us with dread.  We are to resort to prayer, we keep alert and awake to what we are to be about, how to understand the time, and seek God's guidance.  He has given us a Comforter, a Helper, and He remains with us.  But let us remember the example of the disciples:  in the darkest of times, nothing may be clear to us.  We might not understand what direction our lives or events out of our control are taking.  And it may simply take time for us to regroup and reconnect.  But God is at work, His presence remains for us; the Resurrection is present.  Let us remember to give God's peace time to work out, and that prayer is the one real weapon we have that goes to the depth of where we are.  It is prayer that penetrates all things, and transcends all things.  It is prayer that puts us in the presence of the One who is aware of every sparrow, for whom every hair of our heads is numbered (Luke 12:6-7).

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak

 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

'I will strike the Shepherd,
And the sheep will be scattered.'

"But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."  Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."

- Mark 14:27-42

Yesterday we read that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" '  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:  'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.'  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."  Peter said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be."  Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  But he spoke more vehemently, "If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"  And they all said likewise.  Jesus quotes from Zechariah 13:7, which reads in full, "'Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion,' says the Lord of hosts.  'Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; then I will turn My hand against the little ones.'"  The text explicitly gives us the sworn statements of Peter and the others, giving us all a warning that we may easily overestimate our natural capacities for strength.   Our reliance on Christ comes for a reason and a purpose; there is wisdom far beyond ourselves which we need to cope with temptations we don't necessarily fully understand.

Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."  And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Stay here and watch."  He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.   Gethsemane means "oil press.  It is an orchard of olive trees at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  Jesus and the disciples stay on the Mount of Olives as is traditional for pilgrims to Jerusalem for the Passover; here in Gethsemane, Jesus begins His vigil of prayer, taking His closest inner circle of Peter, James, and John.  These three were with Him for the Transfiguration, and also for difficult healings requiring great faith, such as that of Jairus' daughter.  We note that Jesus prays to God the Father that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  He sets an example for us all in times of depth of trouble.  He is aware of what is happening and the betrayal of Judas; His human soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.  Let us note that Jesus is not hiding from what is happening; John's Gospel tells us that Judas also knew this place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples (John 18:2).

And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."  Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words.  And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.  Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting?  It is enough!  The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going.  See, My betrayer is at hand."  Abba in Aramaic (the common spoken language of Christ's time) is the familiar form for Father, such as the English word "Papa."  It speaks of Christ's deep closeness and intimacy with God the Father.  It is also a word that indicates trust; all things rest for Jesus within that trust, which is the very definition of faith.  My study bible comments that as a man, Christ wishes He could avoid this cup, His impending death.  It notes that it is a mark of humanity to abhor death.  He gives abundant proof here of His human nature.  But He is also without sin, and completely gives His human will to the Father's divine will.  We contrast the strength of Christ in prayer with the weak flesh of the disciples, whom Luke tells us are sleeping for sorrow (Luke 22:45).

We contrast the sleeping disciples with Christ's earnest depth of prayer in the Garden.  He is absolutely aware of what is happening, and while He has warned and told the disciples what is about to happen, they are simply overwhelmed.  Jesus says, "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  We are given the example of Jesus' prayer for all of our own circumstances, in which what seems inevitably sad or disastrous or terrible is impending upon us.  He puts His trust in the Father and the Father's will, which has guided His entire ministry.   He takes refuge in prayer, and in petitioning to the Father in His intimate, close, and trusting way.  By contrast we have the disciples, who perhaps are given over to sorrow too overwhelming and bewildering for them to fathom.  Although Jesus encourages them, also, to pray -- in order to avoid the temptation He knows is coming -- they sleep.  But here is a good lesson for each of us.  Christ's "remedy" is prayer.  Even if He has to drink this "cup" that He does not want to swallow, He will do so through the strength and love that God gives Him, and trust that God's purposes are at work through all things.  He knows what temptations the hostility and violence and evil of this time will bring to His disciples, and it is for this purpose of resisting temptation that He encourages them not to sleep but to pray.  There are those who say that at a time of death, in a family or any other group setting, we learn what is the best of us and the worst of us.  That is, a time of death seems to bring out all temptation and test each one of us.  Whatever the circumstances, Jesus still is teaching the disciples how they are to go about handling the events that will transpire within their lifetimes, even through all things.  He teaches them, and us, about the importance of prayer.   He sets the example Himself.  The disciples -- with Peter being the supreme example, but each one, we're told has followed -- have sworn they would never desert nor betray Christ.  But they aren't really prepared for the powerful forces that will be at work in the events of the Passion.  These aren't simply the forces of the state and the religious leaders, but also, as St. Paul tells us, "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  Christ has come into the world as Savior for all of us, each of us, but this necessarily also entails a spiritual battle we don't necessarily see.  The forces that we know and understand may also mask spiritual forces that are at work that we don't see and know and understand, things that work within us upon our weaknesses and most vulnerable places -- of which we might not be aware either.  This is why prayer remains so important, why Christ exhorts the disciples to pray especially at this time.  We always have a number of forces that are work within us, whether that be our own psychology, our human weaknesses connected to the "flesh" and our natural impulses, or spiritual factors we don't always understand.  In so many ways, we don't fully know ourselves, as St. Peter will demonstrate in his own betrayal of Christ, and it is foolish to think even that we fully know ourselves and our own capacities and weaknesses.  St. Paul also confesses, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do" (Romans 7:15).  Let us consider then the gift of prayer in the light of today's reading, and our dependency upon God for strength, guidance, and help through all things.  Jesus goes to His Passion, but with a clear understanding of His life, His purpose, and the love of God the Father, "Abba."  Let us likewise cultivate the personal intimacy of prayer, for our own strengths and help with our weaknesses.   As with Jesus, the times of great crisis can bring out the greatest heroism but also the worst betrayals.  Let us find refuge in Him and in the prayer He teaches us.  Jesus says to Peter, James, and John:  "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Let us note how close these same words are to the ones He gives to us all for the entire age and times of tribulation (in this reading), and follow as He teaches.

This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"  And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" '  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.  In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

- Mark 14:12-26

 Yesterday we read that after two days (following Jesus' discourse on the end of the age and the destruction of the temple; see readings of Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday) it was the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But the said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."  And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on his head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  Then Judas Icariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to the.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, "Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?"   In Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the Synoptic Gospels), my study bible notes, the date of Christ's Crucifixion is the first day of Passover.  But John dates it on this day, the Preparation Day which is the day before Passover -- the time when they killed the Passover lamb.   Thus, according to John 19:14, the Lamb of God is slain at the same time as the Passover lambs.  My study bible says that while its impossible to determine which is historically accurate, both traditions have theological truth:  the Mystical Supper is the fulfillment of the Passover meal (as in the synoptic tradition in today's reading), while Christ's death is the fulfillment of the Passover lambs being slain (John's tradition).

And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.  Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" '  Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us."  So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover.   These two disciples sent out to prepare for the Passover meal are Peter and John (Luke 22:8). 

In the evening He came with the twelve.  Now as they sat and ate, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, one of you who eats with Me will betray Me."  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say to Him one by one, "Is it I?"  And another said, "Is it I?"  He answered and said to them, "It is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish."   My study bible encourages us to look at the language of the text.  Jesus says that His betrayer is one of you who eats with Me, a statement of fellowship, hospitality, and intimacy.  He says it is one of the twelve, who dips with Me in the dish.  These are not statements which point to the identity of the person as they are meant to emphasize the level of betrayal, and that His betrayer is in fact one of His closest friends (see Psalm 55:13-15). 

"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed!  It would have been good for that man if he had never been born."  My study bible comments here that Christ's divine foreknowledge of the betrayal does not take away Judas' moral freedom nor his own accountability.  For God, it says, all things are a present reality;  God foresees all human actions, but does not cause them.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body."  Then He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.  Assuredly, I say to you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."  In the Greek, the word for given thanks has as its root the word eucharist (εὐχαριστέω).  This word immediately came to refer both to the Liturgy and to the sacrament of Holy Communion.  My study bible notes that before the end of the first century, the earliest teaching manuscript, called the Didache, refers to the celebration of the Liturgy as "the Eucharist."  In AD 150, St. Justin writes of Holy Communion, "This food we call 'Eucharist,' of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing [holy baptism] for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ commanded us."  For the earliest Church and remaining today for the Orthodox and other denominations, Christ's words were accepted as true, as St. Justin writes, "that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from Him is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  The hymn they sung is a psalm from a group of psalms which were traditionally sung after the Passover meal (see Psalms 113-118).

 Jesus lives His life as a devout Jew.  He fulfills all of the proper duties of what it is to be a pilgrim at the Passover, and instructs His disciples to do so as well.  There is nothing left out here.  His quarrel is with the excesses of the leadership, and the ways in which the word of God is subverted through practices that hide selfishness.  But He is also here, as He has said, as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (see Matthew 5:17-20).   He adds something deeper, richer, a bond of covenant in the Eucharist which penetrates body and soul and spirit.  He gives us Holy Communion, through which we are invited to participate in His own life, even His life on earth which was sacrificed so that we are saved in Him.  He gives us the life of the Cross, and of the Kingdom -- and that is something that forms a deeper and stronger bond than law, penetrating to identity in ways that only the gift of grace can.  In all ways, Jesus takes us to this depth of bond, to the things of the heart.  In yesterday's reading (above), we read of the gift of the woman in Bethany, who anointed Him for burial.  Christ read her heart and declared her gift to be entirely worthy, objecting to all criticism of her.  Here in today's reading, the disciples and the whole of the Church are given the gift of Communion, a depth of life in Him, a linking of our own hearts to His -- and our identity in His.  To partake of this offering is to allow Him to become a part of us and we a part of Him, if we take His words seriously.  It is a way in which we may become united in heart and through Spirit, inviting Christ into the depths of who we are to change us, to challenge us, to help to form and shape us -- being saved precisely by becoming part of the Kingdom, abiding in Him, and allowing Him, together with Father and Holy Spirit,  to abide in us (Revelation 3:20).  These are the depths of meaning of this Kingdom and our capacity for participation in it that we read in Scripture.  The word for Christian repentance (as opposed to mere remorse, a different word) is metanoia.  It literally means to change one's mind.  This is not a mere question of coming to a different conclusion about something, but fully living something different, becoming a truly changed person.  This is the work of grace in us, a gift of our participation in His life and the life of the Kingdom.  He tells us that where two or three faithful are gathered, so He is in our midst (Matthew 18:20).  He teaches that the kingdom of God is within us and among us (Luke 17:20-21).  In today's reading He gives us the single cup from which all may drink.  Let us consider the synergistic work of God that may be active within us through faith; it mirrors the synergy of Christ Himself -- fully divine and fully human, the very Incarnation given to us to teach us what God can do.  As Jesus said of the encounter with the rich young man, "for with God all things are possible" (see this reading).   Through all things, we have a powerful mystical link given to us, grace at work, sacrament that takes the things of this world and consecrates them to God and God's purposes.  Let us remember, as He says, the gifts He has given "to many,"  to all of us, and be truly thankful.

Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me

 After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But the said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on his head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."

Then Judas Icariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to the.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.

- Mark 14:1-11

 Over the past three readings, Jesus has given His discourse on the end times, and the destruction of the temple and in Jerusalem to come (see the earlier readings of Saturday and Monday for the earlier parts of the discourse).  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples, "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

After two days it was the Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.  And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.  But the said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people."    The Feast of Unleavened Bread starts with the Passover meal.  That takes place on the evening of 15 Nisan in the Jewish calendar, and it lasts seven days (Exodus 12:12-20).  Taken together, both commemorate Israel's liberation from Egypt and slavery.  The word Passover refers to the action of the angel of death, who "passed over" Hebrew homes when killing the firstborn of the Egyptians, as the Jews had put lamb's blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:13).  Unleavened bread remained as the reminder of the haste with which the Hebrews had to leave Egypt (Exodus 12:39).  My study bible says that this Passover was fulfilled in Christ, whose blood was shed to free all humanity from bondage to sin and death.

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.  Then she broke the flask and poured it on his head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor."  And they criticized her sharply.  But Jesus said, "Let her alone.  Why do you trouble her?  She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."   My study bible comments that Jesus accepts this honor from the woman in her newly found faith; in particularly it is a sign, in His eyes, of His coming burial.  As Christ says, "She has done what she could.  She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial."   My study bible cites also the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who writes that the disciples were not wrong in principle:  mercy shown to the poor is more fitting than outward signs shown even to God (Matthew 25:40; James 1:27).  But once the gift was given, the disciples did not understand that it was a greater mercy to accept it with love.    Quoting Chrysostom:  "If anyone had asked Christ before the woman did this, He would not have approved of it.  But after she had done it, He looks only to the gift itself.  For after the fragrant oil had been poured, what good was a rebuke?  Likewise, if you should see anyone provide a sacred vesel or ornament for the walls of the church, do not spoil his zeal.  But if beforehand he asks about it, command him to give instead to the poor."

Then Judas Icariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to the.  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money.  So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.  My study bible says that Judas seeks on his own initiative to betray Jesus.  While Judas' motives have been debated throughout the history of the Church, tradition and also John's Gospel teach that greed was his underlying motive.  In John 12:4-6, we're told that it was Judas who was particularly upset about the "waste" of myrrh in the preceding story, because he was a thief (see also 1 Timothy 6:10).  In the Orthodox church, the liturgical hymns for Holy Wednesday contrast the greed of Judas with the woman's generous anointing of Christ.  In a tradition dating to the first century, my study bible notes, Christians historically fasted on most Wednesdays of the year in remembrance of the ways in which we, like Judas, betray Christ through our own sinfulness.

This woman's offering to Christ is made with genuine love; thus, it becomes accepted by Christ and praised for what it is.  It is a generous offering in sympathy and compassion, an expression of love for Christ who is on His way to His Passion.  In John's Gospel, this woman is named as Mary of Bethany.  It is also likely that there was another similar incident that occurred while Jesus was ministering elsewhere, as recorded by Luke (Luke 7:36-50).   The act of anointing of oil was an act of extreme honor.  But any way that we look at this expression of love, we see Christ's own honoring in return of such expression, and this is what seems to be the key point in this narrative.  Can we accuse Christ of being a great egotist, or self-centered that He would see it as such?  Not at all, for He tells us the truth:  He is being anointed for His burial.  Moreover, as St. Chrysostom points out, what does it mean to rebuke an act of great love?  This is where the heart of the Gospel is, at all times, in the acts of the person that are expressions of love.  This is what we understand from the story of the Good Samaritan, meant to teach us what it truly means to act as neighbor -- illustrating what it is to first love God and then to love neighbor as oneself as expression of that love (Luke 10:25-37).  Jesus goes over and over again to the heart and what it contains.  In the Beatitudes, He says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).  This goes both ways, as He says to the Pharisees, "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" (Matthew 12:34-35).  In this reading in Mark, Jesus tells the disciples that it's not what goes into the mouth but what comes out of it that defiles a man.  He says, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within a defile a man."  There are many more passages we could cite in which Jesus preaches to us about the state of our hearts and its great importance and link to what we do, what we say, how we act -- that all things begin with the heart, and the state of the heart determines who we are.  But here, Jesus praises the heart of this woman, who understands what is happening and does a good work for One on His way to the Cross.  Let us consider in our own lives the acts of love that may go unrecognized and unvalued -- even criticized by those whose thinking is material-minded, who do not understand the language of love.  It is this language of love that is the language of God, the thread that keeps us on the right track of how we are connected through love to God and to neighbor.  Just in this recent reading Jesus praised the poor widow who could only give a tiny sum to the treasury, as He recognized her generosity as the product of her deep devotion to God -- a true gift of one of unmixed motives and pure in heart.  Let us remember Jesus' praise and understand that it is in this place, rooted to love, where we find our connection to God and to one another most truly.  Even a thief may hide behind a comment supposedly intended for purposes of charity.  If we look closely at the Gospels, John tells us that Jesus specifically rebuked Judas for his criticism of this woman (John 12:4-8) -- and here in Mark it is immediately afterward that Judas goes to the chief priests to betray Him.  There is good reason why Jesus always stresses the guarding of the heart, and our efforts at singleness of purpose.   Let us pay attention to the Lord's understanding!

And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"

- Mark 13:28-37

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His prophecy and discourse on the destruction of the temple and the end times.  (For the beginning, see Saturday's reading).  Jesus taught, "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree:  When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near -- at the doors!  Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  My study bible tells us that this generation refers to all believers at all times; that is, the generation of the Church.  Christ is not merely indicating those alive at that time.  It notes that Christ's prophecy is for the Church to continue to thrive until return, despite how desperate things sometimes may appear to be.

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.  It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.  Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.  And what I say to you, I say to all:  Watch!"   According to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, although Jesus says here that the Son does not know the day of His own return, this isn't necessarily to be taken literally, but as a figure of speech.  Rather, He simply will not reveal the precise day to anyone, and believers should not be forward enough to ask.   Jesus' emphasis here is that we do not know when this will happen, and our task is to be prepared for that day and that hour, to Take heed, watch and pray.  We are simply to Watch!

 Jesus' emphasis on the Father as the only one who knows the time of the Son's return is quite special in a particular way.  If we think of God the Father as the one in whose hands all time and all cosmic reality is eventually set, then we start to understand the great depth of mystery of the end of the age.  Christ's return, and the end of the age, would necessarily be the end of time as we know and understand it, a time of tremendous change and transformation of what we know as reality.   It is, in a sense, affirming to us that there is absolutely nothing that we can know or predict about it -- simply, we are assured that this will, indeed, take place.  In that context there is only one thing certain; and that is that we must watch and pray in the meantime.  We need to take heed and be alert to what it is we are about, because the time will come upon us suddenly.  Let us consider that the time of the Church, at this time, is approximately two thousand years after these words were spoken.  All of the generations that have passed in between that time have had these same words to consider, as do each of us now.  Our lifetimes in this world -- even if we are not living at the time of Christ's return -- do depend upon these words just the same.  For once we have passed then we also are reassured that our lives will continue in the presence of God, in that place where we are truly known and everything else falls away.  In Matthew's Gospel, Christ tells us, "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" (Matthew 12:26-27).  In other words, whether we are living in this world or not at the time of Christ's return, our job is still to "take heed, watch and pray."  Christ sets a deliberate impression with us of watchfulness, alertness -- and that the time of His return is simply a mystery we don't know and should not even be inquiring about.  Rather it is the practice of virtue that matters, being about the business of the Master, doing as He has taught us, living as we are taught to live.  These words to me, while they address the entire corporate body of believers, are extremely personal.  We watch and pray for one another.   These words in the Greek, translated as take heed and watch, mean to be looking out, and extremely alert, not sleeping and ready to act at any time.  His whole emphasis is on our consciousness of what we are supposed to be about.  To watch is to be alert to the tasks at hand -- vigilant to the possibility of His return at any time, and mindful of the things He has taught we are to care about.  We are to always be mindful of the things of God and following His commands.   Even through the night, the message seems to be, while others sleep, it is our duty to be alert to who we are and awaiting His Presence at all times.  Psalm 63:11 reads, "When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches."  Christ ends His prophecy with words suitable to those on guard through the night.  Let us always remind ourselves and one another to  "remember God"  and be alert even while others are sleeping.

But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand

 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

- Mark 13:14-27

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.   But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."  

 "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house.  And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.  But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  And pray that your flight may not be in winter.  For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.  And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.  Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand."  The abomination of desolation is part of the prophecy of Daniel, as Jesus' words tell us; see Daniel 11:31, 12:11.  These words are traditionally understood to refer to an event that took place during the Siege of Jerusalem, when the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place of the temple and had a statue of himself erected in the temple, before having the temple destroyed.  The majority of this prophecy we can read of warning comes to describe the siege and its horrific effects for the people of Jerusalem.  My study bible points out that Christ's phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The parenthetical phrase let the reader understand is inserted as an encouragement to the early faithful, who may have witnessed these events.  The immediate warning in the aftermath of the calamity of the destruction of Jerusalem is against paying attention to false christs. 

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.  And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven."  The warnings about end times for the end of the age are mingled with specific warnings about the destruction of the temple, and this is so in all accounts in the Gospels.  This specific destruction at this time initiates the age in which we live, and the entire age is the "end time" until His return, called the Second Coming.  The entire period of great tribulation, my study bible says, includes the entire Christian era, and is not limited to the final years before Christ's return.   Here again, Jesus specifies with the effect of warning against false christs.  These signs about His return will be unmistakable, so that all will know what is happening, as He will be coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and those faithful will be gathered from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.

The end times, as my study bible notes, do describe, in Jesus' words and warning, what was to happen at the Siege of Jerusalem, a terrible time of turmoil, tribulation, and total destruction.  We cannot underestimate the effect of the violence, and the spiritual significance of the destruction of the temple.  But it invites us to ask what is left in the wake of desolation.  It behooves us to consider the aftermath of the Crucifixion in the same light.  Where do we turn for help?  Where is our God, and what is the nature of God's presence and God's help in the world.  In John chapter 4, in Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, He teaches her that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  Our reconciliation to our Creator takes shape through this spiritual understanding of worship and of the nature of God, so that, even in this world and through all manner of desolation or destruction or difficulties, we have a place with God and where God remains present to us and at work in our lives.  We have more than a physical presence with us, for the Kingdom which Christ ushers into the world is one that is both within us and among us.  In Revelation 3:20, there is a promise given to us:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  We can never rule out the mystical reality present to us in our faith, that God is spirit, which permeates anything and all things, which dwells and can make His home within us.  At the Last Supper, Jesus makes a promise to the disciples:  "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17).   In verse 24 of the same chapter, He teaches them, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."   God's presence is no longer simply in one designated place, although we know that, in the witness of the Church, God can work through all manner of material things such as holy water, the oil of chrismation, relics of the saints, clothing, and a variety of other things, just as God became human and was present to us in the Incarnation of Christ.  But again, it is in John's Gospel we are told that, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  In commenting on Jesus' words about the end times and His warning about the destruction to come in Jerusalem, St. John Chrysostom comments, marveling that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews who were unarmed with anything but the gospel of Jesus Christ.   Spirit can be at work where nothing else can.  There is no barrier that it cannot penetrate, including those which we erect in our own hearts.  Let us consider, when we find ourselves in the midst of some calamity of our own, that whatever destruction or desolation we find in life can be overcome, because our Lord has transcended and defeated all things -- even death -- that this world can present to us.  God's Spirit is present to us as Helper, ready to teach us all things, to lead us into truth, and to remind us of His words when we need them.  Let us place our faith where it rests, on that divine-human synergy that was present to us in the Incarnation of Christ as example and guide -- in the place where the whole history of the Church teaches us that despite human error and evil, selfishness and all manner of destructive choice, God's Spirit can dwell, even the very presence of the Trinity, with us.  Let us call on God with our prayer, let us pray for the Spirit to guide us, let us be and remain where He teaches us to be, through all things.  As He teaches, let us not be deceived by false teaching and false prophets.  It is the practice of virtue and faith on which Christ places the most emphasis.  Let us keep ourselves as truly His.  Let us always take heed, for He has told us all things beforehand.

But he who endures to the end shall be saved

 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows. 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved." 

- Mark 13:1-13

Yesterday we read that Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

  Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings?  Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  My study bible tells us that Christ's prophecy of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in AD 70, when the temple was destroyed by the Romans.   In the frenzy of battle, rumors that there was gold between the stones of the temple quite literally resulted in the manifestation of Christ's prophecy.  The temple in Christ's time was known as one of the seven wonders of the world, for its architectural beauty and magnificence.  We can hear in the remarks of the disciple the awe at its glory.  After the Siege of Jerusalem, only one retaining wall remained of the vast and extraordinary building complex of the temple completed by Herod the Great, father of Antipas, who was also known as Herod the Builder.  (It is that Herod who slew the innocents of Bethlehem; see Matthew 2:16-18.)  That wall today is called the Western Wall, or formerly the Wailing Wall.

Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"  And Jesus, answering them, began to say:  "Take heed that no one deceives you.  For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many.  But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.  These are the beginnings of sorrows.   My study bible notes here that Mark's account of the end times is given in a reverse parallel form (called chiastic).  This means that the topics which are mentioned in the first half of the passage are repeated and magnified in reverse order in the second half (which will be in Monday's lectionary reading).  So, the full passage in Mark begins and ends with a warning to take heed about false christs (verses 5, 23).  The second warning regards wars (verse 7), and the second-to-last warning is about tribulation (verse 19). 

"But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues.  You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."    The third warning in the overall passage is given in these verses about being delivered up to councils (verse 9), and also the third-to-last -- this time a warning about being betrayed by family members (verse 12).   The center of Jesus' discourse and prophecy on end times is here, that the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  This is what my study bible calls the heart of the apostolic ministry and mission of the Church. 

Jesus ends today's passage with these stark words:  "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved."  This is not exactly a cheering and heart-lifting message, delivered just prior to the events of the Passion that are coming.  He is preparing the disciples for what is to come, giving them a true picture of what is what, what to expect.  Are they prepared for the rest of their discipleship, their mission as apostles?    But it is an overall message for the Church, and believers in each generation -- even in nominally Christian countries -- have still experienced its truth.  To be a true believer is still to experience something that does not sit well with all the ways of the world, and the material-mindedness that comes to us so easily and makes life seem as if our choices are quite simple, that there is nothing more to life but its surface appearance.  Sometimes, as Jesus says, those challenges stretch straight into the personal, even into the heart of the family.  The struggles that we face as Christians or believers in Christ is a struggle of the heart, to reconcile our need for Christ and our lives in the world, as we meet the challenges of an imperfect, fallen, and selfish world.  That makes for a life of challenges and questions and struggles.   But Jesus teaches us that in all things, the Holy Spirit is present with us, and will give us what we need.  Note that Mark discloses in detail to whom Jesus speaks here, and where He speaks.  He's on the Mount of Olives with the rest of the pilgrims to Jerusalem at the Passover, the place where His Passion will start (in the garden called Gethsemane).  He speaks privately here to Peter, James, John and Andrew -- the brothers, Peter and Andrew, James and John, who form His first-called disciples.  As Jesus sets out what will be the path forward for the Church, and into the age to come, one may wonder in our time of advertising sophistication, couched as we are in public relations and marketing for virtually everything, how it was that such deep faith took root and spread so quickly through these men.  It will take only one generation for Christianity to go throughout what was their known world, to plant the seeds that would bear fruit.  We can but wonder, and then bear our own crosses and struggles, in such contrast to the popular idea of life as meant to be comfortable and perhaps easy.  But let us note these words.  Jesus' words to us speak most of all about endurance -- and endurance to the end, through all things, through the struggles we'll be a part of in our lives.  It's real, not fake.  He gives us the truth, and He gives it to us straight, for the gospel must go everywhere -- and surpass and transcend the struggles.

Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:

'The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '

"Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

- Mark 12:35-44

Yesterday we read that one of the scribes came, and having heard Jesus and some of the Pharisees and Herodians reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  My study bible tells us that Christ asks this question in order to lead His listeners to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God Incarnate.   (Let us consider it likely that the Pharisees, Herodians, and the scribe who questioned Him are still present, together with the common people who love to hear their disputes.)  The leadership suppose the Messiah to be a mere human being, and therefore the scribes say that the Christ (the Messiah) is the Son of David.  But Jesus is pointing out that David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except for God.  But in Psalm 110:1, quoting here by Jesus, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  This leads to the conclusion that the Messiah must be God.  The only possible understanding, therefore, my study bible notes, is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but is also truly divine, sharing His Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Mark tells us that the common people heard Him gladly.

 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Let us keep in mind Jesus speaks in the presence of at least one scribe, and most likely more.  What He condemns is the hypocrisy of their practices of greed, hidden under piety.  Moreover we see the link to a relishing of the "praise of men" over the praise of God (see John 12:43).  We note Jesus' use of the word pretense.  Perhaps Christ is goading that very scribe who questioned Him and whom He told that he was "not far from the kingdom of God" in yesterday's reading, encouraging him to shed the entrapments of position in order to truly see what is before him, and what is real, to recognize that he is literally not far from the kingdom of God in the person of Jesus. 

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."   My study bible says that according to patristic commentators, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So in this estimation, the poor widow is counted to have given an enormous gift, as she kept nothing for herself.  Let us note how Jesus singles her out for the disciples, contrasting the real value of the gift of the poor widow with the "pretense of the scribes" He's just publicly taught.

Jesus teaches us to beware of appearances.  Moreover, He teaches us that we ourselves must beware of putting too much stock in our own appearance before others.  In this way, we may dangerously delude ourselves and therefore our own salvation, putting emphasis on the wrong thing.  Above, I cite a passage from John's Gospel, in which we read that "even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).  Jesus' focus on hypocrisy is not simply for the purpose of criticism, but part and parcel of His work to save, for all of us.  An appearance-focused life is not a real life, it's not a search for a true sense of self -- for that image of God in which we're created.  In this sense, Jesus' scathing criticism is still an attempt to save this scribe, who clearly approved of Christ's answer to the question regarding the greatest commandments in the Law (see yesterday's reading, above).  Jesus' further focus on the poor widow's gift emphasizes this point for us, as He gives His disciples a further teaching about what is real, and what falsehood an appearance can make for us -- the difference between how we see on the surface and the depth of what is real in us.  Jesus pushes us to see below the surface and to live below the surface, to understand and know the heart and guard its real treasures, the place where we come to know and give ourselves to God.  In the same sense, He pushes the scribe to take a closer look at the Scriptures in which he is supposed to be an expert.  What does it really say about the Messiah?  And who is truly standing before him but the One who has just told him that he is not far from the kingdom of God?  We live in a time when the differences between an appearance-focused life and a true wrestling and struggle in the heart could not be more pronounced.  Social media has exacerbated the differences.  We are surrounded by an easy emphasis on morality signaled to others by following the dictates and causes of the day -- with the heart being the last thing that matters.  No one dare doubt what becomes a social standard without risking being vilified and scapegoated.  Christ calls us in the opposite direction.  He calls us on our pretense through His words about the scribes.  He demands that we reconcile our own hearts by focusing on the poor widow, and that we recognize truly who and what is around us by looking carefully, and judging with righteous judgment (John 7:24).  That is, with a sense of what is true, with right-relatedness, with mercy.  Our Lord will die the death reserved for the worst criminals at the end of this week of His life.  What could give us a stronger statement about false judgment and the ruthless demands of life lived only through appearance and its hypocrisy?

There is no other commandment greater than these

 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.

- Mark 12:28-34

 Yesterday we read that as Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, the leaders sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words.  When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?  Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?"  But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me?  Bring Me a denarius that I may see it."  So they brought it.  And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?"  They said to Him, "Caesar's."  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  And they marveled at Him.  Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying:  "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves is wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers.  The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring.  And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring.  And the third likewise.  So the seven had her and left no offspring.  Last of all the woman died also.  Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be?  For all seven had her as wife."  Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?  For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.  But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?  He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living.  You are therefore greatly mistaken."

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is:  'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this:  'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him.  In His response to one of the scribes, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which my study bible says is the greatest Jewish confession of faith, called the shema' (meaning "hear," which is the first word of the confession).  Jesus compounds this confession with another command, Leviticus 19:18, and combines what is already present in the Old Testament in order to build a new understanding:  the love of neighbor is an expression of the love of God.  Let us note, in keeping with observations in yesterday's commentary that there are those righteous among the leaders, that this scribe asks Jesus an honest question, as he has heard He and the Pharisees and Herodians reasoning together, and perceived that He had answered them well.   My study bible also comments that Jesus' mention of the second commandment is frequently misunderstood.  It does not teach us to love our neighbors with the same measure of love we have for ourselves; rather it teaches us to love neighbor as of the same nature of ourselves, being created in God's image and likeness as are we.  This is very similar to the teaching on marriage, if we think about it -- that "the two shall become one flesh."  Thus, we find our true self in loving others, and in particular rooted first in loving God.

If we look at the fullness of the second command Jesus gives (Leviticus 19:18), it begins with the teaching, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people. . .."  This enforces the understanding of loving neighbor as oneself, in the sense in which my study bible comments, above, as we are to understand that the purpose of righteousness -- as taught by these commands -- is community.  In other words, God's teachings and intent of the law, as given through Moses, is to create community.  If we recognize that each is of the same nature, a creature of God, then we start with the understanding built in to our approach to life that we live in a world created and given to us by Creator, and each person is a fellow offspring of Creator.  Jesus puts these two commands together to give us a kind of universal enveloping understanding of how we stand in right relatedness both to Creator and to one another as creatures.  These commands do not preclude justice, but are meant to enhance justice within the fullness of an understanding of who we are and who God is; moreover, that understanding is couched in the true nature of relationship with both.  In the Greek, the word for neighbor is rooted in the word for close or near, it means the one who is nearby.  This can be understood in a very particular way from the story Jesus tells to illustrate the point in Luke's Gospel; that is, the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).  In Jesus' parable, it is literally the one who happens upon an injured man and helps him who is the true neighbor, and happens to be a Samaritan, and not a Jew.  This, to my way of thinking, is a very personal way of understanding Jesus' teachings -- that so much depends upon our personal encounters with others.  This is not a grand statement of simply general ethics, principles, or abstract thinking.  It is anything but a teaching that allows us to make a political statement or slogan based on its teachings, and then treat our perceived enemies with no-holds-barred ruthlessness.  The command is all about the personal, and our personal encounters with others, even our intimate behavior, if you will.  We are called to actively love in a way that promotes peace and minimizes needless conflict and endless recrimination in a cycle of violence or hostility.  We are called to act with forbearance and prudence with others, a kind of public respect that doesn't violate certain boundaries.  It is the basis for what has rather quaintly come down to us today as "good manners,"  but in fact took root as a profound and revolutionary social teaching.   It is, in particular to my mind, a personal commitment Jesus speaks to here -- to remember God's presence within and among each of our other encounters with those who are "nearby."  And this is indeed a way to remember God, an invitation to a prayerful way of living our lives.  We remember that the commitment is first to love of God, our Creator, and that from this loving relationship to a loving Creator flows our proper relationship to neighbor, to those who are "close," whom we may encounter and with whom we interact in our lives.  That means every one.  These are the true roots of community, a personal commitment regarding our conduct to all whom we meet wherever we find ourselves.  It calls upon us to learn discipleship, even as the apostles were taught to be wise as serpents and guileless as doves.  On the page of my blog titled Prayers, I have included an Orthodox Prayer for the Beginning of the Day.  Part of it reads, "Teach me to treat all that comes to me throughout the day with peace of soul and with firm conviction that Your will governs all.  In all my deeds and words, guide my thoughts and feelings.  In unforeseen events, let me not forget that all are sent by You.  Teach me to act firmly and wisely, without embittering and embarrassing others."  The words of this prayer do indeed embody the teachings of Christ in today's reading, the two commandments He puts together as one in response to the scribe.  Let us endeavor to do -- to act, think, work, and live -- as He teaches.  May God's grace be with us to do so, as the prayer also includes:  "Give me strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.  Direct my will, teach me to pray.  And, Yourself, pray in me.  Amen."