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

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

- John 6:1-15

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

 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Once again, John's text tells us of many signs that Jesus performed but have not been specifically reported in the Gospel.  Of this new chapter, my study bible tells us that it parallels the story of the Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in several important ways.  In Exodus 11-17, God first performed signs against Pharaoh, and then gave instructions on how to be saved at the time of the Passover (Exodus 11:1-12:14).  Here a multitude follows Christ because of His signs, and it also takes place at Passover.

Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"  In the Exodus, it is said that the Jews ate unleavened bread because they were driven out of Egypt in great haste, and had brought no provisions for themselves (Exodus 12:39).  Here, a great multitude has brought no provisions, having rushed out to see Christ.  In this section, Christ tests Philip in order to increase his faith, my study bible says, as Philip needed help to understand Him (14-8-10).  Two hundred denarii would correspond to over six months' wages for a laborer.  Andrew shows greater faith than Philip.  He knows that the prophet Elisha multiplied bread for 100 men (2 Kings 4:42-44), and so he offers food which was brought by a lad.  My study bible comments, however, that Andrew is still weak in faith, as he questions what a mere five loaves could do for the number of people there.

 Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.   The feeding of the five thousand is the fourth of seven signs that John reports, and it is also recorded in all four Gospels.  My study bible remarks that the description of Christ as He took the loaves, gave thanks (Gr. eucharisto/ευχαριστω) and distributed them is a prefiguration of the celebration of the Eucharist.  

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."  Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.  My study bible remarks that although Jesus had performed greater signs than this, the crowds were so desirous of an "earthly" Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19) only when they were satisfied with earthly things (see Jesus' statement in v. 26).  Because of this misunderstanding of Jesus' role, He departed from them.

What does it mean to be fed?  With what do we need to be fed?  These are questions suggested by today's reading.  Let us note that these people have seen signs of healing of disease by Christ, also a normal, hoped-for outcome of "good nourishment."  Today's reading gives us the fourth sign in John's Gospel, another indicator of the nature of Christ, and through the Incarnate Jesus, the nature of God.   My study bible says that all the parallels to Exodus in this chapter reveal Christ's nature as fulfillment of the old covenant.  Similarly to the manna in the wilderness, Christ feeds these 5,000 men (and more women and children), out of whatever is at hand.  He displays the power of multiplicity, an inexhaustible resource.  But to understand our own needs as purely material is a mistake, as His refusal to be made king indicates.  He did not come into the world as human being only to provide for material needs and demands, but rather to give another kind of food for something more deeply a part of us than even our flesh.  In the passage in which the disciples came upon Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman (in this reading), we read that His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  So food figures already in the Gospel before this miraculous feeding of thousands in this fourth sign we're given.  Christ speaks of food as something more than the food we know.  He also speaks of a harvest in that reading in figurative terms as well, a harvest of the fruits of the Spirit and of faith.  What we are being conditioned to understand through Christ's works is the "more" there is to life that needs to be fed with the proper nourishment in order to thrive, to grow, and to bear good fruit -- to "be fruitful and multiply," as the command in Genesis was given.  This food that He offers is something more than meeting material needs alone.  Rather, it is a food that leads to our good condition so that we may thrive in all ways, fully benefiting materially, spiritually, and in our souls.  For without the food of truth and beauty and goodness that He offers, is life really fulfilling if only material needs are met?  What of our minds and souls?  What of our creativity?  What of our uses of the talents and resources with which we're blessed?  And there is more to consider:  our very notion of freedom, the choices we make for our souls, and what we serve with our lives.  It is Christ's truth and the fullness of His Person that He brings to us with the food He will offer.  Here in today's reading, He displays His divine capacities, He offers food where there is none.  So it must be when we are short of resources in any circumstance, and when we need help that doesn't seem to be available, including spiritual renewal, creativity, and insight.  The people think Jesus is "the Prophet," and they wish to make Him king, but they are wrong.  The truth about Christ will have to unfold as we continue in this new chapter of the Gospel.

I can of Myself do nothing

Holy Spirit and Hand of God (detail from mosaic depicting Christ's Baptism).  Dafni Monastery, Athens, Greece 

 

"I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not  believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

- John 5:30-47

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

 "I can of Myself do nothing.  As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."  My study bible notes here that the divine will is common to the three Persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- as all fully share in the same divine nature.  When the Son is said to obey the Father, this refers to Christ's human will, which was assumed at His Incarnation.  He freely aligned His human will in each aspect with the divine of the Father, and so we are called to do likewise.

"If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.  There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true.  You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.  He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.  But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works that I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.  And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me.  You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.  But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.  You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  I do not receive honor from men.  But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.  I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.  How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.  But if you do not  believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"  As Jesus' death was sought for His declaration of equality with God (by calling God "My Father" -- see 5:18), so now Jesus presents to them four witnesses to His divine identity.  My study bible asks of this passage, "How could Christ's witness ever be untrue?"  It cannot, is the response (see 8:14).  Here Jesus is anticipating the argument, and He speaks the thoughts of the Jewish leaders (as He does also in Luke 4:23).   In the Jewish tradition, a valid testimony requires a minimum of two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6).  Here in this passage in today's reading, Jesus offers four witnesses to confirm His identity as Messiah and Son of God.  The first is God the Father (vv. 32, 37, 38).  The second is John the Baptist (vv. 33-35).  His own works (v. 36).  The fourth is the Old Testament Scriptures, through which Moses and others gave testimony (vv. 39-47). 

In citing the four witnesses to His identity, Jesus is giving us a sense of the truth of His statement to the disciples at Jacob's Well:  "He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors" (4:3-38).  As His witnesses are those that span the time of Jewish spiritual history (and even before the creation of the world, let us note), He teaches all of us in this testimony about His witnesses that we all enter into labors that are not our own.  His witnesses are God the Father, John the Baptist, His own works, and the Old Testament Scriptures.  Each of these and what we know about each of these witnesses may also be termed "fruits of the Spirit" in some sense.  For what would we know of God the Father without the work of the Spirit in the world?   How would John the Baptist have performed his own ministry?  Christ Himself -- as the Creed testifies -- was Incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary; and finally in the Old Testament Scriptures, again as the Creed declares, the Spirit "spoke through the prophets."   Through these labors and fruits of the Spirit, we may all enter into a work and a harvest, and into the long, long line of those who have come before and those who will come afterward.  In the inexhaustible creativity of God the Spirit, each new gift of spiritual beauty into the world is complementary to all others -- in the same way that Christ's four witnesses, all drawn from various periods of time (and even before the existence of time), all complement one another.  They testify to a unified, whole truth -- and yet each offers facets which are unique and additional to what is already known and understood.  So we must think about our own lives in spiritual terms, and in terms of what we, also, are asked to enter into with our particular gifts and talents.  Let us note that as Christ declares, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" that as the Person who is the Truth He forms an umbrella over all.  His truth is that which shadows and nurtures every saint, every spiritual being (such as all the ranks of angels), each one who shares in the faith.  By extension, as we created as stewards of this world, that umbrella embraces the whole of the cosmos, all of creation, and not only human beings and angels.  If we look at creation as an entire calling to enter into such labors, even as each of these four witnesses testify to the identity of Christ, then we all, through our lives and the elements in our lives, enter into such labors and testimony.  A kind word here, given in faith to Christ, serves as part of the adorning beauty of this world in testament to our Lord.  A generous gift made through faith falls into the category of entering into others' labors and contributing our own.  In no case does one individual re-invent the wheel of faith, and we all build on a grand work of infinite beings and dimensions or which we are unaware.  My study bible is a text that uses the whole history of the Church, and in particular its patristic heritage of the Church Fathers, to tell us how the Church has viewed the verses we read throughout its history, and it is for this reason that I quote from its notes.  Each one of us comes into the world entering into a compendium of laborers and workers, sowers and reapers.  None comes into this work of faith alone.  Until the time of Christ's return, this is how we must see ourselves as part of the Body of Christ.  Jesus' witnesses include all of us who testify to our faith and the experience of its effects and working in our lives.  Even Jesus testifies, "I can of Myself do nothing."  Let us remember the work of all of those in the living Body of Christ and the communion of saints, and the living work of God the Father and the Spirit who work through us, among us, within us.  Even Christ does not work alone, and neither are we ever alone.  Through the power of our prayer, we enter into collaborative and complementary work in faith.  Pictured above is a detail from a mosaic icon of Christ's Baptism in the Jordan.  It teaches us of the participation of the Father and the Spirit, making His Baptism a Theophany, or manifestation of the Trinity.

For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man

Christ Enthroned, attributed to Manuel Panselinos, 1290.  The Protaton, Mount-Athos, Greece.  Scripture Book is open to selection from Matthew 11:29-30:  "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy"

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

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

- John 5:19-29

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

 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.  For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.  For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."   Jesus has already declared His equality with the Father, which enrages the leadership.  My study bible comments on the statement that the Son can do nothing of Himself.  It notes that this proves that Christ's every act and word is in complete unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Christ's discourse in today's reading reveals the united condition of the Father and the Son -- that they are united in nature, will, and action.  Therefore, my study bible says, the Son fully shares the divine attributes of both giving life and executing judgment.  Christ's judgment, as we read in today's reading, is based on both faith and works.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who set Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.  Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.  For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.  Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."   My study bible comments that Jesus reference to the dead ("The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God") indicates both the spiritually dead -- who will find life in Christ, and to the physically dead -- who will rise in the general resurrection.  It notes that Christ confirms this statement by raising Lazarus from the dead (11:38-44) before He goes to His own death.

Jesus expresses the notion of judgment, and Christ's authority to execute judgment as given by the Father.  Jesus says that He has been given this authority, because He is the Son of Man.  Let us note the unique importance of this statement, as it indicates more about the "condescension" of Christ coming to us and living with us as human being.  It is simply because He has done so -- lived a human life as the Son of Man -- that He has been given authority by the Father for judgment.  We often hear the expression "to walk a mile in someone else's shoes," indicating that we can't really know and understand another person unless we experience life in their place, from their perspective or point of view and life experience.  Well, this is expressed by Christ in speaking of the investment of authority for judgment by God the Father in He who has lived as Son of Man.  Our God has come into the world, lived as one of us, suffered terrible injustice and given great love, sacrificed out of love for us all.  He knows and understands the conditions of this world, the temptations we face, the difficulties and the struggles.  And it is only through such a life of fullness as human being that He is given authority for judgment.   Let us understand that Christ's judgment is not the same as our judgment, for He also knows what is in human beings, He knows the heart in ways we might not even be aware of ourselves and our motivations (2:23-25).  In Acts of the Apostles, when the Apostles must choose one to take the place of Judas, they pray, "You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all" (Acts 1:23-26).  Thus, those who knew Christ better than anyone else, having lived with Him as disciples for three years, affirm this quality of the One to whom judgment is entrusted.  What this teaches us about is yet another facet of the love of God, that judgment is not left to some cold and exacting measurement standard, but rather to the One who loves us and knows us better than anyone else -- and who understands our lives, our struggles, and all the things that impact us.  There is nothing, even judgment, in which love is left out of the equation.  We can be certain, as well, that no chance, no possibility or potential, is left unexplored for each of us, because all of this is perceived in the understanding of the One who is also the judge, and who has lived as one of us.  It is this just judge to whom we turn in prayer, the One who knows our hearts and sees more deeply into ourselves than we can of ourselves, who listens and who knows, and in whom we can put our trust -- for that is what faith really is.  Let us marvel at this revelation, that even God will not trust judgment except to the Son who has lived as one of us, and through this mission to us as Jesus, for this also tells us about love, and God's nature as love.  In the next chapter, Jesus will say, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (6:37).  He turns no one away who comes to Him.  Let us remember that kind of love.  The icon above is called Christ Enthroned.  It is the place He receives upon completion from His mission as Son of Man, the place from which He judges.  (Sometimes in such icons the Scripture is open to show simply Alpha and Omega - Α Ω in the Greek, after Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13.)  But this icon tells us what kind of judge He is:  "Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy" (from Matthew 11:29-30).  He always calls us to learn, to grow with Him, to come to Him, and He turns no one away who responds to His call.   He is the God who has walked in our shoes.

Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me

Angel of the Lord, Theophanes the Cretan, 1545.  Fresco, Chapel of St. Nicholas, Stavronikita Monastery, Mt. Athos, Greece

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

The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' "  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

- John 5:1-18

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

 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  As we can see, John's Gospel is organized through the various Jewish feasts that occur during Jesus' ministry.  Frequently, Jesus' sermons and teachings during these festivals touches on themes of the events commemorated through them in Jewish spiritual history.  Through this understanding, the Fathers of the Church have taught that this particular festival is the feast of the Old Testament Pentecost (which is also called the "Feast of Weeks").  This was a celebration of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai.  We will see Christ's references to the Law of Moses later in this fifth chapter of John's Gospel.

 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.   My study bible remarks that this double-basin pool, which was believed to have curative powers, was discovered about 100 yards north of the temple area, near the Sheep Gate.  The water for this high-ground pool originated from underground springs.  It was used to wash down the sacrificial lambs before they were slain.  It adds that this pool functions as a "type" of Christian baptism.  That is, as the text tells us, under the old covenant, a great multitude waited to enter the water for physical healing, after an angel touched it.  These waters were special in the sense that they were a way of indirectly participating in the animal sacrifices of the temple, since the animals were washed in the same water.  But that grace was limited to the first person who entered.   By contrast, under the new covenants, my study bible explains, baptism is given to all peoples as a direct participation in Christ's own sacrificial death (Romans 6:3-6) without the mediation of angels.  Therefore, baptism grants healing of the soul and the promise of eternal resurrection of the body, and its grace is not limited, but rather inexhaustible.

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who remarks that Jesus singled out the man who had already waited for thirty-eight years in order to teach us perseverance, and as a judgment against those who lose hope or patience in much lesser troubles lasting a far shorter time.

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"  The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me."   Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.   Jesus' question, "Do you want to be made well?" is relevant for several reasons, which my study bible gives:  1.  This made public the fact that the sick man kept his faith even in circumstances which were seemingly hopeless.  One must ask, how could a paralytic ever be the first into the water?  2.  Christ draws our attention away from the water and toward the need for a man to help us, which is fulfilled in Christ Himself, who became a human being to heal all.  3.  Not everyone who is ill actually wishes to be truly healed.  Unfortunately, it is simply true that some may prefer to remain unwell in order to have license to complain, to avoid responsibility for their lives, or to continue drawing upon the pity of others.

 The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, "It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed."  He answered them, "He who made me well said to me, 'Take up your bed and walk.' "  Then they asked him, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed and walk'?"  But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place.  My study bible points out that although the Law itself does not specifically forbid the carrying of burdens on the Sabbath, it is prohibited in Jeremiah 17:21-22.  It is also specifically forbidden in rabbinical teachings.  But we are to understand that Christ is Lord over the Sabbath through His command ("Rise, take up your bed and walk") and also by the man's obedience.  (See also Matthew 12:1-8.)  My study bible also reminds us that, as is often the case in John's Gospel, the term Jews here is used similarly to a political term, in that it refers to the leaders (that is, those who make up the ruling parties), and not to the people in general.  Every person in this story, including Jesus and the paralytic man, is a Jew.  Moreover, we must bear in mind that the attributed author of the Gospel was also a Jew.  My study bible remarks upon the malice of the leaders, whose focus is only on the Sabbath violation.  They ask this healed man, "Who is the Man who said to you, 'Take up your bed'?"  But they lack altogether any concern or interest whatsoever in his miraculous healing.

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."  My study bible says that the fact that this man was found in the temple shows he had great faith.  He had gone there directly to thank God for his cure, as opposed to departing to someone's home or to the marketplace.  Jesus tells the man to sin no more:  my study bible says that while there is a general connection between sin and suffering (Romans 6:23), that connection is not always one-to-one, as we all know the innocent often suffer, and the guilty are frequently spared earthly sufferings (see also 9:1-3).  But nonetheless, there are most definitely times when our own sins lead directly to our personal suffering in this world.  St. John Chrysostom comments here that this was the case with the paralytic man.  Christ's warning, however, according to my study bible, is that sins that destroy the soul lead to a far worse result than an affliction of the body.  And we must also consider that for this healed man to knowingly sin against God would be, in a certain sense, to repudiate the giver of the grace he has received, and so result in a deeper condemnation.  Our great hope is to flee from sin altogether.

The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.  My study bible says that this man does not report Jesus to the leaders of the Jews in a malicious way, but rather as a witness to the goodness of Christ.  Although the leadership is only interested in the Sabbath violation, the healed man emphasizes that it was Jesus who had made him well, and says nothing about carrying his bed (the subject of the violation).

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath.  But Jesus answered them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."  Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.  Jesus declares God to be My Father.  This is clearly understood by the leaders as a declaration of absolutely equality.

In Christianity, we embrace the equality of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These are the three Persons of the Trinity.  But for the religious leaders of Christ's time, for a man to declare himself to be equal with God is simply blasphemy, and therefore punishable by death.  Jesus emphasizes the quite personal and intimate role of this relatedness simply by using the term "Father" -- and therefore giving us a sense not merely of equality or relationship in and of itself, but rather characterizing this relationship as personal and intimate, and also one of love and likeness.  It is in John's Gospel that Jesus will say, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  It is in Jesus' care, His compassion, His healing, and also His intimate understanding and relationship to those whom He guides, counsels, and helps that we also come to understand God the Father, and the Spirit as well.  It is the same John to whom the authorship of this Gospel is attributed who also writes in his first Epistle that "God is love" (1 John 4:8).  And this is the unfolding in this Gospel of how we are to understand Jesus, and to know that Jesus is sent in order to reveal to us more deeply the true nature and identity of the Father:  today's reading gives us the third sign or miracle of John's Gospel.  It is an unfolding in which Christ's compassion for those downtrodden and struggling is most clear and evident, for this man has waited thirty-eight years for help, and yet his hope was not exhausted.  He is afflicted and handicapped.   He needs someone to help him.  He has been struggling to take what is a desperate and narrow chance for healing for a significant portion of his life.  It is he whom Christ asks, "Do you want to be made well?"  It is of him that Jesus engages first in intimate conversation, inquiring about his state of mind, his frame of being, beginning a healing with a depth of understanding and dialogue.  And this, for us, further reveals the mind and persona of God -- who seeks to engage on intimate terms with us, and for us to share our deepest thoughts and concerns in dialogue, which is prayer.  There is no deeper expression of what is called the condescension of God, as in some very real sense, God became human so that God could engage directly with this isolated man with no one to help him.   The fact that he struggles in this circumstance for decades tells us something, and offers to us a glimmer of light in our own challenges.  It tells us that God knows where we are, and affirms that "the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7).  And there is another way in which today's reading gives us a sense of grace at work in our lives, and that is through the gift of baptism.  While this paralytic man awaits the angel to stir the water, and some man who would help him, Christ gives baptism to all of us, in which the waters of the world are sanctified for healing on all levels.  That is, through the sacrament of baptism, we are brought even closer to God and God comes closer to us, endowing us with the gift of the Spirit for our own struggles and battles with what ails us in life, and helping us to find God and to reject sin and evil.  We often overlook baptism as the great gift that it is, that it makes it more possible to be endowed with a gift that effects prayer and intimacy and dialogue with God, unifies our understanding of the faith and the living Church, helping us to understand intercession and the communion of saints, and even the work of angels in our lives.  This is a gift of illumination, and so often we seek to squander it by undervaluing its potential for each of us.  Let us consider the ways in which today's reading gives us enlightenment about the loving nature of God and God's care for us, and also how the elements of the world -- something as common as water -- may also be formed in sacrament to help us understand that life of faith which is so vital to our own hope and struggle in life.  Jesus' command to "sin no more" tells us about the importance of valuing what we have and are given by grace, and not overlooking what is worthwhile simply because it is freely given of love.  Today's text tells us that it was an angel who stirred the waters, so that they could be used for healing.  While we may or may not dispute this idea, there is little doubt that the testimony of the whole history of faith gives us evidence of the work of angels -- as messengers, as instruments in human history, as part of the entire communion of saints, intercessors, guides, and guardians of human beings.  While modern sentiment frequently depicts angels as cuddly children, the reality of such beings is one to which many have testified as that of a tremendous intelligence, many times beyond our capacity to grasp, and power that normal earthly barriers of space cannot hinder.  Let us give attention where attention is due, and understand that in the tradition of the Church, each one of us has one such being as guardian, and that where worship is present, so we also worship at the altar with the angels in heaven.  Christ Himself goes so far as to testify of even the least among us that "their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).  Through the baptism of water and the Spirit, Christ may change the dynamic of healing and sanctifying waters.  But the ministry and presence of these great messengers remains active and with us in all ways, and mysteriously more than we can know, as part of God's love at work for human beings.

Your son lives

Christ Pantocrator, c. 1100.  Daphni Monastery, Greece.  Scripture open to John 8:12

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

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

- John 4:43-54

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

 Now after two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans, received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.   Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  There were Galileans present at Jerusalem during the Passover (2:13-25), where apparently Jesus performed many signs that are not explicitly given to us in the Gospel, although this is the second time John has mentioned such signs at the Passover (see 2:23).    My study bible comments that while the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom assigns greater credit to the Samaritans for having accepted Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see the past three readings of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, above).  Let us note that while He is received because of the signs these Galileans have reported from the Passover feast, He does not "commit Himself" to them (2:24).  Moreover, as the text makes clear, Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country, a statement repeated in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).

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

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study bible comments that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a  distance.  Neither does he know that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  Finally, he thinks to inquire about the timing of the healing, while he still doesn't completely trust in the Lord's authority.  Only when it is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  My study bible says that therefore, by healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not only the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.   This is the second sign of seven given in John's Gospel.  In the first chapter, Jesus revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48), and now He demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  My study bible says that this shows that His divine power knows no earthly limits.  There are similarities between this sign and the miracle reported in Matthew 8:5-13, but there are also enough differences that we may consider them to be two different encounters among many.  John Himself writes of the many signs and works of Jesus' ministry which go unreported, in the final verse in the Gospel:  "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (21:25).

That John reports many signs Jesus has done without explicitly naming them or describing them adds a particular dimension to John's Gospel.  That is, that we are given seven specific signs in detail, out of the many that reportedly were done.  Therefore we can conclude that John gives us these specific signs for a reason.   It is part of a systematic, deliberate method of revelation.  These particular signs are given in this way for a reason; they tell us something particular about Jesus, and give us insight into who He is in a particular way.  His first sign was to turn water to wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee.  Here in today's reading is another Galilean miracle, performed in His home country.  A nobleman, perhaps a ruler in the synagogue, comes to Jesus because his son is ill.  He pleads and is desperate as his son is dying.  Let us note that it is in the middle of this report, right after the request is made to Jesus, that He complains about the Galileans:  "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Here is the crux or heart of the story, as it occurs right in the middle of it.  Jesus pauses to make note of the fickleness of their faith, even the hardness of hearts, that they will not believe without signs and wonders.  It gives one pause to think that perhaps this sign is given in this particular way in order to reveal Christ to those incapable of faith otherwise.  This particular sign will unfold without regard for space nor time, as Jesus can both heal from a distance and also pause to reflect on the nature of their particular lack of faith.  In this way, the nobleman may do his own checking on the particular time of this healing, and so affirm Christ's word and come to faith, even that of his whole household.  We can conclude from this sign that we might doubt all we will, but God is aware of our time and our place, and neither time nor space form barriers to the work of God nor barriers to our prayer.  I have a friend who frequently speaks about "God's perfect timing," and this particular sign is certainly one instance of that.  Having experienced such timing in my own prayer life, I can only affirm what others teach, and that it has been true in my experience as well.  We often forget that God sees and hears in secret (Matthew 6:6).  Today's reading, and this second sign, affirms what was hinted at in the Name (I AM) given by Jesus at Jacob's well to the Samaritan woman (in Friday's reading), that there is no place where God is absent.  There is nothing of which Christ is unaware, no place He cannot be nor reach with His power, nothing He does not see.  It is a sense of confirmation of the mind and intelligence of God which misses nothing, knows our ailments and agonies, hears our prayers, and is master over elements of time and space.  Let us also remark that there are times when our prayers seem to be unheard.  But of what we know of God, we may also find ourselves in particular circumstances for a reason, with our prayers invited at all such times, and outcomes which must be put into God's hands, difficulties in which we are challenged to invite God to help us cope and to set our own minds aright.  Sometimes, as in Christ's own experience of the Cross, we are in a place of struggle in which we come to find that we are never alone.  This is also the place for prayer, a request, a plea, an understanding that God awaits our call in every time and place and circumstance.  Christ's transformative power, present to turn water to wine and to heal this boy from a distance, may also be at work in our grief and in our disappointment, touching circumstances to heal even what we don't want to accept.   In the icon above, of Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"), the Scripture is open to John 8:12:  "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."  Let us remember that it is our prayer that calls that light into any and all circumstances in which we find ourselves.  There is none too deep, too far away, too far removed for Him to reach and enlighten for us.  His light is the light of life.

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

St. Photini speaks with Christ at Jacob's well.  Manuel Panselinos, c. 1300; fresco.  Protaton Church, Karyes settlement, Mt. Athos, Greece

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

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

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

- John 4:27-42

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

 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"    The disciples marveled not only that Jesus spoke with a Samaritan, but also that He spoke with an unaccompanied woman, something which was potentially scandalous.  My study bible refers us to further instances John's Gospel gives us of Christ's dealings with women:  7:53-8:11; 11:20-33; 20:11-18 (see also Luke 8:1-3).

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

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

"Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!"  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that Jesus' command to look was given because the Samaritan townspeople were approaching, ready and eager to believe in Him.  Christ compares these foreigners (relative to the Jews) to fields ready for harvest.  This command, my study bible adds, is also to all believers to look to those around us and to share the gospel with anyone who wants to hear it, regardless of race or ethnicity.

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

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

The story of Christ's ministry is all the more interesting because of its seemingly meandering unfolding.  It's almost as if the ways in which it expands, and the surprising ways in which people open up to the Gospel, are all unexpected.  Certainly for the disciples, this opening up to the Samaritans must have been a complete surprise, even possibly a kind of a shock.  When they are set out on their first apostolic mission, Jesus tells them neither to go to the Gentiles nor the Samaritans, but "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6).  But here, because they are passing through Samaria on their way to Galilee, Jesus has taken the strange and unusual opportunity to speak alone with this Samaritan woman alone at Jacob's well, and she has brought an entire town to faith through listening to His word.  The Gospel opens up in strange ways and at strange intervals, always surprising.  When we forget about this surprising nature of faith, and the surprising nature of the work of God in the world, we lose our sense of mystery and that dimension of understanding that is so necessary to knowing what we are about.  While we might have great evil in the world, and experience hurt and hardship and the sadness of pain in the world, there are also moments of great beauty and insight, times when the truth will surprise us.  Suddenly there are things that bloom and unfold like flowers that blossom unexpectedly.  New developments shatter the assumptions of the past, and open up and broaden the word of God to shed new light on its facets and greater aspects than those to which we were already accustomed.   This is the surprising way of the new covenant that unfolds as Jesus' ministry in the world, and it might also be the surprising way in which faith also works in our own lives and through the journey of our own way of following Him.  Our faith can't be bottled into easy formulas, because the mystical reality of God is always present and at work.  Jesus says to Nicodemus of the Holy Spirit:  "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" (3:8).  Let us note Christ's words:  "So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Our own baptism is a type of "sign" that opens up new worlds of creativity, insight, wisdom, and the work of God in us.  This is the way of the Holy Spirit, and these Samaritan believers are a part of that harvest of God's work in the world to which Jesus introduces His disciples in today's reading.  How are the fields ripe for harvest in your life?  Is there a surprising way to go forward that opens up for you?  While some doors close, Christ always finds a new and surprising way to go forward.  So is God's work in our own lives.  Let us bear in mind that, like the disciples, we are laborers for that harvest, and there is always work before us.  We need simply open our eyes, as does St. Photini.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth

Christ Pantocrator, dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (cropped), mosaic.  Old City of Jerusalem.  Copyright Andrew Shiva (courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

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

- John 4:16-26

Yesterday we read that when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.   A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."  The woman answered and said, "I have no husband."  Jesus said to her, "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."  As Jesus knows already that she was living with a man without being married, and also He knew about her string of husbands, this woman perceives that Jesus is a prophet.  My study bible explains that the Samaritans did not accept any prophets after Moses.  The only prophet they expected was the Messiah who was foretold by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).  Jesus' insight into the hearts of people, which is revealed many times in the Gospels, is an underscoring of His divine nature.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."   My study bible explains that if Jesus was the expected Prophet (as foretold by Moses; see above), then He could settle the historical argument between the Samaritans and the Jews regarding where worship was to take place.  Jesus does not answer this very "earthly" question; instead His message is elevated to the manner in which people ought to worship, and toward the new covenant.  Moreover, my study bible says, He turns attention to the One whom we worship:  God.  The Father is worshiped in spirit -- that is, in the Holy Spirit -- and in truth -- which is in Christ Himself (14:6) and according to Christ's revelation.  God is Spirit:  This means, in contrast to the assumption behind the question this woman poses, that God cannot be confined to a particular location.  My study bible says that those who receive the Holy Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ can worship God the Father with purity of heart.  Salvation is of the Jews:   Here Christ affirms that true revelation comes from Judaism.  My study bible quotes St. Athanasius:  "The commonwealth of Israel was the school of the knowledge of God for all the nations."  Moreover, Jesus testifies here that the Messiah, prophesied among the Jews, has risen from among the Jews.  While the gift of salvation in Christ is to all nations, my study bible says, it has come from within Judaism.  The hour (or "time") to which Jesus will repeatedly refer in John's Gospel, is that of the death and Resurrection of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, thus inaugurating the worship of the new covenant. 

The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ).  "When He comes, He will tell us all things."  Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."  Jesus' statement, translated as "I who speak to you am He," is literally "I AM (ego eimi/εγω ειμι in the Greek), who speak to you."  I AM is the divine Name of God as given to Moses (Exodus 3:14).  My study bible says that the use of the Name indicates a theophany, or revelation of God.  The use of this Name by a mere human being was considered to be blasphemy and therefore punishable by death (see 8:58; Mark 14:62).  But as Jesus is divine, His use of the Name is a revelation of His unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit; in fact, He is God Incarnate.

This Name, I AM, or I AM WHO I AM (see Exodus 3:14) is also the Name from which is derived the word YHWH (also called the Tetragrammaton, from the four Hebrew consonants given in the Scripture) or Yahweh, which was later Latinized to Jehovah.   It was also substituted with "the Lord" in the Old Testament (Septuagint).  However we look at, think about, or pronounce the Name, it is such a sacred name to utter that it is unthinkable that Christ would use it in any way but with the most hallowed reverence possible.   To use it as a mere mortal, as my study bible pointed out, was unthinkable.  And yet, in another astonishing fact of this story, Jesus does use this name for Himself, and He uses it before a Samaritan woman.  That He is even speaking to this woman in the first place is astonishing and remarkable.  He is a Jewish man alone with a woman, and it is already unlikely that He would be speaking to any woman who was not a relative or one He knew well.   For the second remarkable fact here, she is Samaritan, and as the text tells us in yesterday's reading (above), "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."  And so, putting all of this together, we have the nearly-impossible-to-believe happening at this well:  Christ speaks to a Samaritan woman, and He reveals Himself as God to her.  How is this even possible?  We may well wonder even 2,000 years later.  But all of this juxtaposed together makes for something even more startling in addition.  Jesus begins by admonishing the woman that He knows about her string of husbands.  She can't hide anything from Him.  He knows her whole history.  All of these aspects of this story, taken together, indicate for us something powerful about the words Jesus teaches here:  that there is no place where God "isn't."  In the most intimate depths of this woman's heart and history, God is there and sees and knows all.  In this strange conversation between a Jewish man and a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (the place where Jacob realized, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" and "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" - Genesis 28:16-17 ), God is present.  It is a kind of affirmation within the already-affirmative emphasis of Jesus' words, that God is indeed everywhere present (as in the words of a prayer to the Holy Spirit), and that "true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."    Jesus uses the holy Name, I AM, and indeed the meaning of that name is that God is everywhere present:  within us and without us, everywhere we go, and present within whatever is happening in our lives, and whatever has happened and will happen.  He is there and accessible in spirit and in truth -- through faith.  What we have, then, is a depth of illustration both through the words of Christ and the events of this story, which teaches us that there is no dimension of life in which God is not omnipresent.  In the Orthodox prayer to the Holy Spirit, which begins every worship service, the phrase reads that He is "everywhere present and filling all things."  And so it is.  Christ's I AM tells us so much more than we are capable of imagining.  As John's Gospel repeatedly reiterates, the only thing that cuts us off from God's presence is our refusal of the gift Christ bears into the world through the Incarnation.  In Orthodox icons of Christ, we can see the Greek words Ω ΟΝ in the "halo" or nimbus around His head.  This is taken from the Name, and is frequently translated as "He Who Is" or "the One Who Is."  But it is more literally translated as "The Be."   The icon above is from the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is an example of Christ Pantocrator, or "Almighty."    The I AM or Ω ΟΝ reminds us that God is not simply "up there" but rather truly everywhere present, the God Who Is, the One always available through our faith and prayer, and for all things, who can reach anyone, anytime, any place.  There are no limits to that presence.  Our God revealed Himself even to this woman at the well on a hot desert day at noon in Samaria, home of the enemies of the Jews.  Let us never forget we are all called by the One who sees in secret and knows us better than we know ourselves.

Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?

The Ladder of Divine Ascent, 12th century.  St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai Peninsula, Egypt

 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." 

- John 4:1-15

Yesterday we read that Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.  Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there.  And they came and were baptized.  For John had not yet been thrown into prison.  Then there arose a dispute between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purification.  And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified -- behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!"  John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent before Him.'  He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice.  Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.   And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true.  For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.  The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.  He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.  But He needed to go through Samaria.  So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob's well was there.  Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.  It was about the sixth hour.   Jesus is traveling northward toward Galilee, to get away from the scrutinizing eyes of the Pharisees who zealously guard their religious authority.  Samaria is the region north of Jerusalem, between Judea and Galilee.  My study bible points out that the Old Testament does not mention Jacob's well, but we do know that Jacob lived in the area (Genesis 33:19).  Wells were significant, my study bible says, both because of their rarity and also their value in desert life.  Therefore, wells were to symbolize life itself (Psalms 36:9-10, 46:4; Isaiah 55:1).  This well is maintained as a shrine to this day, and pilgrims can drink from it.  That Jesus is wearied from His journey shows us His full humanity.  This is desert country, and the period is at least late spring or perhaps early summer, after the Passover and Christ's time spent afterward in Judea; the sixth hour is noon. 

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.  Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"  For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.   In the tradition of the Church, this woman is known as St. Photini (more about her in the next readings).  My study bible explains that the Samaritans were a mixed race of both Jews and Gentiles, and traditional enemies of the Jews.  Although they worshiped the God of Israel and were also awaiting the Messiah, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch or Torah) as their Scriptures.  They had built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, which the Jews destroyed in 128 BC.  (In tomorrow's reading, we will see her reference this dispute over the location of the temple.)  We may find Jesus' command strange, "Give Me a drink."  But in the customs of the time, what is unusual about it is simply that He, a Jewish man alone with this Samaritan woman, would speak to her at all.  His request for water is meant deliberately to draw her out.

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.  Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?"  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."  My study bible explains that living water in the ordinary sense of the term means fresh, flowing water.  That is, water from a stream or spring rather than a pond or a cistern.  Jesus uses this term to indicate the grace of the Holy Spirit which leads to eternal life (7:37-39).  My study bible says that this gift not only remains in a person, but it is so abundant that it overflows to others.  The woman misunderstands Him, and she asks, "Are You greater than our father Jacob?"  But this is a spiritual reflection that teaches us something about Christ, that Jacob, in His light, is a "type" of Christ, as Jacob received the vision of the divine ladder (Genesis 28:12), which is fulfilled in Christ -- in His Incarnation, He is the living ladder between heaven and earth.  Moreover, as Jacob gave this well for earthly life, my study bible says, now Christ gives the well of the Holy Spirit for eternal life.  We notice that through His words, Christ has drawn in this woman to great curiosity about the water He speaks about.  In the following readings, He will continue to explain His message.

Jacob's ladder was the vision given to Jacob in a dream, of a ladder between heaven and earth, upon which angels ascended and descended (see Genesis 28:10-22).  It is the story of the promised land, the holy place where God dwells.  In today's story, God has come to this well, not only blessing the place and the people who are looked down upon and cast away by the Jews, but more importantly, illuminating and enlightening the people, and casting away false belief.  The name of this woman, St. Photini, means "illumined" or "enlightened one."  We will read more about her tomorrow.  But what is important is that, through this visitation of Christ, Jacob's vision of the ladder is fulfilled, as well as his words that, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" (Genesis 28:16-17).  The Lord is indeed in this place, and where He is there is the gate of heaven, which He will open to the people through this woman listening to Him at the well, as He teaches about the "living water" which He will give.  In that sense, Jesus is both the well and the ladder -- for it is He who has the gift of the living water to give to others.  The notion of the ladder as an image of spiritual journey toward God was an important one to the early Fathers of the Church, and later was developed into an understanding of monastic asceticism, particularly in the book of The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus.  Jesus Himself refers to Jacob's ladder earlier in John's Gospel, when He tells Nathanael, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" (John 1:51).  So everything in this story in today's reading can be approached with this understanding in mind, that Jesus comes as fulfillment of the promises and visions of the Old Testament, that He is the ladder dreamed of by Jacob, and that God is present here at this well, and promising an abundance of living water as gift for those who ask.  In tomorrow's reading, we will find that, like the "ladder" of monastic ascent in asceticism, there are truths required of us in receiving this water and this blessing, a kind of humility in which we are willing to go forward, to find instruction, an honesty about ourselves and where we need to go.  All of this remains for us to see, and even to experience for ourselves in our own journey with Christ.  For today, let us picture this scene in the hot desert climate, at noon, of the weary traveler (Jesus) who promises a gift of water that will become in those who receive it "a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  God remains with us and this water remains a gift for us.  He still reaches out to offer it to those who will receive the gift, and make the journey to the life He offers.