Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil

Temptation of Christ, 1527, fresco (detail).  Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas, Meteora, Greece

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,'

and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

- Matthew 4:1-11

Yesterday we read that Jesus came from Galilee to John the Baptist at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.     Let us note the attribution of Jesus' time in the wilderness to the action of the Spirit.  In Mark 1:12, the language is even stronger; in the original Greek, it could be translated literally that the Spirit "threw" Jesus into the wilderness.  My study bible explains that to be tempted is to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  This test for Jesus comes immediately after His baptism, in the form of a struggle with the devil.  My study bible says that we who are baptized in Christ need not be defeated by temptations as we are also aided by the Holy Spirit.  Here in the Gospel, the wilderness is a battleground and an image of the world:  both the dwelling place of demons and also a source of divine tranquility and victory.

And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Here my study bible explains that through this forty-day fast and temptation, Jesus reverses Israel's falling to temptation in the wilderness.  It explains that the Israelites were tested forty years in the wilderness, and proved disobedient and disloyal.  God humbled them by first letting them go hungry and then feeding them with manna in order to help them to learn to be dependent upon God (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).  Here, it is Jesus who is tested with hunger for forty days, and yet He does not sin.  All of His responses to Satan in today's reading are in fact from Deuteronomy, and all call for loyalty to God.  My study bible further explains that as Jesus fasted to overcome temptation, so we are given an example of our own power and our limitations in the face of temptation.  The hunger of Christ's human body doesn't control Him; rather, He controls His flesh.  The Lord's fast of forty days is the foundation of the forty-day Lenten fast before Holy Week, and of a traditional fast before Christmas.

Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."    Here, the devil challenges Jesus' relationship as Son to God the Father.  If You are the Son of God, my study bible explains, calls into question the Father's declaration at Christ's Baptism (3:17).  The devil would like Jesus to act independently and to detach Himself from the will of the Father.  In Christ's divine nature, He shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  He can do nothing of Himself (John 5:30), apart from the Father.  But in Jesus' humanity, He possesses free will, and at all times He must choose to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.  Let us note that this temptation is similar to the temptation of Eve in the Garden, in the sense not only of a demand to act independently of God's will and to take matters into one's own hand, but also to take a kind of shortcut.  There is a particular plan for salvation at work here just as there no doubt was in the Garden.  The devil challenges Christ to use His power to see to His own hunger from the perspective of the purely earthly and self-centered, and not to act according to the will of the Father in accordance with the necessary steps for the fulfillment of righteousness and salvation for all.

 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"    Jesus affirms His loyalty to the Father, quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3.  My study bible comments that by rejecting the first temptation, Jesus rejects an earthly kingdom and shows us not to pursue earthly comfort in the "food which perishes" (John 6:27).   As Adam disregarded the divine word in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), it notes, the New Adam -- Christ -- conquers all temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan.

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, / Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"   The holy city is Jerusalem.   As Jesus countered the devil's temptation through the use of Scripture, so the devil attempts to use Scripture on Christ in order to put God's power of protection to the test (Psalm 91:11-12). 

Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"   Jesus replies with a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:16.  My study bible comments that trials and temptations come on their own; we should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD.  

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.   In John's Gospel, Jesus calls Satan the "ruler of this world," and so Satan behaves as all those who abuse their worldly power, demanding worship and levels of absolute obedience that belong only to God.  My study bible comments that God's Kingdom is not one of earthly power and possessions.  In the devil's test, it says, Jesus is being asked to choose worldly power over the Kingdom of God.  Similarly to Jesus' phrase for him from John 14:30, St. Paul calls Satan "the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), because the whole world is in his power (1 John 5:19).   My study bible adds that Jesus refuses the road of earthly glory, which would lead Him away from His suffering and death for the redemption of the world.  Here, Jesus' reply to the devil is a quotation from Deuteronomy 6:13.  Moreover, in the Greek, that which is translated Away with you, Satan! is rooted in the same word Jesus will use when He tells Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan!" in Matthew 16:23.

Perhaps one of the greatest virtues on display through Christ in today's reading is forbearance.  Also called "longsuffering" in the Bible, it is frequently attested to be a quality of the Lord, but also often declared a fruit of the Spirit for human beings in the letters of St. Paul (see 2 Corinthians 6:6; Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 1:11, 3:12; 1 Timothy 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:10, 4:2).  Perhaps it is not very frequently in our modern lives and understanding that we are called upon to exhibit longsuffering.  But clearly we are called to be like our Creator, and the entire purpose of the Incarnation is to teach us what we, in fact, are capable of being and becoming.  In setting plans for the future, those of us who struggle to make virtually any personal vision come to fruition must be familiar with "longsuffering."  Parenting comes to mind as also a process that requires "longsuffering" -- a kind of patience borne of love, and linked to forbearance.  But here, Christ's sacrifice is for the plan of salvation for the entire world; His work of refutation of temptation and the forbearance required of Him all a part of serving the Father -- and all of creation through love.  If we love Christ, and seek to participate in His life, I feel it is certain that we also will have to come to terms with the temptations for short cuts, for what seems altogether rational in doing things according to our own sights, and not in a prayerful manner.  The fruits of God, I have found, take time in our lives.  To live life in a prayerful manner requires a kind of longsuffering which is specifically the product of faith, just as Jesus displays in today's reading.  It is perhaps not logical to those without faith that there is a particular way of living one's life that requires dependency upon God, a trust that is placed in a higher level than a worldly perspective.  Just as St. Peter's denial that Christ would suffer and die resulted in Jesus' rebuke (Matthew 16:21-23), so we, in our own lives, may encounter circumstances in which -- if approached in a truly prayerful manner -- will result in an experience requiring our patience and longsuffering, all while we perhaps cannot understand what "plan" is being evolved, nor why it can't be fixed with a simple worldly response of counter-attack or force in kind.  Sometimes, we will find, there are simply times when we meet stresses and temptations with forbearance and "longsuffering," all while we place our faith in prayer and following what we believe God asks of us, discerning such to the best of our ability, and seeking help in the Church as we need it.  Prayer has the power to help us in all of this, whether we speak of our own prayer or the help of others such as clergy, fellow faithful, or the prayers of the communion of saints, that "great cloud of witnesses" as St. Paul puts it (Hebrews 12:1).  Let us not forget that this "great cloud" includes angelic help as well.  The victory of  Christ calls us to an understanding of victory which may not look like worldly victory.  Jesus does not make bread appear to assuage His hunger.  Neither does He force Satan to worship Him.  He does not destroy Satan.  Nor does Jesus accept to have all the kingdoms of the world at His material disposal, nor succumb to the temptation to "prove" that He is the Son of God.  This does not look like a "worldly" victory, but it is a firm and greater victory nevertheless, for it is a spiritual victory, as Christ will declare: "I saw Satan fall like lightning" (Luke 10:17-20).   This spiritual victory occurs through our faith, just as Jesus' declaration comes in response to the first apostolic mission.  The one and only way this victory comes is through our understanding of obedience as shown through the life and mission of Christ.  We put our faith and trust in God, we call on all the help available through fellow faithful and the ministers of our faith both seen and unseen.  We seek as best we can to follow that will for ourselves, through all temptation and difficulty.  It may take longer, but the fruits we find in our lives -- and in the lives of those generations that have come before us -- are unmistakable.  We will find that those who will always fail to discern such through time are those who do not share in our faith, and that is as it should and must be; it is as it was for Christ and it will be so for us.  Let us walk the walk of faith, taking Him as our example, and know that we share in His life, for He has shown us longsuffering and forbearance first, "for the life of the world."

This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased

 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 

- Matthew 3:13-17

Yesterday we read that, as he preached repentance in the wilderness of Judea, when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.  And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?"  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he allowed Him.  My study bible explains here that Jesus does not need purification.  It says that by making the purification of humanity His own, He would wash away humanity's sin, grant regeneration, and also reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity.  Therefore, this particular Baptism is fitting to fulfill God's righteous plan of salvation.  Gregory of Nyssa is quoted by my study bible:  "Jesus enters the filthy, sinful waters of the world and when He comes out, brings up and purifies the entire world with Him."

Then he allowed Him.  When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.  The Spirit of God hovered over the water at the first creation in Genesis 1:2.  Here the Holy Spirit comes in the form of a dove in anointing the Messiah, the Son of God, at the beginning of the new creation.  My study bible makes the important point that this anointing does not make Jesus the Son of God upon this day.  Instead it is understood as a revelation of Christ's true identity to the world.  The Holy Spirit has always rested upon the Son.  On January 6th, the Orthodox Churches celebrate a feast day known as Epiphany (meaning, in Greek, manifestation or revelation) or Theophany (meaning a manifestation of God).  This celebration both commemorates this day and points to the age to come.  In the earliest years of the Church, this event was commemorated on the same day as Nativity, and this is still the case of the Armenian Apostolic Church.  We understand through such that Christ's birth into the world, and this beginning of His ministry (and thus also the beginning of "end times" - the age in which we still live)  are understood in the same sense.  Thus is "all righteousness" fulfilled, as Jesus indicates.

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."   This quotation is from Psalm 2:7:  "You are My Son, / Today I have begotten You."  In Christ's Baptism at the Jordan, the great mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed:  the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Incarnate Son is baptized.

Let us consider what revelation is; in this case, the revelation of the Holy Trinity takes place at Jesus' Baptism.  Does that mean that this is the first time the Holy Trinity exists?  No, it does not.  Neither does it mean that Christ became "beloved Son" on this day.  The words of God the Father about the beloved Son, "in whom I am well pleased" give us a sense not only of the Father's love of the Son, but also of the ministry which is begun in a way fitting to fulfill all righteousness.  The revelation is to us, it is "good news" to us, something to startle the world -- and perhaps something "hidden from the foundation of the world" (13:35).  The Trinity exists in an eternal state, without beginning discernible in the sense in which we could understand it.  Therefore what is revealed to human beings is that which has existed since before time -- before the world as we know it and experience it.  But Christ's Baptism helps to fulfill all righteousness by manifesting this eternal truth and reality into our world, so that we can understand it and move toward that fulfillment in ourselves as well.  And this is the reality of prophetic revelation:  it gives us something that may be eternal, but it is something of which we are either ignorant or need to be reminded.  In this light, from the beginning of our faith, and before, it has been understood that time exists in at least two different states.  There is the time of this world and of our lives, in which we grow as human beings, moving from one choice to another, from one understanding or state to another.  And then there is the "time" of God which is no time at all, but outside of time as we understand it, an eternal reality, from "before" time existed.  As such, we might consider time itself as a gift to us, as a sense in which we might grow and change, and to have time for repentance.  It is also necessary to our own gift of free will; that is, so that we may exercise our own choices for direction in life, for choosing that in which we place our trust, and that in which we don't.  In these senses, Christ's Baptism in the Jordan by John opens up for us all considerations of all of creation and why it exists, and also our place, seemingly in the middle of it.  For if the waters for Christian baptism are sanctified through the Baptism of Christ by John, then time indeed seems to double back upon itself in which we might even consider a type of Eucharistic sense:  God gave us the world and everything in it, but when those waters are given to God through Christ's Baptism by a human being, God returns them to us sanctified for baptism with the Holy Spirit (see in yesterday's reading, above, the Baptist's words about the Christ:  "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire").  Therefore time as we know it, and time as it exists in an eternal sense of Father, Son, and Spirit intersect.  In our liturgies we commemorate the sacrifice of Christ for the love of the world, and over and over again, as such, time continues to intersect, even as we celebrate and worship with the angels of heaven.  In this way we know creation as both a gift and also fitting for sacrifice -- and to be returned to us with God's greater blessing and grace.  And so it is that this teaches us how each of us can live our lives.  What do you have in your life that you would like redeemed, blessed, sanctified, returned to you with greater blessing from the Lord?  He is baptized in the waters of the earth and sanctifies them for us all for the blessing of our baptism with the Holy Spirit.  Do you have a problem that needs help?  Give that -- even in sacrifice -- to the Lord.  Do you have a blessing such as may be considered personal wealth?  Then do the same.  Are you blessed with certain talents and gifts, or perhaps with what you consider to be handicaps, one way and another?  Then "sacrifice" them, any and all, to the Lord, and see how the Lord returns it to you.  Through the Baptism, we understand the revelation of the Lord and of the Holy Trinity, not as something merely given to us just then, but as something which intersects our world through our own capacity for interaction and worship, to reveal what we need and what is good for us, what it is that truly blesses us.  Remember that Crucifixion has taught us the same, in which the most dreaded instrument of punishment reserved for the worst criminals was given to God, and returned to us as symbol of salvation, redemption, and victory over even the last enemy, death.  Let us think of the blessings of our faith, the choices we can make, even for "sacrifice" in this sense -- and move into the revelation God offers us, all the time.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.  And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.  Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

- Matthew 3:7-12

 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and all his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shaltiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.  So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. * * * In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'" Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.

 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"  The Sadducees, my study bible explains, were members of the high-priestly and landowning class who controlled the temple and the internal political affairs of the Jews.  They denied the resurrection of the dead and had no messianic hope beyond this life.  The Pharisees were a lay religious movement, which centered upon the study of the Law, and on the strict observance of its regulations.  They did believe in the resurrection of the dead, in contrast to the Sadducees, and they also looked to the coming of the Messiah.  But they taught that righteousness is won on the strength of one's works according to the Law, and also that the Messiah would not be divine, but rather a glorious man.  The title that the Baptist uses for them, brood of vipers, will later be used by Jesus as well (12:34, 23:33).  My study bible characterizes this name for them as indicating their deception and malice, and also being under the influence of Satan.

"Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance . . . "  My study bible comments that repentance, confession, and baptism lead to fruits worthy of repentance, which is a way of life consistent with the Kingdom of God (see Galatians 5:22-25).  If a fruitful life does not follow, it says, sacramental acts and spiritual discipline are useless.  Therefore in many icons of the Baptism of Christ, there is an ax pictured chopping a fruitless tree (see this one, for example).

" . . . and do not think to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'  For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."   The statement that from these stones  (in Hebrew, 'ebanim) God can raise up children (Hebrew banim) is a play on words.  My study bible says that God will not admit fruitless children into God's house, but rather will adopt other children from the Gentiles.

"Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  Here fire refers to divine judgment (see Isaiah 33:11, 66:24; Ezekiel 38:22, 39:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."  My study bible comments that Christ baptizes in the fire of the Holy Spirit, the power and grace of God divinely poured out on believers at baptism.  In the culture of the Baptist, a slave would carry the sandals of the king.  Therefore what John is declaring is that he is lower than even a slave of Jesus.  There is also a second meaning to this statement, my study bible says, as carrying the sandal of another once meant taking on that person's responsibility (Ruth 4:7).    Here, understood as such, it would indicate that John could not possibly have carried the responsibility that Christ does, and that the Law could not redeem the world as Christ has come to do.

"His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."  A winnowing fan is one that separates threshed grain from the chaff.   This is a metaphor for divine judgment, which will separate good from evil.

One thing worthy of note in today's reading is the similar use of "fire" both as representative of the energies of God the Holy Spirit and also as that which burns the chaff -- that which is not fit for consumption and not good for human beings.  In this sense, we can read a spiritual metaphor as that fire being one and the same:  the energies of God are those with which we either become compatible -- producing fruits of worthy of repentance, as John puts it -- or for which we are incompatible and cannot stand in that fire.  Either way, fire is a purifying image, burning away that which is not good, not healthful.  If we consider Christ's mission into the world (and John's) as a healing ministry, then perhaps we also get another sense of this meaning of winnowing the wheat from the chaff.  Christ will come into the world in order to heal and to restore, to bring good health on all levels:  to spirit and soul and body.  That is, to seek what is good and restorative not just for human beings but for all of the creation.  This is one meaning of "to save."  It is not simply to keep from perishing, but rather to give life and fullness of life, abundance of life, as Christ will put it (John 10:10).  "Wheat" will also become an understood metaphor for the good and healthful "food" of the Eucharist.  John also speaks of bearing fruits worthy of repentance, and we must consider what that means, as fruits of faith.  John addresses the religious leadership in the harshest terms, describing them as a "brood of vipers," indicating, as my study bible says, malice and deceptiveness, as well as being under the influence of Satan.  His statement, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" strikes me as scathingly sarcastic, indicating that they hold no true idea of the God of Israel in their hearts, nor the warnings of the prophets of the Old Testament as applying to themselves.  From these statements we can deduce that a lack of awareness of any judgment at all, and the practices of malice and deception, are those things that are needful of repentance, of a turning toward God and the things of God.  It is these religious leaders of whom one would expect a greater knowledge and understanding than others, yet it is they whose practices John condemns.  It indicates to us a responsibility unfulfilled, in response to which even what they have will be taken away and given to others -- so John warns, as Jesus will after him (Mark 12:9).  John's words suggest a condemnation of practices well-known and understood by the common people, who flock to him for baptism in preparation for the Lord.  They suggest a corruption known and understood by the people, a form of oppression upon which Christ will also comment ("For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers" - 23:4; "For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone" - 23:23).  None of these things are said in private, but in the hearing of the people, both when John the Baptist states them here in today's reading, and also when Christ speaks in the temple during what we know as Holy Week.  They are all warnings, said in the context of prophetic speech, about the need for repentance before the work of God's holy fire, the proving out of the work of the Spirit in the world.  They speak to us of the destructiveness of sin and selfishness, that both are not simply bad for us as human beings, but rather something to mourn, that which harms the creation and works against true healing.  Thereby do the saints mourn not only their own sins, but the sins of the world which harm all of the creation.  What we understand from today's reading is not just that each of us must consider repentance and turning toward the Lord, but that we must also think about this fire of the Holy Spirit, an image of energy at work among us.  How is this fire of love one and the same as that which burns away sin -- or even that which has become wholly self-identified with sin?  How does that fire work on one who considers no need for repentance or reconsideration of personal orientation and understanding?  These are mysteries beyond the possible valuation of each one of us, a judgment which belongs only to the One who will Judge.  Nevertheless, we can heed these words and awake to the work that needs to be done.  This is a call to spiritual awareness, and to the deep healing needs of the soul.  John's words speak to us not only of our own lack of perception of the place to which Creator calls us for healing, but also to an understanding that none of us is exempt from this work.  Even so, thereby, our prayers can be understood as that which heals -- our turning to God in dialogue (the very goal of repentance) as that which helps restore not only ourselves and our fellow human beings, but the whole of the creation as well.  This echoes in the prayers of the Church at each liturgy, in which we pray not simply for ourselves but for the whole of the nation and of the world.  In the fullness of all of these understandings, John's words give us a sense in which the fire of the Holy Spirit is ultimately healing in both its purifying and energetic senses -- both giving us what we need and taking away that which is unhealthful.  Let us join with our prayers to this work on behalf of "all of the creation."

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight"

 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.  Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and all his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shaltiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

* * * 

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.'"
Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. 

- Matt. 1:1-17, 3:1-6

In the last reading and commentary (on Tuesday of Easter Week), we read the final verses of Mark's Gospel:  When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."  So, then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:  My study bible notes for us that Jesus means "O Lord, save," which refers to Christ's role as Savior.  Christ means "Anointed One," the true title for the Messiah, the One who is filled with the Holy Spirit (see John 1:33).   Although only the Son became Man, God the Father and the Holy Spirit work in Jesus Christ to save us.  As the genealogy indicates, Jesus became a human being as a Jew, from the lineage of Abraham, the father of all Jews, and of David, who was Israel's greatest king and the prototype of the royal Messiah.  The genealogy which follows reveals that the Son of God so identifies with the human condition that He takes all of it on Himself and becomes a part of it.  Jesus' ancestry includes both righteous and wicked people, my study bible notes, as well as faithful kings and murderers, Jews and Gentiles, and both kings and peasants.

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. My study bible comments that Luke's genealogy runs from Jesus back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38), but here Matthew's list descends from Abraham, with whom God established the Old Covenant of circumcision, to Jesus, author of the New Covenant.  It notes that God promised to bless all the tribes of the earth in Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 28:14), and this promise is fulfilled in the greatest Son of Abraham, who is Jesus Christ.

 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.  Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.  Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.  While Jewish genealogical lists normally would have included only men, Matthew gives of woman also in his genealogy.  The mention of women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba - her who had been the wife of Uriah) is unusual.  Each woman was either a Gentile or a sinner.  My study bible adds that the inclusion of these women declares God's graciousness and prefigures the calling of Gentiles into the Church.  It also underscores the role of women in God's plan of salvation and anticipates the special place of the Virgin Mary in that plan.   Moreover, through anointing by Samuel, David was made king.  Through his psalms, David was revealed as a great prophet, my study bible adds.  Therefore, David foreshadows both the royal and prophetic nature of Christ (Psalm 110).  And, let us note that as adulterer and murderer, David also functions as a type for all repentant sinners.

Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.  Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.  Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.  Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.  Josiah begot Jeconiah and all his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shaltiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.  Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.  Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.  Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.  And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.   My study bible explains that Joseph can be named as Jesus' immediate predecessor as Old Testament marriage laws confer hereditary rights on adopted equally to biological sons, giving us a deeper understanding of the power of covenant.  The church fathers teach, according to my study bible, that Mary also was descended from David.  Of whom (in this last verse cited here) is feminine in Greek, and therefore refers only to Mary.  Therefore, Jesus is shown to be born of Mary, and not begotten of Joseph.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.  My study bible points out that Christ's ancestors are arranged in three groups of fourteen generations.  Fourteen, it says, is the numerical equivalent of the consonants in the name David, which underscores Jesus' descent from David.  Moreover it shows the division of the leadership of the Jews, being under judges until David, under kings until Babylon, and under priests until Christ.

Today's lectionary reading does not include Matthew 1:18-25 and Matthew 2.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"  For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'"  The wilderness of Judea includes the barren region which descends from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.  As we read from this beginning of chapter 3 in Matthew's Gospel, the preparation for Jesus' ministry begins with the call of John the Baptist for people to repent.  My study bible says that repentance accompanies faith, and is a total about-face.  In Greek the word literally means simply to change one's mind.  More generally, to turn around.  My study bible characterizes repentance as a radical change of one's spirit, mind, though, and heart -- that is, a complete reorientation of the whole of one's life.  It says it is the necessary first step in the way of the LORD.  It is accompanied by confession of sins and the act of baptism (see the final verse in today's reading), and is followed by a life filled with fruits worthy of this change (3:8).

Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.   My study bible notes here that John's ascetic life conformed to that of the Jewish sects such as the Essenes, who lived in the wilderness and who were dedicated to preparation for the coming Kingdom of God.  John's clothing is typical of and signifies that of a prophet (2 Kings 1:8).  My study bible adds that the monastic movement in the early Church was patterned after John's manner of life.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.  Confession of sins is necessary to baptism under both the Old Covenant and the New.  But John's baptism was a sign only of repentance and the forgiveness of sins -- it did not confer the power of total regeneration nor adoption as a child of God, as does Christian baptism.

There we have it, in today's reading -- the beginning (or genealogy, really) of Jesus Christ, and the beginning of Jesus' ministry, which also has as its genealogy the work and ministry of John the Baptist.  In these terms of "beginning," it must stun us how much preparation really went into the advent of the Messiah in this world.  Possibly, when we consider it, we are meant to see all that came before as necessary to the coming of the Lord.  Certainly the Church has always viewed Mary, the Mother of God, in this particular way.  She was not simply an empty vessel chosen to carry a child at random.  Her particular human nature, as His mother, was chosen to become His.  In the Christian (and Jewish) sense, this isn't merely some sort of flesh or matter alone, but the fullness of what it means to be human.  One wonders how much of Christ's tenderness toward women, His compassion toward His fellow human beings, His psychological understanding revealed in His dealings with people, came partially from His mother.  We cannot possibly know this, but we can get some glimpses from the Gospels of how close they were.  If those who are referred to in the Gospels as Jesus' "brothers and sisters" are really step-siblings through an earlier marriage of Joseph, then we can, in our own human experience of families, begin to understand the closeness of mother and Son. Moreover, we read in John's Gospel (he, of all the Evangelists, being closest to Mary) the story of the wedding at Cana, and the first sign that takes place in his Gospel (see John 2:1-11).   John lays out very carefully the actions of the Mother of God leading to this first sign or miracle -- see John 2:3-5.  In this reporting there is no doubt of the closeness of Mother and Son; and so, throughout the history of the Church, the importance of Mary as intercessor, and one from whom we request prayers, bears itself out from this story.  Furthermore, as Mary is present even at the Crucifixion, the Gospels bear witness of her steady and full faith in her Son as the Christ.  Therefore, we know her as Mother and as one who displays extraordinary faith through all things.  In this light, let us consider the importance of preparation, and how choices matter in our lives.  We may think that simply because God is all-powerful, creating something out of nothing (the entire cosmos and everything in it), that God will act to create anything God wants, such as an imperious emperor or a person with huge amounts of wealth drunk with their own power.  But truly, that is to mistake the character of God, and God's love of human beings.  For we are included somehow in this entire story, just as Matthew includes the genealogy of Jesus from the beginning of the lineage of the Jews and Father Abraham.  Choices are made, preparation comes through the fruits of faith, and a faithful and pure-hearted woman is chosen to be His mother, whom the Church sees as the greatest of the saints and chief intercessor for all.  Not for nothing have generations experienced her love and compassion as one who has suffered, sacrificed, and known tremendous loss and pain  -- and she is called one who turns no one away.  Let us consider in this light the foundations upon which our Church is built.  It does not simply appear only through the work of God alone (although, of course, nothing would be possible without God).  Rather, we understand God as gracious and loving, including and expecting God's children to participate in this birth, just as in each generation we are called as faithful to do the same.  God waits for us and counts on us and includes us in this great work of faith -- and that is the elevation of human beings in this great and ongoing endeavor indeed.  St. Paul writes that all of creation groans in this great work of redemption and salvation.  It did not begin and end on one day by fiat, but carries on through us and in us, a work of synergy and faith between God and God's people, the faithful -- and we still look forward, in an unshakeable hope, to the future through mindfulness of the work at hand.  We still need to prepare, every day.  Let us heed the words of the Baptist and the Gospel.  That voice still cries in the wilderness to us all, each generation.

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature

Pantocrator (Almighty), 6th century, St. Katherine's Monastery, Sinai

 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

So, then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.

- Mark 16:9-20

Yesterday we read that when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.  She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.  And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.  Two early and important manuscripts do not contain the verses in today's reading (Mark 16:9-20) as part of Mark's Gospel.  But nearly all other manuscripts ever discovered have them.   My study bible reminds us that they are canonized Scripture and are therefore considered by the Church to be inspired, authoritative, and genuine.  Let us note Christ's first appearance to a woman, Mary Magdalene.  She is titled Apostle to the Apostles because of this event.  Yet, they did not believe.  It is a testament to the power of her faith, for which she rightly known as a saint.

After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.  And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.  My study bible points out that the Lord's resurrected body transcends not only physical space and time, but appearance as well -- as He appeared in another form.  He was sometimes recognizable to the disciples, and at other times He is not.  This perhaps refers to the appearance documented in Luke's Gospel which occurred while two disciples were walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).  At that time, they did not recognize Him, but He was suddenly known to them as He took bread, blessed it, and broke it. 

 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.  And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  This is called the Great Commission (see also Matthew 28:19).  It is Christ's final commandment given on earth, and to be lived out in the Church until He returns again.  My study bible says of the command to make disciples (in Matthew's Gospel) that it cannot be cone in the strength of human beings, but only in the power of God.  It notes that the power of the Resurrection is not only for Christ Himself, but is given to all believers for Christian life and mission.

"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will follow those who believe:  In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."   We are to understand that to take up serpents refers to spiritual battle against demons (often encountered in representative images of serpents). (See also Luke 10:19, which gives similar images in the context of "the power of the enemy.")  Therefore, Christ is promising here to deliver believers from the powers of sin, my study bible notes.  Moreover, it adds, this includes certain physical protection as well.  St. Paul was bitten by a serpent and suffered no harm (Acts 28:3-6), and according to tradition, my study bible says, Barsabas Justus (Acts 1:23) was forced by unbelievers to drink poison and survived.  But nonetheless, my study bible also adds, while God's grace can protect believers from both spiritual and physical harm, to test God through deliberately committing harmful acts against oneself is a grave sin (Deuteronomy 6:16, Matthew 4:7). 

So, then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.  And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs.  Amen.  The Ascension of Christ (He was received up into heaven) is celebrated forty days after the Resurrection (Acts 1:3).  My study bible notes that this event fulfills the type which was given when Elijah ascended in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), and it also marks the completion of Christ's glorification and lordship over all creation.  At the Incarnation, it notes, Christ brought divine nature to human nature.  In the mystery of the Ascension, He brings human nature to the divine Kingdom.  (In other appearances to the disciples, for example, He carried the scars of the Crucifixion; see John 20:24-29.)   Christ reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit in His glorified body, my study bible says, thus revealing His glorified human nature -- even human flesh -- to be worshiped by the whole angelic realm.  In the Orthodox Vespers of Ascension it is sung, "The angels were amazed seeing a Man so exalted."  In various icons of the Ascension, the white robes of Christ are tinted red in order to indicate the shedding of His blood for the redemption of the world, and the ascent of that life-giving blood into heaven (Isaiah 63:1-3; see also Psalm 24:7-10).

It is quite strange, to modern ears perhaps, to think of Christ's risen flesh as ascended into heaven -- into the divine Kingdom, as my study bible puts it.  But then, we have to think carefully about what heaven is and what it isn't.  It isn't a place up in the clouds in a literal sense, but it is a place whose existence both encompasses this world and is greater than this world.  It is a place, as Ascension would indicate, that encompasses and indeed gave birth to the entire cosmos, as our Lord is the creator of all that exists, of every created thing.  This notion is linked in our text for today, as the disciples are told, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."   In the Greek, it quite literally reads, "to all creation."  So there is nothing that has been created by God which is left out of this gospel, this Resurrection and Ascension.  There is nothing left out of this Kingdom made possible through Christ's Incarnation, and through His death and Resurrection.  It is for all, for everything made that was made (John 1:3).  Therefore, it is within this context that we must think of Christ's risen body ascended into heaven.  To be sure, this is not precisely the same Jesus in the flesh the disciples knew.  As we note, frequently the disciples do not recognize Him.  Jesus, both human and divine, has been glorified.  As my study bible put it, the Lord's resurrected body transcends not only physical space and time, but appearance as well.  And it is thereby that we must consider this intersection of heaven and earth, of the heavenly kingdom and the worldly kingdom, because they exist not in parallel stages like different floors in a building, but rather in dimensions that may at times intersect one another.  Mystical experience is one such intersection, where things that are not necessarily "earthly" are nevertheless perceived by earthly creatures such as human beings, who, through Christ's Incarnation and Ascension, we are assured are created to be able to dwell in and participate in that heavenly Kingdom.  We can't make a dividing line that predicts what is earthly and what is heavenly because they do, in fact, intersect one another, just as all was "intersected" in Christ.  We don't know the power of our prayers, for example, but I would venture to say that most who read this blog have some concrete idea or experience of their own of that power of prayer.  We may not be able to measure with mathematical precision what the power of faith can do, and what our communion is all about, but I would venture a guess that many who will encounter this writing have had such experience of communion and faith.  God comes into our lives in ways which we cannot quantify -- and just the same, we must understand that humanity, in the Person of the risen Christ, broke through into the heavenly realms as well, establishing the place of mankind as belonging there, and worthy of service of the angels to help us do so.  In short, the Ascension teaches us mysteries even more puzzling and unquantifiable than those which we have encountered in the whole of the Gospel, for it is here where we are given to understand that we are not separate from this Kingdom, but meant to be a part of it, and even to grow in likeness of our Creator.  Perhaps we, too, will enter this heavenly Kingdom with scars intact; that is, those which we might have suffered for our faith.  Indeed, in icons of John the Baptist, he is not only depicted with wings (as "messenger" of our Lord's appearance in the world -- which is the meaning of the word for "angel" in Greek), but fully intact himself, head in proper place, but also holding his head on a platter (as in this image, for example).  The things we live and do in this world in our faith are those which will follow us, just as the scars from the Crucifixion followed Christ.  It is said that, "You can't take it with you," in a popular expression referring to wealth.  But as faithful, our wealth will be counted in different ways, and there are indeed ways to be wealthy which have nothing to do with the sheer amount of physical possessions we amass in the material world.  We carry with us the things we do that become a part of ourselves.  And as such, we can also perhaps state the opposite, that we diminish our true selves through selfishness, and through neglect of the wholeness of life Christ preaches as salvation.  For it is in the fullness of the Person-to-person encounter that we find our own salvation, that place where we are healed and made whole by our communion with Christ and participation in His life that He offers us.  Through grace, we also can be led through this life, learning to discard the things we don't need (the "hand" or "foot" or "eye" we give over to false values and ideals; see Matthew 18:8-9).  Because we are also taught that each must take up one's own cross, we know that dwelling in and participation in this Kingdom that intersects our worldly lives will also ask of us sacrifice.  From the Ascension, we learn that such sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom is in fact substance, and will be carried with us.  If all of this seems to heady or mysterious to even contemplate, let us but consider this:  that the One who died for us also Resurrected for us.  We don't live in a world separated so much from our Lord as it is one that invites and asks us to participate in His life with Him, to be with Him, and with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, even as we, also, are each served by angels.  This is where we dwell.  It is the place into which our faith takes us, even as we live yet in this world.  And that is just as it has been meant to be, for Christ's Incarnation and life has changed it all; His ascent into heaven invites us to follow and dwell with Him.  For where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is also -- and even a cup of water given to one in His name is as giving it to Him, as well.  If this all seems strange to ponder, consider what it means exactly that with grace, we can have a "peace that passes understanding" (John 14:27, Philippians 4:7), or "joy" when there is nominally not a worldly reason for joy (John 15:11, 16:22, 24, 17:13, Galatians 5:22).  Consider how we may know and share love even when our worldly circumstances or upbringing do not supply us with that love (John 15:9, 13:34-35, Galatians 5:22).  If this were not so, if the heavenly and worldly do not intersect, consider why we would even ask for blessing upon the food we eat.  The icon above is one of the few icons to survive the Iconoclastic Controversy.  In it we see depicted not only the dual nature of Christ, but also His suffering.  In his hand He holds the Gospel Book.  It is Christ Pantocrator, "Almighty," the One who is seated at the right hand of God, even as Father and Son and Spirit dwell within us (John 14:23).

You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen!

White Angel at Tomb (believed to be Archangel Gabriel) - 13th century, Fresco. Mileseva Monastery, Serbia

 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him.  But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 

- Mark 16:1-8

On Friday, we were given two readings from John's Gospel:   Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."   * * *  After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.   (John 13:36-38, John 19:38-42)

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.  And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"  My study bible says that because Christ died so close in time to the Sabbath, the burial customs of the Jews could not be completed.  Therefore, these faithful women went as soon as they could to the tomb, in order to complete the rites of burial.  Mary the mother of James has been widely considered throughout tradition to be a reference to the Virgin Mary, as she is stepmother to James called "the Lord's brother" (Matthew 13:55, compare also to Mark 15:40, 47).  Some teach that this Mary is the wife of Alphaeus, and thus this James was one of the Twelve (Luke 6:15).   Many teach that Salome was the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John.

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away -- for it was very large.  And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.  But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He is risen!  He is not here.  See the place where they laid Him."  My study bible comments that the stone had been rolled away not in order to accommodate Christ's exit from the tomb -- for in His resurrected body, He needs no such accommodation (see John 20:19).   Instead, this stone was rolled away in order to allow the witnesses -- and we who hear via the Gospel -- to look in and see that the tomb was empty.

"But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."  My study bible comments that the specific mention of Peter reveals a special care for the one who had denied Christ.  Theophylact comments that Peter himself would have considered himself unworthy to continue as disciple.  The angel's command is a promise that Peter is forgiven. 

So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.  And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.   That they said nothing to anyone, my study bible says, doesn't mean the women never said anything.  Rather, it means that they kept silent until Jesus' appearance to them (see verses 9-11 which follow).

For much of the Orthodox Church, this is now Holy Week, and the "Empty Tomb" figures prominently in many of the services for this week.  Throughout Holy Week (regardless of whether or not Easter is celebrated on the same day as the West, such as in the Armenian Apostolic Church), Orthodox tradition has what are called "Bridegroom" services.  That is, it is in preparation for Easter that we are meant to contemplate this empty tomb, as we await our Bridegroom who is Christ.  Like the Ten Virgins in the parable found in Matthew (Matthew 25:1-13), we all, as faithful Christians, continue to await our Bridegroom.  We can consider our state as like the women at this empty tomb, in which the angel announces to them that "He is risen!  He is not here."   We know that He is risen.  And we await our Bridegroom, and His return to us.   In a sense, we are all in this place where we miss Him and we await Him, and we hear the good news of the Archangel that He is risen!   In our sometimes lonely and empty-seeming world, we have our hope.  He is risen!  We live in this state of paradox as faithful believers, knowing at once that He is risen, and yet how we long for Him to be always present, in as much fullness as possible.  We are not the early disciples who lived with Him, who ate and slept with Him, who kept Him company, and were taught by Jesus in the flesh.  But nevertheless our longing and our faith also keep us close to Him.  We know Him through our prayers, and through mystical understandings that we can't quite consciously perceive.  He draws us forth in the heart, with longing in our souls.  Recently I read a quotation by C. S. Lewis, from his book, The Problem of Pain.  Lewis writes, "But God will look to every soul like its first love because He is its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it—made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand."  Yes, we long for Him because our Creator is our first love.  Like the disciples, we know this love, only we don't quite know how we know it.  I have seen people of avowedly no faith, or of faiths other than Christianity, turn to Christ in sure certainty that He is the One who loves and understands -- that He is the One in whom they can trust.  How do we know this?  It is that longing in the empty tomb that gives us a hint, that we know He was here for us, and that He will return.  We know what He did for us, that He died for us.  We are sure of His love, and even of His forgiveness, for He is the One who is true, who sought not His own glory but the glory of the One by whom He was sent:  "He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him" (John 7:18).  If there is One upon whom we can count, it is Christ in whom there is no unrighteousness.  When we feel abandoned and alone, when the world doesn't offer much in the way of real comfort, when we seem to be in that empty tomb, there is this One to whom we turn, whom we know is true and righteous, even when all else fails.  Somehow like these women who seek Him, we know that about Him, too.  Our souls know.  Our spirits call for the water He offers, because we need those waters of life to revive us again when we're weary.  We know He is life somehow, although we are in an empty tomb and we long for what we feel we have lost.  Let us consider today our places with these women, and hear this news:  He is risen!  For He is risen for all of us -- yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  We have but begun to contemplate what that really means for us, and for all those who long for the One in whom they can put their trust, the One who is righteous and true.

Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward

Christ Carrying the Cross, modern icon by Alexandra Kaouki of Alexandra Icons Workshop, Rethymnon, Crete, Greece

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

- John 13:36-38, John 19:38-42

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.  (Mark 14:12-25)

 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?"  Jesus answered him, "Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward."  Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You now?  I will lay down My life for Your sake."  Jesus answered him, "Will you lay down your life for My sake?  Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times."  While this passage documents Peter's three-time denial of Christ while Jesus was being questioned by the high priest Annas (John 18:15-27), there is contained here in John's Gospel a prophecy by Christ of Simon Peter's own martyrdom.  My study bible says that Peter would suffer martyrdom for the sake of Christ by being crucified upside down in Rome in about AD 67 (see also John 21:18-19).  

* * * 

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission.  So he came and took the body of Jesus.  And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.  Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.  Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.  So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.  My study bible calls Joseph of Arimathea a hidden disciple.  That is, one who believed in Jesus but had made no public acknowledgement of faith.  Nicodemus is one who had come to Jesus by night (John 3:2) and later defended Him before the Pharisees (John 7:50-52).   As they both participate in Christ's burial, they are publicly showing their devotion to Christ, in stark contrast to the fearful disciples, who had scattered.  My study bible also notes that had the apostles buried Christ, then doubters could claim His body was simply hidden.  Luke tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was both a council member and a good and just man.   This refutes any possibility that Christ's body was deceptively hidden by the apostles.  Also, the tomb in which He was laid -- owned by Joseph of Arimathea -- was one in which no one had ever lain before.  The spiritual significance of this, according to my study bible, is that Christ died a death unlike any other person had died:  a death without corruption, one leading to victory over the grave itself  (see Luke 23:50-53).

At times of great crisis, we find heroism and cowardice.  The disciples fail and stumble, even the one who is their nominal leader and spokesman, Peter.  But there are other things that come to light, also.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are both prominent council members, Joseph being extremely wealthy.  (An unused tomb hewn of rock was a very expensive and exclusive possession.)  For these men to step forward to claim and to respectfully bury a man crucified as a high criminal is to risk their own reputations, social status, and possibly their lives.  According to Orthodox tradition, Joseph of Arimathea was imprisoned, and the resurrected Christ appeared to him in prison, convincing him of the Resurrection.  He was later released from prison and banished from Jerusalem.  He then traveled throughout the known world preaching the Gospel, eventually remaining in Britain as an early missionary.  In the Church, he is called a holy and righteous saint.  Nicodemus, according to tradition, is known as St. Nicodemus the Righteous.  Nicodemus was a Pharisee, whom John's Gospel tells us came to Christ by night for teaching (John 3:1-21), and who also defended Jesus before his fellow Council Members (John 7:45-51).  Although he plays a conspicuous role in John's Gospel, there is not much known about him after the Resurrection.  Church tradition holds that he was possibly martyred sometime during the first century.  Simon Peter, on the other hand, fails in his own eyes and by his own sworn willingness to die for Christ, when he denies Jesus three times, being first cowed by the question of a servant girl, and questioned by a relative of the man whose ear he had cut off when they had come to seize Jesus in the garden  (John 18:15-27).  Far from dying for Christ, Peter denies being a disciple, to his own bitter regret with tears (Matthew 26:75, Luke 22:62).  All of these astonishing revelations of people within their relationship to Christ teach us importantly how false our judgment can be when based on only a nominal knowledge of a person.  We can neither make Peter be a person of sheer heroism nor make these Council members, Joseph and Nicodemus, "enemies" of Christ because they are part of the religious ruling authority of the Jews which condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy, and gave Him to Pilate for crucifixion.  These are very important elements of the Gospel we all too frequently overlook.  They are lessons for us about just and righteous judgment.  Unless we fully and thoroughly know a person, we are incapable of real judgment.  Jesus tells us so Himself, in John's Gospel:  "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).  Unfortunately we seem to live in a time when people are extremely polarized by nominal affiliations, such as political party, or which politician one of us may support, or not, as the case may be.  There are all kinds of reasons for liking a particular politician or party, for there is no such thing as a uni-dimensional governing policy, nor a uni-dimensional voter, nor a uni-dimensional politician.  We may choose to hate another for the political party, the sports team, the causes they support or do not support.  At this juncture, when the entire world is in the midst of a pandemic for which none of us has been fully prepared, and no country has a magic bullet to vanquish, we still see division through nominal political affiliation, and even hatred spread through such self-identification.  Even the use of a particular drug with promising effects against the coronavirus illness has become entirely politicized through our news media and deliberate political maneuvering  On this day, much of the world is commemorating Good Friday, the day on which our Savior died on the Cross (for the Eastern Orthodox, that is one week away).   Let us remember the vituperative treatment offered to our Savior, the crowds so easily stirred up and manipulated against Him.  And let us contrast that with what the Gospels teach us, that to judge with righteous judgment is not to judge by appearance.  It is not to judge by one thing or another, nor even a moralistic code which identifies particular behaviors as out of bounds, for even perfect obedience to the commandments of the law did not guarantee the eternal life promised by Christ (see this reading).  Let us remember that in our communion is the fullness of what it means to be a person, and to meet person-to-person -- and person-to-Person -- within the Eucharistic cup.  For this is what it means to truly save and to heal.  St. Peter will return to the fold of the disciples and be forgiven.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, important members of the ruling Council which plotted and determined to have Christ killed, are called saints by the Church.   We cannot judge by appearances, as we are forbidden to do so by the words of Christ Himself.  Our faith depends for its communion upon dialogue, and we cannot have dialogue where varying opinions, for one reason and another, work only to vilify individuals based solely on appearances and not on hearing one another out and coming together as best we can.  On this day, let us remember our Lord and His sacrifice for us, for the life of the world -- and think about what good health in body, soul, and spirit really means.  He offers us life; in hatred and judgment by appearance there is only death.  In our salvation and wholeness, we are all on a road.  Let us follow Him as we can, even as our examples in today's reading show us.  We are meant to be carrying our cross with Him, and righteous judgment is part of the way that we do it.