Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance

 

 After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"

 

- Luke 5:27-39 

 

Yesterday we read that it happened when He was in a certain city, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"   

After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Levi is also known as Matthew.  He answers Christ's call, "Follow Me," leaving his occupation as tax collector to become a disciple.  It's important that we understand the Jewish attitude toward tax collectors; they were appointed to work among their own people by the Romans.  Frequently they used the power and might of the Roman state to levy extra taxes for their own gain.  My study bible notes that from the beginning of Christ's ministry, He was a friend to tax collectors and sinners, which is one of the Pharisees' complaints against Him.  Levi might also have been one of the tax collectors who were prepared for Christ by John the Baptist (3:12-13).  

Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."   This feast is an expression of Matthew's joy and gratitude.   Jesus gathers into community those who have been excluded, as we can read from the response of the scribes and Pharisees.  My study bible says that this guest register is a stirring demonstration of the fruit of Jesus' love and forgiveness.  

Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."   My study bible comments that Jesus' earthly life is a time of joyous blessings.  He is the Bridegroom, the Christ, who has come to be with His people.  There will come a time when His followers will practice the fast, after He is taken away from them.  In Jewish practice, fasting was typically done twice a week (Luke 18:12), on Monday and Thursday.  In addition public fasts were regularly observed or occasionally proclaimed, especially on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:31-34) and in times of mourning.  But the day of the Messiah was seen as a wedding feast, a time of joy and gladness; this is the day that Jesus proclaims in this passage.  In Christian tradition, as we await our Bridegroom's return, fasting is not gloomy but rather a desirable "bright sadness" -- for fasting is a practice to gain self-control in preparation for our Wedding Feast.

Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  Jesus speaks of a New Covenant, and people made new through God's forgiveness and redemption, a spiritual inclusion by adoption.  There must be room for this new dynamic thing that is happening through His ministry, and the expansion it will create.  My study bible notes the final verse here ("And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'")  This saying appears only in Luke's Gospel, and it illustrates several things.  First it gives us a sense of the difficulty with which the Jews would accept this new covenant.  It also expresses the inner resistance a person faces in turning from a sinful way of life, as well as giving us a picture of the general stubbornness of the human heart.

So what is the New Covenant and what is it for?  Jesus gives us a great hint when He teaches that new wine must be put into new wineskins.  It is teaching us first of all that the nature of this new covenant is to expand, to open up, to include those who haven't been included before.  Just as Jesus sits with tax collectors and others who are excluded from community within the "old wineskin," so through a process of repentance they may be saved and included.  This is of necessity an expansion.  Moreover we know that this New Covenant and the message of the gospel will go out to all the nations, and there will be more people included in this new way of community with Christ.  The "people of God" will be expanded.   Under the old system, through sacrifice and other religious practice, atonement was possible and prescribed for specific sins, and an entire system of commands formed the Law.  But Jesus gives us a very important perspective on the New when He explains that "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Essentially, salvation is a process of healing.  Redemption becomes a means of setting right and setting free; it is also a way to inclusion and community.   Under the New Covenant, the people of God will be expanded.  Christ will open up a new way to be included, giving us a spiritual, mystical covenant, a reconciliation to God for all people.  But here in this stage of Luke's Gospel, we are given a start to an understanding of His orientation, a beginning of what it is to be "saved."  We witness the forgiveness of sin, and the entry into discipleship, as a form of healing.  Levi the tax collector becomes the one we know as Matthew the disciple, and author of the first Gospel of the New Testament.  Christ is our Physician, and He is here to heal.  His covenant continues to expand as we delve more deeply into what it is to be truly healed and reconciled to Christ, to grow in our faith and in our discipleship.  The problems we see and experience in our world, whatever their nature, are to be included in that healing and reconciliation.  We will always have "groups" we are told are inside and outside; this is our social human nature.  In the worldly way we human beings look at things -- and especially at other people -- there are those whom we include in our group and those whom we do not.  But Christ's reconciliation is one of love and care and healing.  He is the Bridegroom for all of us.  And this story in Luke gives us our first hint about how we think of the people of God, those who might belong and those who do not:  in Christ the way of discipleship is open to those who want to share this meal with the Bridegroom.  It is through His own sacrifice that we are invited in; His cup we are asked to drink with Him.  It is His judgment which tells us who may be in and who may be out -- and the one who is a tax collector one day may write our first Gospel the next.  Let us remember what it means to be healed, and that we all need this Physician.  It is important to know that even for we who believe, the Physician's ways may be something new to us on this journey of discipleship, that where we go and how we are changed may be something we resist, seems strange to us, or hard to accept.  The road of repentance is ongoing.  But this is also to be understood, for as Christ tells us Himself, and uniquely in today's reading, that "no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'" 

We have seen strange things today!

 

 And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."  However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!" 

 

- Luke 5:12-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately the leprosy left him.  My study bible comments here that leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of Christ's time.  It brought great physical suffering, as well as complete banishment and isolation from society, and exclusion from community.  Leprosy is also a symbol of our sin.

And He charged him to tell no one, "But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded."   Christ commands the healed leper in accordance with the requirements of the Law (see Leviticus 14).  My study bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria as saying that Christ does so in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, my study bible says, yet Christ heals a leper immediately and with His own divine authority.  However, when Miriam was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.  So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.   We should take heed of the Gospel reports that punctuate the stories of Christ and His ministry, indicating that Christ often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  If even Christ needed to do this, imagine our own need to take time to withdraw from busyness for prayer in our lives!

Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  This is the first mention in Luke's Gospel of Pharisees and teachers of the law; also let us note that they are not only from every town in Galilee, but also Judea, and Jerusalem.   They have heard of Jesus and are taking note of Him and His activities for themselves.  It is interesting that the power of the Lord is noted by Luke as a presence; so far in Luke's Gospel, we have witnessed people marveling at Jesus' power and authority.

 

 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.  And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.  When He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."  And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.  And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"  My study bible comments here that the healing of the paralytic shows us that faith is an indispensable condition for salvation.  It also comments that faith is collective as well as personal, for the faith of the paralytic's friends helped in his healing.  Moreover, it adds that there are three signs of the divinity of Christ which are shown here.  First, Christ knows the secrets of hearts (see 1 Samuel 16:7, 2 Chronicles 6:30).  Second, Christ forgives sins, which is a power that belongs only to God.  Finally, He heals by the power of His word.

The story of the healing of the paralytic is quite marvelous in its wide cast of characters, and their full involvement in the healing.  It's not just a straightforward miracle of healing, but goes in roundabout ways to involve virtually everyone present.  Perhaps this is another, less obvious reason why we're told that the power of the Lord was present to heal them.  We are meant to understand how the power of Lord does not simply involve antagonist and protagonist, an active Healer and an ailment, but the power of the Lord works through everybody in this scenario -- even those who oppose Jesus in their hearts.  Let us observe that there is more than one obstacle (the group of Pharisees and scribes) to this healing.  First of all, because the man is a paralytic, he cannot walk into the house on his own and ask for help from Christ.  He must depend upon his friends who bring him on a bed.  But the next obstacle is the crowd of people present; they cannot figure out a conventional way to come inside the house and bring their friend in on his bed.  They must think collectively, and remove the tiles from the roof to lower the man down into the midst of the people who are there.  So, so far we have many characters involved in the story:  the man, his friends, and the crowd of people present to see Jesus.  All are playing a role, and the power of the Lord will work through all of these varied factors and characters in the story.  It is the faith of the man's friends that first creates the action of healing by Christ, for the text tells us that when He saw their faith, He said to him, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."   They have made every effort to get their friend before Christ.  And then the scribes and Pharisees begin to grumble that this is blasphemy, for no one can forgive sins but God alone.  Jesus, being Himself divine, perceives what is in their hearts and He responds to it.  He says, "Why are you reasoning in your hearts?  Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise up and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive" -- He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."  And a tremendous healing miracle occurs as a display of the power of the Lord in response to the disagreement and label of blasphemy from these men of the religious establishment.  In effect, the power of the Lord which is present has worked through all elements of this scene, including the denial and lack of faith of the Pharisees and scribes.  This is an important thing to observe about the power of God:  it works through all things.  Even what is nominally "against God" (and in this case, against faith in Christ) can be used by God for good, for God's purposes.  This is perhaps most emphatically true in the symbol of the Cross, but it is a very important thing for us to remember as faithful.  Whatever we see happening in the world, whether it is nominally against our faith or for it in our sight, we should remember that God's power can work through it all, and that God's power works with our faith.  This is our part:  that we work the works of God by exercising our faith and doing what we can to build it (John 6:28-29).  St. Paul writes, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  In today's reading is the first glimmering of opposition from the religious establishment to Christ, and yet we see the outcome:  the power of the Lord works through and with their opposition and scorn.  That God's power works through so many people and elements of this story is an important lesson for us, for in our own hearts and minds we should minimize the ways in which God may work through any situation or collection of people in our own lives, or in the world.  Most importantly, perhaps, this paralyzed man could not do for himself what the group of faithful friends could initiate and help achieve.  Therefore we must remember our collective faith, our participation in our faith through prayer and liturgy, even by simply reading the Gospel to shore up our faith.  Let us take confidence when we see dismaying news or setbacks, and return again, as does Christ in today's reading, to our prayer -- and do all that we can to shore up faith.  This is the place where the power of God can work through us, and even through all things we might see and hear.  The people say, "We have seen strange things today!"   Our God is the Lord of the unexpected and the unlikely, for with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch

 

 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.  Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."  But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

 

- Luke 5:1-11 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus left the synagogue in Capernaum and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

  So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. The Lake of Gennesaret is another name for the Sea of Galilee.  The lake is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide.  This name may possibly be used here for the Sea of Galilee as it is suggestive of the fruitfulness of this region (its original name taken from the name for a fruit tree), both the fertility of the plain adjacent and the fishing.

Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land.  And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.  Sitting, my study bible explains, was the traditional position for a teacher.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."   My study bible cites St. Ambrose's commentary here, in which he sees the spiritual meaning of this command as an invitation to give one's life over to the deep mystery of the knowledge of the Son of God.

But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."  And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  My study bible comments that the Lord draws people to Himself by things that are familiar to them.  As He drew the Magi with a star (Matthew 2:2), and tax collectors by a tax collector (5:29), here Christ draws the fishermen with fish (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23).  

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"  For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."  So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.  My study bible tells us that Peter's cry in the face of divine power is not a rejection of Jesus (contrast this with 8:37).  But, instead, as Peter is suddenly cast in the light of Christ, he responds as do many holy people when they become keenly aware of their own unworthiness (compare to Isaiah 6:5, Revelation 1:17).  This great catch of fish is an image of the apostles bringing humankind into the knowledge of Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 16:16.  I the Orthodox Church, the festal hymn of Pentecost proclaims, "Through the fishermen, You drew the world into Your net."

This marvelous, surprising image of this great catch of fish catches our eye -- as no doubt it was understood that it would.  We can see the reactions of these fishermen.  No one is more astounded than they.  The word in the Gospel is astonished.  This is their home territory, it's where they have fished all of their lives, and yet on the word of Christ a catch of fish arrives that is so great it is breaking their nets.  The number of fish is so tremendous that they fill their boats to the point at which they begin to sink.  This is the powerful image of the Gospel that makes grown men astonished, stunned, amazed to the point of stupefaction.  Peter is so overwhelmed that he responds with a holy awe by simply having glimpsed an understanding of Christ:  "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"   Certainly there is in this image of the great catch of fish splitting the nets of the fishermen a sign of tremendous abundance.  The familiar phrase "all the fish in the sea" comes to mind.   We know that the sign of a fish will become an early symbol for Christians:  the ancient Greek word for fish, ιχθυς/ixthys will become an acronym for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior" (Ἰησοῦς Χριστός Θεοῦ Yἱός Σωτήρ).  Jesus forever ties together the metaphor of fish to the world full of human beings who must hear the gospel message when He says to these fishermen, "Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men."   This word in Greek for "men" also means generically mankind, human beings.  So astonishing in their minds is this catch of fish that the fishermen leave their boats and nets and business behind, becoming disciples of Christ.  John's Gospel explains to us that several of them had already been disciples of John the Baptist, and so were familiar with Jesus from the beginning.  But here is where they are truly called, and this great sign gives Peter a visceral experience that he stands before a man whose holiness he cannot fully estimate.  And that, too, is part of the surprising nature of our faith and its component of mystery to be experienced.  For that sort of glimpse comes in a way as surprising as this extraordinary catch of fish on a day when there were no fish to be found.  It is sudden, experiential, a glimpse like a flash.  The brief moment of any experience of holiness or the divine is a taste of something whose depth we cannot measure and do not know.  In the entire treasury of the Church with her saints and Scripture and all of theology there remains an overwhelming unknown of mystery about God.  Whatever we do know of God has only come through revelation; what has been developed by combining this with philosophy to create theology gives us a glimpse, but teaches us more:  that whatever it is we know of God is a tiny fraction of God's reality.  There is so much more that we don't know, like how much more is there in that great wide sea do we not know, besides this abundant, surprising catch of fish.  It's important that we understand that comparing this one catch of fish to all the fish in the sea is a metaphor for our real knowledge of God.  The sea is limited, but God is not.  Whatever we think we know of our faith, it is the tiniest fraction of the mystery of God -- and in fact our faith therefore only begins a journey that is unlimited.  When we lose sight of this mystery, we have forgotten who we are as Christians, because the true range of our faith cannot be defined and limited by what we know.  It must also include the awareness of the much more that we do not yet know.  It is that mystery -- like the glimpse of the great catch of fish -- that invites us in, and asks us to go forward.  Have you come far on your journey of faith?  Then prepare to go further.  Do you think you have tasted God's love?  Continue into its depth and breadth.  Are there still questions you need to ponder?  This is exactly the right place we must be in.  For we don't have all the answers, and the fullness of Christ we can't yet grasp.  But we are asked to be on this journey, and given experience that gives us a glance -- but there is always so much more ahead.  Sometimes, like the fishermen, we're asked to leave all behind and follow Him.  Wherever we are in this long discipleship of faith, the road starts here, and there is so much more we don't yet know.  This is what St. Ambrose understands of the command to launch out into the deep, and so we are called with the fishermen, as well.

I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent

 

 Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.  

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.

 

- Luke 4:38–44 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

  Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon's house.  But Simon's wife's mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her.  So he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her.  And immediately she arose and served them.   From this passage and 1 Corinthians 9:5, in which Peter is called Cephas, tell us that Peter was married and had a family.  His family home became a "headquarters" for Jesus' Galilean ministry.  My study bible cites St. Cyril of Alexandria regarding Christ's rebuke of Peter's mother-in-law's fever:  "That which was rebuked was some living thing unable to withstand the influence of Him who rebuked it, for it is not reasonable to rebuke a thing without life and unconscious of the rebuke.  Nor is it astonishing for there to exist certain powers that inflict harm on the human body."  So once again, in light of St. Cyril's commentary, as in yesterday's reading, this healing serves as another example of Christ's power and authority.  

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.  And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, "You are the Christ, the Son of God!"  And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.  Again, these healings and exorcisms confirm Christ's power and authority.  We note how the demons know Him, but are muzzled by Christ and are subject to His permission and commands.  Again, the word rebuke is used for what are living and oppositional forces.  My study bible also points out the diversity of Christ's healing miracles.  With Peter's mother-in-law, He simply stood over her and rebuked her fever with a word.  In the case of those who are sick with various diseases who are brought to Him, He heals by touch, laying His hands on every one of them.  These healings are immediate and complete, but others are gradual (Mark 8:22-25), or they require the cooperation of the person healed or of their loved ones (Luke 8:54-55).  But all of Christ's miracles manifest His redemption of ailing humanity.  And in the case of healing by "rebuke," it is clear His power and authority work to oppose forces that oppress human beings.

Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.  And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  And He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee.  My study bible notes for us that Christ's primary mission was to preach the kingdom.  It says that miracles and healings testify both to the truth of the message and the identity of the Teacher (see 5:24).  This same pattern holds true in the Church (Acts 4:29-30). 

The many ways in which Christ heals must make us pause to answer questions why this is so.  After all, He is the Christ.  Presumably He could heal all with a word.  Perhaps the means by which He heals also have to do with the particular ailments that afflict the different people who receive healing in the Gospels.  After all, each one also depends somewhat on the individuals concerned.  There is first of all no healing without faith, or at least the capability of faith.  Some healings take longer or are done in steps, in which case we also witness the growth of faith in the person being healed, such as with the man born blind in John's Gospel (John 9).  Jesus first makes a paste of mud and His own saliva and applies it to the man's eyes, but then He tells the man he must walk to the pool of Siloam and wash -- quite some distance away in Jerusalem.  There is a parallel to this time it takes for the healing, and the steps of walking to the pool (the name of which means Sent), and that is in the development of the faith and the capacity to testify of the formerly blind man as He is questioned by the religious leaders.  Some healings are performed via the faith of the friends of the afflicted, such as for the paralytic who was lowered down to Jesus through the roof of the place in which He was preaching (Mark 2:1-12).  At first Jesus tells the paralytic that his sins are forgiven; we can conclude that it is through the faith of his friends that this healing of sin has happened.  But then the scribes present reason in their hearts that no one but God has the authority to forgive sins.  And in response to what He knows of their hearts, Jesus tells the paralytic, "Take up your bed and walk."  Thus, through this strange and seemingly roundabout process, healing includes the friends of the paralytic, the scribes, and the paralytic as well.  In yet a third example, Jesus heals the centurion's son in John 4:46-54 in such a way as to convey that neither time nor space are obstacles to healing, but in the meantime it is the desperate centurion's faith that has been tested and rewarded by finding the precise time of his son's healing.  Each unique expression of Christ's power has meant that not only healing but also faith was involved.  Each healing impacted the faith of those present in particular ways and worked upon their particular needs -- even the doubts of the scribes were responded to through Christ's healing miracles.  So every healing has a story to tell, and each one also involves the impact on and evolution of the faith of those involved, even friends, loved ones, and bystanders present.  It's important that we understand how deeply faith is involved in each healing, as in today's reading Jesus says, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  Jesus' primary mission of healing is not simply about putting right our physical ailments, but about faith in the presence of the kingdom of God.  For this is where true healing begins and this is what true healing and salvation rely upon.  No healing takes place without faith first; but all healings involve faith, and its shoring up, deepening, and restoration.  They all teach the presence and work of the kingdom of God.  Indeed, again in John's Gospel, the people ask, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  And Jesus answers them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent" (John 6:28-29).  Ultimately, when we really study the Gospels quite closely, each sign is not so much about healing as it is ultimately about faith.  Christ comes to kindle faith in the world, to preach the kingdom of God, to remind us of God's presence with us.  This is the mission for which He is sent, for which we remain the recipients, and we must remind ourselves that it is for our faith that He has come, and through our faith that He saves and heals.  We may be said to be healed when our physical body is working well, but the ongoing nurturing of faith is the substance of health in body, soul, and spirit.

What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 4:31–37 

 

Yesterday we read that after being tempted by the devil, Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."   Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"   Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine thorughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

 

 Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths.  And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority.  My study bible quotes St. Ambrose of Milan, who explains that Christ begins preaching and healing on the Sabbaths in order to show that "the new creation began where the old creation ceased."  Regarding teaching . . . His word . . . with authority, my study bible comments that Christ doesn't teach like the prophets of old and the teachers of His own time, who taught in the third person ("The Lord says").  Christ instead teaches in the first person ("I say to you").  See also Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount.

Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.  And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Let us alone!  What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Did You come to destroy us?  I know who You are -- the Holy One of God!"  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!"  And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him.  Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, "What a word this is!  For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out."  And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.  Jesus commands the unclean demon to Be quiet, as He does not want His messianic identity revealed at this early stage of His ministry -- and certainly not this way, but rather in the way His ministry will unfold with His disciples.  My study bible explains that Christ's refusal to fully disclose His identity as Messiah is foreseen by Isaiah (Isaiah 42:1-4).  The reasons for this secrecy would include the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders, the people's misunderstanding and expectation of the Messiah as an earthly and political leader, and Christ's desire to evoke genuine faith which is not based solely on marvelous signs.  The people marvel at Christ's authority and power, shown in His command to the unclean spirits.

So what is authority and where does it come from?  Where does power come from?  These are the things that distinguish Christ from all the others the people hear preaching.  Christ speaks from His own authority and acts from His own power.  But how would we recognize this authority and power?  My study bible makes note of the ways in which Christ preaches, that He speaks direct from His own authority, in using phrases like, "I say to you," such as when He preaches regarding the Law in the Sermon on the Mount.  In Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus uses the formula, "You have heard that it was said to those of old . . .  But I say to you . . . ," adding, refining, building upon the Law, in just the same way in which the New Testament illumines, expands, and further reveals and enlightens what was given in the Old.  So Jesus conveys power and authority in His speech, but speech alone would not be enough to convey what truly exists with Christ.  In our story of the synagogue in Capernaum in today's reading,  Jesus commands the unclean demon and the demon must obey.  This is another display of authority and of power.  But still, exorcists did exist within the Jewish tradition -- to cast out an unclean demon was not an exceptional sign, but the sign of the authority and power of Christ Himself was something exceptional.  He needs no other name in which to act, no other authority other than what He possesses within Himself.  These are the things to which the people respond and for which they marvel about Christ.  His authority is in His identity, in Himself.  Once again, when pondering this question of authority and power, we return to Christ's relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit.  His authority and power is in His identity as Son.  As such, this authority and power is something new in the world, something the people have not seen before.   As my study bible reminds us, Christ's preaching is bringing something new into the world, a new creation.  But as "sons" by adoption, how does this authority and power work in us, or through us?  St. Paul writes, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  If Christ's power and authority have come into the world in order to reconcile all the world to Himself, and therefore to save, then what is our place in this "ministry of reconciliation" which Paul writes about?  How is Christ's power and authority extended through us?  Ultimately, the power of the Cross is the way of Christ, and that power and authority work in this world, through the good and the bad, for God's purposes.  Let us keep in mind, as we read that the people marvel at Christ, that this power and authority was brought into the world for us, and continues in the ministry He's given to us, and through us.  We each have our place within and among this power and authority which is shared with us, and distributed through the Spirit.  What grace does God share with you?  How does power and authority translate to grace, in order to be at work in your life, and through your part as one among the faithful?  Christ's power and authority startle the people of His time, but in our own lives at this time, we perhaps need that more than ever -- to rely on it, to participate in it, and especially to make it real in this world by living through it.  Let us consider the new creation as one that is ever-renewed, continually made new in us, and our part to play in what is meant for the life of the world.  

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor

 

 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.  And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me 

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  

 

So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"   Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine thorughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

- Luke 4:14–30 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus, after His Baptism, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:  'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,'" and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 

  Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.  And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  These brief verses tell us of the beginning of Christ's ministry, and how quickly news of Him spread as He taught in their synagogues, and was glorified by all.

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.  And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah.    This passage (verses 16-22) is read in the Church on September 1st, which is the beginning of the Ecclesiastical New Year.  It is by tradition considered to have taken place on what is now called Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (Leviticus 23:24, Numbers 29:1). 

And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor . . ."  My study bible comments here that Christ, being the eternal Son of God, did not become the world's anointed Savior, but has always been our Savior from before the foundation of the world.   In the Church, we understand it as Christ speaking through Isaiah who said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" (Isaiah 61:1).  Note that Christ does not say, "The Spirit has come upon Me."  My study bible adds that hen the Spirit of the LORD descended on Jesus at His baptism (3:22), this was a sign which revealed an eternal, not temporal, truth to people about Christ the Son.

 

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."   The acceptable year is the time of the Incarnation, when the Kingdom of heaven has come to earth (see 2 Corinthians 6:2).

 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.  And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."  So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.  And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?"  He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself!  Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'"   Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine thorughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."  So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.  Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.  My study bible comments on the double response of marveling and rejection.  It is one found frequently with those who encounter Christ (see 11:14-16; John 9:16).   Jesus being rejected in His own country is a fulfillment of the rejection of the Old Testament prophets such as Elijah and Elisha, who are mentioned here by Christ.  It also foreshadows Christ's rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  My study bible adds that Christ accepts death according to the Father's will, not at the will of the religious leaders or the crowds whose passions they whip up.  Here, Christ's hour has not yet come (see John 8:20).  

Jesus' statement, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country," is so important in His story that it is found in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, John 4:44).  Of course, it is central to the story of Christ.  Here, by tradition at the start of the new year (a time for blowing the horn), Jesus goes to His hometown, and declares Himself.  His identity as Son is revealed at Baptism (see Tuesday's reading), but in today's reading He is essentially announcing Himself as the Christ to His hometown, as the "anointed one" which the passage from Isaiah declares.  But at this announcement, His townspeople bridle.  They envy His learning and His gracious words.  How can He be one who so rises above His station?  Isn't He Joseph's son, as they know Him?  But, in this frame of mind, He can do nothing of His great works, because those require faith.  They can't accept Him in the role revealed here.  There is witness of Him elsewhere; we're told that He is glorified by all in the surrounding regions.  But in His hometown, they need proof, and proof no one is going to get.  They already have Him pegged as the person they knew and once thought He was.  Right from the beginning, right here in His Galilean ministry, Luke introduces to us the problems of authority which Christ will have right through to the Passion week, to His Crucifixion.  How can He prove He has authority to speak and to teach?  Sometimes in life we will find that we are judged only by what others understand of us.  Yet, in the sight of God we are more than we appear to others.  It is God who knows the heart, and who understands the things of which we might be capable, in God's sight, and with God's help.  We may be capable of transcendence as was Christ, overcoming our own circumstances to find a greater meaning than is presented in a worldly sense.  We may find ways to express great love that others can't see, or compassion we didn't necessarily learn in our homes, a patience God helps us to learn with our own cross, a loyalty others have not shown to us, forbearance learned through experience and through prayer.  All of these things can be gifts of God, and fruit of the Spirit.  As Christ's real identity is from His own relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, so our own deepest identity comes from our relationship with God, and especially in that deeply intimate place where God knows us better than we know ourselves.  As we pray, we not only pray to Father, Son, and Spirit, but also with all the saints and angels, those saints who have been there with us walking through life in this world and through a depth of relationship with God, the angels who help us and encourage us unseen along the way.  This is the place where we find ourselves.  Christ is who He truly is, and none of the naysayers of His hometown can change that.  But neither can He do the miraculous things He's done elsewhere, without their faith first.  There's an odd reflection of our own lives in that, as so often we are simply unable to "prove" who we truly are to those who just don't want to see it.  Christ gives us hope, for He's been there already before us.  Let us take heart from His choice to be there first, and take our direction also from Him and the faith He asks of us.   In today's reading, Jesus reads the words of Isaiah:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."    Today we must remember that these words have meaning for us right here and right now, especially when we feel poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind, or oppressed -- and right now is always the acceptable year of the LORD.

If You are the Son of God . . .

 

 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.  And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"  Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'"  Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written:

'He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,'

"and,

'In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

 

- Luke 4:1–13 

 

Yesterday we read that as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John the Baptist, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.   My study bible comments that the exodus of Jesus into the wilderness after His Baptism has a dual symbolism.  First, it fulfills the Old Testament type in which Israel journeyed in the wilderness for forty years after its own "baptism" in the Red Sea.  Second, It is a prefiguration of our own journey through the fallen world, with all its temptations for us, after our own baptism, as we struggle towards the Kingdom.  The forty day Christian fast in the period of Lent (and also a traditional fast before Christmas) is modeled after this period in Christ's life.  To be tempted, my study bible reminds us, is to be tested in fundamental areas of faith.  Note that Jesus is led by the Spirit for this to take place.  We faithful are also aided by the Holy Spirit in our own struggles with temptation.  My study bible calls the wilderness a battleground and an image of the world, which is both the dwelling place of demons and a source of  divine tranquility and victory.  Jesus' fast is a kind of reversal of the failure of the Israelites to obey God during the long sojourn with Moses.   All of Christ's answers in today's text are from Deuteronomy, and all call for loyalty to God.  Fasting is a way to overcome temptation as we learn our own power and limitations in the face of temptation.  It's not our hunger that controls us.

And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."  But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.'"   Let us note that the devil's challenge to Christ is a challenge to Christ's relationship to the Father.  If You are the Son of God is a questioning of the Father's declaration at Jesus' Baptism ("You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased"; see above).  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3.  The devil wants Jesus to act independently, and to detach Himself from the will of the Father.  In Christ's divine nature, my study bible says, He shares one will with the Father and the Holy Spirit; He can do nothing of Himself (John 5:30), apart from the Father.  In His humanity, Jesus possesses free will, and at all times must make a choice to remain obedient to the divine will of the Father.  Let us note that Adam disregarded the divine command in order to pursue the passions of the body (Genesis 3), but Christ the New Adam conquers temptation by the divine word, giving human nature the power to conquer Satan.

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.  Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Jesus is tempted by all the kingdoms of the world, worldly authority, and worldly glory.   The devil is the "ruler of this world" (John 12:31), "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), as the whole world is in his power, as the devil declares here (1 John 5:19).  Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 6:13, affirming that His loyalty is to the Kingdom of God, and that He will go to His sacrificial suffering and death for the salvation of the world.

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"   As Jesus has already twice defeated Satan's temptations by the power of Scripture, the devil tries to use Scripture to put God's power of protection to the test.  (See also 2 Peter 1:19-21.)  Jesus replies by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16.  My study bible makes an important comment for all of us here. It tells us that trials and temptations come on their own.  We should never intentionally expose ourselves to danger in order to test or to prove God's protection.  To do so is to tempt the LORD.

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.   Regarding an opportune time, see Luke 22:40-46, 23:35; Matthew 16:21-23.

What is temptation?  If we look at Jesus' temptations by the devil, we must first notice a pattern that involves loyalty to God, and specifically loyalty to Christ's relationship to God.  Each refutation by Jesus is couched in a quotation from Deuteronomy, the time of Israel's wandering toward the Promised Land, following Moses.  We also need to view these quotations from Deuteronomy, refutations of the temptations by the devil, in light of what the Father's voice has revealed at Christ's Baptism:  "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  In other words, the temptations of the devil serve as an attempt to influence Jesus to deny what was said by the voice of the Father.  They are attempt to cast doubt and suspicion on that relationship, and to break it apart, to defy it.  The devil first tempts Christ through His hunger -- but in a way that asks Christ to use His power as Son in order to provide Himself with bread.  Second, He is tempted through the acquisition of worldly authority and glory, as offered in exchange for substituting the devil for God the Father.  Finally, Jesus is meant to be persuaded by misuse of Scripture in an attempt to test God, and prove the Father would save Christ if He threw Himself down from the temple, to force the Father to "prove" His love.  Christ refutes this final temptation with a quotation from Scripture condemning the idea of tempting God to begin with.  What "saves" and preserves Christ for the fulfillment of His mission of salvation in the world is the steadfast defense and protection of His relationship to God the Father.  For it is this very relationship which not only gives to Christ the fullness of His identity as Savior, it is this relationship to which Christ will repeatedly refer in all that He does.  As we have recently read through John's Gospel, we have only to refer back to the repeated times that Jesus' consistent defense of Himself, especially when in conflict and dialogue with the religious leaders, was to consistently refer back to His relationship to God the Father.  This is the central and constant theme that gives Christ both mission and identity.  Here in Luke's Gospel, we have returned to this consistent presence of the relationship among the Persons of the Trinity, with an emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ.  It is the Spirit who descended in the form of a dove at Christ's Baptism, the Spirit who led Christ into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, just as the LORD went before the Israelites by day and by night in the wilderness as they went toward the Promised Land (Exodus 13:20-21).  While we are to understand the uniqueness of the identity of Jesus Christ, we are also to understand the events of His life and their bearing on our own lives as faithful, as adopted "sons" (for we are all "sons" as we are al heirs, regardless of gender).  Our first understanding in temptation is to consider that, one way or another, it is our basic relationship to God that will be tested and tried.  How did we come to faith?  How do we understand our own relationship to God?  What is the depth of our prayer life like?  It is really what is essentially and at its deepest level a mystical reality that is under attack in temptation.   Especially important is to consider how that basic relationship of faith creates an identity within us.  How do we think of ourselves as children of God?  What does this loving relationship teach us about ourselves?  Is there something our hearts long to be loyal to within the context of that relationship?  Is it, in fact, our love of God itself that is being tested and tempted?  These are all things to consider.  Sometimes it will be quite true that it is our love of God itself that becomes controversial and separates us from others.  Like Christ, our love of God may seem strange to others, somehow setting us apart, offering to us an identity that calls us to places that separate us from others -- at times, even friends and family.  At this time, many are under great stress from various causes the world shares:  a covid epidemic, people staying home -- working from home or not, retaining a job or possibly depending upon financial assistance, and midst an economic downturn which we hope will reverse itself.  It's a time of uncertainties and of pressures, and also of fears.  It is a time in which we are likely to find ourselves tested in one way and another.  But when this happens, we should consider the temptations of Jesus, and discern how and why our own tests seek specifically to challenge our faith.  There should be all kinds of ways in which pressures test us with ostensibly different appearances, but it is good to learn to discern what challenges our relationship to God.  Do our pressures ask us, similarly to the devil's temptation to Christ, why we must deal with hardship when others do not?  Do they push us to ask why God would not favor us more?  Are we tempted to challenge God's love by giving up and giving in, and seeing if we will be saved?  Do we face a challenge in the sense that life would be easier or simpler if we did not think of ourselves as Christians and loyal to our faith?  There are many forms of tests and temptations, but above all, we will be tempted to challenge God's love for us.  In prayer, we may find, that the steady return to God's love places us solidly on a rock in which we understand the safety in our hearts of a certainty as to who we are.  It is this place that can steer us through difficulties and uncertainties, in a way that enables us to know ourselves and put faith in the path we know is good.  Let us remember that temptations and tests are simply a part of life in this world, and that we need to shore up the strength of that place in which we know that we are, first of all, loved by God.  It is there where we truly remember  who we are.

 

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

 

 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.  But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

 

- Luke 3:15–22 

 

In yesterday's reading, we read the Prologue to Luke's Gospel which was dedicated to Theophilus, and then began chapter 3:  "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the world delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed."  . . .  Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.  And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  'Prepare the way of the LORD; make His paths straight.  Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked place shall be made straight and the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' "Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin 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."  So the people asked him, saying, "What shall we do then?"  He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."  Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?"  And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you."  Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?"  So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages."  

 

  Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, "I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  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 the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."  And with many other exhortations he preached to the people.   My study bible says that fire in this context has the primary meaning of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is given to the world at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).  Moreover, my study bible says, in this passage it is a further declaration of the judgment of Christ, in which the faithless will burn (see 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, 2:6).  It notes also that this fire is one:  it is the same Power and the same Spirit which both enlivens the faithful and destroys the faithless.  Images of this fire include the burning bush seen by Moses, which burned but did not consume the bush, and out of which He heard the voice of God (Exodus 3).  In the light of the New Testament, the burning bush is often seen as a "type" of Mary the Mother of God, who conceived by the Holy Spirit but in her purity of heart was not burned.

But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.  Herod had divorced his own wife, and married Philip's wife Herodias.  As Philip was still living, John the Baptist publicly criticized the marriage as unlawful, a contravention of Jewish law.  These sons of Herod the Great ruled for Rome, but came from a lineage of converts to Judaism and had been raised as Jews.

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.  And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."  My study bible comments that Jesus Himself does not need baptism.  But in being baptized, Christ accomplishes several things.  First, He affirms the ministry of John the Baptist.  Second, Jesus is revealed by the Father (the voice . . . from heaven) and the Holy Spirit as the Christ, God's beloved Son.  He identified with His people by descending into the waters with them.  Jesus also prefigured His own death, which gives baptism its ultimate meaning.  Christ also entered the waters, which sanctifies water itself for baptism.  His Baptism is also a fulfillment of many types given in the Old Testament, such as when Moses led the people out of bondage through the Red Sea (Exodus 14), and when the ark of the covenant was carried into the Jordan so the people could enter the Promised Land (Joshua 3; 4).  Finally, Christ opened heaven to a world separated from God through sin. 

My study bible has a lengthy note regarding Christ's Baptism.  For the Eastern churches, the Baptism of Christ is celebrated on January 6th, and it is known commonly as Epiphany ("Revelation" or "Manifestation") or more properly as Theophany, a revelation or manifestation of God.  The Son is revealed by the descent of the Holy Spirit, and by the voice of the Father.  My study bible says that this is the greatest and clearest public manifestation of God as Trinity in human history.  A hymn of the Orthodox church for this day proclaims, "The Trinity was made manifest."  My study bible adds that the words spoken by the Father ("You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased") also apply to everyone who is baptized and lives faithfully, as we know that sonship is bestowed by adoption (Galatians 4:4-7).  The Holy Spirit appearing as a dove is not an incarnation, but is rather a visible sign for the people.   The appearance of the dove further fulfills the type which was prefigured at the Flood.  My study bible quotes Theophan:  "Just as a dove announced to Noah that God's wrath had ceased, so too the Holy Spirit announces here that Christ has reconciled us to God by sweeping sin away in the flood waters of baptism."  It's worth understanding Scripture through this lens of the lengthy note from my study bible.  Although the Baptism of Christ is rendered in two rather simple verses in Luke's Gospel, what we learn from this lengthy note on the final verse in today's reading is how deeply a brief event may impact on the entire timeline of spiritual history as presented in the whole of the Bible.  Scripture reflects and reflects and reflects upon itself, each reflecting facet illuminating other passages.  What was received one way may be understood in completely new ways by new events, and such is the way that the New Testament illuminates the events of the Old.  A New Testament passage taken on its own will have completely different meanings revealed through a careful reading of the Old Testament.  These are but some of the ways that Scripture works.  Therefore, in Christ's Baptism, an event that took a but a moment in real time has an effect that stretches backward -- and forward -- in time to impact the whole of an understanding of spiritual reality, and which continues to have meaning and grow in its impact upon our faith and our understanding of the nature of God and of God's revelation to the world through Jesus Christ.  For our earliest Christian ancestors, "Scripture" consisted only of the Jewish Scriptures, what we understand as the Old Testament Scriptures.  But within the context of the wider Greco-Roman world, there were already highly developed traditions in place of interpretation of religious texts, such as in Greek drama, poetry, and music.   The ancient myths were already understood as not simply literal histories, but also as allegories; moreover over time they were reworked to reveal more sophisticated insights and understanding, and also through the extensive lens of the well-developed discipline of philosophy.  And all of this went into the early Church, especially through the early Church Fathers, who were among the ranks of the most highly educated and sophisticated of their time.  When we read Scripture, as in today's example, we are to understand all of these influences and variable possibilities of insight and interpretation as not simply informing us about how we are to receive and understand what we read, but also giving us insight into the very nature of Scripture itself.  We should also understand our own insight from reading Scripture in this same context, and why it is worthwhile studying Scripture every day of our lives.  Regardless of the time at which we read, and depending on the choices we need to make and insights we may receive, the same passage of Scripture can help to illuminate conditions quite varied in our lives, from youth to extremely experienced old age.  At every stage of life, we're called upon for spiritual growth.  We will always have spiritual demands to meet regarding the growth of our soul, at each stage of life, and in daily affairs.  Just as Scriptures insights may be varied in terms of how Scripture works to illuminate itself, one part to another, and in conjunction with the wide variety of materials in the Church such as theology and liturgy and prayer, so these facets of illumination work at varied stages of our lives.  It is the nature of the Holy Spirit, also called "the breath of God," who is also responsible for our Scripture, which is called inspired.  Let us remember this as we read, and the enormity of the gift we're given in so small a space for an infinite universe of understanding.